Bedroom progress is still under way but let’s talk about my bed, shall we? Seeing as how there were a bunch of questions about it on the recent update post.

The bed itself is West Elm’s chunky wood bed frame {no longer available} in queen. When HH and I first got married we bought a cheap metal four poster bed from JCPenney. It was white and had intricate swirly designs that we soon realized weren’t our style. at. all. As you do when you’re 24 and making mistakes in your first house. We lived with the bed for 7+ years. A few years back, it was time to upgrade our mattress and we decided to shop for a bed frame that better suited our taste. We fell in love with this chunky platform frame and never looked back. We use a low profile 5″ box spring to give it a little more height and support but it isn’t necessary. We love this bed frame. It has been with us in two houses and one apartment now and has held up really well. I don’t know that we’ll ever buy another bed.

In our previous home, we crafted a reclaimed wood headboard from old fence boards. Within weeks, that headboard was plastered all over the internet and it’s weird to see it pop up on pinterest from time to time when I’m browsing. Some say it even sparked the reclaimed wood headboard trend. The headboard held a lot of meaning for us but it wasn’t quite wide enough for our queen bed and it wasn’t all that comfortable to lean back on for nighttime reading. Last summer it was auctioned off {along with a slew of other decor-related items} to help raise money for cancer treatment for a friend from high school.

Before we moved into our current home, I snatched up a curvy leather headboard for cheap from Ballard Designs outlet in West Chester, Ohio. It was a lovely headboard but once it was in place under the bedroom window, it was clear that it didn’t belong in the space. We needed something with cleaner lines. I was happy to discover that West Elm still offered headboards compatible with our chunky bed frame. I chose the nailhead upholstered headboard in brushed heather cotton, grey haze. It wasn’t cheap but if I’ve learned anything over the last 10+ years it’s that having a cozy, cushy spot to rest your head at night really does make you happier. {If you’re up for it – clearly, I wasn’t – upholstered headboards are totally DIYable as a less expensive option.} The headboard attaches directly to our bed frame so there’s no wobbling. It’s very sturdy and the brushed cotton has a luxe, soft feel. The nailhead trim is a classic touch. I don’t know that we’ll ever buy another headboard.

With our forever bed in place, it was time to consider bedding. For the past 5 years, we’ve had an inexpensive white IKEA duvet on our bed. It wasn’t bad; it wasn’t great. I’ve always been a fan of Dwell Studio bedding. When I came across the ash draper stripe duvet, I thought the horizontal stripes would help our narrow bedroom look wider. And if not, well, I’ve never met a stripe I didn’t like.

HH and I are smitten with the duvet set. It’s a high quality brushed cotton that looks and feels better and better with each washing – sort of like good linen. The duvet holds our down comforter snugly which is something the IKEA duvet didn’t do. With our old duvet, the comforter was constantly shifting and bunching. The buttoned opening is concealed under the saffron border so there aren’t any gaping holes in plain sight. Speaking of the saffron border, the product pics online portray it as more citron than saffron but it’s definitely saffron / gold in person. I didn’t edit any of the images in this post so you can see the true colors. The stripes are heathered brown / taupe and ivory.

We use our same white sheets we’ve always had but I sandwiched an organic blanket between the top sheet and duvet. On mild nights, I fold the duvet up at the foot of the bed and we just use the blanket and sheet to sleep. This knit blanket is awesome. {Yes, it’s Threshold and, no, this isn’t a plug for Threshold. I really do buy their stuff!} Like the duvet, it gets softer every time I wash it. For the quality, I expected a higher price but it was only $40.

Do you recognize the throw pillow from last week’s etsy crush? It’s hemp with vintage embroidery. It has a great nubby texture but isn’t scratchy or coarse.

Apparently, the embroidered detail was part of a tribal skirt from North Vietnam. I love that it adds subtle pattern, color and texture to the bedding but doesn’t “match.”  The black lines pick up on the slate windowsills and ribbon detail of the ceiling light.

I have to say that after 10+ years of not giving our bedroom the same attention as the rest of the house {until recently, our bedroom was mostly made up of displaced furniture & cheap decor}, it literally feels good to have a respectable place to retreat to at the end of the day. After the kids are in bed, we find ourselves running to our bedroom to read and talk and HH and I have both noticed improved sleep since sprucing up our room. It doesn’t seem to matter that there are minor details left to tackle. It’s becoming one of our favorite rooms in the house.

I think in the past we neglected or took the cheap way out on our bedroom because it wasn’t a space that others saw as prominently as, say, our living room or kitchen. What we’re learning is that a room’s worth shouldn’t be based on how many visitors see it. {Um, we don’t have a lot of bedroom visitors.} Instead, a room that we spend a third of our day in – even if the majority of that time is spent sleeping – is totally worthy of decorating. We are worthy of a nice bedroom. How have we missed this over the last decade?! Oh, right, “the kids” excuse. No more excuses!

Thanks to Wayfair for supporting my habit.

Click to see who won last week’s MADHOUSE giveaway.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Remember the as-is living room?

Yeah, it’s not done.

But I did remove the shoe cabinet and octagon mirror. And put down a clean beach towel along the bottom of the front door. AND I think my photography skills are improving. Yay for shooting towards a large window! Sometimes, it’s the little things people. Oh, and for those of you on Team Original Door…we’re gonna do it. We’re going to try to salvage it.

About the shoe cabinet and mirror…the shoe cabinet is from IKEA. It has a slim profile and holds a minimum of eight pairs of shoes. It’s great but I think it was a little wide for the space between the front door and picture window. The octagon mirror was a Ballard Designs outlet find a few years back and it used to live in our previous master bedroom. I love the mirror but the octagonal shape next to the rectangular door with square windows was throwing me into a shape-induced tizzy.

So where did the shoe cabinet and mirror end up? Not on Craigslist. Not in the attic with all the other “I like this but I don’t know exactly where to put it right now so let’s just throw it in the attic” stuff.

I moved the cabinet and mirror to our bedroom. I feel good about them there. The slim profile of the cabinet makes it easy to slip by on the way to the closet or bed and the mirror helps reflect at least a little light around the north-facing room. I’m glad I hung the curtains before relocating the cabinet and mirror. I think I would have been inclined to center the cabinet on the wall between the closet and door but with the curtains in place, it looks better centered between the curtain edge and the door. That’s a difference of several inches. {The curtain rod and curtains extend ~10″ past the closet opening.} Otherwise, the cabinet would have sat too far left.

I had been waiting for HH to move the cabinet and mirror but today I was motivated to DIM {do it myself}. It wasn’t that difficult but I did run into a problem when I remembered the wall was one of the few remaining original plaster walls. The shoe cabinet was easy. It has a support spanning the width of the cabinet behind the doors and I drilled through it into two studs. The mirror was a different story. I was able to hit a stud for one of the wall hangers on the back of the mirror. For the other one, I had to pre-drill a hole, insert a wall anchor and fasten a screw. Not awful but it did take longer than expected {mostly because I had to scavenge the messy garage for wall anchors}… which means the kids got antsy and I got flustered. But I got ‘er done.

I’m hoping to make time for a little bedroom styling within the next week or so. This room is getting so close! I need something on top of the cabinet to connect it to the mirror {think overlap the mirror} and I have an urge to paint the knobs gold.

I haven’t quite figured out what to do with the now empty space next to the front door. Simple picture frames with a large basket on the floor to catch guests’ shoes {someday when the door is fixed}? A small entry cabinet/console on the wall? I like the idea of less versus more. While I was organizing the attic last week, I rediscovered some decor items that I want to incorporate in the house. Maybe I can make something we already own work. There’s nothing like shopping your attic for free decor!

Have you ever transplanted stuff from one room to another? For me, this was like killing two birds with one stone. I freed up visual space near the front door and added shoe storage and a light reflecting mirror to our bedroom in one fell swoop. Wait, is that three birds?

FYI – I’m sharing what HH wants for father’s day here. Maybe it will give you some ideas for your baby daddy.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Our master bedroom has taken a backseat to many other projects.

We bought nightstands, organized the closet, hung an awkward curvy headboard under the window and pretty much lived with it like that for the past year. But I finally said to HH, “Enough is enough! Time to make this a room we want to sleep in every night.” I’ve slowly been acquiring pieces over the past six months and recently repainted. This past weekend we got around to hanging window treatments and installing new lighting. We’re not done with the room just yet but take a peek.

Clearly, I am still in the process of fine tuning the details {nightstand styling, hemming curtains, adding accessories, etc.} but I am already in love with this room.

It’s so weird. I had envisioned a dark and moody bedroom but somehow I ended up with a calm and airy one. If it had been totally up to me, I would have gone for those dark walls but HH was leery and told me more than once he didn’t want to feel like he was sleeping in a cave. So we went lighter and I’m surprised by how much I like it! The wall color {Benjamin Moore half moon crest} reminds me of a light gray-blue oxford shirt and it’s growing on me. Big time.

We hung a curtain rod above the closet and added four floor-to-ceiling curtains. It’s so nice not to see our jumble of clothes from bed.

The panels easily slide over to give us access to the closet. We thought doors would have been too cumbersome and we like how the curtains balance out the window on the other side of the room. And hanging the curtains high on the wall go a long way in making the room feel bigger.

We hung woven blinds and curtains on the window opposite the closet. The plan is to embellish the plain white curtains {maybe on the closet too?} with ribbon or something. And hem them. Obviously. I always like to wash, dry, iron and hang curtains BEFORE I hem them so I know they aren’t going to shrink up on me.

Ideally, I wouldn’t put my bed under a window unless it was architecturally interesting but we don’t really have a choice in this room. I tried to make the most of it. I looked at a bunch of pictures online of beds in front of windows. Many of them showed curtains falling behind the headboard but they were a little too fussy for me. The images I liked most were of simply dressed windows. So we just hung some woven blinds and called it a day. I like the texture and laid back feel of the shade.

We also switched out the curvy headboard for a straighter one to help the bed “fit” under the window better. I made sure to find one that wouldn’t overlap with the window. We love the original slate windowsills and like showing them off.

Our bedroom receives very little natural light. To keep it bright, good artificial lighting is a must. We added a new ceiling fixture, a table lamp on a dresser on the other side of the room and two swing arm lamps flanking the bed. The swing arm lamps are my favorite pieces in the room and are super functional for two like-to-read-in-bed kinda people. I actually ordered the wall lamps back in January and they’ve been sitting boxed on our dresser up until a few days ago. I was waiting to paint and receive our new headboard before we hung them. There has been a running joke in our bedroom for the past several months…

HH, trying to read his Handyman magazine by the light of a lone lightbulb on the ceiling: Boy, it sure would be nice to have some reading lights in here.

Me: Technically, we do have reading lights in here. They’re just in boxes.

The lamps support up to 75W which is more than enough for nighttime reading. The arm and shade are adjustable but I need to WD40 them. They’re a little stiff. I was this close to ordering the lamps in silver. That was my initial safe choice. But I am so glad I went for the antique brass. They feel so grown up. And I do turn 35 this year. Now if I could only keep my teenaged inappropriate humor under wraps…NAH. Borrrrrrrrring. {In my defense, I did just quell the urge to throw in a “that’s not the only stiff thing in the bedroom” joke. So sorry.}

The room is narrow so I thought horizontal striped bedding would make it feel wider. Plus, I never met a stripe I didn’t like.

I know you guys probably have a bunch of questions about where I got what but, if you don’t mind, I’d rather address those in a true “after” post. Especially since I’ll be adding in more accessories. But if there is something you are just itching to get your hands on, ask in the comments and I’ll be sure to source it for you. I just couldn’t wait any longer to share how things are looking.

In the meantime, I’ll be hanging out in my bedroom tweaking ’til my heart’s content. It’s funny. I used to blaze through this room on the way to the bathroom {the other bathroom is still gutted} and do my nighttime reading in the living room on the sofa but, now, I want to be in this room all. the. time. And it’s not even done.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

BAM. Five things on my dresser. But, first, let’s cut to the chase. I repainted our bedroom. I really, really, REALLY wanted to go for Benjamin Moore’s anchor gray – a dark, moody navy-gray. Alas, when it came down to it, our north-facing bedroom couldn’t handle it. It just would have been too dark. I’m not scared of dark walls {I have some in my mudroom and my daughter’s nursery} but I like them in rooms that receive a fair amount of natural light to begin with.

Instead, I opted for Benjamin Moore’s half moon crest. I first saw it in Orlando’s apartment. He described it as a warm gray but in our dim Ohio room it reads much cooler. Especially on wet and dreary days like today. {I have fantasies of moving to California just for the good natural light.} HH loves it. I like it. It really is the best wall color for this room which is infamous for casting strange dingy green shadows. Half moon crest is elusive and ever-changing. I like my paint colors that way. Sometimes it’s a cool gray, sometimes a warm gray, sometimes a blue-gray. My dream bedroom would have natural light flooding in all day but this is not my dream bedroom. I’m working with what I’ve got.

Enough talk of paint. Back to five things on my dresser…

Sources: Threshold gold decorative bowl // Robert Abbey Delta Lily lamp // Threshold decorative ball // Threshold glass & acacia server // Threshold square tabletop frame

I partnered with the good people at Target to bring you this tabletop styling.

It all started with those industrial spheres. They were the literal balls that got the metaphorical ball rolling. I like decorative pieces that are sculptural. I bought the lamp per Emily’s recommendation. She is right. It has the perfect scale. I added a brass bowl to corral pens. {The plan is to convert this dresser into a workstation…stay tuned!} I planted a trio of jade plants in a dip server. A DIP SERVER! Call me crazy. It proves that, indeed, you can plant succulents in anything. On a whim, I drew a quirky little geometric piece of art and framed it up.

This little corner is the last thing I see before I fall asleep at night.

It melts me.

There are still finishing touches to put on this corner and the rest of the bedroom but it’s coming along! This weekend’s plans include hanging swing arm lamps on either side of the bed and installing hardware on the top dresser drawer so it can be used as a keyboard pull out.

This is my final post in the Threshold series. Maybe that makes some of you happy. But my honest hope for this series was to inspire you to tweak your home. Play around. Have fun. Try something new. Even if you have kids running around. Even if it’s just one corner or one table. Even if you end up not liking it and redo it. Even if you don’t buy any Threshold products.

That’s all.

This post brought to you by Threshold, a Target collection. The Threshold collection focuses on specialized design techniques including hand-painted accents and artisanal touches to make each piece unique yet affordable. What differentiates Target’s new Threshold collection is its unprecedented style coupled with its high quality and affordability. Thank you Tar-jay!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

This isn’t technically an “all done!” after – just an after shot of the boys’ bedroom since adding the striped wallpaper. You can read more about the wallpaper install here.

There was some concern about PVC fumes off gassing from the wallpaper. But after touching base with the creator of Chasing Paper, I’d like to clarify. The wallpaper is actually made of PVC-free fabric {!} and non-toxic adhesive.

Still, I let the wallpaper off gas in the garage for a few weeks before I brought it into the house and I aired out the room after the wallpaper was hung by opening the windows which is protocol around here whenever I add something new {wallpaper, paint, rug, furniture, etc.} to any room. We have had absolutely no strange odors in the room – well, other than the natural strange odors that come with two boys ;)

The night after we hung the wallpaper I had dreams of waking to find the paper crumpled in a pile on the floor. Luckily, it was just a dream.

The wallpaper looks just as good as the day we put it up.

A reader asked if the boys ever pick at the wallpaper and try to remove it. {The peel-and-stick wallpaper can be easily removed without damaging drywall.} The answer is no. I don’t even know if the boys know it can be peeled away like a sticker. Also, anytime the boys witness us making an improvement to the house they are more likely to respect it. They really do have an appreciation for making our house a home. {Everett keeps telling us we need to “fix” the mantel and TV area in the living room. It’s still exposed to the block wall.} I think having the kids present during less intense projects allows them to see how much time and effort we invest in creating a feel good place to live. As a result, they are less likely to destroy stuff. Of course, they are kids and spills, scratches, dents, dings and messes happen. I’m not saying they’re perfect little angels but they’re definitely aware of any changes we make and are the first to compliment us on them. They love showing guests their bunk bed hideout!

The striped wall does exactly what I had hoped it would do. It makes the galley-like room appear wider. And you know I love the graphic black and white stripes.

Things left to do in the boys’ bedroom:

*add window treatments

*paint the step stool

*paint the lamps on the bookcases

*bring in more color and playful accessories

*style the dresser

*hang wall decor

*the boys are requesting a table for Lego building…we’ll see

Lots done and lots left to do. That goes for any room in the house right now.

Click here to see who won this week’s giveaway. If you didn’t win, you can still score 20% off one purchase by entering “TWEAKING20″ at checkout now through May 15th. Coincidentally, Alexandra of Erie Drive lives in Boston and my thoughts are with her, her family and friends, and anyone else affected by this week’s tragic events. Boston has always been at the top of my “cities I want to visit” list – and it holds steady after Bostonians came together as a loving community to help out in the aftermath of the marathon attacks. We’re thinking of you today, Boston. Stay safe.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Some of you noticed the black and white horizontal wall stripes in the boys’ bedroom. Good eye! Would you believe the striped accent wall is the result of peel-and-stick wallpaper? Well, it is.

The boys’ room it set up to keep the middle of the room open for floor play – a big necessity when the room doubles as the playroom. Originally, we were thinking of DIYing a desk along the wall opposite the bunk beds. But over the last several months, I’ve discovered that it’s much easier to help the kids with homework and crafts out in the main living areas. {Typically, we use the kitchen island or dining table for homework and crafting.} So we nixed the desk idea and opted for bookcases along the wall to hold toys, costumes, books and more. More on those later…

With the bunk and small dresser on one wall and two tall bookcases on the opposite wall, the room was starting to feel a bit galley-ish. I’m sure you’ve heard of a galley kitchen. Is there such a thing as a galley bedroom? I started thinking about adding something to the far window wall to make the room feel wider. That’s when I discovered the peel and stick wallpaper by Chasing Paper. At the time, the company hadn’t rolled out the new product and was looking for DIYers to try it and give them feedback. You know how I like DIY and feedback. One thing led to another. I chose a simple stripe in black and white hoping a horizontal application would give the optical illusion of a wider room. Here’s how it all went down.

To prep, we removed furniture, outlet covers and one of the boys’ book ledges – all of which were on the wall to be wallpapered.

I wiped the wall down with a damp microfiber cloth and let it dry completely. This step ensures good wall-to-wallpaper contact.

The wallpaper comes in 2′ x 4′ precut sections. Essentially, it’s one huge sticker. You just remove the backing and press the wallpaper onto the wall. I’ve worked with traditional wallpaper before and this peel-and-stick stuff is SO MUCH EASIER. No long and winding rolls of paper to get tangled up in, no dripping adhesive. Still, I found it helpful to have a second set of hands. HH – and the three kiddos! – was/were at my disposal.

We started in the upper left-hand corner of the wall. I used a tape measure, level and pencil to draw a horizontal pencil line to line up the bottom of the first section. HH mentioned something about leveling each and every section but that sounded too engineer-ish to my impatient self. I figured if the first section was level and we based all of the other sections off of it, then everything would be fine. Maybe not perfect but good enough. {Yes, Everett is wearing a Batman t-shirt tucked into underwear. He has the personality to pull off the look.}

One row of wallpaper in and we were on a roll!

Three sections got us ~6″ short of the entire width of the wall. We used a sharp utility knife {a razor blade would work too} to cut a small piece to get us just past the corner. We decided to leave a bit of overhang at the end of each row in this corner and trim them all together at the end for a nice, straight edge.

At the window, I wallpapered up to the window then HH carefully cut the wallpaper while I held the wallpaper taut.

Three rows in and we had a good technique down.

I would peel one side of the wallpaper away from the backing, get it all lined up then HH would slowly pull the backing away from the rest of the section while I smoothed out the wallpaper. We took it maybe 8″ at a time. If we got too ahead ourselves, we found that resulted in lots of air bubbles under the wallpaper. If we did get a bubble, all we had to do was peel back the paper to the bubble, release the air, and re-smooth. Super easy but even more so if you avoid getting too many bubbles in the first place.

One thing I noticed while we were working…too little overlap of neighboring sections caused a small line of the painted wall to show through and too much overlap resulted in a slightly visible seam. I’m guessing the wallpaper works best on white walls. {Ours was a taupe-y gray.} Now you know.

Once the wall was covered, there was trimming to do – at the baseboard and at the right-hand corner.

HH simply cut along the baseboard edge and corner with the utility knife then pulled the trimmed wallpaper away.

Super clean edges and super easy!

When we were done, only a small section of wallpaper remained. Thank goodness for measuring twice! Oh, and for fun HH checked the rest of the stripes with his level when we completed the wall. Such an engineer! Guess what? They were spot on.

Somehow in the chaos that is DIY + three kids, I managed to not take a picture of the finished product right after. I think we were all hungry. I’ll get you an after but until then here’s a little sneak peek of the aforementioned bookcases. {There’s still a lot of little things to do in the room.} We – the boys included – are crazy over the results. The horizontal stripes really do make their room feel wider and larger. I’ve yet to meet a stripe I didn’t like.

HH asked what was the benefit of wallpapering the stripes versus painting them. Obviously, removable wallpaper {did I mention you can remove this stuff without damaging the wall underneath?!} is geared towards renters, dorm residents or even those of you in military housing. When you move, pull it up and take it with you if you want. Just save the backing papers! But I have to say, the quality of the wallpaper gives a depth and crispness to the stripes that wouldn’t be exactly the same with paint. The company also offers plenty of other patterns that would be much harder to duplicate with paint.

If you’re thinking of trying this new peel-and-stick wallpaper, here are my thoughts:

*Make it a two person job.

*Start with a clean, smooth, white wall. I don’t think this wallpaper would be a good option for bumpy or rough walls.

*Level your first section of wallpaper and go from there.

*Work in small sections, removing the backing paper and smoothing slowly.

*Don’t overstretch the wallpaper. The paper does have some stretch to it.

*For the cleanest cuts, use a sharp utility knife or razor blade.

*Wallpaper is not only for walls! Try framing it, covering an unsightly outdated appliance, lining a basic tray or adding life to vinyl rollup shades.

Hop on over to Chasing Paper to view the entire product line. UPDATE: Initially, I thought the wallpaper was constructed of vinyl but after clarifying with Chasing Paper, the wallpaper is actually constructed of PVC free fabric {!} NOT vinyl and printed with latex ink. So sorry for the confusion! Still, I did allow the paper to off gas in the garage for several weeks before installation and aired out the room after installation by cracking the windows for a day or so. When we recently returned home from vacation, there was no odor in the boys’ room even after being closed up for 10+ days. Hope that clears up any concerns!

Would you ever try removable, peel-and-stick wallpaper?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Two of the three munchkins are sick. Snot and phlegm are everywhere. There are not enough tissues in the house. The everyday responsibilities that come with being a parent {piles of laundry, piles of dishes, piles of other stuff, putting something edible on the table, dentist appointments, school parties, wiping noses, changing diapers, helping with homework…why am I telling you this? You know the drill.} suddenly feel very monotonous and tedious. I blame cabin fever and there is no sign of spring in sight.

I’m craving a project. One that does not involve carving a bar of soap. Yes, I’m talking to you second grade art teacher. Thank you. Thank you for sending home a bar of soap to shave and prod and poke and toothpick and sculpt and cut into a work of art. Layne made the most beautiful pile of soap crumbs which Mabrey promptly ate. I understand why you made this a home project. Thankyouverymuch.

I’m fulfilling my parenting duties today then as soon as HH gets home from work this evening, I’m headed to IKEA. Alone. I warned HH last night. Please tell me someone else out there considers kidless outings to IKEA and/or Target mini vacations. And, mark my words, I won’t feel guilty. Listen up mommy conscience. I WILL NOT FEEL GUILTY.

Of course, I need a shopping list. Of course. If I don’t write stuff down, it doesn’t happen. Hell, sometimes even the stuff I do write down doesn’t happen. And that’s the kind of week it has been. A week of writing stuff down then nothing happening. Because of snot and soap. Both of which, I’ve discovered, Mabrey has an appetite for. Sugar and spice and everything nice, my a$$.

FYI – To fully experience my moodiness, please replace “stuff” with “sh*t” in the previous paragraph.

Here’s my shopping list.

IVAR shelving or RIBBA picture ledge? I can’t decide but I’m finally doing something about the surround sound speakers behind the couch.

BRANÄS basket I’m finally doing something about the clutter in the boys’ shared room.

LAPPLJUNG RUTA I’m finally buying this pillow after talking about how great it/the price tag is. But what a horrendous name!

NUMERÄR countertop + LERGBERG trestle leg We’re finally DIYing a table to put behind the sofa.

Seven o’clock can’t come soon enough.

Click here to see who won this week’s Jack & Ella Paper Press giveaway!

images: polyvore collage by Dana Miller, linked within

Shortly after posting the plans for my bedroom, I received an email from Jessica sharing a photo of her own cozy bedroom. Immediately, two things were clear: 1) I want a dark and cozy bedroom. 2) I want to feature Jessica’s bedroom on House*Tweaking. Since then, I’ve bought the paint for our bedroom {Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray} and Jessica has sent over a few more images of her bedroom. Take a peek.

The walls are Valspar {Lowe’s} Falcon. The hand-blocked quilt and shams are from West Elm. The sheets are from the Threshold collection at Target. Jessica says the sheets are amazing quality for their affordable price tag and come in the best colors. The bed frame, headboard and nightstand hail from the Boerum line at West Elm.

Jessica says the remote control pocket from IKEA is life-changing. No remotes on the nightstand!

In the winter, Jessica switches out the springier quilt for a plaid wool blanket from Lands’ End. The table fan is from Restoration Hardware. The lamp is vintage and the digital clock is from Pottery Barn. I don’t know the story behind the skateboard but it’s fun and unexpected.

A nook in the bedroom houses Jessica’s work space for her etsy stationery shop, Jack and Ella Paper Press. The office furniture is from Pottery Barn.

The colorful stationery looks happy and bright against charcoal walls. The white furniture is crisp in contrast to moody walls.

Thanks for virtually sharing your cozy bedroom with us Jessica!

Who else is inspired to create a cozy bedroom retreat now?! I’m so there. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a giveaway from Jessica’s etsy shop!

images: Jessica Bates

Blog sponsorship. It’s a touchy subject. But the truth of the matter is, if you have a blog that receives a fair amount of traffic, blogging turns into an expense – financially speaking.

When I first created House*Tweaking, I had a free Blogger account and I was working part-time as a pharmacist. Blogging was purely a hobby. Over the years, with an increase in readership {I’m still not entirely sure why you guys choose to follow House*Tweaking with so many amazing blogs out there but I’m truly grateful that you do. Thank you!}, I’ve obtained a URL and transferred House*Tweaking from Blogger to a “meh” web host and then to a private server. Oh, and I left my day job. Those things combined have made it necessary for me to look into sponsorship opportunities in the form of side bar ads, affiliate programs, writing elsewhere and collaborating with reputable companies. I am not looking to get rich. My hope is to cover the costs of maintaining this blog, DIYing projects and decorating our house so that I can continue doing what now has become a passion.

In working with companies, I always try to feature businesses and products that I would use myself. I say no to potential sponsors ten times more than I say yes. I really want it to be a win-win-win situation. The company gains some traffic. I cover my costs. You are introduced to an inspiring and useful product/service.

All that mumbo jumbo to say I’ve been brainstorming new ways to partner with businesses. When I signed on to write for Wayfair’s blog, My Way Home, I had an “a-ha!” moment. Why not feature items from their site that I would like to use in my own home? I had shopped Wayfair before {I bought the saddler’s bench shown above} and was really pleased with my purchase. I pitched the idea to Wayfair and the monthly “Wayfair in the House” series was born. This is the first of such posts! Here we go…

I’m so ready to have a cozy bedroom. I tried capturing a current pic of the room but was immediately photobombed by three rugrats. It’s hard to tell from the image above but there are random paint sample patches painted throughout the room. There’s even painted foam board living in our closet and paint swatches propped on the windowsill. Do you spy them? My nightstand drawer is full of color swatches and paint decks. It’s bad. I’ve tried no less than a dozen colors and don’t like any of them. This northeast room with not great light is tough. But one swatch I’ve kept in the mix is Benjamin Moore’s 2126.

Namely, I’m really drawn to anchor gray 2126-30. It reminds me of my favorite jeans. In thinking about our bedroom {and I do it waaaaaaaay too much}, I really want it to feel like a room that I would wear. And I like nothing more than wearing my favorite dark jeans with a heather gray top, leather boots and simple gold jewelry. HH also wears a lot of denim and gray so having masculine navy and gray in the room feels right.

Then I found this.

Remember my initial mood board for the boys’ shared bedroom? Let me jog your memory…

You can read more about it here. Or you could save your time and forget it. Because things have changed. I loved the mood board. Really. I did. But there was a problem. Layne and Everett didn’t approve. They said it was okay but too boring. Since I want the boys to have a room they’re excited about, I asked them how I could make it better.

“I want it to feel like a hideout.” – Layne

“I want it to be colorful.” – Everett

So, now I have the task of creating a colorful hideout that still looks like it belongs in our house. I’m working on it. Recently, we repainted the boys’ bedroom switching out the light blue-gray walls for taupe. {It’s Valspar’s dry riverbed in case you’re wondering. It was the color of the front living room in our previous house.} Then we hung floor-to-ceiling curtains around the bunk. Take a peek – don’t mind the messy beds and non-ironed everything. These are by no means ‘afters.’ This is real life. Be happy there’s not a naked four-year-old photobombing every picture.

The curtains are four LENDA panels in the bleached color. The ceiling track is KVARTAL with coordinating glides. I cut the top loops off the curtains and sewed RIKTIG gathering tape onto the backs at the top so I could hang the curtains from the glides. {Everything I’m referencing here hails from IKEA.}

I tried the RIKTIG clips {seen on the right above} but thought they looked unfinished.

I’m all for casual but the clips weren’t cutting it.

Ahhhh. Much better. One curtain hangs at the foot of the bunk and three panels hang along the side.

The boys don’t like their enclosed bunks. They love them. I love that they love them. And I like the way the curtains soften the metal bunk but I have to admit…the floor-to-ceiling curtains remind me of the triage units at the hospital. I tried to make them feel more posh by hemming them so they pool on the floor.

Fun fact: This time last year, I was watching the Super Bowl from a similar curtained bed in the labor & delivery triage unit. I was in pre-term labor with Mabrey.

I’m still wishing the boys would have chosen a wooden bunk bed. But, whatever. It’s their room.

Each boy has their own book light and ledge.

Sometimes I’ll walk into the room to find the boys camping out on their beds with the curtains closed, lights on and a pile of books at their disposal. It makes my day.

So, I think I’ve got the hideout thing covered.

I’ve got work to do on the colorful part. I’m not good with lots of color. Now, pops of color I can do. Hopefully, they’ll appease Everett.

I’m thinking that ladder {it’s separate and removable} would look cool if it were different from the rest of the white bed. Spray-painted yellow? Wrapped in rope?

If you’re looking for an easy way to DIY a freestanding hideout bunk…

My boys love it and I can live with it. More to come as the room evolves!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking