It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

This week we’re touring the nursery because 1) I haven’t shared many pics of it and 2) it may not be a nursery much longer.  (Hint, hint, Handy Hubby.)  As far as nurseries go, it’s a pretty simple one.  The baby rooms I see nowadays are ubercool.  As was our decision, we didn’t find out the sex of our babies before they were born.  (Although, I had a very strong inkling they were both boys.)  Our nursery reflects that and is gender neutral.  The nursery you see today is the same one we used with our elder son, too, 5 years ago…albeit in a different house. 

We decided on a calm room that encourages sleep.  I don’t know if it’s the room or our parenting skills OR just plain ol’ luck but both of our children are excellent sleepers who usually enjoy going to bed.

We got the crib online from Target and the cradle in the left-hand corner was actually my cradle as a baby.  We used it in our bedroom when Everett was a newborn.  Now, it’s a great place for extra blankets and stuffed animals.

I put a few IKEA fabric bins beneath the crib for added storage…books, out-of-season clothing and small toys.  Under the crib and behind the bins is one of the boys’ favorite hiding spots.

We sealed an unfinished IKEA dresser then slapped a changing pad on top to make a changing station that can grow with us when diapers are no longer a daily part of life.  (Ahh, that’ll be the day.)  The drawers hold wipes, diapers, butt cream and pajamas.

This is the wall opposite the crib.  I can’t tell you how many nursing sessions and bedtimes stories that chair has seen.  A lot.  I’m surprised it doesn’t smell like foul spit-up.

I painted the wall art after scoring a good deal on a canvas from JoAnn Fabrics.  Next to the chair is a large dresser.

The top of the dresser holds mementos and family keepsakes: a piggybank that was a gift from a neighbor, a sheep music box that was Handy Hubby’s as a child, Everett’s cast from when he broke his leg last fall (hey, the doctor asked if I wanted to keep it!), Everett’s newborn footprints, framed art from my sister-in-law, a starfish from Everett’s Grammy and a personalized wooden block that was a gift from a good friend’s parents.

Some details…

The baby quilt is from my childhood.  I have pictures of me spending tummy-time on it.

Just inside the door to the room are hooks for sleep sacks…a winter must here in the Midwest if you have a baby.  We do…

That baby blanket was mine as an infant also.  Since this room faces east, it gets drenched in sunlight early in the morning.  Blackout drapery liners are another must here.  In broad daylight, I can make the room nap-able.  Thank goodness.

So, that’s our basic nursery with a few meaningful pieces thrown in.  My favorite being the 2-year-old in the crib.  I should disclose that Everett has slept in his big boy bed (in the shared room with his big brother) a half-dozen times.  He’s good at it…once he falls asleep.  He just gets soooo excited to be in the same room with Layne that he giggles for hours.  Handy Hubby and I crack up outside their door on the nights they share a room.  But both boys wake up grumpy and groggy the next day after laughing late into the night.  For now, we’re just playing it by ear and letting them have ‘sleepovers’ together when they ask.  Often times, they just want their separate space after a long, exhausting summer day.  And I’m not forcing the issue.  I’m not quite ready for an empty nursery.

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room! 

This week I’m swallowing my pride and sharing snapshots of our totally dysfunctional basement.  It’s a large space with 9′ ceilings that has great bones for a future media room/bar/urinal.  (That’s right.  I’ve promised Handy Hubby a urinal in the basement.)  For now, though, it’s where we DIY projects, store overstock, and hide things that haven’t quite made it to Goodwill.  (It also is the breeding ground for large, furry spiders.)  And it lies just beyond this door…secured with a toddler-unfriendly safety knob for reasons you are about to see.

I’m pretty sure if my basement was a business I’d get shut down for violating safety regulations with these cluttered steps.  For some reason, I don’t have time to walk all the way down the steps to put things away after I finish a project elsewhere.

Once downstairs, there is a pile of empty boxes and packing materials that haven’t found their way out to the garbage man.  The sump pump is in the corner…a must for keeping the basement dry during wet weather.

Looking towards the back of the basement is more, well, stuff.  Notice the ‘work table’; it’s really a ping-pong table that hasn’t seen much pinging or ponging lately.

Two closet doors that we removed…one from the mini mudroom…one from the guest room.  More will be joining them, too, if I have anything to say about it.

Here we have our own little paint store.  Black, gray, green, blue, white and even some pink.  Primer?  Check.  Paint rollers?  Check.  Plastic dropcloths?  Check.  This is my secret to staying thin…hiding my paint supplies all the way down in the basement as far away as possible (under the sunroom) so that I have to walk nearly a quarter mile one way to retrieve them.

A few floor cabinets hold an overstock of toilet paper and paper towels.  Another good way to keep my figure.

Finally, a view from beneath the sunroom looking back towards the basement steps.  Man, we really need to organize down here!

To all you folks who think my house is spotless and mess-free…think again.  This basement has turned into a dumping ground for unwanted furniture and toys.  I’m officially labeling these as ‘BEFORE’ photos.  A basement intervention needs to take place this fall!

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

If you were ever-so-observant last week, you may have caught a sneak peek at my mini mudroom reflected in the mirror of the powder room.  The catchall mudroom use to be a poor attempt at a hall closet.  Its door was 1 of 3 that opened into a short hallway leading from the garage to the kitchen.  It was a pain to open the closet door because usually the garage door was still open letting others in, so the 2 doors would just bang each other, back-to-back.  One night I had an epiphany to remove the closet door, widen the doorway, install recessed lighting and add a bench to act as a mudroom of sorts.  Handy Hubby did the dirty work (he’s awesome) and I organized the space with baskets, hooks and hangers.  And we did it all for less than $160!!

Here’s our hardworking mudroom…

I painted and recovered a bench we already had then added baskets to dump shoes into.  This makes a great spot for putting on and removing shoes…which keeps my house a little cleaner.

Hooks provide quick hang-ups for purses, hats, backpacks, lunch boxes and hats.

The wooden hangers get utilized during cooler months for jackets, scarves and heavy coats.  Another basket holds gloves and ear warmers.

The ‘MILLER’ black-and-white photography art was a gift from Handy Hubby’s sister.  She took the pictures in Cincinnati and matted them herself.

More than anything, I love the function of this space.  As the homeowners, we nearly always enter our house through the garage, so it made sense to have our dropzone in proximity to the garage versus the front door.  We use this space daily and it helps keep clutter (shoes, bags, coats, etc.) in check.  It’s amazing how much a small room can do if you utilize it to the best of its abilities!

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

On the other side of my pantry, lies the only bathroom on the main floor…the powder room.  It’s painted one shade darker than the rest of our downstairs main living space.  I wish it had a window.

I’ve never quite figured out why it’s called a ‘powder room’.  We don’t do any powdering of any kind in here.

I replaced the frameless builder mirror with an oval oak one that I found at a local antique store for $20.  Of course, I painted it white.

I secured a towel hook to the wall at kid-level for the lil’ people in our house.  They really do use it!

The wooden step stool serves double duty.  1) It gives the kids a boost to reach the sink when they wash their hands.  **Key word being when.**  2) It hides up to 3 rolls of toilet paper surplus.

A wall shelf contains typical toiletries:  toothbrushes, toothpaste, fingernail clippers, mouthwash, etc.  And a few atypical ones as well:  sunscreen, bug spray, boys’ hair pomade.

The shelves are necessary storage since the pedestal sink offers none.

I DIY’d this reed diffuser using a 25-cent Goodwill vase, 99-cent chopsticks and vanilla bean scented oil from Wal-Mart.  Everybody asks what smells so good in our powder room.

My dream powder room would have white wainscoting.  I ‘made do’ by painting this border around the room one day while my kids were napping.

I used the end of an empty toilet paper roll tube and the leftover trim paint that the builder gave us.  It cost me $0.

I added pops of pink with the faux orchid vase and orchid print.  You could say I’ve gotta thang for orchids.

So, there you go.  That’s where I’d powder my nose if I did powder my nose.  Which I don’t.  Stay tuned for next week’s tour of another teeny space located outside the powder room.  Then, I promise, onto a bigger room.

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!  So, without further ado, let’s tour my sunroom.

Last week we ventured to the back of my house into the main living space and visited my family room.  Just beyond the family room is our sunroom which juts out into the backyard.  We prefer to call it our sunroom versus our morning room (which is what most builders name this type of room).  Why?  With 5 windows and a set of sliding patio doors, this room is flooded with natural light even on the cloudiest of days.  Plus, we don’t usually spend mornings here.  In fact, somehow this room draws us (and guests) into it in the evening time.  Maybe it’s because it faces west and we’ve seen more than one awe inspiring sunset beyond our backyard trees.  Whatever the reason, this room keeps us in touch with nature – one of my all time favorite inspirations.  We’ve been known to watch snow fall, rain pour, lightning strike and breezy winds tousle our trees from the confines of this sitting room.  One of my favorite memories of this room is comforting my lil’ guy, Everett, as he cuddled against me during a storm.  He was “skeered” of the “funder.”  To keep the focus on Mother Nature, I went easy on the decor. 

Here’s the view from our family room

The view from our kitchen

An overhead shot.  For furniture placement, I took inspiration from a room I saw in a magazine that had 4 rounded chairs all facing a table in the center of a square room.  The layout allows for easy conversation.  To keep the chairs from “floating” too much, I laid down a sisal rug from Natural Area Rugs.

This room is pretty much all IKEA:  the chairs, the table, the basket and the floor-to-ceiling curtains.  Many people with children are afraid of white furniture…for fear it will show dirt and stains easily.  But these slipcovered chairs clean up nicely in the wash.  (My sister even spilled the contents of a burrito on one and it didn’t stain!)  Plus, the fabric has a denim quality to it that makes it easy to spot clean if need be.  I added a few cushy pillows in a green leaf print from Etsy and a khaki leaf pillow and knobby green throw from Kmart.  The “Keep Calm and Carry On” print is from Etsy also.  The fake flowers (everyone asks if they’re real) are from Wal-Mart.

Even though we absolutely looooove looking out all those windows, it was necessary to add window treatments to block the hot summer sun that pounds down after 4:00pm.  (Not a great scenario when you’re trying to eat dinner in the adjacent dining area.)  I wanted something that would open and close easily.  Roman-esque shades were our answer.  I bought the inside mounted shades from JCPenney (got them on clearance for $20 each!). 

I added custom fabric and trim to the velcroed (is that a word?!) valances…

…then made ribbons from the same fabric and stitched ’em onto the shades so that they run vertically.  I was wanting some contrast against the all white room plus I thought it made the window treatments look less boring.

Here are the shades drawn shut…

…and half shut.

I had a round table in mind for the sunroom but the $8 price tag on this IKEA one was too cheap to pass up.  I change the tablescape easily on a whim when the seasons turn.

The basket below holds Lincoln Logs and a remote control car.  Betcha never woulda guessed that!

To soften up the room a bit, I added flowing curtains to either side of the patio slider.  I hung 2 panels on each side to achieve a fuller effect.

A few “for fun” images…

So ends my sunroom tour.  Swing by next Friday for a peek at my dining area.  Yup, that’s right.  I said area not room.

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!  So, without further ado, let’s tour my family room.

Last week, you saw my living room.  It’s at the front of our home and you walk through it to get to the back of our house.  At the back of our house is the main living area.  It’s where we spend most of our time and it includes a family room, sunroom, dining area, pantry, kitchen, mini-mudroom and powder room.  This week we’re gonna tour my family room but, not to worry, you’ll see the other rooms soon enough in future Feature Fridays.  Let’s get started…

View of the family room walking in from the living room

As you walk back further, our family photo wall is to your right.  (The white door leads to our unfinished basement.)

The view into our family room while standing at the family photo wall…again, as in my living room, I’d love to rip up all that carpet and put down hardwoods.  The IKEA console behind the sectional holds my kiddos crap, ahem, I mean playthings.

Here’s a closer shot of the glass front cabinet that you saw in the first image

An image to give you the “lay” of the room

The fireplace wall has 2 windows that let the light pour in.  I hung a round mirror above the mantle to soften the square and rectangular shapes in the room.  The fireplace surround is actually painted marble (gasp!).  The marble was too 80′s looking and had pink stains in it.  I sanded, primed and painted it a shade darker than the wall color.  The IKEA curtains are extra long (they still need hemmed) and hung high to emphasize the 9′ ceilings.

We have a TV and aren’t afraid to show it.  I painted subtle horizontal stripes along the TV wall to give it some dimension.  The stripes are fairly wide and mimic the size of the large room.  (The larger the room, the wider the stripe.)  I added artwork and slipcovered ottomans to either side of the flatscreen.  Above the TV is a monogram decal.  The console was a scratch-and-dent floor sample purchase from La-Z-Boy.

The wall opposite the fireplace has a trio of mirrors on it to bounce light around from the windows.  I’ve always wondered what they would look like painted white.  Hmmm…

To me, nothing says “family room” more than a sectional chock full of pillows and blankets.  On movie nights, we push the ottoman right up to the couch and it feels like one big bed.

A few “for fun” shots because you’ve made it this far!

And finally the view back towards the living room from where we were last week.  See what I mean about the hardwood hallway, a.k.a. The Landing Strip?

So ends my family room tour.  Next week’s Feature Friday forecast is looking quite sunny, if you catch my drift.

I’ve had several requests from readers to add a house tour to my blog and I’d like to oblige.  However, I’m finding the whole thing quite daunting.  You see, there are still many things I want/need to do to my home (i.e., add a kitchen backsplash, extend our kitchen island, finish my boys’ bedroom, organize the master bedroom closet, install new flooring…the list could really never end).  Plus, I can’t fathom that there would ever come a day in my life when my ENTIRE house would be “picture ready.”  (Let the record state that I have 2 boys – ages 5 and 2 – that are pretty darn damn good at pulling this place apart.)  But then I got to thinking…and that’s sometimes not a good thing, but this time I think it was…so, I got to thinking that when I started this blog I wanted it to be about a real house.  A house that a family lives in, messes in, eats in, plays in and sleeps in.  A house that has no dire problems but needs a shot of personality.  A house that is being tweaked by people who:  1) do not have design, art or architecture degrees 2) must DIY on their time off from their day jobs 3) are on a budget 4) do not have access to high-end goods of the design trade 5) want to enjoy their children while they’re little.  I wanted other people to be able to relate.  That led me to an idea.  (Yes, this is all going somewhere, I promise.)

I came up with Feature Fridays.  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

So, without further ado, I’d like to show you my living room – as is.  Our living room is the first room you see upon entrance into our home.  It’s a long, narrow room that is open to a foyer and a hallway (“The Landing Strip”) that leads to the back of the house.  It functions as a living room and office and offers additional dining space.  Take a look…

View from the front door to the back of the house (i.e. The Landing Strip) – The secondhand bench that I painted white is a good place for removing/putting on shoes

From the front door into the living room (I’d love to rip up all that carpet and put down hardwoods)

Behind the front door I invented a makeshift mudroom since there’s no closet – notice there are adult hooks and kid hooks

A basket on the floor holds items waiting to be taken upstairs

Into the living room from the hallway – because the room is so long, I tried to establish a seating area on this side of the room…separate from the office/dining area

A bookshelf holds magazines, books, toys and other miscellaneous items – the basket on the floor is actually a recycling bin conveniently located next to our desk for sorting mail

The desk where I blog, pay bills, sort mail and waste time – I pull a chair over from the pedestal table

Almost everything about this extra dining space is Craigslist…the pedestal base and chairs were both via Craigslist…the tabletop is from Lowe’s.  I’d love to add some geometric stenciling to the wall in the background – it’s so blah.

For fun, the lights on…

More “for fun” stuff…a textural HomeGoods planter (If you’re wondering what’s under the sofa, it’s my kids’ electronic keyboard; everybody has one under their couch, right?!)

IKEA curtains…

Etsy pillow covers…

Kid-friendly decor down low on the coffee table

So ends my living room tour.  Next week I’ll be making my way to the back of the house into our main living space. 

This is me trying my hand at a little something I like to call Tweak Peeks. It seems every home I visit (whether friend, family or stranger) inspires me in some way. Tweak Peeks allow me to share that inspiration with you!

Sorry.  I know it’s been a while since my first Tweak Peek.  Not that I haven’t been inspired by anyone else’s home.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite case.  I always seem to forget my camera (duh!) or sometimes feel a little weird asking people to photograph their home for my blog.  But the stars aligned just right when my lovely neighbor (and friend), Heather, allowed me to showcase her home.  And I remembered my camera!  Here are a few inspiring shots from Heather’s home.

Just inside the front door you’re greeted by this two-story entry.  You know I’m a fiend for useful furniture and that bench with storage underneath just makes my knees wobbly.  The sculptural wrought iron wall art is icing on the cake.  (Turtle cake.  With no nuts.)

As you walk to the back of Heather’s home, you are met by an expansive wall of windows in her sunroom.  A natural light haven…aaaahh.  Heather has them framed with two pair of IKEA’s panel curtains suspended by a track.  Isn’t that inventive?!  I love the touch of mod that it adds to an otherwise traditional room.

The way that the patterned panel is layered over a slightly darker panel allows the subtle branch pattern to stand out a little more.  (Layering is always good in my book.)  And see how the light filters through the panel?  Yep.  It’s dreamy.

Just off the open sunroom is Heather’s family room where she and her family watch TV, play Wii and dabble in a little Rock Band.  (Yes, I’ve been there for a little rockin’ out too.)  Everything from the comfy, kid-friendly sectional to the bold artwork above the fireplace lets guests know this is a fun place to hang out.  It is!

Down a hallway, separated from the open living space, is Heather’s formal dining room.  (Unlike me) Heather is an awesome – and I mean AWESOME – cook.  Let’s just call her a chef, shall we?  So, in the case of someone who actually makes delectable dinners, a formal dining room is a must.  The sparkling chandelier in the hallway draws you in and the red walls beg you to stay for dessert.  When the kids are tucked in bed, the buffet/bar opens up and can hold its own against at least 3 couples.

Upstairs, Heather’s 2 children have bedrooms that any kid would love to sleep in.  Heather’s teenage daughter’s room is young and sophisticated with a color palette of plum, gray, white and black.  Who’da thought to use mirrors as a headboard?  Genius.  And I can’t get enough of that chandelier wall decal.  The black stripe around the entire room is chalkboard paint – perfect for daydreaming, doodling teenagers to dawdle on – as is the desk’s top.  The framed IKEA prints above the desk add a splash of purple to tie into the plum duvet.

On the other end of the spectrum is Heather’s son’s room.  Caleb is an active toddler and his bedroom is colorful and playful.  The art above the chest is an original that Heather’s sister painted herself!  And when Caleb is older the changing table easily converts to a dresser.  A little personalization in the form of C-A-L-E-B framed individually and hung with colored ribbon is too sweet.

So, there you have it.  A few snippets from Heather’s traditional home with a modern twist.  What’s your favorite decor trick that Heather uses?  Mine is the layered IKEA panels.  Thank you, Heather, for letting me feature your home!  (And for all those Homeade Taco Nights!)