A Painted House

We worked all weekend to get the living room and kitchen finished - at least as far as painting goes.  My husband did the bulk of the work because bending down and climbing ladders aren't really options for me these days.  THANK YOU, SWEET HUSBAND!

I just LOVE the color we picked for in here.  It looks great with all the black, white and dark wood tones we have going on.  The brown couch and chair look good with it, as does the gold framed mirror.  Bright colors pop against it.  This green (Outback by Behr)  is practically a neutral - score!

Here's one corner of the living room.  I moved the hutch all the way into the corner because that little corner of lost space was bothering me.  All of my Pyrex is on there now.  It makes me happy.  :)  There are four of the pink Gooseberry bowls but I need to find something to elevate the other two so you can see them all!  Also, feeling like I need more pink/aqua/bright yellow pieces.  Hmm...

We went to Ikea and bought replacement hardware for the curtains.  The old one was a thin, silver metal rod and looked kind of cheap.  This one (Hugad, $5.99) is a bit heavier and white.  It was still inexpensive, but it looks more substantial.  Because the rod was so long over that sliding door we added a third bracket (Betydlig, $1.49 each) in the middle for support.  I chose simple round finials (Vasentlig, $4.99) to keep the look streamlined and simple.

I knew I wanted plain, white curtains in here, but holy moly, y'all - curtains are freaking EXPENSIVE!  Especially when you need 108 inch ones.  I couldn't believe what some places were charging for plain white curtains.  $60 for ONE panel?  I don't think so.  Ikea did have some white curtains for about $20, but they weren't plain.  They either had a funky weave, or those big grommets at the top, or stripes... not what I wanted.

I finally went to the Walmarts, bought some plain, white, twin sized flat sheets and hung those.  You know how at the top of a sheet the hem is wider than on the other three sides?  I just took some scissors, snipped a slit at either end on the back side, and threaded them on the rod.  Done.

They didn't look right to me still, so after some consideration I decided what I needed were some tie backs. I had no idea what they were really called or where to find them so I asked Twitter and Facebook.  These things can also be super expensive, I found.  This simple brushed nickel pair I picked up at Hobby Lobby for $5.99 without a coupon (I forgot about it until it was too late, whoops).  We hung them and it was just perfect - exactly what I wanted.  Window coverings, including all the hardware, for a grand total of $31.50?  I'll take it!

The large mirror (Goodwill, $20!!!) was moved to this big wall that has been blank since we moved in.  I have some milk glass plates I want to hang on either side of this eventually.  The plant on the side table (Mother in Law's Tongue - hahaha! What a name!) is new. My friend Suzy found that milk glass pot at auction.  It's actually a very oddly shaped punch bowl (it had cups and hooks too) but I liked the way the motif on the sides matched my plant.  I just popped the pot in there and then take it out to water it since there is no drainage in the punch bowl.

I spray painted that wooden tray (Goodwill, $6) that is on the sofa table (Ikea 2 x 4 Expedit on it's side) white and put some little things on it.  A few old books (Goodwill), a fancy old frame (Junior League rummage sale, $2) with a print of colored quail, and a pothos that I started from a cutting.  Pretty dang proud of that one, actually.  There's also a teeny Limoges teacup and saucer in there.  I have a pair of lamps (some random thrift store, $5 ea) that I spray painted bright orange that will flank the tray once I find them shades.  That is proving tricky.

I'm also thinking I'd like to see one of those Fiddle Leaf Fig plants that have been popping up all over blogs lately tucked by the hutch and curtain.  I've fallen in love with those cool, giant leaves and am ready to tackle the challenge of a slightly higher maintenance houseplant. Obviously I'll have to start with a smaller one because I am NOT spending $100 on a tree, and hope I can grow it to a more impressive size.  How cool would that be?  Maybe my husband will read this and bring me one in the hospital instead of flowers, HAHA!

I moved the window mirror back over the tv.  I would like to get a round one eventually  for this space since there are so many straight lines on this wall (basic rule of design - angles love curves) but that can wait a while.  I like how the white pops against the green.  I need to find some big branch to put in that bottle.  This is just a temporary solution until I'm ready to tackle my "mantel."

Here's a little bit better of a view into the kitchen and of the piano.  It only took us a year and a half, but it's almost done!  We have one wall in the hallway, plus one small wall in the entry left to paint.  We ran out and decided to call it good for now.  Next up is to paint the support "columns" for the patio because the paint is flaking off the wood really bad and to put some fresh mulch in the little flower beds by the front door.  We also need to have the carpet shampooed since we've lived here a year and a half and it hasn't been done yet.  Can't be putting a baby on a dirty rug and let's face it - carpet is GROSS, especially when you can't convince the other people in your house to leave their shoes outside!

I'm also seriously considering getting a Costco membership.  Then we'll be like, REAL grownups.  WHOA.