Bei in the USA

Just a few update pics on our cute pup, BeiBei...
(She's a goldendoodle and she's 5 months old now)

With her head in my lap...

Snuggling on couch in my lap...

After a bath...

So that's our BeiBei!  

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

No-Sew Burlap Bedskirt

We have our bed on risers, which I definitely recommend.  It provides a lot of extra storage underneath and gives your bed a grander look.  However, putting your bed on risers poses a problem for your bedskirt.  In order to get a bedskirt that's long enough, you usually have to buy from a more expensive store or have one made.  When I saw how to make a burlap bedskirt on Nest Egg, I knew it would be perfect for our bedroom and guest bedroom.  It was cheap (about $2.99 per yard) and it didn't involve me getting out my sewing machine, which for some reason I avoid like the plague (Probably because I was an apparel design major and I associate sewing with late night last minute overdue school projects).  

I measured the length around 3 sides of our bed and multiplied by 2.  That's how much burlap fabric I bought.  

I laid the burlap along the edge of the box springs, and draped it to the length I wanted it and cut off any excess fabric.  With burlap you can easily see the weave with your eyes, so focus and cut along the weave.  Don't try to cut what you think is straight, follow the weave.  

I gathered and pinned, gathered and pinned all the way around the box springs.  It was very tedious.  I used spiral beskirt pins ($2.99 from Bed Bath and Beyond, click picture to buy).  Don't try to use straight pins,  I tried that and it won't work!

Here's the progress...

So after all that work, here's how it turned out...

Dangit!  You can barely even see it.  It's because we have a king size duvet instead of a queen.  (The explanation for that is here.)  

But, when when you're in the room, it really does make a big difference.  It's all about the details, folks.

Here's a sneak peak of how it looks in our guest room with a different color of burlap...

You can get burlap at JoAnn's and most other fabric stores in lots of different colors.

Thanks for reading!

All shiny and (almost) new: Dishwasher

Chris works for New Latitude Movers as the marketing director.  They're awesome, use them for your next move!  You see...the great thing about being in the moving business, is people are always trying to sell or giveaway their stuff.
So far we've been offered a couch, we've got an awesome brand new baby bed in storage, Chris got a skeet thrower, and we just purchased a top-of-the-line dishwasher and refrigerator for next to nothing!
The refrigerator was way to big and flashy for our little kitchen, so we're trading it with my sister for their washer and dryer (they're moving).

Anyway, it took Chris (with a little help from me) about 4 hours to switch out the dishwashers.  But the results were so worth it!

Old dishwasher...

Trying to get the old one out...

This was an ordeal because there are about 5 layers of floor in our kitchen that were trapping our dishwasher back in the hole.  We spent out two hours trying to get it out.  

Almost there...

(We spent about 2 hours trying to get the new one in)

TA-DA!!

We weren't able to get it perfectly flush to the cabinets, but one day, we'll probably replace our floor and countertops, and then we'll be able to slide it in and out a little better to get it flush.  

It makes such a difference...but yikes...it really shows how old fashioned our cabinet doors are...but that'll be another project.

Old Shutters make an Easy Headboard

My sister, Emily, was putting new shutters on her house and had these old ones leftover.  The shutters were painted, but these are the backs, which are naturally weathered and distressed.  

We desperately needed a headboard for our bed, since our bed is in front of a window.  We couldn't sit up in bed without risking pulling down our blinds.  So, we knew Emily's shutters would be a cheap and aesthetically pleasing option (and much less work than my other idea to build an upholstered headboard).   

All we needed were the four shutters and two 2x4s.  

- We measured the width of the all the shutters put together.

- We cut the 2x4s to this length.

- Chris nailed the 2x4s in the back a few inches from the top and bottom edges of the shutters to keep them all together.  

- The shutters were the perfect height for our bed, so we just propped them between our bed and the window.  

The width of the shutters is actually a few inches narrower than our queen size bed, but it's hardly noticeable once its all setup.  

Our bed before:

Our Bed after: (along with a few other improvements)

I think it's fitting that we have shutters covering a window.  :)

Thanks for reading!

Making it feel like HOME: Our Bedroom

Our bedroom went from this...

To this...(smooth ceilings, paint, crown moulding)
Wall color is Benjamin Moore Coastal Fog 976, Trim is Benjamin Moore Sandy Hook Gray HC 108, Ceiling is Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige OC-32, Window trim is Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray HC160, doors are Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray HC-86.  

To this...(refinished floors)

Floors are stained High Gloss Dark Walnut.

 To this...

And finally, to this...

We built our headboard out of some old distressed shutters from my sister's house.  I'll post more on that later.

I love incorporating Chris's woodsy paraphernalia into the mix, like this dear skull, which actually really ties in all the creams and whites in the room.

I joined two bamboo poles, to make these extra long curtain rods, and got our curtains at IKEA.

On the left, are some antique ceiling tiles that my funky-junky sister found on the side of the road.  Way to Go, Liz, and thanks for sharing!  They were the inspiration for the blue gray and rusty red color accents in the room.  

Throw pillow is from Target.  Our bedding is from Macy's.  I think it's Hotel Collection.  

Lamps and chest are straight out of the local thrift store...all on the same day!  I freaked when I saw this chest, I wouldn't leave it's side til it was in my car.  I found each lamp on opposite sides of the thrift store, who knows if they were meant to be a pair.  They are slightly different from one another...which is even better.  I replaced the dirty white bell shades with these black drum shades.  

Sometimes it's all about function.  I hang my necklaces on these key hooks to keep them from getting tangled.  

The rest of my jewelry is stashed in this thrift/antique jewelry box and this Sally Legg bowl, that I love.

Since my husband does in fact share this room with me, he will soon be replacing my pretty little mirror with a mounted TV.  :(.  Oh well, you pick you're battles.  

Don't worry, this mirror will definitely find another home in our home.    

A BeiBei's eye view.  

I made this bedskirt out of burlap (idea from NestEgg), which I'll post on later.  However, you unfortunately can't see it in these pictures, because it's covered up by our massive comforter.  When I purchased this duvet cover, as a newlywed, someone assured me that we would quickly out grow our queen size bed, and so I should go ahead and get the King size duvet comforter.  It sounded like a plan at the time, and it seemed like it would be extra cozy and we wouldn't have to fight over covers.  

However, I just have to say, I won't be passing on this advice for a few reasons:  

...We actually love our queen size bed, and don't foresee upgrading in the near future.

...Because of the size and weight of this king size comforter it's always falling off during the night.

...It covers up our pretty bedskirt! 

...Visually, it drags the bed down. 

So, just don't try that one at home. 

But I do recommend putting your bed on risers.  It gives a ton of extra storage underneath, and an overall "grander" look!  But be prepared to make your own or pay more $ for an extra long bedskirt.

Here's the Recap...

Before:

After:

(BTW, please TRY to ignore the terrible fan light kit that has not yet been addressed.)

Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!

Leave a comment...please.

Oh, What You Can do with Spray Paint!

Here are were our dining room chairs.

They were my grandmother's and are beautiful antique chairs, but they were very rickety and probably better suited in a formal-ish dining room one day instead of bearing our daily use.  

My parents had 6 of these chairs in storage from their old lake house...

I wanted chairs something like this...

So I spray painted these chairs for a more contemporary feel...

In they went, and I was instantly so excited about the results!  They also serve to tie in the center of the room with the wall color.  

What I should have done:  Lightly sanded the chairs, primed them, and then brush painted them with semi-gloss metallic silver paint.

Why I didn't:  A gallon of metallic paint is around $75 (at Lowe's) and you have to buy it by the gallon!  And I think you have to buy the base color separately.

So I just:  Spray painted them with metallic spray paint.

How it's workin' out:  Pretty good, they have chipped a bit on the seats, but it'll be super easy to just drag them out to the yard once in a while and spray them again!

I guess I could have:  At least, primed them with a spray primer before spraying them silver.

But then:  It would have probably been an extra day or two before I could see the results, and that was NOT an option.

Would I do it this way again:  Yes!!!  Besides the intense finger cramp after 6 chairs, it was pretty painless and cheap!

  

Mother's Day Picnic

Here are some pictures of the fam taken by my sister, Kate, on Mother's Day.

Banks...

Amelia (aka Mil Mil)...

Maddie and Bess...

Banks, having a temporary angel moment.

I LOVE this picture.  This is Beau and Banks.  They are cousins and BEST FRIENDS!  They asked for a picture together, and this perfectly sums them up!

Me and Amelia...

Mary Addison (aka Maddie)

Me and my three sisters...

Kate, me, Emily, Liz

with Mom...

I'm partially embarassed by the following picture, and can't believe I'm actually posting it.  But this is just SO us and our wacky humor!

(and don't worry...it'sjust pretend)