31 Days of Pinterest Projects - Day 21 - The Day of Rest

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Since we moved last year we aim to do literally nothing on Sundays after church. We try to all three take a nap, we occasionally visit with other family members, but pretty much we simply do as little as possible. And I love it.

31 Days of Pinterest Projects - Day 14 - Inspiration for the Day of Rest

Here are just three simple quotes I've gathered over on Pinterest  and would like to share with you today, on the Day of Rest. The first two sum up how I feel lately about how I'm choosing to spend my days. 

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I have a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. But I don't use it. *Gasp* I worked four years in the field and knew from Day 1 of my first full-time job that it was a mistake. Well, if I'm being completely honest, I kinda knew from Semester 1 of my Freshman Year. But I didn't know what else to do. I did not want a "career" and all that goes with it. But I didn't have the guts to say that to "the world" till 2009 when I "retired".

I often get questions from people (especially those who are about my parents' age...) about what I'm doing. When I say that I stay at home with my son, help my husband with his automotive business, and write a blog on interior design (among other things), they are shocked. I even had one person say "That's it??", incredulously. Nice.

I guess they're just shocked that I'm not sitting at a desk in a cubicle on a computer with hundreds of others inside an office building 60 hours a week, pretending to want to be there when all I want to do is live MY life, free from the risk of being "let go" by someone who doesn't even know me. I guess they're shocked that I don't want to sit in rush hour traffic for hours each day and eat my microwavable Weight Watchers meal alone in my car listening to the Dave Ramsey Show and dreaming of "getting out" of my own little "prison." I guess they're shocked that I don't want to start my "own" day at 7pm when I finally get home from that rat race and it's already dark cuz it's fall. My favorite season and I get to see it for one hour a day from my car while eating my Weight Watchers lunch. ;)

Man, I'm excited about starting my new life at the age of 30. Taking risks and dreaming dreams. Living life the way I want to. I'm embracing my creativity and coming alive. Life is too short to spend it in a cubicle. There's nothing money can buy that makes it worth it for me to spend my life that way. And hopefully this new creative path will someday make me lots of money too ;)

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Ok. Now that that's out, this last quote is just for fun. Enjoy!

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For more of the 31 Days of Pinterest Projects, just click over here.

31 Days of Pinterest Projects - Day 7 - Pinned Quotes for the Day of Rest

Since it's the Day of Rest - I'm going to simply share a few inspirational quotes I've pinned over on Pinterest. These are just some things I've been thinking about as I work on all these Pinterest Projects.  The name of my blog is "Making It Too Perfect", so as you might imagine, I have a tendency to be a perfectionist and procrastinate doing anything if it can't be JUST so. As I work to actually do SOMETHING I ned to keep these phrases in mind:

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Bonus! That last one is an 11" x 17"poster print available on Etsy for just $15. Isn't it cute?

 

Have a great day!

Developing a Design "Mission Statement"

Since we moved, I've been feeling a bit design-discombobulated. I can not decide what way to go with our new home's decor. I feel like before I can really dig into any one particular space and I WILL have to go one room at a time (due to the ever-present budget/time constraints), I must come up with an overall vision. I need to come up with some sort of common theme/criteria/filter to pass all other design elements through. Kind of like a design "mission statement". John & Sherry did this with their Crate & Barrel napkin over on Young House Love when they moved in their new home. And Ange did it with her overall color palette on The Blooming Hydrangea. I guess I found both of those posts to be so helpful. I yearn to bring a cohesiveness to our new home and feel I can't just do that haphazardly. I must be intentional.

As you can see from the photo above, we're living in an 1800s farmhouse with a 1970s brick addition, shown on the right. Dave & I hope that someday we can do some things to the exterior to make the two sections of the home a bit more cohesive and maybe add some things like a front porch to add some curb appeal.

But, going back inside, I really feel I can't continue with the modern/ contemporary look that I loved in our last home. And Dave would really love if I'd somehow wave a magic wand and turn the place into a log cabin complete with deer heads and plaid wallpaper. But alas, that doesn't go either. Nor would I ever be ok with plaid wallpaper. Haha. Deer heads are currently in the family room but hopefully not forever.

So, somehow I've got to strike a balance between farmhouse, causal contemporary living and rustic log home decor. And make it actually look nice. Hmmmm....so... (as you can tell if you've followed me on Pinterest), I've been busy looking for design inspiration anywhere and everywhere. 

And lately what has caught my eye has been this whole vintage, industrial chic look. In fact, I just started a pin board dedicated to these items. 

I feel this would work in our home especially since several of the main rooms (the main bath and kitchen, living and dining rooms), I believe were remodeled in the 1950s. The feel of these images just seem like they'd "go" with our home. 

Also, as I look back through all my pin boards (Living Room, Kitchen, etc.) from months and months ago, I realize that I've been pinning images like this all along, since last summer when I first found out about Pinterest, well before I came up with this idea, when I was still decorating my contemporary, casual ranch home with fairly modern decor! The industrial chic look is a theme that ties a lot of my inspirational photos together. Apparently I'm just drawn to it. (And I just love how Pinterest helps us realize those things, don't you???)

There's something just so quaint about this look that takes me back to my childhood, standing in the doorway of the chicken house in my grandparents' backyard, wide-eyed as I surveyed the years and years of cast-off items piled inside the building: ancient bathtubs they used before they had running water, old toilets and sinks, furniture, household items, etc, things that completely fascinated me, but they had long since given up on in the name of progress, and left out there for the barn cats to climb on. It also takes me back to the simpler time, when I attended kindergarten and first grade in old school buildings before our school district built a giant new building. Part of me always wanted to stay in those hallowed old hallways filled with history and character and not be part of the privileged pack of students to attend the sparkling new modern school that we had not done a thing to deserve. I just love embracing history and living with and using things that my ancestors used. I love being transported to a time where people knew "how to do" and how to "make do".

Can't you just see a blackboard like this in our homeschool room someday?

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And these milk crates in our mudroom cubbies?

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 Or some fun open shelves in the kitchen with industrial bins?

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And seriously, doesn't anyone want to get me these stools for my birthday?

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And I could totally see my honey DIY-ing a clothes drying rack out of iron pipe.

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And here, for the honey, we can even work in a deer head.

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Or some faux logs.

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And wouldn't a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams and vintage lighting be fun in the kitchen?

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And oh my goodness, I am LOVING the vintage looking green chalkboard walls here.

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Etsy is just full of fun vintage pieces.

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Anyone have some old luggage lying around? My living room is calling your name.

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Hold up, I think I have some of these items!

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Maybe Dave could DIY some curtain rods out of pipe since store-bought ones are so expensive.

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Love the tripod light and the coffee table below.

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Chalkboard, clock and yellow cabinets! Yum.

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Hmmmm...stainless steel adjustable shelving!

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More fun lighting and stools!

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And shelves for small appliances with scrabble letter labels!

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And I've LONG since loved the colorful decor in this kitchen (that I first saw on a Young House Love house crash) with vaulted ceilings, stainless IKEA island and concrete countertops.

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So...I think this could be where I am headed to try to combine all those looks (farmhouse, 1950s kitchen, rustic, casual) into one main overarching theme. Furthermore, I feel like it also brings in some of the colorful, fun aspects that I love about Ashley's home over on The Handmade Home.

Not to mention, I may be able to find some design elements like milk crates and baskets, etc. for free or next to nothing since they were probably cast off in both of our family members' barns decades ago. And who doesn't like to practice a little green decorating by repurposing items that already exist?

So, what do you think? Have I lost my touch? Or am I on to something?

2012 House Goals

I think that I mentioned before on here that we are currently "renting" our house from Dave's parents with the plan to buy it at some point, and starting our own automotive business with no idea what kind of income we'll make in 2012. So, as one might imagine, it is pretty difficult for me to plan and actually set House Goals for 2012 since there are so many unknowns.


But . . .the Nester is having a giant 2012 Home Goals Linky Party and I just really don't want to be left out!! 


So. . . I'm going to just write down some goals. Things I would like to do to the house IF the owners approve it and IF I actually have room in the budget to do it. And oh yeah, I'm one of those people who really overestimates the amount of stuff they can cram into any one period of time. So this list would probably take an entire decade in all reality ;) At least at our rate. . .




Kitchen:


As a reminder, this is what it currently looks like:

Well, actually, I have cleaned off the countertops so that's a good start. And we got an oven. ;)

1.  I'd like to freshen up the cabinets with some nice clean, white paint. I'm not a huge fan of the two-tone look we are sporting now and the cabinets that are painted white are worn in places. I think this would make the room look awesome. And we'd probably take the cabinets out above the stove and install some beadboard and open shelving. Maybe kinda of like this picture. Cuz we have a new stainless steel microwave we'd like to install similar to this.

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2.  Another thing I might consider would be to install a new countertop or use a Rustoleum Transformations kit on the counters - I'm thinking a gray countertop (like shown above) would be nice with the white cabinets {and the existing blue and white linoleum}. The existing counters seem to have lost their finish so things like coffee, tea, jam, etc. stain them very easily so it would be nice to do something with them. 


3.  Then I'd also like to remove the wallpaper on the accent wall and the border around the room *cringe* and repaint the room...I hate removing wallpaper. To get a perspective here, my sis-in-law once said (as she worked her way around our old kitchen removing the border for me since I was 8 months pregnant) that removing wallpaper must be what the devil makes people do in hell. I agree wholeheartedly.


4. If money grew on trees, of course we'd probably gut the kitchen, open it up to the family room or the dining room some more, come up with a whole new layout, install a farmhouse sink and expensive faucet, wood floors, build our own cabinets (hickory or cherry or painted white), install marble counters or DIY concrete counters or something all amazing and what not. ;) Something like this. . .but yeah, I'm still looking for a money tree ;)

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Master Bath:

1.  Put up one of our white waffle weave shower curtains in place of the glass door (some people just love those glass shower doors but we're not fans. we feel claustrophobic in there and it makes it dark and they're so hard to clean...I like being able to throw away a $2 liner from the dollar store and put up a new one periodically in lieu of cleaning...haha)



2.  Decide on a better curtain for the window (my makeshift $2 garage sale shower curtain turned window treatment is NOT cute)

3.  Paint the walls a nice neutral color like off-white, since I already happen to have an entire gallon from our old guest room in our old house (and remove the wallpaper border *sigh*)...and if I owned the place, paint all the trim and cabinets white :) - and well, that white trim paint goes for pretty much the entire house ;)


4. Replace the powder blue toilet with wood seat/lid. You have to jiggle the handle and fiddle with the thing nearly everysingletime you use it. It drove us absolutely crazy when we first moved in, but it is somehow miraculously not as bad now. Still, I would like to replace it with a plain white toilet. One that you can use and then flush with confidence. Like our Kohler Wellworths in our old house *sniffle* sometimes I really, really miss that house.


4.  DIY some sort of cute tray for between the two sinks for our toothbrush, soap, lotions, etc. like this adorable picture frame turned bathroom tray:

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5.  Frame the large mirror over the sink with decorative moulding (this will most likely not happen in 2012 but I might as well throw it out there...just look at these amazing transformations I found on Pinterest!)

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Master Bedroom:

1.  Get some new curtain rods, probably an oil rubbed bronze finish, and possibly some bamboo blinds, and I already have some gold sheer panels I plan to hang up WHEN I get those rods.

2.  Repaint the walls - I'm thinking a color like our old great room would be nice and look fabulous with the brick accent wall that is opposite our headboard in the photo above - that paint color sure looked nice with our old brick fireplace, don't ya think?

3.  Organize the closets (there are 3 in that room!! I could pinch myself!), add in some shelves or drawers in one of them - so that we can eliminate the need for one of our dressers and move it into the dining room as a console (Gotta love shopping the house!) 

Levi's room:

1.  Paint or wallpaper or something to cover that cloud/kite wallpaper. Thankfully Levi doesn't seem to mind it (apparently 18 month olds don't care about interior design), but I would like to update it. Right now I'm considering a red, white and blue theme {since the carpet is red, but it's also old and either needs to be torn out and replaced or left with the hardwood floors showing and a large area rug}. I don't know...I think "big boy rooms" are difficult to decorate. And of course if/when we ever have another baby this will remain the nursery so I probably should stay neutral in case we would have a girl. So...maybe not red, white and blue...? Obviously, I'm still working on this. All these ideas are half-baked.


2. I am considering putting fabric on the walls (using liquid starch that doesn't damage the walls according to Nate Berkus) or just on an accent wall, maybe? Just saw this cute burlap accent wall on the Bower Power Blog. I love it. They stapled the burlap to the wall.

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And then today I had this random thought of creating a collage of quilts that we already own all over Levi's walls. Strange, I know, but it might be fun. Gotta use what you already have when on a budget.


3. Would also like to get Levi some cute curtains and a curtain rod. 


Levi's Bathroom:

1. Put up some sort of curtain


2. Get another new toilet. I only use this one in absolute emergencies it's so unreliable.


2.  Hang baskets like these on the wall for towel storage over the toilet and I think they'd add nice welcoming texture to the space and pull out the earthy colors in the linoleum

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Living room:

I've got the green light from my father-in-law to paint this space. And I already shared some of my plans and inspirational photos...I'm planning to paint it gray with crisp white trim. And I even picked a few of my favorite shades of gray already. 

But something is holding me back. Not sure if it's plain old procrastination (since painting doesn't really rank up there as one of my fav past times) or just really not being sold on my first idea. Or well, life, in general. We're super busy and overwhelmed with starting the business.  

But the thing is, this room is on the northeast side of the house, surrounded by some large trees and it doesn't get a ton of light (other than very first thing in the morning). And I just crave light. And I keep fearing that even if I choose a lighter shade of gray that I'll still feel like it's too dark in there and then I won't want to be in there. And the living room and dining room are my absolute favorite rooms in the house cuz they remind me of how old the house is. I love history. And the walls are off-white now and it already seems dark. So I've actually been considering taking cues from Levi's bathroom (which you can also access from the living room, that my sister-in-law I believe recently repainted). It is stark white. And I love it. You can do anything with white.

Dave's totally not sold on the idea, but I told him that I think I'll just prime the entire room (ceiling, walls, trim) before buying the gray paint and then it will be "white" and we can decide how we like it before we commit to buying the gray paint.

Just check out these images I've gathered on Pinterest of white living rooms.

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The last thing I want is a "sterile" living room. But I feel like with the right furniture and accessories it can still feel very warm and welcoming. In fact, I didn't even realize that last inspirational photo was a white room until I was looking back thru my pin boards. I originally pinned it cuz I love that West Elm rug. :) But now I see that the room is stark white yet feels very cozy.

I also love all the colorful pillows in the top image. And I have to remind myself that we'll be using our dark leather sofa too so that will make it feel very warm and cozy too.

So, basically, when I figure it all out, we'll be

1. Priming and painting the living room.

2. Upgrading the light fixture with a little DIY work or replacing it with a drum shade or something.

3. Hanging a fun-filled photo gallery wall somewhere in there or in the dining room...?

4. Possibly slipcovering an old couch that's down in the basement and bringing it up in the living room for additional seating.

5. And possibly DIY-ing a tufted ottoman from the coffee table in our family room.

6. And if we have a load of extra $$ late in the year, we'd love to update that carpeting! Ah!

Dining room:

1. I'd love to remove the wallpaper in the dining room and repaint the space. And I might leave 1 accent wall wallpapered and use this Allen + Roth Spanish Tile wallpaper from Lowe's. If the living room is gray. If it's white, then all these dining room plans will be revised. . .

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2. I'm considering yanking the largest dresser out of our master bedroom and painting it a dark plum color like this:

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I was actually sitting here one night thinking how lovely plum would look with gray walls and the wood of the dining room table so I searched Pinterest for a plum dresser and this one from Twice Lovely is the only one that came up. But it's basically exactly what I want to do. I love the Internet. ;)




And I'm dreaming of flanking the dresser- turned- console with two matching lamps and hanging a mirror over it, kind of like this:

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I also think it might be fun to DIY a mason jar or other type of chandelier over the dining table.

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Office:

We'd like to finish styling the office shelves like I mentioned here, upgrade the lighting (we might just install some super industrial, unsightly light like we had in our old laundry room

since I spend 90% of my days trying to do paperwork in this area and will someday homeschool Levi in this area or we might just move the flush mount fixture from the dining room into here to raise the light location and hopefully diffuse light father across the room), and we'd also like to add pull out file drawer mechanisms in the lower half of the built-ins. Right now I'm keeping files in there in file boxes and milk crates but it would be easier if they were file drawers.

Family room:

We might paint this room and get new curtains, I dont' know. We're still just trying to get used to living here and see what we use the rooms for. It's interesting having two living areas and two dining areas. We've certainly never had that before and so far we're just not sure what to do with it!


Mud room:

Actually FINISH the storage unit - paint the whole thing white and the inside of the cubbies a fun color, add a bench to this area, and maybe paint the wood paneling...I think it would brighten up this space and go a long way in creating the "sunroom" atmosphere that I'm going for on the east end.

And then there's also tweaking to do to the guest room, patio, spare bedroom, basement and garage, but all that will probably take place on an as-needed basis. Like the guest room will get cleaned / redecorated when we have guests visiting and we'll set up our furniture on the patio and clean the garage when the weather is nice in the spring. For now, those projects will wait.


Well, who am I kidding? Probably a lot of this will wait. A while. But I still love dreaming and I can't wait to make some of this a reality. :) 2012 should be a wild ride for sure!