Farrow & Ball Bumblebee

I wonder if it's normal to be as obsessed with wallpaper as I am.  Not just any wallpaper, although I do really like so many.  I'm obsessed with Farrow & Ball's Bumblebee wallpaper. This is not a new thing, either.  I've loved it for such a long time. 

 I've never wallpapered anything or used wallpaper in our home.  I have, however, spent a ridiculous amount of time removing wallpaper from Elliott's Room and our Hallway.  That may explain why I've never wallpapered anything.  But I really, really want to use the Bumblebee on the ceiling of my master bedroom.  Like, really.  

Here are some of the colour combos I'm considering:

 I'm leaning towards the first one.

What do you think about this wallpaper?  Do you think it's weird that I'd want bees overhead?  Is this obsession unhealthy?  Any advice for a novice wallpaper-er contemplating the use of super-expensive wallpaper DIY style?

xo Meg

The Master Lowdown

   I owe you a patio update and it's coming soon.  The weather here has been really iffy - rainy and chilly - so conditions weren't optimal for a photoshoot.  Should be good going tomorrow (my day off work) so I will snap some shots for you.

  In the meantime, I wanted to chat a little about our master bedroom.  This room has historically been the most pathetic in the house.  We've lived with ugly paint, cracked ceilings, no headboard and mismatched bedding for several years.  I don't think our room has been *finished* since our first starter home 10 years ago.   You can read about this saga here, and here.

    The truth is, we have never finished this room.  It is last on our list and always neglected. 

   People, we deserve a nice room.  One that's pulled together with pretty pillows, trimmed out curtains and lovely lamps.  I have so many inspiration images pinned to my Master Bedroom Redesign board, and have changed ideas so many times that I just can't figure out which way is up! 
One of the first fabrics that Jay and I agreed on for this space was the Thomas Paul Dahlia fabric in Slate. I like the drama of this colour way and it works with our existing bedding. 

 

Imagine my surprise when I stopped into Homesense (the Canadian Version of Homegoods) and spotted a bunch of Thomas Paul pillows!  It wasn't just Dahlia either.  There was also  Aviary Robin in a few colours! 

 This is what I came home with:

It's not the original colour that I was thinking of, but it works well with our bedding and I'm happy with it.  Also worth noting: the disgusting baby-poo brown shiny walls and hand-me-down curtains from Elliott's old room that don't fit the windows.  

I have grand plans to use the new pillow fabric as my jumping off point for the rest of the room.  I'm thinking some charcoal grey, creamy linen curtains... oh, and maybe even a headboard.

I've got my work cut out for me, huh?

xo Meg

 

On Blogging... And the House So Far

I'm not sure what has happened around here for the last little while.  I haven't been feeling very inspired to write.  I also haven't been finishing many projects lately.  I really can't say why.  I've certainly been working on lots of projects lately.

   Everything in the new house seems overwhelming to me.  There is so much to do in so many areas that I almost feel paralyzed! I thought I'd make a couple of lists here to help get me moving on some of the little projects.  I started this blog to chronicle the work we were doing on our last home and I'm hoping to get back to that as the focus of what I blog about.  You know, instead of my propensity to attempt to keep up with the blogging Jones'.

Here is an update of the changes we've made to our new house, and the stuff that still needs to get done in each.

before, obviously

Audrey's Room

Prep walls for Paint

Paint walls purple (yuck! but it's her room!)

Install curtain rod

Hem and trim turquoise curtains (pompoms? rickrack?)

Find bedskirt and add trim (pompoms? rickrack?)  OR

Make bedskirt out of striped fabric or co-ordinating fabric

Sew long pillow for her bed

Paint dingy trim

Closet Makeover - paint or wallpaper and organization

Gallery Wall / Art Installation

Find or Make a desk that fits!

Find a desk organization system that works for her  Thank you Ikea Raskog!

Install shelving above desk for books and treasures

Install mirror on back of door

Re-vamp and install chandy I found on the side of the road

perfect for organizing my little girl's odds and ends!

sneak peek of the purple walls and turquoise curtains

Dining Room

Lay out all artwork possible for the space above the sideboard

Choose art and frames from existing

Hang the darn things up!!!

Make and install barn door with slider or pocket door for closet

Re-Organize closet and maximize space in there

Make built-in bench with cushion for under window

Find dining chairs we like that are comfy

Find a fabric for short curtains

Install curtain rod

Master Bedroom

Paint walls and trim

Sew pillows

Edit Closet

Organize closet, under-bed storage

Find a bedskirt

Hang up some art

Hang mirror

   Currently, we are in the ugly phase of basement renovations.  I don't even want to think about the list for this one.  To be honest, I think we expected to have this project completed already.  We are no where near done.  In fact, Jay is taking advantage of his Monday off to complete a little more of the drywall work so that he can tape and mud the rooms.  As soon as that is complete, I can get out the primer.  We are making progress but it's sure slow going.

I'm hoping to share a couple of finished projects that I've been working on while Jay has been busy in the basement. I appreciate it that you're still reading.

 xo Meg

Master Bedroom Update

 

 Remember when I asked you guys for a little help in the bedroom?

 

 

You were great.  You really were.

 

A whole bunch of you tried to help me out with bedside styling and picture hanging.  I put a lot of holes in my walls trying to figure out an artful arrangement for my bedside tables. Then I filled them all in and hung the two photos above the bed instead.

 

 I really wish I was a better artwork hanger.  I'm always trying to do a gallery wall.  I just can't seem to get one right.  I don't have the eye.  I think I'll put that on my list of goals: be good at gallery walls. . 

 

For now, I have given up accepted that the room is going to look like this for a while:

 

 

 

 

There's no headboard back there. Sigh.

This big piece of art, that is supposed to ground this whole scheme,  isn't hung. I don't really like the lights on our bedside tables. I wish they were gourd lamps. And I need a rug.

I am actually okay with the room looking like this for now.  In all honesty, I'm tired.  The reno has taken a lot out of me and need to take a break.  That way I can come back with fresh eyes and make this room happen.

 I'm also out of money.  Gourd lamps cost a lot, don't you know?

I hope you have the best of weekends.  Fall is here!

xo Meg

Trim Repairs & Help in the Bedroom

Thanks so much for all your great ideas about my bedside tables!  I really appreciate your input here, since hanging artwork is really not something I feel comfortable with. 

I loved Casey's idea to switch the large horizontal photographs with the smaller pieces and most of you did too.  Unfortunately, I use the plug behind my bedside table all the time for my laptop, phone, etc.  so I can't just lean the picture up against the wall.  But I will try switching the large and small pieces to see how that looks. 

In the meantime, I'm still working away at the projects we are currently doing around here.  Mainly, I'm prepping the old, beat up trim in our house for a fresh coat of paint.  We're using BM White Dove on all the trim and cabinetry in the house.

I don't want to brag or anything... but I'm kind of a trim jedi master. 

Seriously.   I am currently working on the trim in the living room:  baseboard, crown molding, window and door casing.  It is all original to our 120 year old house so it has seen better days. 

Really, really hard to get a decent photo of this window because so much
light filters in here.  This is an old one 

The trim around our leaded glass bay window is in very bad shape. 



nasty trim before

nasty trim filled in with latex caulking (sorry for the blurry iphone pics)

Right now, I have all the trim in this room caulked and filled.  I use a combination of latex caulking in a caulking gun and Durabond filler.  I'm waiting for everything to dry and cure and then it will all get a coat of White Dove.  I can't wait to show you how nice it looks once it's all freshly painted.

In the meantime, I'm going to head upstairs and put a couple more holes in the wall around our bedside tables!


xo Meg

Bedside Help

Like I mentioned, I'm working on our master bedroom (among a few other things).

I'm really struggling with something though, and I'm hoping you guys can help me out. I hung some photographs this weekend and I'm just not sure.


Backtrack.  Look at these bedside vignettes:

See how the artwork is somewhat obscured by the lamps?


I mentioned that I have a few pieces that I'd like to use in our master.  We bought two black and white photographs a few years ago in Ottawa at an art show and we both love them.  And I have the large painting that I gave Jay for our anniversary last year.

This weekend, I attempted to hang the photographs.  I am doing this now, before I repaint the room, so that any extra holes I make can be easily filled and fixed before my pretty white paint goes on.

Note:  large painting will go in the centre of the wall here once it's framed.

I am struggling with the placement of these photos.  I have seen so many beautiful images where a light is covering some of the artwork (as in above).  But somehow it just looks to me like I mis-hung these photographs!  

Is this how it's supposed to look???  Should I raise the photographs and add a couple other things below?  Should I lower the photographs so they sit under the lamp shade?

They look ok from some angles, but completely silly from other angles.

I'm desperate to know what you think.  Please chime in.  

xo Meg

Master Bedroom: Shop the House

With all the expensive renovating going on around here (yes, I'm talking to you kitchen), I decided that I should shop the house to spruce up the master bedroom.

There are lots of elements I can pull from other places to make our master look more finished.  And right now, since everything else in the whole house is a disaster zone, I want to pull together the master so I can just hide out in there.

1.  New light blue sheets.  Cheap ones from President's Choice that actually feel nice.
2.  New greige window panels that I found at Homesense for $29.99 a while ago.
3.  Blue blanket given to me by a friend a few years back.
4.  Pillow that my Mom sewed for me.  I have two pillows and a bit more fabric to use.
5.  My painting.
6.  The Resto linen bedding that I thought would be the perfect neutral.  I can never seem to find anything to go with it.

 I'm just going to throw it all together and see what I get.


Wall colour is being chosen.  I'm leaning heavily towards BM White Dove.  I'm looking for the perfect white for the walls.  And we all know how easy that is.  I have some sample pots and the paint swatches go up today.

I'd better get to work!

xo Meg

Master Bedroom

   We are in full scale renovation mode around here, in case you haven't been keeping up.  This means that everything in our house is covered by a layer of filth and there's seemingly no end in sight.

I've decided to make peace with living in squalor.

   So much so, that I will now be showing you yet another unfinished, nasty room in our house.  This room is also on the list for a spruce up.  And like every other fix up around here, there's a very limited budget but lots of willingness to work it hard.  Elbow grease is my best friend.

I took these pictures on my iphone and I'm gonna post them really small so I don't scare anyone away.

This is our master bedroom.  

Yeah, I know.  

It's actually a decent sized room.  Not as big as Audrey's room or anything, but decent.  She has a huge walk-in closet too.  We have a dinky little closet.  That we share. We were clearly drunk when we decided who would get which room (that drinking reference is for you, Elizabeth).

Once upon a time, I posted about our master bedroom and my dreams for it.  Here's the mood board I made then:

Things Our Master Bedroom Has Going For It:

• size
• nice light hardwood floors
• 2 beautiful, large black and white photographs 
• cool antique light fixture

• Restoration Hardware Vintage Wash Linens for the bed (uh, not pictured in the room)

(these linens, in this colour)

Things To Address:

• Window Coverings:  I am thinking of doing a DIY stencil on a pair of Home Depot Drop Cloths.  In my dreams, it would turn out something like these from Nicole Yee that I pinned last week.  Maybe not a black stencil.  Maybe something paisley-ish?

• Headboard (for sure a DIY)
• Come up with some plan for the room's layout .  That 'dresser wall' isn't cutting it.  I'd like to add a couple of chairs and a desk or side table over there. And remove the smaller dresser.
• Paint the walls and ceiling
• Sew a lumbar pillow for the bed

I want the palate to be pretty neutral/white with just a bit of the blues and greens that I love so much.  Here's some inspiration rooms:

style at home

kerrisdale design - probably my all time fave casual bedroom

So, add another project to our ever-growing list.  I won't be able to start in on this project until I complete a couple others going on around here.  But it's on the horizon.  I can almost see it!

Happy Friday!

xo Meg

Master Bedroom Retreat

A while back, I posted this mood board that I made for our master bedroom.  Since we didn't get to working on the master at this house, I'm hoping to adapt this plan for the new one.  I am looking so forward to having a master retreat and I really want it to be a place we can enjoy.


I still love the Gazebo Fabric in Cloud from Tonic Living. I am  wondering about using it to make a long bolster pillow for the front.  I prefer my bed to be simple, and I really love the RH Antique Belgian Linen that we already have.  A bolster at the front of all the pillows will make it tailored and simple to make.

Here are a couple of other Tonic Living Fabrics that I also like:

Flat Iron in Gray
Will I ever get sick of chevron?

Ikat Dot in Grey

Samoan Plantation

Secret Gates in Silver

Here's the feeling I'm after in there:

Alice Lane

Kerrisdale Design

You can check these rooms, and some others out on my Pinterest Bedrooms board.

xo Meg

Wednesday Randoms

I can't believe it's already Wednesday!  I'm having a totally psycho week this week so I have a post full of randomness for you.
First up, our Thanksgiving celebration on Sunday.

I set the table with my vintage 'H' glasses and 'Autumn's Delight' china.  I love these pieces because they belonged to my Grandmother.  It wasn't a very fancy Thanksgiving but we were all together and the meal was unbelievable!  My mom did most of the cooking, although the apple crisp I made for dessert was delicious too.


Then my boy participated in the Turkey Trot Race on Monday. It was a 2K race and I'm so proud of his finish.  He is going to the city finals for his school for 2K so it was good extra practice!

Also this weekend, I fell in love with this ruffled linen bench by Lauren Leiss at Pure Style Home.  Really, I fell in love with the whole bedroom, actually.

I'm not usually a 'ruffle' girl.  I'm always a linen girl though.  And I just love this bedroom she designed.  You should check it out if you haven't already.  Lauren is adorable and a decorating genius.  

I'm off to prepare the goodies for Audrey's big birthday celebrations this weekend.  She'll be turning 8 on Sunday.  Sniff, sniff.  It makes me so sad and so proud at the same time that they are growing up.  The time with them is just so fleeting!

xo Meg

Roomspiration: Master Bedroom Mood Board

I had so much fun linking up Elliott's Room to the Roomspiration Mood Board links that I decided to show you the work I've been doing in our master bedroom.  This room isn't in the plans for a while yet, as we are currently working on Audrey's room.  Some of the elements are already in place.  Others I am still dreaming of.

I really love the inspiration image, by Interior Philosophy.  I think the bedroom is so pretty and restful looking. I love the natural elements and the serene colour scheme.

 Here are the sources:

Fabrics
The Antique Washed Belgian Linen is from Restoration Hardware.  We already have that on the bed and I love it so much.  It has gotten softer with washing and is the perfect colour.

I would like to do a bedskirt and long bolster pillow out of the Gazebo Fabric and like the Fretwork Fabric for some accent pillows.  Both fabrics are from Canadian fabric source Tonic Living.

Art
The Raven print is from Etsy artist, eastwitching and there are so many watercolours of hers that I admire.  The frames are just Ikea Ribba.  You can't beat their proportions or price!

The other piece in the room is one I created as an anniversary gift for my husband.  It is similar to the one pictured here.  I'll be blogging about that later in the week.

Lighting
The Weston Arc Sconce is from Pottery Barn.  I think the lines of it will look nice with the antique pendant light that is original to the room.

Headboard is from Sundance.  It's so beautiful but way out of our budget.  Plus, Jay loves to build things for our home.  I think we have enough barn board left over to make a similar one.

I haven't nailed down a paint colour for the room, since I am still waiting for fabric samples.  I'll keep you posted!  I'm linking up today at Just A Touch Of Grey.

xo Meg