Old With New

The first room to be nearly "finished" in this house is the living room, which is a good thing seeing that its the first thing you see when you walk in.  I used most of what I had in our only living room in our last house, but added a few gems.

 

I love mixing old with new.  I feel like a house can get feeling too "perfect" or showroom  (not in all cases) without adding some vintage somethings in there.  Making sense??  I have a love of vintage landscapes, and just vintage paintings for that matter.  And I have an even huger love of a good gallery wall.  This is my vintage landscape wall so far with all that I've accumulated.  I'm thinking eventually I'll go up with it.  My favorite sources are local antique stores which my valley has two very good ones, etsy, and a boutique that my friend Mindee and I went to a few years ago.  That largest one cost me $7!!  And I leaned it, because it worked better size wise and I didn't want it too perfect.  I think the most expensive one was like $26 from etsy.

So get to it, add something old!!  It seriously is so fun to hunt in these antique stores or even on etsy for that matter.  I found this $9 bench at what my mother in law and I refer to as the junk store.  Its been in my boys' room with a stripe and now I did a quick re-cover for my entry area.

 I think I might always love a good toille.

And I might always love a $40 ghost chair with an ikea sheepy rug on it.  Mix, whats better than a mix??!!

The Skirted Desk...

 This beauty was bought 5 years ago for like 30 bucks on sale at Staples, it served its purpose hidden in a room where no one would see it.  Fast forward and we are  living in a new to us house with the computer desk smack dab in the front window of the first room you see in our home.

 

I always thought I would just buy something new and more stylish, but then the functionality of what I really needed set in.  Cute, wide/deep enough for a full on desk top computer, and somewhere to store the computer tower, printer, speakers, paper.  And I didn't want something "heavy" feeling.

I've always loved the look of a skirted desk and that seemed like my best option.  So along the lines of "working with what you've got"  I used this tutorial, but added a back skirt, and had my local glass store cut a glass top.  Kinda lovin' the results.  And for less than $150 bucks ($50 for fabric and $90 for the glass), I'm super happy.  Don't get me wrong $150 is A lot of $$$ to me, but the alternative of buying something new that fit what I needed was actually....non existent, I couldn't even  find what I needed, so I made it!  Iphone pics not the greatest, but do the job for now :)

Blogs I'm loving!

My friends sometimes ask me what my favorite blogs are, and what ones are great to read for decor ideas.  Here are some of my favorites that aren't on my blog roll yet:

Milk and Honey Home (I study their portfolio, I'm weird like that)  once I found their blog, it really helped me to nail down my personal style.

 

House Tweaking- Dana is inspiring!  She and her husband recently downsized (which I can relate to) and are basically gutting their new house and the afters are fabulous!!! Fresh, clean, a bit modern but still cozy.

Forever Cottage is always a fun one to check in on, her house is cottagey, alive and very much makes you want to have a visit and stay awhile. 

 

I also love the blog Urban Grace, she doesn't post very much and my personal favorites are the snippets she shares of her own home.  Her kitchen, guest room/den.  Its pretty much amazing!!  She also designed the Coastal Living Ultimate Beach House.

 

And last but definitely not least, is Emily Henderson's blog.  You may remember that she is a HGTV Design Star winner.  My favorite one for sure!!  Not only is her work awesome, she's a really great writer and her blog will seriously make you crack up!

I would love to know what everyone else is reading these days.  :)

A Few of My Favorite Things

I've always got a few things I'm eyeing for my house or thinking that somebody ought to snatch up.  Here's my latests:

I want 2 of these above my island SO bad, but the shipping cost is killing it for me!

Loving this etsy shop for "bohemianish" pillows, her prices are great too.

Thinking about this stool for the boys to pull up to the coffee table when we play games.  Adds just the right amount of country rustic.

 Ikea's selection of outdoor dining is making me crave summer even more than I already am.  Why do I think I need this ensemble??? 

 

 What are you loving these days? 

We've Moved!!

Its crazy to think all thats happened since I last posted.  We have moved, only 4 blocks away, but still definitely feels like a move.  And have a few projects going on around this new place.  I'm excited to share them with you as we make this house a home!  Might need to order a new cord to plug my camera into the computer though, dang cleaning out/moving, pretty sure I tossed it on accident!

A Little Progress

Slowly but surely progress has been made on my house. It feels like such a long time coming. I've been saving for my built ins for a year, but I definitely feel they elevate the space. Here are a few sneak peeks of the projects that have been going on around here the past couple of months. Keep in mind nothing is "completely styled" (ex. the bookcase) and its all a work in progress :) Isn't is always?

Waiting to purchase some dust free chalk before I let kiddos go to town on the chalkboard wall. i'm thinking I'll do a fun quote that spans the top 3 walls.


The cabinet door is my fold out secretary desk that stores our computer. Love that I can fold the home office up and out of site.

These pics are bad, but I love the feel of our new entry. So much more "me" than before. I still need to put pics in frames and add something on the wall above the lamp.

Hope all is well for everyone. Its spring break here in Utah. We're headed to Baby Animal Days, a birthday party and a hike. The week's been a little slow, so the busyness is much appreciated :)

Happy Easter!

Milk and Honey Home

So, I became a daily reader/stalker after seeing Milk and Honey Home featured in Better Homes and Gardens. I love these ladies' style! Mixing vintage with modern, keeping a lot neutral, but knowing when to add the right amount of color. I keep going back to their portfolio for inspiration. And the more I look at their newest project, the more I love it, and it has me wanting slipcovered wingbacks!
This entry has my name written all over it!And seriously, how amazing is this?!*All pictures Milk and Honey Home. I accidently saved the thumbnails so they're really small. check out their portfolio to see more. Trust me, you Will Stalk!!