house update.

A few new things around the house... 

One is a gallery wall. I went back and forth trying to decide what wall to put it on, and I think I chose the best one. It's a little bit hidden, so hopefully the busyness of the kind of gallery wall I chose to do isn't too much.

So, first I laid out the picture frames how I wanted them on the floor. I didn't want to spend any money on the project, so I limited myself to using only frames I had on hand. (None of the things actually in the frames are staying.)

Then I cut newspaper out for each frame and taped them to the wall in the arrangement I wanted. I marked the nail holes right on the paper, and hammered the nails in through the paper.

Finally, I ripped the papers off and hung all the pictures. Even though I tried to measure perfectly, there was still some adjusting (and maybe a little frustration!) going on during the hanging. Now I need to actually fill the frames with the pictures and prints that I want! I like the eclectic combination of the different frames and colors, and hopefully they're all brought together by being in one nicely shaped group. Since I will never get around to writing my own tutorials, here is one for gallery walls that I like.

So then I have been struggling with what to do for that wall over the couch. I am trying this mirror (which was thrown in for free with a Craigslist purchase!), but I'm not loving it... maybe because it usually reflects a messy kitchen sink?! I can't stand just having a blank wall, but there is already so much color going on I'm not sure what to do there. Ideas?

I had also planned on doing a mirror here, so maybe I really should take down the other one...

Ahh, the living room. I sort of love being in this mostly completed room, helping Carson practice the piano while trying to distract Faye with a puzzle on the coffee table. The table was a Craigslist purchase, and I finally got around to sewing the floral pillow and covering the piano bench. I sort of did a quick job on it though, and I kind of want to go back and make another one, now that I found my zipper foot to add some piping to the edges!

The last thing I want to do in this room is add a bookshelf next to the piano. I am thinking of trying to custom make one with my dad when he comes to visit!

My favorite pictures from Chile get to take up a corner of this room.

And then Rick gets to have his Cambodian space as well.

This is a wall hanging for the new baby's room, which I sort of love and am using the pink/reddish colors as an inspiration for the room.

The dresser I just painted! I bought the dresser on Craigslist, which was really pretty to begin with. But then I got the idea to do the drawers with the ombre effect, and I didn't want a pretty dresser anymore; I just wanted a plain one. So I used wood putty to fill in the details on the drawers, and Rick took off the detailing on the bottom for me. It was sort of a shame; I should have just bought a plain dresser to begin with, but oh well.

So I only remembered to take a before picture when I was in the middle of the project, but it had some sort of curvy detailing on the front of each drawer, gold drawer pulls, etc.

Faye is trying to show the cute mobile I got for the baby's room from Joss and Main, one of my new favorite sites. (You can join from that link. Most of the time their things are too expensive for me, but I get great ideas from them and actually have made a few purchases that were great deals! The mobile was $6.)

There's my cute girl. The prints that will go above the dresser are from etsy, purchased with money I made taking online surveys! The mats are a bit too small though, so I need to find out if I can cut them or get them cut.

Faye's room hasn't seen much action. I did get her fabric flowers up. I have always meant to try and recover that chair or something!

And making curtains for her is next on my list. I got some fabric for $2 a yard!

The boys' room needs a little more work with picture hanging, but it's getting close.

Here is Everett's newly-made bed, and I rearranged the room and like their beds much better here. (But yikes, that means moving their reading lamps that I just barely had Rick drill holes in the wall for!)  They have always wanted nightstands; I found these on clearance at Target! I put some chalkboard vinyl I had up on their closet doors, and Carson loves having his morning schedule up there.

I am sure I will never get to posting a real tutorial for making that ottoman in the family room, but for those who have asked, I used a combination of tutorials here, here and here. I decided to use a vinyl fabric, which is awesome because it wipes clean! I had an impossible time making buttons out of vinyl, though, so I ended up just using a cotton fabric in the same color, and you really can't tell. It was a fairly simple project to complete; the nail heads in the corners at the very end was the most time-consuming part. And when I look at similar ottomans that cost hundreds of dollars, it was all worth it! If anyone makes one, I would be happy to help along the way.

I know my decor and pictures aren't anywhere near professional, but I really, really love trying to make our house into a very happy home!