Bedroom Makeover Update: A Little Modern Swag

In some eyes, this bedroom makeover may be a slow project.  But, for us, things are moving along pretty quickly.  My husband hung the new shelves in my daughter's room last night and we have the bed set up waiting the arrival of our new mattress.

Does anyone hate mattress shopping like I do????  How do you really know what you'll like? We did discover that you can actually return a bed after 60 days if we bought the protective cover.  So we did buy the cover this time.  The new mattress is going to our room and then ours is coming up here.  It's less than a year old too though.  We need new mattresses all through the house so it will be a process of replacing them. 

Her new bedding is just waiting!

And do you see her macrame above?

I know it may seem dark, but in person that little swag in natural jute is just adorable for a teenager's room.  A little modern swag based on a 1960s craft.  Did you know macrame is back?  It is and I'm loving it.  Right along with weaving! It was inspired by A Beautiful Mess's post here. My daughter really liked the idea of jute instead of yarn like they used, so she had to modify the knots a bit. She made it.  She loves it.  I love it!  And, I had the jute from a garage sale.  :)

We are also awaiting curtains.  We bought the fabric for them a couple of  years ago as a simple sewing project for 4H for my daughter.  Well that went by the wayside and now it was up to me to sew them.  Well.  I messed up and didn't get the fabric even when I began cutting...long story...suffice it to say that I was thrilled when I went online to JC Penney and with a sale and a coupon, ordered the sheer panels she wanted for a very reasonable price shipped to the store.  And, now I have sheer white fabric to find a use for....  I believe it will be used as a swag of some sort here....

in the toy room!  It only has one window and the fabric should be enough.  If you follow along on Instagram, you know we have been also updating the toy room.  Carpets cleaned here too and a bright sun-shiny "lemon chiffon" has replaced the coffee shop taupe that was on the walls. 

The floor is littered with toys being sorted so more pictures from this room later.

That wardrobe used to hold a tv in our bedroom years ago.  We never used the tv, so at some point, it migrated up to the toy room for storage.

This room is so happy and fresh right now.  

More later as things get accomplished!

Have a great day!

Ash Wednesday Thoughts

Besides giving up potato chips, again, I have some spiritual exercises that I'll be doing this Lent.

One being prayer journaling.  

I have been in the practice of it off and on over the years.  More off than on.

Besides being a prayer journal, I hope to keep it accessible during the day to jot notes and thoughts. 

And, as I opened the journal this morning, I found this quote that I had written in there a couple of years back.

And, it resonated with me again.  I think it will with you too.

This really could be a good Lenten meditation.

As I thought about this, I was reminded of some instagram photos I've had printed out. 

It's a sampling of how we spend our days.

The fancy leather journal was a gift to my daughter a number of years ago.  It was too intimidating to her to actually write or draw in it, leather bound and all.  So, she gave it to me.  I've only written on two pages...I had the same problem.  It's too nice.   

This Lent I will write, scribble notes, whatever....in this journal.  It's not too nice to use.

Whether you journal or not, spending time thinking about and praying about, how you spend your day ,could bring about great blessings.

Grow Love and a Re-purposed Picture Frame

I have the most incredible collection of heart ornaments....all from one source....a dear friend of mine...hand made perfection.

So I decided this year I wanted them all displayed on a tree.  My first Valentine's Tree.  

I cut a branch from outside and stuck it in a small galvanized pail full of sand.  Shredded music paper gives it a finished look.

So this isn't technically a heart...I also hung the snow flake ornaments she has sent.  Look how evenly she stitches!

Little beads add such punch.

And, look at the little garland of crocheted hearts.

It was hard to photograph this garland as the light was a bit low and the mirror in the background makes it busy, but in person you can see it all.

Can you see the paper bag one there with blanket stitching around it?  Less fancy, but just my style!

A fabric stuffed heart with a crocheted cover and it's very own key.

This one has been starched and stiffened.

That's me. :)

That's a vintage mother pin attached to this one!

A very feminine pink one peaking from behind the bold red one.

I'd been waiting for a sunny day to take these pictures but when the sun was finally out yesterday, I forgot. :(

And, really what better metaphor than a tree with hearts for love?  Because love must be tended to, watered, pruned, set in the light (Christ), to grow.  I don't care if it sounds corny.  It's true.

This is the "card" I made for my husband this year.  Do you remember my Friday Finds a couple of weeks back?  I knew I wanted those folding frames for a reason!  They make perfect cards or "books" if you have a story to tell.

The letters and tree are stamps and I needle felted the little hearts "growing" there and glued them on.

The paper I used for the backing is from the same book we used to make the hearts for my daughter's wedding. It was a very old book on marriage and some of it was kind of..."too much" so I chose the page with a little caution, ha!  

I aged the frame a bit with Tim Holtz alcohol ink.

(The same friend made the crocheted runner this all sits on!)

I guess I can toss the branch back outside when I take this down as it will be easy enough to get another one next year.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!!!

Easiest Coziest Afghan You could Ever Make

Over two years ago, I posted about my daughter making a snood.  Well, the yarn choice and half double crochet stitch lives on.  After I made my self a shawl with this yarn, my son wanted an afghan from it.  The shawl is the sit at home kind...very long...bulky....warm.  It's about 3 years old now so I didn't take pictures as it's starting to show it's been loved.  Just a bit.

If you'd like to make this afghan it's so very easy.

Finished afghan size is about 42" x 74".  It's soft and stretchy so kind of hard to measure.  This really is big and will cover a 6' tall adult with great ease. (My son.)

Yarn: Lion Brand Hometown USA: Cambridge Tweed: 16 skeins.  I didn't say it would be the cheapest afghan you'd make.  I got my yarn at Walmart for $2.97 per skein.  Less than Amazon and other places I looked.  I had to ask them to order in the number of skeins I needed.

Size Q crochet hook.  This is the really large blue Boye hook.

Directions:

Begin with a slip stitch on the hook. 

Chain 63 stitches. Begin with a half double crochet in the third chain from your hook.

Half double crochet all the way across.  Chain two.  Half double crochet in each stitch all the way across.  Chain two.  Repeat.

That's it.

Add a new skein as needed and weave the ends in later.

It's such a great beginning crochet project because it goes quickly and there is no pattern to follow, but so very satisfying to make.  

And, now because I wanted my pictures to show how cozy the afghan really feels...I played just a bit.  

Looks like it could be a nice way to spend a little time.

Vintage tray...and cup.

To make yourself a shawl, just decrease the width to about 40 stitches and stop crocheting when you like the length.  Add fringe to it! :)  (Shawls do not need to be triangular.) You can make this long enough to sling it over your shoulder like this one here.  I just wasn't up to posing with mine. Ha!

Now, to box it up and send it on it's way!

Bedroom Makeover

I know this isn't much of a picture, I had it on my phone from 3 years ago. But, it's all I can find now of what the bedroom used to look like.  The other pictures are on a computer upstairs. Or in an album.  Or a box.  You get the idea.  Anyway, this is the largest bedroom in our house, but you'd never know it from my picture, ha!

 

My two oldest daughters shared this room for years with a double bed in it.  Then eventually one moved out to another room and another bedroom move later brought my fourth child here and she is still here.  She's 15 and I told her we could retire the vintage-y little girl print wall paper we installed when we built the house in 1996.

 

 

 A current phone picture....when we were getting ready to paint it.  Wallpaper removed, taped up and ready for some texturing and painting.

 

 

My second oldest helping to paint.  It was a family paint party!  Some of us enjoyed it more than others, ha!

 

 

 All painted.  Now we wait.  For the orders of bedding and shelving and new mattress to arrive. (We are going back to a full size bed in here.)  And, for me to clean the carpet and sew the curtains.  Pretty sure there is more on this list, but I don't want to feel overwhelmed so I'll stop with this.

 

 

From the one corner of the room you can see the much lighter color that the other two walls are.  Our color of choice throughout most of the house is Dover White from Sherwin Williams.  The door to the hall is on the right side of this picture.

 

 

 

This is the color palette she chose.  Pillows and bedding have arrived and it's all matching just like we hoped!! You can see the gray in her color palette is the wall color. 

 

 

And,  by chance or not chance, since she chose these colors too, the weaving she made last summer matches her color scheme really well.  I blogged about it here.

 

 

I had to add a picture of the desk chair in her room because I just think it's the greatest.  The desk it sits with could sure use to be refinished, but that may not happen for quite awhile.

 

Hopefully, we'll have things moving along and I can post pictures of the finished room in the near future.

 

It's a gray day here, but it's my birthday so that helps raise the gloominess.  We celebrated with all the kids yesterday and really had a nice time eating out.  Last year was my milestone, 50, birthday and it's nice to look back at that celebration and think about the past year. I posted here, here, and here about it. 

It's really been a good year and I'm so happy for all of you that have come to visit here!