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Life has become very busy with Gabbie starting school, Jason coaching at Calvin, and lots of church activities. I have found that my time to sit down and have time on the computer is few and far between. I was contemplating getting rid of both of the blogs that I attempt to keep updated. After thinking about it for a few days, I realized I need to get rid of the decorating blog, but keep our adoption blog. I decided to keep our adoption blog for two reasons. First I want everyone to have a place to check up on our process and pray for us. Second I remember when we were feeling fear about starting this process and reading other people's blogs brought such comfort and excitement to me. I continue to follow many adoption blogs. They have been an amazing tool for learning about the process, and preparing for the unknowns of international adoption. If our blog can be this for another family being called to adoption then I am for sure keeping it going. The crazy thing is that it already has been this for a couple families. I have gotten a few messages on my facebook page stating that they had read my blog and are just getting into the process. It is amazing as I have said before the benefits and blessings of technology. I can't even imagine going through this without my blogging friends. Some of them I have never met, while some I met at the AGCI picnic. So after this long explanation, I am planning on keeping our adoption/family blog, but will be eliminating the decorating blog. I am sorry to those who follow the blog and enjoy it, but family life and sanity are much more important.

DOLLHOUSE REDESIGN

I inherited this wooden dollhouse from my cousin. It is one of the best memories from my childhood. I was always so jealous of her, and now I own it.

BEFORE:



AFTER:
A LITTLE PAINT, CARPET, AND TLC. I HOPE TO FIND A FEW THINGS TO HANG ON THE WALLS ALSO. IT WAS SO FUN!!

Are you still there?

I know it has been forever again. I will admit I thought I would have more time to devote to this blog. I guess between three kids, adoption paperwork, design team at church, and just enjoying summer; I have been pretty busy. I will admit I am not finished with my bedroom. I am still looking for a few items and do not want to post pics until it is all finished (annoying I know). I do want to show you pictures of the cutest chairs I bought off Craigslist about 3 weeks ago. They were $25 for the pair. I had been looking for two more chairs for my family room that were smaller in scale, and had a "vintage" look to them. I found these and love them. I am contemplating covering them in an off white fabric. The green is growing on me, but I fell in love with the size and lines.




My other project will be posted soon. We inherited a family dollhouse, and I have been gutting, and painting. It has been a blast. My girls love it!! I will post pictures when I finish. I promise it won't take me 4 weeks.

I am back with a bedroom update

My blog renovation took a bit longer due to a virus on our computer. As soon as I got the first part finished, we had to bring our computer in to get fixed. Now that I am back I thought I would give you a tiny look at the progress in my bedroom. As you will see I decided on a completely different color scheme, and I am loving it so far. I still have small details left, that is why I am unable to show the entire finished product. Enjoy!
I will do a "bedding" breakdown when I show you the finished product.



I picked this lamp up at a thrift shop for a couple bucks, spray painted it, and now am looking for a lamp shade.


This dresser was supposed to be painted red, but got a beautiful blue makeover instead.

Blog renovation in progress

I am working on changing the name of my blog. When I started it, I was not feeling my creative juices flowing. I am still not sure they are at their best, but I do feel a small bit of inspiration. I am good at decorating bookshelves, dressers, and walls, but when it comes to decorating a blog I am lost. I am definitely not gifted in the technology realm. For the sake of this blog, I am ready and willing to learn. I will be seeking the help of my youngest sister who is very good at this computer stuff. Please stay tuned, there may be more changes than the name and look. I am going to bring back the "decorating tip of the week" section. I have had a few people say they missed it. If you have any suggestions for me or places to find cute blog ideas please shoot me an email or comment. Thanks for checking in.

Bedroom update and a few extras

It seems like eternity since I have posted. Do not fear, I have been hard at work here. A few posts ago I told you my plans for my bedroom redo. The plans took a completely differently path, but it is almost finished. In the midst of the redo I decided to paint two of my lamps that I had in the basement. I love the way they turned out.





I also decided to paint some sticks to go on my table. I cut a few branches off a tree from the backyard, and sprayed them the same color as the lamps.




I have had two consultations. One of them was a large basement room. The homeowner was going to work slowly on the room so those pictures may not come until the end of the summer. The other consultation I did was two teen boy rooms and a bathroom. The teen boy rooms were a bit intimidating at first but I really enjoyed doing the research and coming up with a great decor plan. They are going to be great! These pictures will also be a bit. Tomorrow I will go to my sister's home to help her with the small details of each of the rooms in her home. They did a complete home flip in about 4 weeks. It was a true dump, but looks amazing now. Thanks for checking in! My bedroom redo pictures will be posted within the next few weeks. It is a color scheme I never thought I would go for, but I am loving it!

$20 table makeover

Before:



About a year ago we inherited a dining table from my husband's grandma. It is a dark cherry wood. It is a bit formal for me, but I like that it had a leaf to enlarge the table, and cushions to recover. The table we had previous was a cute round table with country chairs. It was a bit too country for me. When we got the table I knew eventually I would want to recover the seat cushions. They did match our decor, but were a bit stained and faded. I looked at all sorts of fabric stores for cute outdoor fabric. I wanted it to be durable and easy to wipe off (all the qualities of outdoor fabric). I knew I wanted a black and white pattern, but did not find any I liked at the price I could afford. I was ecstatic when I stumbled upon an adorable tablecloth at Target that was the exact pattern I wanted, the durability and thickness I needed, and the right amount of fabric. It was all for the price of $19.99. After a few weeks of using as an actual tablecloth I recovered the chairs and I love the results!
Now this summer I hope to paint just the table black. It is in need of tlc.
After: