Mackenzie Childs - Inspired Vase and Box

Yesterday I revealed my newly updated guest bedroom.  

The room is chock full of projects.  

I'm a big fan of Mackenzie Childs and harlequin designs in general. I needed a few accessories for the room so I looked around at what I already had in the house and transformed a basic clear vase and wine box.

The wine box I had lying around from Christmas when someone brought it as a hostess gift.  The clear vase was from Valentine's day roses.  

Using Annie Sloan chalk paint I had on hand I painted both the box and the vase in old white.

Using a ruler I measured out a harlequin pattern on the top of the box.  I free hand painted the vase.  On both pieces I used Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue.  

The dots between the diamond pattern as well as the outline around the box was done using a Sharpie paint pen.

I added detail to the vase using craft paints I had on hand.

These were the perfect way for me to finish off the top of the armoire.  I love how they came out.

Can't wait to hear what you think.

-Judy

Guest Room Reveal

It's been a while since I've done a reveal.  

The guest room has been something I've been wanting to update for quite some time now.  

Let's take a trip down memory lane.  

This is where this room began.

About two and a half years ago I decided to do a mini update and wallpapered the wall behind the bed and painted the other three walls a custom color matched exactly to the background of the wallpaper.

The wallpaper is temporary wallpaper from Target.  I found it super easy to work with.  Just make sure all of your rolls are the same lot number.  I ripped up the wall to wall carpeting to reveal the hardwood floors beneath.  But the room still bothered me.  

I finally realized what needed to be done.  It was hard to pull the trigger, but I painted the furniture and replaced the iron bed with an upholstered bed.  

Painting the furniture made all the difference.  

There are a few projects in this room that I will blog about later, including painting the lampshade you see on the sewing table.  The sewing table is "new".  My best friend's father passed away and I was helping her clean out her childhood home.  She asked me a few days later if I had seen anything I might want.  This desk had caught my eye.   The desk is another project I will blog about in the coming weeks as well.  The new bedside lamps are from home goods.  They were basic lamps that I added ribbon to for a more custom look.

The drapes were changed out about a year ago in my effort to make the room come together.  Now they actually completely pull the room together.  You can see in the background a sneak peek into the bathroom makeover as well.

What a huge difference!

Can't wait to hear what you think.

Judy

Sources List:

Bed - Target (I bought it when it was on sale for 30% off)

Area Rug - Home Goods

Bedside Lamps - Home Goods

Neck roll, euro shams and small blue pillows - all DIY projects

Harlequin box and vase - DIY projects

Chair - craigslist find - you can read about how I transformed it here

Desk - friend gave it to me

Desk chair - recovered in fur fabric from JoAnn Fabric Store

Duvet - Home Goods

Coverlet - Target 

Getting Ready for House Guests

My daughter will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday.  After months of preparing suddenly it's almost here.  Three years ago we had my son's Confirmation party in our backyard.  We had the most terrential rain storm that weekend and the stress of that made my daughter decide there and then that we would not be having her party in the backyard.  So we are having it at a local catering hall and it's so nice not to have to worry about the weather.  

My daughter's Godparents are from Miami and will be arriving on Friday.  We met her Godparents on a cruise around Italy and Greece almost 18 years ago.  They were on their honeymoon and we were on a vacation prior to having any kids.  We were inseparable with each other during that trip and they have been like family ever since.  

I spent some time getting the guest room ready this weekend.  The guest room tends to be the place things go that don't have a home so it took a little bit of organizing to get it ready.  The one thing I had wanted to do prior to them arriving was sew a new bed skirt.

I picked a buffalo plaid fabric in a sea breeze color.  It's still on my to do list but it will have to wait until after the party.

I always try to have all the essentials on hand for house guests to make them feel at home...fresh towels, toiletries,...

magazines, etc.  I always appreciate having magazines to flip through when staying in someone else's home.

Plus, it's always nice that our guest room has one of the best views in the whole house.  

It's going to be crazy this week with last minute preparations.  Hope to see you all at my Swing into Spring party tomorrow night at 8pm EST.  

-Judy

Guest Room Changes and Tweaks

I am always tweaking one room or another.  

This time it was my guest room that needed a few changes. 

You can click here to see what the room looked like before. 

It all started with these pillows I found at Home Goods.

I loved the texture and the buttons picked up on the wood tones in the room.  It's hard to carry color in your head, and since I didn't have the fabric with me at the store, I was so happy that the teal worked well with the existing fabric in the room.

About a week later I found this silky feeling coverlet on clearance from Home Goods.  It was originally $100 at Home Goods and I got it on clearance for $40.  It is so soft to the touch and I love the embroidered flowers all over it.  

I already had the neck roll (click here to see how I made it), 

but I had to make the matching pillow shams behind it last week using the same process as I used here.  

On the end of the bed I have a down comforter covered with a pale blue duvet for guests to use if it gets chilly at night.  I like putting together a layered bed for more interest and appeal.  

The pinch pleat drapes I made a while ago.  You can click here to read that tutorial.

Adding a little more teal to the bed has given the room a fresh new look, without spending very much or changing that many things. 

I can't wait to hear what you think of the updates to the room.

-Judy

Roomspiration Review - Guest Bedrooms

Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  Remember Roomspiration?  Today all of the hosts of Roomspiration will be featuring the top viewed links from their leg of the party on their blog.  After checking out my features, please head on over to these blogs to check out their top links.  You will be sure to find inspiration for every room of your home.

Abode Love - entryways

View Along the Way - living room

Homemaker on a Dime - bathrooms

Family Brings Joy - craft rooms

Involving Color - dining rooms

All Things Bright & Beautiful- kids bedrooms

a la mode - nurseries

Just a Touch of Gray - master bedrooms

The Blooming Hydrangea - closets and nooks

The Mustard Ceiling - laundry and mudrooms

The DIY Showoff - kitchens

As you all know, I hosted Guest Bedrooms from Roomspiration.  Here are the top three most clicked links from the party:

This beautiful guest bedroom created by Design OCD.  

The colors create a room that is calm and serene.  Perfect for a guest bedroom.

Next up is the guest bedroom created by Triangle Honeymoon.  

She took their guest bedroom from boring to bright and fabulous.  

Last but not least, a gorgeous guest bedroom from Hanging with the Hewitts.

Here is the before photo...what a transformation!!

Thank you all again for inspiring me and for participating in Roomspiration.  Hope you drop by all of the other hosts blogs today for more inspiration.  

Don't forget about the MyMemories Giveaway I have going on.  You can click here to enter.  

-Judy

Roomspiration Linky Party - Guest Bedroom Edition

Welcome to Roomspiration - Guest Bedrooms. 

 I am so excited to be hosting today's edition of Roomspiration.  

Before we get started with the party, let me share with you my guest bedroom.

This room came together on a budget.  Prior to this, the room was painted a dark gold color and had very rich autumn colors in the bedding (I don't have a before picture).  I wanted something much less heavy looking and something that would be a soothing retreat for any overnight guests.  I did the opposite of what I usually do...I painted the room before picking anything else.  The walls are painted Benjamin Moore Nantucket Breeze.  It was a Pottery Barn color from 2009. I wouldn't recommend doing it this way. I painted the room first because I was having trouble bringing bedding home and trying it in a room that was painted gold.

The bed and the bench are from Fortunoff and were both floor models on clearance. The furniture came from my mother in law's house.  When she sold her home and moved to Florida she gave us first choice on what we might want.  I loved this furniture...especially the armoire.  The mirrors on either side of the bed are from Target.  If you want to visually expand a room, you should consider adding mirrors to either side of your bed.

The birds and branches are actually a vinyl decal.  I bought it at Home Goods for $6.99.  Even in person it's hard to tell that it isn't painted on.

The center pillow is from Pottery Barn and the two side pillows I sewed from material I got on Fabric.com.

Image from Restoration Hardware

These lamps above from Restoration hardware were exactly what I wanted for the bedroom.  But for $259 and $359 respectively, that was not going to happen.

I found these lamps from Home Goods for $39.99 each.  How perfect is that match?

The chair is a Craigslist find that I repainted and reupholstered.  You can check that out here.  The side table is also from Home Goods and I got it on clearance for $24.99.

The bed faces the window, mainly because there is no other wall in the bedroom where the bed can go.  However, this allows my guests to wake up and have the best view of our backyard in the house.  From this window there is a perfect view of our new patio and pool.

This room is also where I do all my sewing.  The chair is from my husband's grandmother's home.  It started out being extremely dark and in very bad shape.  I sprayed it Heirloom White and completely took it apart and reupholstered it.  I used nail head trim to finish it off.

The sewing table is from a family friend.  It was also sprayed with Heirloom White and new hardware was added.

I hope you have enjoyed touring my guest room.  Now it's your turn.  Link up your guest rooms below.  I can't wait to check them all out.

-Judy