Hi there sweet friends! How is your week going? Mine is going splendidly as Benny had yesterday off due to snow and we got to hang out at home together as a family which is always nice in the middle of the week! You know, I got to thinking as I was looking around my home yesterday – a lot has happened in this house in 2010! I think now might be a good time to recap some of the biggest projects we tackled over this past year. Let’s review the before-and-afters I shared on Lolalina in 2010…
In the bedroom, we started with this lime green catastrophe:
We painted it a calming lavender and added a fancy new quilt, plus I finally found the just right bedside tables to fit the small space:
We took this junky office/spare room:
And turned it into a peaceful nursery:
And I painted our little vintage cupboard:
Which is now a cute changing table:
Our kitchen was already in pretty good shape:
But we swapped out the bright tomato-red for a more sophisticated gray:
We transformed our dungeon-like red basement:
Into spacious guest quarters and movie watching area:
We ripped out the old nasty screens and mildewy rug on our porch:
And put in fresh flowers and a little seating area:
And finally, I went from being a pregnant lady…
…to holding this bundle of sweetness:
I still feel there is so much to do, but it is nice to sit back every once in a while and simply appreciate how far we have come.
(all images: Laura Gaskill)
Come in, come in! :) I thought I would share a few pictures of my home as I get ready for the holidays – so help yourself to a hot cup of tea or apple cider, grab a cookie warm from the oven, and have a look around around. Above you can see a brand-new print by Irene Suchocki, which I spied recently on Melissa Loves and just needed to buy immediately – thanks, Melis! Also you see our tea things, including little plates that were my Grandma’s, and a black & white photograph of Ben’s Grandpa, who was a pediatrician.
We can light a fire later, but for now why don’t we warm ourselves by the twinkle lights? Hee hee :) On the mantle is not a formal arrangement, just a few things that make me smile including a painting by Jenny’s Bake Shop, a photograph by Ez, a jar full of candy canes, and a few candle holders.
Near the front door you will see this mini-clothesline I strung up to display Christmas cards and little bits of art, plus a tiny wreath I made with an embroidery hoop, based on the DIY in Gifted Magazine.
Our dining table is bare except for a pitcher of bright red winter berry branches…
…and our tree is small, but has a nice shape I think!
Well, that is all for now!! Bixby and I are off to make a pot of vegetable soup (for me) and some applesauce (for him!), so I will see you tomorrow. Thanks for coming over! xo Laura
(all images: Laura Gaskill)
Hello there friends! How is your week going so far? I apologize for not getting to post yesterday, it was my very LAST web design class meeting and I was working like crazy to finish my final project and then present it. Thankfully it went really well, I got some really nice comments from the instructor and fellow students, grin, grin :) So all of that hard work paid off and I left the last class feeling really, really good! Also over the weekend I finally got to a few little decorating projects I had been meaning to do for ages, including this:
Bixby fell asleep on our bed and I couldn’t help snapping a photo of him, he looks so sweet in front of the big heart, doesn’t he? I used those little tiny stick-on hooks to outline the basic shape (I did this quickly, but you could easily take a bit more time & make it a bit neater) and then simply strung up the fairy lights. Easy as pie, and you could make any shape you like – I also considered making a tree silhouette, for instance. I like how the strand hangs down at the bottom because it reminds me of a big heart balloon :) It is nice to have something so twinkly and cheerful in the bedroom.
I also rearranged the furniture in my living room and workspace, got started on an art wall in the living room, and hung the photos pictured above in our bedroom…unfortunately my camera battery just died, but I will take more pictures of the rest tomorrow!
(images: Laura Gaskill)
You might recall that I am in the process of revamping my home office area. It is just a small corner near my front door (you can see it here), but I want it to be fresh and bright and clean – an inspiring place to work. There should be plenty of smart storage and just a few little handmade touches and artwork to inspire without feeling cluttered or buried in knick-knacks. One tool I have been using a lot lately to organize my inspiration for this project is Pinterest. Pinterest (if you haven’t explored it yet, you must) is a virtual pinboard tool that makes it really easy to visually organize ideas and keep track of where each item or image comes from. I love being able to test out how certain colors or pieces will work together before spending any money – and clicking around other people’s pinboards is highly addictive!
But back to my home office. So far I have been a bit of a chicken and just stuck to white ;) White desk. White computer. White walls. I picked up a small white filing cabinet and one of these white baskets that I love and had been coveting for a long time. I’ve been thinking of yellow as an accent color, but I am so indecisive about these things! I am also really drawn to this kind of wild rug that actually has a lot of pink in it. Hm. I am still playing around with ideas + colors; you can see my complete inspiration board on Pinterest right here. I would love to hear your thoughts on it so far. And I have yet to find that just-right desk chair (ahem, that I can afford), so any ideas on that front would also be greatly appreciated!
(image: see my board on Pinterest for individual sources)
I am about to tackle an area of my home that has been sadly neglected until now: the entryway, which is actually the front section of my open living/dining area, and also must contain my home office. In the corner you can see my office setup as it is now:
This is right next to the front door and a big empty wall:
Between the desk area and the back of the sofa is a decent amount of floor space that could be used for…something:
I need storage + organization for my office and entryway-related gear, and I want a more cohesive style/color palette. Here is a partial list of things to buy/find/steal from other areas of my home:
- Art
- Wall hooks instead of tall coat rack
- Shoe storage??
- Area rug/s
- Mirror
- Pin board
- Filing cabinet
- Extra surface for printer & scanner
- Lighting
- Comfortable desk chair
In addition to this list, I will be recovering the polka dot chair and moving it into the nursery, so then I may want a little bench or some such thing in this area. What do you think? Any ideas?
p.s. – I am laying low today with little B, who has his first cold :( Any tips for babies with snuffly noses?
(images: Laura Gaskill)
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