Need Some Input: Vintage Letters

So I purchased these awesome little letters from Etsy shop OhSoRetroVintage. They are super cute, about 3 inches tall, and I really want to put them in Violet's room! Now the only problem is how to mount them?

They are super thin, vintage, and I don't know if I need to glue them to a board then mount that? Or should I hang a shelf and just set them on top of it? Shadow box? I need suggestions because I am at a loss!

What do you think? 

January Home Project: Houndstooth Chair Upholstery

Hi. My name is Stacie. And I need to get my groove back. Case in point? I recently had to say goodbye to my beloved houndstooth coat do to an increase in, well, personal mass (dropping baby weight is no laughing matter, my friends!). Anywho, I handed down my coat to my older sister. Sigh, I am glad that it found a good home where it will be taken care of :)

But now I am definitely lacking some houndstooth in my life :( The pattern is the epitome of classiness. And it would look so lovely on a nice arm chair, don't you agree?

I have this old arm chair. Covered in nifty but dizzying Alexander Henry fabric. You know that's good, but not classy. I need something classy (channeling Michael Scott from The Office), so a houndstooth upholstery job it will be!

What does this have to do with getting my groove back? Aside from needing some content for this little blog of mine, this has inspired me to tackle one home project a month. It could be small, like hanging some curtains or sewing a pillow cover, or BIG, like say, stripping down and painting a nice piece of furniture! The sky's the limit!

Do you have any monthly goals for yourself creatively? Are you a home decorating junkie, like me? Always on the lookout for a way to jazz up your home?

I Went Shopping (Around My House)

I have a corner of our dining room that has never really been functional. It is in between the kitchen table and kitchen, and usually ends up being a landing space for boxes, Violet's larger toys, or extra chairs. So, I finally decided to go "shopping" from around the house and give this corner a makeover.

The first thing I did was grab this lounge beige chair from the living room. I love the chair, but it has always blended in to the beige carpet in the living room. Really, no one walks into a room and thinks, "You know what this room needs? More beige!" So I was happy to relocate the chair.

Next, I took this newish rug (originally purchased for the living room, but alas it was too small) and laid it down. The rug is a dark navy blue, but it looks mighty fine against the white bead board and black chalkboard walls! Go ahead, marvel at all of the messages written on the walls. Lately I have been considering repainting them, but I love having 3+ years of memories recorded! If you come visit our home, you get to draw on the walls :)

I have had this old chalkboard since college, and have had it in storage ever since Violet was a baby! Note it says "Welcome Home Clementine" as at one point that was going to be Violet's name. (Golly I need to erase that). It balances the blank space next to the chair. The blue magazine rack is the perfect landing spot for my back issues of Martha.

And, I moved this Fairfield Porter print from the living room and hung it above the chair. Essentially, I was trying to create a more cohesive color palette throughout the kitchen/dining area. Black walls with hints of blues and greens. The print, accented by a blue throw pillow and navy rug work well together.

This is a cozy little nook, perfect for early morning coffee or late night reading. Ant the space is filled which I LOVE! Do you ever have the urge to redecorate? Do you ever pull things from other rooms instead of hitting the stores?

Now I get to work a little bit on adding some new pieces and artwork to the living room! So excited!

Shared Room Tour: Violet and Lucy

I am really happy to share with you Violet and Lucy's shared room! Their room is bright and cheery, filled with vintage touches, school house inspirations, and handmade love. (Don't worry, Lucy is just sleeping in the crib in these pictures! She looks rather out of it, doesn't she?)

This used to be just Violet's room, so I kept a few elements from her old decor, such as the feminine white dressers (they were mine when I was a child) and blue walls. Also, Lucy's crib skirt used to be Violet's, and the diaper changing cover was made from the old curtain fabric. But, this time around, I wanted to soften up the room considerably. So I made some adorable white and yellow pom-pom curtains with enough sheerness to let lots of light in!

The ikea crib and reupholstered lounge chair have very modular, clean lines. I like the mix of these pieces with my childhood furniture, as they create visual interest in the room and really break up the monotony of my old bedroom set.

I made Violet's chalkboard headboard, and kept her lovely Amy Blackwell prints hung on the wall. Inspired by Pinterest, I made this fabric bookshelf to go above Violet's bed. Her happy gingham-clad bed is filled with pillows and handmade plush animals from my shop.

Of course Violet's octopus lamp looks on. He had to stay in the room for sure! Over on Lucy's side of the room......

I made the fun star mobile and spray painted it gold. Keeping with the school house inspiration, Fine Little Day's Apple Papple poster hangs above Lucy's crib. My sweet friends Laura and Nathan gave us this Apple Print by Sycamore Street Press! I hung this print with 2 lovely Amy Marcella flower illustrations, and added some cute little bows!

A sock monkey and yellow fox pillow add some fun to Lucy's crib. Lucy seem's comfy, no?

Let's move over to the opposite side of the room, shall we? ;)

Here you can see the lemon yellow upholstered chair with a handmade owl pillow from my dear friend Amber Perrodin. (Side note: Amber is an AMAZING artist. Go check out her Etsy Shop if you have the time).

The rather large closet is covered with white curtains. Violet's red dresser hides inside for more storage. The closet is large enough that Violet's play kitchen fits in comfortably.

Probably my favorite detail of the room is this little arrangement next to the closet. An gold mirror hangs above a vintage embroidery, vintage dress, and thrifted "L" creating a cute vignette.

This room is my favorite room in our whole house! I hope that you have enjoyed this tour. And, I hope that my girls have happy memories of their childhood room!

Isabella Print by Peggy Wolf

I have been in LOVE with this Isabella Print by Peggy Wolf. I truly enjoy all of her work. I have always been drawn to portraiture, and her unique approach to expressing lovely faces makes me want to start an entire Peggy Wolf collection of prints!

I really have no idea why I haven't purchased this beauty yet. It would look lovely above my office couch, no?

What about you? Do you have something that you have been dying to purchase?

Perhaps this will be my "push present" to myself once Lucy arrives.

"Push present" is kinda a dorky term.

Goodnight.

Chair Upholstery Progress Report

So I finally mustered up enough strength to remove all of the fabric from the armchair for the girls' room. Actually, Nathan helped me, because it takes a lot of strength and tugging to remove staples and fabric from a chair frame.

Poor boy, all of the dust from the chair made him have a MAJOR allergic reaction. Runny nose. Swollen eyes. Wheezing. But he is okay.

Check out the original fabric for this chair!! I soooo wish that the outer portion of the fabric had not been removed. This pattern was wicked. Reminds me of a chair from Anthropologie.

Now I have most of the yellow fabric on. I ran out before I could cover the left side of the chair and the cushion. Honestly, not my finest upholstery work, but I think it will look mighty fine once it is all put back together.

Soon it will be finished.

Tonight, though, my hand is finished from all of the stapling.... muscle cramp :(

Lucy's Handmade Mobile

I knew from the get go with this nursery that I wanted to make a pretty mobile for Lucy girl. I consulted with my mathematician hubby, and he and I agreed that stellated dodecahedra were the way to go! In case you don't know, these star shapes are made entirely from folding a single piece of paper and then gluing it closed. Something most mathletes find pretty darn nifty.

We used this downloadable pattern for the stars.

I spray-painted the pretty stars with gold paint, then secured them to a spare embroidery hoop with pink yarn and some paper clips.

Violet approves of the stars! She told me that there was a Nathan star, a Stacie star, a Violet star, and a Lucy star! Oh that kid of mine, melts my heart!

I really really love this simple mobile. It was made using things that we already had around the house. And Nathan helped me think of the design! Team Bloomfield is on the prowl :)

Oh, and look at the gorgeous shadows these pretty stars leave on the wall! I think that Lucy will LOVE it!

Decoration Inspiration: Large Wall Art

image source: rue magazine via poppytalk

I was browsing my blog reader over the weekend and saw this post on Poppytalk about building a rock shelf, but I was more taken with the large black canvas featuring a quote that sat above said shelf.

You know I am a sucker for a canvas with words on it. My bedroom has two large canvases that feature lyrics from a favorite Stars album.

So, I am hoping to finally solve a design dilemma in my living room: Covering up this ugo fake window with a large canvas painted with a favorite quote. I am not trying to be redundant with my decorating ideas, but I think that some large art will fill this space nicely and create a nice eye flow on the wall.

And here's my super duper quick ghetto mock-up of what I envision the space looking like when it is all done, complete with a bench underneath the canvas, and some nice flowing curtains in the entryway.

Everything is in the planning stage, but I am excited to take on a small living room project :)

- Stacie

Getting Cozy in My Studio

So I showed you bits and pieces of my updated studio a few months ago. Now I am in the "nesting" phase of decorating this room. Nathan and I decided that a couch I reupholstered years ago needed a new home, so I happily moved it to my studio!

Then, inspired by this frame cluster I featured over the summer, I hung a bunch of extra frames and embroidery hoops above the couch. I haven't had a chance to paint the frames yet (these bright colors were from a craft show last year), nor have I placed proper art in them (see wedding photo hung sideways).

I really really love my new cozy spot in my studio. Now, Violet can come in and sit and color while I work, or I can catch a few zzz's while no one is looking. I still need to fix the cushions, as they are currently covered by an old green sheet (love my dogs and their ability to ruin cushions!).

So I need to recover the couch cushions.
And reupholster the girl's new chair.
And figure out Holloween costumes.
And plan Violet's birthday party.

All before giving birth.

Good grief! Good thing I am a girl who likes to stay busy :)

-Stacie

DIY Fabric Bookshelf

So when I saw this tutorial on Pinterest this week on fabric bookshelves, I knew that I had to make one to go above Violet's bed! The girl loves her bedtime stories, so having her books close by is a fantastic asset!

It took about $12 worth of supplies (and I used fabric that I had leftover from another house project).

I was able to finish the whole project in about an hour, and that included sewing the fabric pouch for the books and installing the window treatment hardware above Violet's bed.

Totally love this! I have been trying to figure out what exactly I could put over her bed that she wouldn't bonk her head on.

Now it is time to rest. I am feeling a little under the weather and think that a nap is in order :)

-Stacie

Before: Reupholstery Project

It has been, oh, 2 years since I have had the time or need to reupholster a piece of furniture. But now the girls' room needs a cozy chair to cuddle in and read books, so I scoured Craigslist to find some sort of armchair in need of some TLC.

Let me tell you, in Arkansas (at least in my experience) it was really hard to find a chair with decent lines! but I finally lucked out with this lovely 1960's low profile lounge chair. Sure, the fabric is in really bad shape (the previous owner had paid a bundle to have it recovered, only to have their pet destroy the fabric).

I am planning on recovering this in a heavy weight lemon colored fabric. No pattern, as the girls' room already has a large chevron rug, so I don't want the room to be too busy.

I have less than 2 months until Lucy arrives, so *hopefully* I will have this project completed within a few weeks time and share the results with you!

Wish me luck :)

DIY Headboard

Hey friends! I wrote a guest post for the lovely Candace Todd of SparklePower! It is my handmade chalkboard headboard for Violet's bed :)

Read the DIY here :)

Thanks, Candace, for letting me share with your readers, and best of luck today as you have your baby!!!!

Stacie

The Girls' Room: Happy Snippets

Here are a few little snippets of the girls' shared room!

I still have a ton to do, but before I give a full room tour, I wanted you share with you some of the happy things happening in their room! Violet really seems to like the changes so far :)