Makin' it Mine

Step by step, putting my personal touches around a house that we can call our own.

Ugly, bare window, meet fresh, happy fabric.

See, I knew you two would get along well with each other!

Boys' Bedroom

Moving on with a few more home-makeover posts ... here's the BOYS BEDROOM. This room was one of the worst in the whole house, with smashed -out window holes in the drywall, a paint job that made your eyeballs bleed, and the nastiest stained carpet you would not wish to imagine.

Thankfully, my hubby is very handy with drywalling tools, and I have fantastic friends who enjoy watching a real make-over emerge while they paint. We still need a new light fixture, and I'd love to get a shelf/bin system in this room to organize better. And I need to try to match the curtain fabric and sew one more valance. But until then, behold the after ...

Living Room

On our first walk-through of our new home, the living room totally made me shudder. Two navy blue walls, and 2 pale yellow ones. Paired with faded blue carpet and crumbling blinds, it was not a room you'd want to spend much time in!!

{Before Shots}

After closing on the house, a group of dear ladies and friends from church came to help paint. By the end of the day, the room was already transformed so much, and we had only done walls & ceilings!

{In-Between Shots}

 Then came new carpets, cleaning day, and move-in day. And while I have plenty of finishing touches to add {such as window treatments, an up-dated light fixture!, and hanging wall-items}, this is already one of my favorite "transformations" in the house. 

{Completed Shots}

What do you think?

The Huge Nursery

God must have a sense of humor. Giving me first armloads of babies, and now a huge nursery to put them all in! lol The nursery room at the old house was just so big enough to hold 1 crib, a changing table, and a baby. This new house has two bedrooms downstairs; the master bedroom, and another room of equal proportions right across from it. What else could it be but a sewing room, craft room, school room, nursery? I am very pleased with this room AND it's location in the house. Plenty of room for several cribs, several changing tables, a rocking chair, and of course, the humongous closet! Who ever heard of 9 1/2 foot closets? I am NOT complaining, mind you, but buying shelves and rods for these things are about the break the bank. lol  When the new baby comes along, I think Taylor will still have plenty of time and space to hang out there for a while.


When we first walked into the house, the room looked like this:

And the after {still needing the finishing touches}

And the little man himself, who has taken quite seriously after his father's great affection for cats. That trait most certainly does *not* come from his mother's side.

Good night for now. I am exhausted after hosting 10 boys here for Josiah's 10th birthday today! It was a ball of fun, but I have to say, I'm glad I'm not a mother to 10 boys.

Laundry Room Makeover

One of the real joys of the new place here is a first-floor laundry area!! After stooping into a dank, wet, nasty basement for the past six years, I am beyond delighted to have my washer & dryer just 3 feet off of the kitchen! What was not so lovely however was the previous housekeeper's idea of decor. A hot aqua/blue, with a raw, unfinished trimwork {or lack thereof}, and an old shower stall as part of the inside wall.

                                                                    {Before}

And here is my "after" although we are still waiting for the white cabinets that go above the washer & dryer. And then across from them where we built the new wall, is plenty of space for a set of cabinets with a counter top, and maybe a deep sink. But in the meantime, I am already loving the new, fresher look!

                                                                     {After}

The Ultimate Before & After

You know how much I love before & afters? I have featured a couple of them here on my blog, and I follow plenty of other {better} blogs who feature jaw-dropping make-overs! I love it.

Well, owning a home has brought make-overs to a whole new level. Especially when said home is an unbelievable display of the most outlanding and unattractive color schemes one could imagine. And when said home has been refuge to someone's most beloved felines. Oh, double yuck!!

I am amazed at how much has been accomplished in the 5 weeks we have held the key to this house. We certainly have a long ways to go, but there are some fun before & after pictures coming up on this blog.

How about a hot pink master bathroom? Anyone?

{Before}

{After}

Still needs some finishing touches, but I am so happy with how this room has turned out. And am totally being spoiled with all the storage space!!!

Hello, linen closet! Nice to meet you! Are you serious? A whole closet just for sheets and towels?? I could really get used to this!