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Sorry, I've been MIA all week. There are a lot of personal reasons for that, including the passing of one of my best high school friends last week, but hopefully I'll be back next week with some new updates around the house. In the meantime, here are a few my latest Pinterest additions.

Art and Photography: Paint Chip Art

Paint chips are becoming a hugely popular, free way to create your own art and decor for you house. The image below was crated for a little girl's bedroom using a heart punch, paint chips, and foam stickers to attach them to a canvas.



Bedroom Inspiration: Green is a Go!

If you ask me my favorite color(s), I'd say blue and yellow. BUT I'd have to say green is my favorite color to decorate with. It's a bit warmer than blue and a bit cooler than yellow. Right smack in between them on the color scale. I heart it.



Bathroom Inspiration: White Subway Tile

Joey and I are in the pre-planning stages of our full bathroom remodel. White subway tile is a definite, and I'm considering running it 1/2 way up the wall as shown below. I love the tile on the floor too.



DIY Ideas: Stenciled Artwork

I may try something to this extent soon. A few horizontal boards painted with a stencil. Could even add a framed picture in the middle or something else creative. Endless possibilities.



Entry, Hall, & Stairs: Striped Runner

Don't know why, but this is my favorite board on pinterest. I love stairs, I guess. And this striped runner is hott. I love the overall craftsman feel of the space.



Tips and Tricks: How to Decorate Shelves

Beth gave a great tutorial on her blog about how to decorate shelves using the triangle method. Very helpful!



Happy Pinning!

Side Brag Note: This week, one of the Pinterest pictures I posted on my blog back in July 2011 (seen here) made it's way to the world wide pin market and received about 1,300 repins...



...most ever for one of my blog pins. Whoop Whoop!

To see items pinned from my blog go to:
http://pinterest.com/source/jkhomestead.blogspot.com/

Dining Room Window Treatments: Part 1

At then end of January, I blogged the question on what to do with our dining room windows. They were barren. Naked. In need of treatment. So, I went through a list of potential solutions to cover them (if you need a refresher, click here).


I’m back now to share the start of my decision. I’ve chosen option numero three – white wood blinds PLUS full curtain panels. Whew. Glad that decision is complete. Now, for the implementation part – starting with the (faux) wood blinds.

Given our old house has some odd-sized windows, finding the right size blind/shade can be challenging. That's why I adore Lowe's Levolor brand, which can cut anything to the size needed! We wanted to hang our wood blinds inside the window frame. So, we measured the interior frame and needed 3 blinds cut to 25 inches in width and then a 4th blind cut to 33 inches in width.

I went to the store and picked out the White Faux Wood 2" Slat Plantation Blinds by Levolor. They come in a lot of sizes and the price goes up as the size goes up. So, I just got the size as close as I could (a little bigger then needed) to pay the lowest price possible, and then had a little bit cut off the ends to make it fit perfectly.

Here are the blinds installed. In the picture below, I have them open. As you can see, they almost blend in with the window. You hardly notice them, but they do filter the light some and make the next door neighbor's house not as visible.



Joey installed the blinds very easily based on the hardware and instructions provided.

One of the many things I love about wood blinds is the ability to angle them based on the sunlight. Most of the day, I have them tilted up. It allows light to come in, but not have it blaring in your eyes. Plus it provides even more privacy.



It's just the right amount of filtered light.


Now below are pictures of the blinds fully closed. It keeps the room pretty dark...


Even on a sunny day, I had to turn the dining room light on to see well. And it provides total privacy.



And here's the view at nighttime. No more peeping neighbors. We did pay a few extra dollars to get return caps on the ends of the "valances" at the top of each blind. Since that valance sticks out a tad past the window frame, we don't want to see the metal hardware behind it.


So, there is Part 1 of the dining room window treatment process. After living with these for about 5 weeks, I still love them. And with the white blinds, I don't think it looks any different to have the faux wood rather than to have "real" wood blinds. Even when I compared them in the store, I could hardly tell the difference. And the faux wood are so much cheaper. I plan to add them to other windows in the house. Just so functional (and architectural)!

Next up will be adding curtain panels to these windows. That's the tough part. What color? What pattern? What style? What kind of rod? How do I address the 3 side-by-side windows that bump into the china cabinet on the right?


This may take a while to figure out...

Shout Out: 2 Pretty House Tours

Want to see some super awesome home design? I highly recommend checking out the house tours these lovely ladies below posted over the last 48 hours.

First up is Julia from Hooked on Houses.

  

She gave a tour of a new house with turn-of-the-century style (for realz). The architecture is lovely.There are many, many design ideas I’d like to steal from this new home…

 

 

 

 

Want to see more of this house? Click HERE.

 

Next up is Erin from House of Turquoise.

 

Today, she showcased a lovely house designed by Jeanette Van Wicklen. This house has an airy, beachy feel. The pool is AMAAAAAZING!

Want to see more of this house? Click HERE!

I know I’ll be doing some serious pinning on these houses tonight!

Which house is your favorite???

Spice It Up!

In honor of this lovey-dovey Hallmark inspired holiday, I thought we'd look at a few spunky rooms that bring some RED and PINK colors into the mix. Many people love to decorate in red, but I gotta say that the pink rooms are actually my fave. I fall for fuchsia every time!

The first 5 rooms incorporate RED, and the second 5 rooms incorporate PINK. I'm curious which ones you prefer ...

1. Red and lively bedroom in a beach house.



2. 1960’s era kitchen complete with a red island, custom patina copper vent hood, and farmhouse sink.



3. Greenfield Hill Residence - the fabric on those chairs is beautiful!



4. Nautical entry with red lantern pendant and sconces. I love the white table outlined in red paint.



5. Farmhouse mudroom by Sarah Richardson. I love the red closet doors and fun patterned curtains.



6. Gray & Pink Office/Craft Room. Love the colors!



7. Ladies Lounge - this Living Room is pretty with those pink patterned upholstered chairs.



8. Pink polk-a-dots are the way to go in a cute girl bedroom. Love the green ball-fringe euro pillows.



9. Candice Olson girly Living/Dining Room. I will always love this room - from its board and batten walls to its pink chandelier shades. Perfection.



10. Pretty in Pink stripes! Who wouldn't want to glam up in this hott space. Gray is the perfect accent color to ground all that pink.

Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Pinterest Update

It’s been a while since I’ve shown you some of my latest Pinterest finds. I gotta say that I’m still as in love with Pinterest as ever. It never runs out of creative ideas. I’ve done a little bit of reorganizing added a few new boards (along with a lot of pins) to my Pinterest collection. Here are a few many of my latest digs.

Art and Photography

1. “The Best of Times” wall display : the clocks are stopped at the time each child was born. So cute and clever. Very unique display.

2. House Stories : frames displaying a picture of each house/apartment you’ve lived in and label it with the address. Great memory maker.

 

Bathroom Inspiration

1. Green and White Bath : I’m loving the subway tile. We’re in the pre-planning stages of the eventual remodel of our main bathroom. I think subway tile will definitely be used. Instant classic.

2. This-is-so-me Bathroom : I love the white subway tile here. The vent is on the bottom of the wall is identical to the vents in our old house. I adore the vanity and accent colors. Perfect.

 

(NEW) Color Combos – many of these come from the website Design Seeds, which puts together different combinations found though every day items. A great resource for putting together colors for room.

1. Winter Cabin : beautiful combo of teals, blue-grays, and browns.

2. Olive Hues : greens and blues with a pop of orange.

 

Entry, Hall, & Stairs

1. Ship-inspired Hall and Stairs : I love so many things about this picture that I don’t really know where to start. The boarded walls are sensational – especially in that pretty blue. The moldings on the columns and ceiling are beautiful. The plank floors add some rustic-ness. But my favorite item? Oh yes, the stair runner. I seriously want this exact carpet for our stairs. MUST FIND!

2. Architectural Beauty : Pay no attention to the bare walls that clearly need some artwork. Check out the elements that make this entry hall stunning – wainscoting on the walls, wood beams on the ceiling, an inlay wood floor, double doors with arched windows. Expensive, but lovely!

 

(NEW) Master of the House – full of ideas for our Master Bedroom.

1. Vaulted Ceiling : Love the wide horizontal planks and exposed rafters. Our ceiling will likely have a couple of odd angles like this one shows. I love the fireplace in this picture too.

2. Area Rug : I would eventually like to get a really large area rug for our bedroom. I love this one with an all-over pattern. It adds color and texture but it’s not too graphic.

 

Organization Nation – here’s a collage of a few new items I pinned - a DIY lazy-susan shoe rack, a pot/pans/lids organization rack from Lowe’s, T.P. rolls to keep wrapping paper from unrolling (great idea), and a “dust”, “mop”, “scrub” shelf system for cleaning supplies…

         

 

Some pretty good Pinterest finds, no? Oh and there’s soooo much more I could show, but I’ll save that for another time. What are some of your favorite pins?

Trip to The Paris Market

While visiting my sister's family in Georgia last week, they took me to the quaint town of Savannah - not far from Hilton Head Island. It was smokin' hot (both the temperature and the town), and so much fun. We strolled through the park areas and brick pathways and came to a little store called The Paris Market.


I walked into the store and fell in love. The first floor was full of odds and ends of things, including a hutch storing all kinds of beach goods. I heart shells and sand dollars and sea stars etc...


Also on the first floor was a children's section full of vintage toys. I especially liked this little wooden wagon filled with lettered blocks. The lettered side had a pretty pattern and other sides of the blocks had pictures that started with the letter. Too cute.


I adored this sign that would be perfect for any family room/play room/bedroom. Perfect for families with kids.


After browsing the first floor, we made our way down to the lower level, and let me tell you, this is where the goods were stored. There was a lot of (expensive) furniture and home decor items. Some of it newer, most of it antique, all of it I wanted. And we walked around on a charming old brick floor.


I really wanted the coffee table pictured above. It's hard to tell in the pic, but the top is made of rustic wood planks and then it has an iron frame. I love that combo. I also love the chairs pictured above and below. The shape is sleek and with the neutral fabric, the chairs could be used in any room.


I loved all of the sepia-toned and black-and-white prints that were being sold. Too bad they were way out of my price league.


The basket below was one of my favorite items and one of the most affordable. It looks like a woven material but it's actually wire. The handle is situated so that you can hang the basket on a wall. I would have bought 2 if I could have found a way to fit them in my suitcase.


The store had a ton of kitchen items I loved too. From seeded glass to pretty pitchers, all the antiques were beautiful and in mint condish!



Below you can see a nice dedicated section to many items that were bird-related. It made me grin.


One of the last items my sister and I particularly loved was this gray hutch with tin door panels on the bottom. It was beautiful in person.



Alas, as most of these items cost a pretty penny, we walked out of the store empty-handed. But we had fun, and it doesn't cost anything to look!