Cars and Ribbons

Friday, May 23, 2014

Master Bedroom Retreat

Well, it took many years and lots of searching for just the right color, furniture, and decor, but we finally transformed our master bedroom from this...


...into this!!!  Our Master Bedroom retreat!


As usual, I looked to Pinterest for a lot of inspiration.  We wanted a sort of Parisian theme with neutral colors and accents of soft pinks, reds, and purples.  I'll share the details.

The walls were painted Natural Linen by Glidden.  It adds just a little bit of color but still a very muted tone.  Craig did a great job painting the walls and edge of the tray ceiling.


The bed and dresser came from a local furniture store.  We saw it in a catalog and loved the size, color, and the details on them.  We were finally able to upgrade from a queen to a king sized bed.  We also bought a new mattress set and LOVE it!!!  The bedding came from Target and we have purple sheets as an accent color.

The sign hanging above the bed was a garage sale find.  I've always loved this quote.



Unfortunately, the builders put our thermostat in such an awkward place on the wall.  I wish it was a little more inconspicuous.  The tray of candles on the dresser used to be on a coffee table.  However, I was always changing it out for the holidays and decided to give the tray a permanent home in my room.  The Eiffel Tower piece on the wall is actually a tray!!!  It was on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $5!


We opted for writing desks as opposed to nightstands beside our bed.  We found the desks and chairs on Target.com.  Each desk has similar decorations.  The lamps were found at Hobby Lobby and we watched for them to go on sale at 50% off.  The framed quotes were found on Pinterest and I typed them up and printed them out.  Everything else on Craig's desk were items we already had.


For my desk, I wanted a pop of color to go in the milk glass urn that I already had.  I went to Michael's and found the perfect set of flowers and just stuck them in the urn.  Love it!!!  As for the frames above our desks-it's the lyrics to the song I sang to Craig during our wedding.  Again, I typed up the words to Shania Twain's "From This Moment On", accenting some words in red, printed them off and framed them.


These sentimental pieces are hanging on the walls perpendicular to our desks.  This one lists important dates from our journey as a couple.


This was a Father's Day gift a few years ago with all of our hand prints.  I made both of these, creating inexpensive, yet, cherished wall art.


We use coasters all over the house.  Nothing is worse than water stains on your furniture.  This set of 4 Parisian tile coasters were at Hobby Lobby for $17.99 marked down to $4! Um, yes, I will take a set please!.


On the opposite side of the room from our bed is our fabulous sitting area.  The chaises and media console are from the same local furniture store.  WThe round table in between the chairs is from my mom's garage.  The letters and open back frame are from Hobby Lobby.


More great Parisian finds!  The burlap picture was on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $30, marked down from $90!  The trunks and red candle are from Michael's.  The candle holder was a gift.  The framed flower is a real flower that Craig gave to me while we were dating!  I love that I have a tangible memory from so many years ago.


A close up of our initials.


I spend a lot of time in these comfy chairs.  My room has such a calming feel that I enjoy curling up with coffee and a book, especially if it's a cloudy or rainy day.  Or Craig and I love to unwind and stream a movie on Netflix with a comfy throw blanket and bowl of popcorn.


Like I said at the beginning of this post, it took many years to finally get our bedroom to look like this.  We made sure to wait for the best deal and create any decorations ourselves.  The only thing missing are some curtains.  However, we love the look and we can see how patience truly pays off.  It feels great to have a room to retreat to at the end of the day.

My Inspirations:

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Colorful Kids Bathroom

Good-bye builder grade cream, hello color!

This pic was taken after we moved into the house in 2008.  You can see how plain the walls are!

The kids bathroom received a makeover and it looks fantastic!!!  The new look needed to fit a boy and girl and not feel too grown up nor too young.


Using the colors from their bathroom decor as inspiration, Craig painted the walls Jamaican Sea by Behr.  Immediately, it was starting to look better.


The towel rod was replaced with 4 metal hooks from Hobby Lobby.  I bought 4 5x7 frames from the dollar store and spray painted them white.



I printed off a great pic of the kids and then created these cute printables on PicMonkey.  I found the inspiration for them here.



Hobby Lobby always has cute wooden letters for their initials.  I placed a picture of the two of them between the letters.


Finally, a new rug and wall clock from Target complete the look.


We also added little stick on hooks inside their cabinets to hang their hand towels.  It will eliminate towels from being waded up and just laying on the counter.


It cost around $70 to decorate the bathroom with all the updates.  It was worth every penny!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Patriotic Letters

I was inspired by this DIY patriotic craft and set out to make my own.  It was incredibly easy and very inexpensive.  Plus, it took no time at all to make!

Supplies:
3 5x7 frames (Dollar Store)
3 5" wooden letters ($.99 at any craft store-can be cheaper if on sale or with a coupon)
Scrapbook paper ($1 each-can be cheaper if on sale or with a coupon)
Red Spray Paint ($3 from Home Depot)
Hot glue gun
Double sided tape

I spray painted the letters red and let dry.


I took the glass out of the black frames and saved them for a future product.


I found some sparkly blue paper that I measured to fit the frame.


Using double-sided tape, I attached the paper to the backing of the frame.  Then, insert it back in the frame.


Next, attach the letters to the blue paper using hot glue.


That's it!!!  You have a beautiful patriotic craft ready to decorate a table, mantle, or anything else you desire.