As you may recall from my planning post, I had a big DIY project planned for our master bedroom. And I am so happy to report it turned out PERFECT-ly.

Don't forget there is a door behind that left headboard panel! See how it was shortly after we moved in?

Be sure to check out the super 'before' pic (from when the previous owners lived here). I really feel like it looks like a completely different room! Here is the panel covering the frame. 

 To complete this project, I followed a variety of tutorials because there was no point in recreating the wheel. So if you are in the market to tackle this DIY, I suggest you take a look at this tutorial. And this one. And this one was also recommended to me by a friend. BUT- I will interject my own tips/thoughts/random tidbits here:

1. This project was NOT really easy for me and C to do. But the only reason is because of that darn door frame we were covering. Most of the effort/frustration came when trying to figure out how to hang the panel over the door frame. If we had a flat wall, this would have been a super easy project, and I will definitely recommend it to clients. 

2. Use chalk to plot out your tufts on the pegboard. That way, it's really easy to erase if you make mistakes when plotting (which I did).

3. Be conscientious of how much fabric you have on all sides while tufting. As I was stapling the fabric on the back of the frame (after I was done with the tufting), I almost didn't have enough fabric on one side because it had shifted during the tufting process. Running out of fabric would have been a HUGE buzz kill.

BUT- all is well that ends well, right?

Other side of the room:

Also of note - we have a tape protest happening. The mirror that is currently over the dresser needs to be moved. Hubs doesn't think so, but the tape doesn't lie.

Dais is distraught over the whole thing. But she does love her rug. All in all, this room is coming together well! Next up- curtains/art/accessories.

Let me know if you have specific questions!

paint your handrail.

The stairs leading to the second floor can be seen from the family room. And they needed a slight change. The other day I had 30 minutes to spare and decided to make it happen.

Before:

(okay, I was two brush strokes in before I remembered to take 'before' pics!)

After:

Simple. Easy. Crazy effective.

Now that I'm seeing these pics, I reeeeally want to take the gallery wall all the way up the stairs. The Hubs initially vetoed it. Don't ya hate it when that happens?!?

Miss Flo progress : family room

This post could also be titled "THE LUCKIEST GARAGE SALE FIND IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. PERIOD. EVER."

Why you might ask? Because I got an 8x10 antelope rug. For $5.

You read that right. $5.

Let me tell you something - anytime you have a 'feeling' when you see a garage sale sign --- just GO. Do not question the feeling. I have followed this rule pretty religiously and it has yielded great results. Case in point, this rug. I stopped by a neighborhood sale not knowing exactly what I would find. But as soon as I got out of the car, the clouds parted and the garage sale gods smiled on me.

These wonderful men had just redecorated their house and were 'purging.' And oh me oh my am I glad they were. Full disclosure: the reason they had this rug priced sooooooo low is because it isn't in mint condition. More full disclosure: I don't really care. The rug that I had planned to go in the family room will now go in the master.

Dais loves it too. Obvs.

Some other elements in this room: I've talked about the doggie art here. Before we moved, I made a matching one to mirror each side of the federal mirror. I love how it all fills the wall. And the wing back I posted about here. Our sectional is from Chic Warehouse in Houston. But I posted about having the trim added here. Shortly after we moved in, I realized our previous coffee table (which you can see here) just wasn't going to work. So it got replaced by two blue and white garden stools. Surprising? Not at all. You can see by now that I obviously love blue/white in every room. Also - my wonderful previous employer gifted me with this amazing flush mount for my bday and it happily resides in this room as well:

The other side of the family room isn't even close to ready. Need this. And these. Then maybe it will have it's blog debut.

In other Miss Flo news, this is happening outside:

It's going well over here! Hope you all have a great week :)

inspired to incorporated: sleeveless trench

My suuuuuuper stylish friend, Valerie, is always my fashion inspiration. I've already introduced you to her fabulous blog, and I told you that she. does. not. disappoint. Ever since seeing this post, I have been obsessed with her sleeveless trench and have been searching for one to incorporate into my own closet.

Eventually I had to take matters into my own hands because I could NOT find the perfect option. So, I found a trench that was on clearance at Old Navy (read: very inexpensive) and had it tailored to create the look I wanted. Cut the sleeves off, took a few inches off the bottom and voila:

      @mainstreetchic

I cannot wait to wear it like this....

 

all images via.

And the original inspiration herself:

via.

Loooooving this look! Be sure to find Val on Instagram for even more fashion inspiration @valerie_aya. Have a great week, everyone :)

Miss Flo progress : front porch

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I am happy to say we had a very productive one. Lots of projects finished, a few more started and we even squeezed in some pool time :)

I completed this project last week, and it would be safe to say I'm pretty proud of this before and after.

Honestly, when we first saw Miss Flo, I wasn't digging the orange rock surrounding the front door and it's been on 'the list' since we moved in. I just thought something more muted would look better... I don't know. I can't always articulate why I think something looks bad or why it would look better a different way. (which can cause issues when it comes to trying to convince the Hubs that certain projects are necessary). I just SEE IT. Anyway. I did a lot of research about how would be best tackle the rocks. I knew I didn't want to straight paint them because I still wanted them to look like rocks and not.... painted rocks.

SO I went to the paint store and explained what I was trying to do and the lovely paint professionals quickly came up with a plan for me. I picked a color and they mixed it at 150% in an outdoor, flat paint.

The reason they mixed it at 150% is because you mix it with water and diluting it makes the color less intense. So, to get the color that you want, you have to have more color in the paint. Essentially, you pour the paint into a bowl (that you don't care it about) and mix it with water. You should do about half paint and half water. Aim for a milk-like thickness. It's should be pretty thin and runny because you have to do lots of coats so you can get the exact color/coverage you want. The main reason you don't just straight paint the rocks is because you want to be able to see some of the color variation of the rock. Here is my first rock after about 2 coats.

Honestly, it would have taken much less time to complete the project if I had made the mixture more paint and less water. However, since this was my first time doing this, I figured doing a lot of coats would be easier than getting it way too thick.

After I was done with the rocks, I knew I had to say goodbye to my red door. As much as I love a good red door, black is better in this case.

Yes, I blurred my house numbers. Safety first! Also protected by ADT in case you didn't catch the sign :) Close up of the 'after' rocks:

Super pleased with how this project came out. Honestly, the satisfaction I get from figuring out how to do something myself CANNOT be beat.

Let me know if you have questions or if you are planning to do something similar!