Saturday, February 25, 2017

My fun house plans for 2017!

Well it's a new year and it's off with a bang that ended up with my car being towed into our mechanic. Good times! 😂 I hadn't planned on doing another no-spend month this January but it may be in the cards! I know my post schedule has been wonky for the past few weeks but next week we'll be back to normal. 

I said this last week when I shared my biggest redos of 2016, but this is another favorite post of the year -- I love looking forward to the projects I have in mind for our home for 2017! But first, let's look at my plan for last year and what I knocked off that list! 

I have to admit...I went back to look at that post and I was kind of impressed...with myself. I actually focused on the rooms I SAID I was going to focus on. I'm not usually that good. #squirrel 

I wanted to complete our loft space and I transformed it into an awesome, organized craft room slash office that we use nearly every day:
shiplap walls with giant chalkboard

This room is one I've been wanting to tackle forever so I'm thrilled it's done. 

I wanted to update our yellow bathroom from my son's baby days and was able to do it with some leftover paint and a few new accessories: 
light gray and blue bathroom

This room is one I want to redo on a bigger scale this year, more on that in a bit!

I really wanted to get our master bedroom done and I got close: 
dark wall behind bed

I finished painting the room, changed out some accessories and made some new pillows. I still have to paint the nightstands and work on the fireplace wall in there...and then I'm done! Our master bedroom is so bright, clean and pretty. I'm kind of obsessed with it lately and want to carry that feel throughout the rest of our house this year! 

The final big project I was hoping to do this year is one we decided to tackle very last minute -- it wasn't something we thought we would complete at all. After a LOT of hard work on my part tiling this beast, this stone fireplace wall has completely transformed our basement: 
DIY stacked stone fireplace

We sat down there last night and every once and awhile one of us will mention how much we love it. 💓 I'm so happy we were able to make this happen. 

Now onto some fun projects for 2017! I scored nearly four out of four last year and I'm not expecting that to happen again. Goals! ;) I sometimes get asked what I will do when I finish our house. The answer is I have no idea. Ha! I do think it will be awhile. And by the time I finish it will have been years and years since I've finished other rooms so I think I'll have blog content for a long time. We LOVE this house and I have loved making it ours. 

I'm super excited about my plan for our stairs: 
how to take carpet off steps

They have undergone quite the transformation over the years and I'm so happy with them. When I pulled the carpet off and stained them years ago we had carpet throughout the rest of this area so I went with a reddish stain. If you look close you'll notice it, but it hasn't bothered me enough over the years to make it a priority. 

I really want to have them sanded down (professionally because they can control the dust better than I can) so I can restain them the color of our hardwoods. 

I also have big plans for the walls on the staircase: 
decorating tall staircase

I plan to cover them with a paneled look like we have in our family room. Not all the way up because I value my life...but a good distance. I'm so excited about the crisp white walls against the dark floors! 

The walls will look similar to those I have on the wall behind our bed above, but here's some more inspiration: 
staircase with paneled walls

paneled wall on stairs

I'm also hoping to add at a couple sconces, but we'll see if I can make that work. I think it would be so lovely to have more direct lighting on the stairs. 

You'll see as I go through my plan that a lot of what I hope to accomplish this year is in the entry of our home. Contrary to most of rest of the finishes in our house, we didn't have many options for tile when we built. So in our foyer I went with a gray/purpley tile that went with our formerly pink walls. I didn't pick pink on purpose (say that three times fast), but it came out that way. 

Anyway, I've never loved it. I actually hate it, but in the scope of life it's not a big deal so we have kept it. OH and tearing it out is going to be a huge, massive pain in the butt, so there's that:
foyer decorating ideas

But this year I want it to happen. I already have a plan in place to extend the hardwoods throughout most of the foyer. I want to use a patterned tile in a smaller area for the entry. We just don't need that much tiled...something we've realized as we've lived here over the years. 

I'm STOKED about this but it won't happen until I get up the courage to take a hammer to that floor. I'll let you know when I do. ;) 

Another big project I want to tackle this year is doing something to the walls in our living room and foyer to make them not feel so...vast. It's hard to see here but our ceilings in this room are two and a half stories tall. I LOVE the open feeling:
living room with two stories

But it feels awkward to take art too high and awkward to have it down too low. You see wide open spaces like this and fall in love, but then you realize how hard they are to work with. I still wouldn't trade them and I have an idea in my head to make the main level walls feel like their own space but work with the tall ceilings. I just need to formulate it further before I make a move. :) 

And finally, one I'm not sure I'll complete this year but really want to start:
two room bathroom

I have disliked that wall separating the bathroom into two rooms since we moved in. It makes what is a decent sized bathroom feel super small and cramped. You can read more about my ultimate plan, but these pics give you a good idea: 
taking down separating wall in bathroom

separating wall in bathroom

The first step is to add a window over the tub -- I'll see from there if the natural light helps open up the room and decide my next steps. I've been planning this redo as long as I can remember but it may not be as big of a change as I anticipate. I have a feeling I'll still want to take down that wall. But we will see! 

I know many of you have our current layout and love it with multiple kids. Since we only have one using it I want to make it better for how we operate. I'm excited to see what happens in here! 

It's going to be a fun year my friends! Of course I have no idea if we'll be able to tackle all of these -- it will depend on our budget as we pay for all upgrades with cash. I'll be able to do a lot of the changes so it will be a lot of sweat equity like always. And as always, I'll take you along for the ride! 

If you've worked on similar projects I welcome your advice! Taken down 1a wall in the bathroom? Worked with super tall walls? Torn up tile on the floor? (Is it as messy as I'm thinking it will be?) Do tell! Thanks again for joining me on my DIY adventures in this home we love! 




Friday, December 30, 2016

My biggest and best makeovers of 2016!

Well HELLO my friends! How have you been?! I don't think I've ever taken this much time away from the blog but it was wonderful to decompress and spend time with friends and family. Our holiday season has been great and I hope yours has been too. 

I'm at the same spot I'm at every year at this time -- so ready to put away Christmas decor and get the house sparkling clean. I'm also totally ready to tackle some DIY projects...I've got the itch! 

But first I like to finish up the year by recapping some of my favorite projects of the year. This time I'm focusing on rooms that I completed or mostly completed. If you've been around for long you know it sometimes takes me years to redo a room from start to finish, so when I even get close I'm thrilled. 😆

I'll start with the beginning of the year and of course will link to each space as I go! 

Early this year I finished up the dining room turned library transformation that had been underway for years! I was THRILLED to get it finished up. Here's a reminder of how our dining room looked for a long time: 
dining room turned library

Years ago I started by building a wall of built ins
DIY built ins

And I finished up the space with a new light fixture and rug earlier this year:  
DIY bookcases using cabinets

I've since simplified the bookcase decor some and I'll share that soon. It was feeling a little heavy to me and I love the simpler look! 

I've been transforming our bedroom for years now...it's been a long haul. ;) I did get quite a bit done this year and it's SO close to done! I got and made some new bedding: 

And finally finished painting each big wall (one at a time) that had been a dark gray/green for ten years: 
dark gray green walls

Here's how they look now:
Whitestone paint color

decorating around TV

I ADORE our bedroom now. It's so bright and crisp and still has plenty of contrast with the dark accent wall and floors. Love!!

Our guest room has had a few more updates (I just realized I haven't even shared some of the recent ones!) and it's just a couple more projects away from being done. I ended up painting the accent wall white to make it pop and we got a beautiful new metal bed
metal farmhouse bed

And I finally painted the IKEA dressers (and added some pretty DIY knobs) a couple months ago:
IKEA rast makeover

This room is so cozy and pretty, I just love it. 

One of the biggest transformations in our home was in the smallest room. The difference paint and new light bulbs made in our son's bathroom was staggering. It was VERY yellow before: 
bright yellow bathroom makeover

I painted the walls, printed out some art and changed the bulbs...all made a HUGE difference in here. 
boys bathroom makeover

My hope is that we'll be able to tackle bigger projects in this room this year! 

I think our basement got the biggest updates this year. It started when we had a huge flood from our HVAC system into my husband's office. We pulled up the carpet in there and decided to go with vinyl, water-resistant flooring instead: 
vinyl flooring in basement

We loved the flooring so much, later in the year we pulled up the rest of the gross carpet, put this stuff down everywhere and rearranged some furniture: 
the best basement flooring

It was like a brand new space just by moving the sectional around!

We LOVE this flooring! It has been absolutely wonderful down here. I don't worry about it one bit: 
flooring perfect for basement

You can see above that we started another big project down there too -- the fireplace wall we had planned for years. 

I shared the final fireplace wall here...we're obsessed with it: 
DIY stacked stone fireplace

We spend SO much time down here now...it's been so awesome and has completely changed the feel of the whole basement. 

Another one of my biggest and favorite project was changing up our loft/craft room. It's a large space that we were never using well:
craft room makeover

Here's a look at how this room looks now -- it functions as a craft room and office so perfectly!: 
shiplap office with big desk

Our new, large desk is my favorite part and both my husband and I use it almost every day. This room is SO functional now and all the added storage in the cabinets and window seat is fantastic!:
DIY wrapping station

I hate any underutilized space and this room was one of them until this transformation. It's such a beautiful space to work!

I forgot about another favorite! (I have a lot of them, duh.) Years ago I painted our mudroom a dark peacock blue:
dark beadboard walls mudroom

DIY bench in mudroom

It really is a lovely color, but it just didn't mesh with us or the rest of our house. The difference some white paint made was incredible
white beadboard in mudroom

white beadboard light blue walls

It is so welcoming and bright now (again, the new bulbs help tremendously!) and I feel happy the second I walk through that door! It fits with the rest of the house so much better now. 

And finally, this one isn't a room makeover, but it's a project that has been incredibly popular all year and especially since Christmas. You guessed it...it's all about purging! :) I shared my experience with the Konmari method and how it has literally changed our lives:
after the konmari purge

Usually this time of year I'm starting to purge big time...and I won't need to do nearly what I have it the past because of this method. Changed. my. life. I'm looking forward to going through a few things and then focusing on deep cleaning the house instead of trying to get rid of everything...cause it's already gone. :) 

I hope you enjoyed the recap -- is there a room makeover you loved? It's hard for me to pick a favorite but it would have to be between the basement progress and the loft makeover. Both have made such a big difference in our home! 

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for an amazing 2016 and for coming back to see what I'm up to every week. Writing this blog continues to be one of the greatest joys of my life. Have a safe and fun New Year's Eve and I'll see you next year! :) 






Friday, December 9, 2016

Thrifty Decor Chick Christmas home tour!

OH my goodness! I mentioned the other day that the past couple weeks have been crazy around here -- I'm scratching that and making that the past three weeks. ;) I haven't done a holiday tour on the blog for a while because it's so much work in such a short amount of time, but I have to admit it's pretty awesome to be completely done with everything! 

Usually I'm messing around with the decor till right before Christmas and I think this is the first time ever (at least while blogging) that I'm done so early. Yes, I consider the 9th early. 😂 I'm so stoked to be able to just sit back and enjoy it all now! 

I'm joining in with an incredible group of bloggers to share our Christmas homes with you this week -- I hope you'll check them all out at the bottom of the post today! I am so impressed with their beautiful homes and I know you will be too. 

For now, I'm just going to share the meeeellions of photos I took and won't say much. I'll link to certain projects and rooms under the photos. I have to first say how thankful I am for your kind comments on our stone fireplace I shared earlier this week: 
DIY stacked stone fireplace

If you'd like to see more pics or find out sources for anything, check out that post. I'll be getting to your questions today! 

Now, onto the rest of the house! Well, about half of the house. I am joining in on another tour next week and I'll show you a few more spaces then. For now, enjoy!!
living room decor at Christmas

open concept living room


blue dresser in living room
(Check out more posts about our living room here)

I told you our tree was a beast!! It's a workout to get it decorated but I do love it when it's done! I have big plans for these walls next year...I've been planning this project for years and I'm putting it on my list for 2017!
Christmas living room decorating

I've been leaning towards a combo of red and brown over the years and this time I went all out on the main tree -- only those two colors and I ADORE it. I bought some faux fur and just threw it under the tree as a skirt: 
red and brown Christmas tree
(More on the blue dresser here)

fa la la la la prints in frames

My fa la la pics are a favorite -- I put them up every year. I just printed them out on the computer. :) 
fa la la prints

red truck under glass

I added a few Christmas touches to the office/craft room I finished up a few months ago: 
ribbons on Christmas tree

I grabbed gold ribbon and just tied it on the branches. Pictures don't do it justice -- it's so pretty on the white tree! 
ribbon tree

DIY two sided desk with storage

joy boxwood wreath

The dining room turned library got a few touches -- overall I scaled back yet again this year. The older I get the less stuff I want to put out. I'm on track to get rid of at least one more large storage bin this year. ;) 

I've found the trees and adding greenery and touches of color with ornaments make a room feel plenty festive!
DIY bar cart

beaded chandelier from World Market

fairy lights in jar

Love that bokeh! 💛
DIY built ins

The family room got a ton of greenery on the mantel and a few other fun touches: 
gray fireplace herringbone tile

dollar store tree

Santa hat craft

My Santa hats are still one of my all time favorite crafts!
Christmas vignette with Santa hats

Peanut Butter


Christmas family room

red and brown Christmas decor

dark gray fireplace

And of course the kitchen...I love decorating this room! I went all out last year but toned it down a bit this year. I think the simple wreaths in the window seat are my favorite:
how to add a window seat to bay window

Love those dainty bows! (I just hot glued them on.)
DIY window seat

DIY wood hood vent

two toned Christmas kitchen

I showed you our favorite new Christmas tradition a couple weeks ago -- the hot chocolate station!

Simple touches of green and red go a long way:
how to extend cabinets to ceiling

open shelving and cabinets in kitchen

large chalkboard wall

It's fun to play with the chalkboard during the holidays!
chalkboard wall in kitchen

window seat in kitchen

This year I hope to do a small holiday tour of our home at night -- I think it's even prettier then!: 
double black doors

Whew!! I hope you enjoyed the tour! I always try to make it worthwhile for all of you, I hope I inspire you in some way. :) If you want more photos throughout the season that I don't share here, be sure to follow me on Instagram or Facebook

If you have questions about anything I didn't link, please let me know! Now check out the rest of the ladies on the tour today and this week! I can't wait to look at all of them with a cup of hot cocoa in hand!