Shopping Spree

I've been on a bit of a shopping spree for the new house.  We close in 10 days!I'm struggling a bit with the idea that it has to be PERFECT the minute we walk in the door.

So here are my recent purchases.  My wish list will have to follow later.

I'm most excited about this...a TOBACCO BASKET that I bought for $40 at an antiques store in Abingdon, VA. 

This is a similar photo.  Mine is in worn condition, but a little better than this.  The basket is HUGE.  Maybe 3'x3' or larger.  Mine says "Prewitt Bros" but I don't know anything about the company...yet.

asoftplace.net

I plan to hang ours over the fireplace.  Because John said it was too "dirty" for the dining room!

I also ordered 2 of these sconces from Restoration Hardware. 

Lugarno double sconces.  These will replace the builder-grade lights in the master bath, that don't fit the style of the bathroom.  They were on sale (yay) but don't come with the shades (boo).  So I'll be searching for some inexpensive white shades.

I also wanted to get these matching knobs and pulls, but I couldn't justify the price.

 
I finally decided on a lantern for the kitchen as well. Thomasville Crestwood 3-light lantern in Antique Bronze.  We thought the 4-light would be too large.  I was able to order it from Home Depot, so if it arrives and isn't perfect, I can always return it.

On our trip to Tennessee, I found 10 yards of Sunbrella fabric to recover 2 chairs for our living room.

I figure, if you want off-white chairs in a home with a 5 and 6 year old, you need to use a durable fabric.  This is an outdoor fabric, but is smoother and softer to the touch than most outdoor fabrics.  I'll get on that project soon!

On the same Tennessee trip, John's parents gave us a patio table and 2 chairs that they weren't using.  So we picked up 2 more bistro chairs from our local Lowes.

I decided on a paint color for the entry, all the bathrooms and Caroline's room.  Pittsburgh Paints Toasted Almond.  But I call it "greige".  I really hope the walls don't look purple like it looks on my computer monitor.

My recent Craigslist purchases include 2 awesome finds:

An extra large, solid wood, entertainment center armoire.  The brand is Heckman, but it looks a lot like this Pottery Barn one.  It will hold the living room television.

 And this may have been the best bargain yet!  A Jasper secretary on Craistlist for $160!  It will sit in the corner of the living room and be my desk for paying bills, etc...

 We've picked out a king size bed for our master from a local furniture store.  Great price, and a great look alike to several popular stores.  A consolation prize since I couldn't get John on board with an upholstered headboard (a dust trap). 

John's study has made lots of progress.  Mostly from Ikea.  It would be so tedious to show you piece by piece.  You'll just have to see it in place.

But Caroline's chandelier from Ikea will be worth a little peek, to finish this out.  She's SUPER excited about a little bling in her room.

I'll keep shopping, organizing and packing.  Did I say 10 more days?!?

marker on the wall

I've been planning on stenciling a design on the walls of our new half bath.
It's a pretty small room, but the joke may end up  being on me, since the stencil will have to work around a doorway, window, toilet, pedastal sink, light fixture, mirror, and switches/outlets.  hmmm...rethinking...

Here's my hall bath inspiration photo again. 

via decorpad.  photo by Tria Giovan.

Our bath will be painted a base coat of a taupe-y gray.  The color swatch I've been carrying around is from Wal-Mart.  Dutch Boy/Better Homes in the color Creamy Pebbles.  No photo.  I still have a few weeks to decide.  Anyone know the perfect taupey-gray color?

But then what?  Do I buy a stencil, make one?  What pattern?  Geometric?  Intricate?
Here are some of the photos floating around my desktop:

(from centsational girl, jones design company, Graciela Rutkowski Interiors, houseandhome.com, and the rest are from pinterest)

But I have since stumbled upon the idea of DRAWING my pattern on the wall.  A quick search on the interweb shows that several people have had great success using paint pens or Sharpies to add a pattern to their walls without all the hastle of paint, brushes, cleanup, messy patterns, etc..

No mess, count me in!

 gusandlula.com

apennysavedblog.com



See Cate Create

Here are some links to lovelies that have tried it with much success.  Hope to add my name to the list soon!

Sharpies from A Penny Saved



DIY Stenciled Wallpaper from The Lovely Cupboard

Easy Paint Pen Wallpaper from See Cate Create

Painted Wallpaper from Mal-licious

Sharpie Wallpaper from Gus and Lula