First furniture re-do and midpoint check in!

Hey everyone!

Wow has it been a busy couple weeks. School starts this Wednesday for my first grader (what?!) and I'm very excited to be able to have complete and total free time while my little one is napping. Bring on the fall sewing!!!

In the meantime, I'm about halfway done in getting the boys room to the point where I'll be satisfied with the way it looks. There are still some things that need to be done, but I'll show you what it looks like so far.

This is a before of the dresser. My mom was kind enough to let me take it out of her garage. I'm pretty sure she was glad it was one less thing for her to have to move while she was moving from her house of 20+ years. The dresser is a bit rough. It was well loved apparently. And by boys no less, which explains a lot. It got a quick sanding and 3 cans of Krylon dual spray paint in Ivy Leaf. I also replaced the original gold ornate hardware with satin black domed handles I got on eBay for less than $2/ea.

 

I labeled the pictures below with things that we still need to do.

I really wanted horizontal striped curtains...but they are soooo expensive. I google searched so many times and finally came to the realization that 1) I'd never be able to afford them and even making them would be too much $ for me right now and 2) the fabric that I WAS finding didn't have the size stripes I wanted, even if I could afford to shell out that kind of money. I did however come across SO MANY posts about making them yourself from shower curtains purchased from either Target ($15 each but out of the color I wanted) or West Elm ($40 completely out of budget as well). So I hit up my local Down East Home, and wouldn't you know it, they had the West Elm shower curtains for $15. I really wanted the Citron, but I figured since the dresser was green, I better get the blue. I plan to either cut the curtain in half and add some orange fabric to the bottom to add more color, or go get another curtain and add fabric to both panels so there is more rouching in the look. We'll see.

I also need to put some artwork up on the walls. I have an idea for what I want, but I'm not sure as to how it will look when executed. I'm not really a great decorator. I haven't had a lot of experience in the way of decorating my own place. I do well with color, but I don't have any experience in putting together "looks".

The walls DEFINITLY need paint. Right now they are a light lavender and not really okay with my boys. In fact, my oldest kind of through a fit when I said he would be sharing the small room with his brother. "What?! The purple room?!" Needless to say, he wasn't very happy with me.

I don't really need to make matching quilts for the boys. I LOVE the ones that are on their beds already. Both made specifically for them (with lots of love) by their grandmother. And I do think once the walls are painted the quilts will look fine put into such a little space together. It's just that, with all the color from the Dr. Suess quilt, the dresser, the curtains, and the stuffed animals, the purple walls are a little too much for me to handle. Plus, the previous tenants, didn't clean, and I mean, soooo didn't clean. They had 3 girls in this little room, and the walls have huge splotches of grimy feet and hand prints. YUCK!!! BARF!!!!

Rug? Yay or nay for a kids room? If I do get one, I really want something like THIS.

So anyway, this is it for now. We are still unpacking and organizing. I hope to be back in the next couple weeks with some more furniture re-do's (my sewing table, and our ottoman) and showing you a completed living room (curtains and all)!!! Here's to hoping! I do hope you all have a great week and an even better LABOR DAY weekend (for all you U.S. readers)!!