Before & After

I scored this chair at Habitat Restore for $15 several years ago (this photo is terrible by the way). I loved the shape and detail of the chair, so I thought it had potential. 

Before

After

Isn't it amazing what a little new fabric will do? There are so many things in my home that have been reupholstered. I'm addicted! Habitat Restore is one of my favorite places to score chairs and sofas (among other things). After purchasing the fabric on sale and paying the upholsterer, I spent less than $300 on this makeover. This black and white chair was also a Restore find. I don't have a before photo of it, but it was a very bad floral fabric. Now it's my favorite chair. 

Do you scour places for projects like this? I would love to see your reupholstered beauties!

Baby to Big Boy

This week Rowe moved out of his crib and into his "big boy bed." This is something we had been working on doing for a while, but Rowe always slept so good in his crib, so I just kept putting it off. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Am I right?

But I kept feeling like it was time. So the other night, we did it. We broke down his sweet little Jenny Lind crib, and put in its place an actual twin-size bed. He was beyond excited about this, which was cute. I had no idea how this little milestone would elicit such emotion from me. I was not prepared. But it did. I shed a few tears for that crib, and for the chapter of my life that went out the door with it. Putting Rowe in his big bed was much more significant than just a new place to sleep and an updated room. It signified the passage from baby to big boy, and it now seems so official.

There are so many milestones that we anticipate as parents: first smile, first steps, one year, and so on. Moving to a big boy bed was not on my list of highly anticipated events. But it prompted me to reflect on how quickly the time passes, and on how rewarding and, at the same time, difficult it is to watch your children grow up before your eyes. I've been warned over and over about this: "They grow up so fast; enjoy it!" I'm trying to. I really am.

Rowe's nursery in our first house (2011).

Last photo of Rowe's room (in current house) before we said bye to the crib (excuse the mess). 

Taking it down. 

The new bed (room still in progress)

We still have a long way to go before it's finished, but alas, the big boy era has begun. 

Before & After

My goodness, what did I do with all my extra time before blogs existed? I mean really. I spend a ridiculous amount of time reading blogs at night after Rowe goes to bed. But I love them. And here's why. 

See this eye sore? This was in our foyer when we bought this house two years ago. I've looked high and low for a light to replace this for well over a year. I just won't settle for something that I don't love. I mean it is the very first thing you see when you walk in my house. 

So the other day I was doing my usual daily blog reading, and I ran across this post. OMG! The light looked eerily familiar, and her solution was ridiculously simple. But alas, this exact concept just did not work out. But it did give me the confidence boost I needed to tackle that light once and for all. It can at least look good while I'm searching for perfection! So I spray painted that bad boy right in place (minus the glass part, which I took apart and painted outside).

It just doesn't get simpler than that. Oh, and see that black spot on the ceiling? I'm not the most experienced spray painter. You live and learn. What blogs have inspired projects in your home?

L