Category Archives: New House

I Would Like To Say Thanks

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This post is a shout out to  my oldest daughter Pumpkin Pie, who I had to pick up early from school for being sick.

It all started yesterday morning when she said she did not sleep well because her stomach hurt all night.  We had deep dish pizza the night before so I thought that was contributing to her symptoms.  I did all my nursing assessment stuff and gave her a Tums and sent her off to school.

Little bit and I headed off to Ikea.  I was sitting down to breakfast, drinking coffee when the phone call came from the school nurse.  My pumpkin was having abdominal pain again.  So I had to throw my food away and drive back home.

Long story short, I was right , it was the pizza.  She threw it all up that afternoon.  We were pain free all day till she decided to blow chunks.

Today she feels 100%, and no one else is having any trouble.

Now, why I am saying thank you….

If my pumpkin would not have been sick, I would have stayed at Ikea to buy the things on my list.  I would not have gone to Home Goods instead.  I would have never seen my new gorgeous pillows.

001I am talking about the two blue pillows.  Are they not just the best pillows ever?  I heart them so.

When I decided on the coral quilt (also from Home Goods), I initially was going to get gray sheets, then use black and white for my pillows and a throw.  The bright navy sheets spoke to me one day at Target, and I have to say they are perfect.

When you use colors like blue and coral, you put yourself in a very difficult position.  Although they are popular colors right now, it is hard to find pillows that complement them.  Mr. Kell and I make a modest living, and there is no one sponsoring me to buy stuff from their store.  My pillows had to be less than $25.00.  They also had to have the potential to be used in another room.

Well kids, Home Goods came through.  The blue pillow on the left was only $19.99, and the blue one on the right was $16.99.  I flippin love that store.  I had just been there a week before, and neither of these pillows were there.

The other three pillows were bought at Ikea last year.  They were previously being used on the couch.

I kept thanking my sweet girl for being sick and she just giggled.  I had no plans to go to Home Goods this week, and I may have missed out on my new pillows.

I guess Ikea was just not in the cards yesterday.  That is why I am going today.  I really need some dining room chairs, but I suffer from the “I am cheap” syndrome.

Now all that is left for the bedroom, is curtains, art for behind the bed, and a small glass table to house the computer.

002

004Yes, I have a chicken pillow on my bed.

To know me is to love me.

Happy Thursday!

 

Before And After… The Tale Of An Armoire.

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Back in 2008, when I was pregnant with my little bit, my sister Heather moved back to Texas for a year and lived with us.  When she moved back to Seattle, we traded out furniture.  I got the Ikea  armoire, and she took the men’s antique dresser/closet.

The armoire as been sitting naked since then.  I am not a fan of naked furniture.  The armoire will not make another move, so I finally decided to add a little color.

Here is a picture of the before.

057I use this cabinet to hold things that need to be easily accessible to my girls.

Here are a few shots of the after.

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038We had to rehang the doors, and I hose to go with a muted silver hinge I found at Walmart.  Pair that with the simple black knobs from Ikea, and I think it looks pretty darn awesome.

037I like that when I removed the tape for the stripes, it shows a little of the original wood color.  It gives it that rustic look.

I am very happy with the results, and it has motivated me to paint a few more things in the house.

On the list is an old cedar chest, and a chair that I painted years ago, that needs a redo.

Some people take pictures, while some paint on canvas.  I have always felt most creative when I am painting furniture.

Happy Wednesday!

It All Started With A Quilt

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This is how the story begins.

First, you know how you have an idea in your mind of how you want a space to look?  You pin and pin room ideas because you like the walls in this one, or the bedding in that one.  Let’s just say, I have many pins of how I wanted our master bedroom to look.

Mr. Kell and I are not fancy, sophisticated people.  We are more your beer and barbecue kinda kids who like to sit outside in our lawn chairs on the drive way when the weather is warm.  We like to camp.  We are more small town than big city.  With that being said, I wanted our bedroom to be simple, with a manly twist.  I wanted white, and grays, with small pops of color.

Here were some of my ideas…

source

This one was my favorite.  It was bright, but simple.  The white bedding with the black and white pillows and green throw.  So perfect.  To this day, I love to decorate with black and white.  Oh, and the deer heads, that would be an ode to Mr. Kell who loves to hunt.

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Subtle patterns in the pillows, and then BAM, the yellow.  A very happy space, but yet still simple and quiet.

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Now the story gets good.  It was just supposed to be a quick trip to Homegoods, to look at the ceramics and to see if there were any grey quilts.  I bypassed the throw pillows because holy crap I would need a room just for pillows.

Anywhoo…

I was not looking for it, but it just jumped out and grabbed me from nowhere.  I could not ignore it.  I could not say no.

160It is a very bright coral. How could I say no.  The color is so fabulous.

Now to figure out what to do with the rest of the room.

A Quick Kitchen Valence

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Mr. Kell and I rent, so I am limited when it comes to decorating.  No painting which actually is fine by me, because I have become a lover of builders cream/white.  Everything looks good with it.

I have been trying to find a way to add some color to my kitchen besides all my colorful pottery, and came upon a fabric swatch at Walmart.

I have since bought every swatch at both Walmart’s near my house.

I have a window above my sink that I love to look out of.  The sun rises at the back of my house, and when the sun is out, it is so pretty to look out and see my green grass, our fire pit, and the tire swing.  It gets me so excited for Spring.

005Here is the window at the worst part of the day to take a picture.  I have to take a moment to tell you I tried everything with my camera, and with some photo magic, but this is all I got.

Anywhoo, it is such a lovely space full of things that scream Necole.  Like the multi-vitamins?  They are all a part of my new years resolution to take care of me.

At first, I wanted to just hang a rope and clip the fabric to the rope like a small curtain.  When I tried it, it took away too much of the light which is what I truly loved about the window.

When I was standing on the counter I noticed a piece of molding on top of the cabinets and I had a super great idea.

I could wrap the fabric around the molding, and with some command strips, could just stick the molding over the blinds.

Genius!

That is exactly what I did.  I cut the fabric slightly larger than the molding and just hot glued it to the molding itself.  I figured I could easily replace the molding if we move, so no harm no foul.

016I am so crazy happy with the results.  I love everything about it.  I loved it so much, I did the same thing to some molding that was already hanging on the blinds on another window by the kitchen table.

My kitchen is turning into such a colorful and happy place.

Next to tackle is the wall space above the cabinets.  I am thinking big bowls and old trays.

It’s Time For Some Orange

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I was walking around Target yesterday buying pink zebra sheets, and I came upon the most fabulous decorative items.

They all had one thing in common, the color orange.  I decided that orange was just what our living room was needing.

I found a few pieces while perusing the internet. Any of these pieces could add just the right amount of orange to make the room look “new”. With all the Christmas decorations down, our living room is looking a little dowdy. Plus, things like pillows, throw blankets, or a cute ceramic piece will not break the budget.

A Piece Of Orange

An Entryway Almost Complete

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We have lived in our new home since June, and I am still not done with the entryway.  We rent, so  a part of me does not like to get too attached in case the home is not available again in a year.

When we first looked at this house, I immediately fell in love with the entryway.  Since I have been married, none of the homes we lived in had one.  You would open the front door, and immediately be in the living room.  This entryway was screaming for some bright and cheerful that screamed Necole!

I had an old dresser and an idea…

I painted the dresser a mint green that my mom used in her laundry room.  As you can see I need some drawer pulls.  The dresser also needs another coat of paint and and then needs to be sealed.

I have since finished my picture wall, and once this entryway is completed you will get to see!

This is not a great picture, but I do not have a wide angle lens.  When I get my iPhone 5, there will a panoramic view!

I have loved this dresser for so long, and I have finally found a perfect color for her.

Still to complete

  • Buy two thrifted chairs and paint them.
  • baskets for shoes
  • Hang pegs for keys, purse, etc
  • Have picture of girls printed on canvas
  • Add a set of old lockers
  • Make a runner rug for hallway

I just hope I can get this done soon to enjoy how awesome it is going to be!

Organize

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I have spent the past two days purging and organizing our new home.  We have lived here almost three months, and there are parts of my life that are not completely unpacked.  Pathetic, but the truth.  I started in my girls rooms, and have since migrated into the dining room which is actually a dump all for the things marked ” I DO NOT HAVE A HOME.”

I lost a room and some square feet when we moved, and could not be happier about it.  Less room equals less places for me to place my ever famous stacks.  Yep, I am a stacker.  It is a lovely quality I inherited from my mother.

I have a love for organization.  Actually, I have a love for things like baskets, shelves, office supplies, etc. that help keep you organized.  I love seeing pictures on the web, or in a magazine, of a organized space.

Here are some that caught my eye.

http://danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com/

I would like to report that I will never have a closet as organized as this.

http://www.bhg.com

 

http://www.housebeautiful.com

 

http://www.bhg.com

It’s funny, when I see pictures like these above, I always wonder does anyone really keep anything that tidy?  The answer is no.  If the answer is yes, you must not have a spouse, or any children.  If your answer is still yes, please tell me what you are spiking the milk with.

 

 

 

Sweet Pea

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This fabulous old dresser.

Plus

This color.

Is going to equal one awesome piece of furniture.

One drawer is painted, and the color makes me so happy.

Now if it did not feel like it was 150 degrees outside, I would get some more done.

My entryway is slowly but surely coming together.

 

There Is Just Too Many Shoes

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There are woman gasping everywhere after reading the title to this post.  The problem is not my shoes, but my families shoes.  They are everywhere.  There are some by the front door, the back door, and by the couch between the living room and the kitchen.

There is not an entryway closet in this house, so besides our bedroom closets, there is no where to put our everyday shoes.  For us that means flip flops, running shoes, or cowboy boots.

At our old house, I would just use a large crate and place in on the floor in the closet and call it the shoe box.  Now, I would really like a shoe storage solution that is closed, so you cannot see the shoes.

I found some great storage ideas on Pinterest.

via http://letstay.blogspot.co.uk no source mentioned

I love this idea, but there are no stairs in my house.

via http://www.housetohome.co.uk

I have a hall tree, but am keeping it in the garage to house seasonal things.  I love how this is incorporated into the stairwell.

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I am leaning towards a piece of furniture like this.  This one screws to the wall, which is not an option for us since we are renting.  I wonder if there is a 3M product that would work?

There is also the idea of a trunk or chest.  Here are a few options from Target.

I really like the woven look of these trunks. My walls are builder cream and it would bring some warmth into the entryway.

I found this really cool storage bench from Ikea that just may be what I was looking for.

It is the APPLARO storage bench, and is only $70.  It will serve two purposes.  It is sturdy so you can sit on it, and it will house all our shoes.

Darn, I guess this means I will have to make a trip to Ikea.

Guess I better make a list.

Do you have any shoe storage ideas?

My Blank Canvas

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We started moving into our new home yesterday, and there is still so much to do.  I highly recommend making lists, one for the new house, and one for the old house when you are moving.  I am guaranteed to forget something.  We have two weeks to move from the old house to the new one, so I am taking the day off today to clean, pack, and paint.

Moving is very stressful.  Paying three mortgages in a matter of 4 weeks is even more stressful.  I know deep down inside it is all going to work out.  A few years ago I would never have believed it.  I would have been screaming, yelling, crying, and driving my children and husband crazy.  I am doing my best to control myself.  I am not someone who internalizes her feelings.  I am the person who expresses her feelings so she does not end up with an ulcer.  There are good and bad to both.

Anywho, as I was moving boxes into the house, the ideas starting pouring in.  Since we rent, I am unable to go all crazy on the house, but I most certainly can decorate.  I am a very lucky woman who has a husband who really does not care what I do with our living spaces.  He just wants a comfy chair and a nice pillow.  I so heart him.

I took a few pictures of the rooms I wanted to start with.

This is the guest/girls bathroom.  You can see it right when you walk into the house, and because of this, I will probably not make it look too girly.

This is the entry way.  I swear it takes up the whole house.  Boy do I have plans for this space.  Opposite of the wall you see here, is a wall with two arched recessed areas for artwork.  There are so many possibilities, that my mind is reeling.

This is the dining room.  The tile in the house is not what I would have chosen, but it is better than linoleum.  If we end up buying this house, it will be wood.  Anywho, I am not a formal dining room kind of gal, but I would like this room to look put together.  The only time it will be used is for birthdays, holidays, and when the friends come over to eat, and get their butt kicked in croquet.

This is the kitchen.  I am standing in the living room.  My favorite part is how none of the appliances match!  See that fridge?  It is a super fancy samsung that is all digital.  You can program the temperature of the freezer and fridge.  I do not even know what the temperature is supposed to be.  I am used to just turning a dial to normal.  It has a wine rack inside, so I guess I will have to buy a few bottles, you know, so the rack does not feel like it is useless.

As you can see, it is a simple builder grade home with a ton of possibilities.  My plan is to introduce tons of color.  I want our house to scream HAPPY when you walk inside.  I want it to be inviting and comfy.  I want guests to know they can sit back and relax, as long as they take their shoes off at the door, because the carpet is brand new.

I hope you will tune in to see what I have planned.

Gotta go, it is time to blow up Pinterest.

Happy Tuesday!