Bedroom/Living Room Makeovers

I've been itching to makeover my bedroom. My sweet friend, Abby, has a GREAT eye! She was willing to help me, and, wow, did she ever get me started! What started as a simple, "Let's make some changes to my bedroom," has now crept into the living room. =)

Here are some things I've done to my bedroom. This is where Abby and I started. Once I get completely done, I'll post some pictures of the finished project.

The first thing I did was get some new bedding. I had initially ordered a duvet from Pottery Barn, and I loved it, but it was something I had always done. I was ready for something different, something lighter and brighter. Abby found this, and I LOVE it!!! I returned the PB set, and I'm so glad I did.




Then, Abby found this great mirror. It is the same as found at Restoration Hardware, and she found it at a place in town that sells home decor items. We it at a fraction of the price. It is a little rustic and adds interest to my room and balances the "glam" I'm adding as well.

I got this chair last week. I'm putting it in the corner of my room in a little reading nook. I just LOVE it. It is from Target of all places. I'm learning a lot in this process. I'm learning if you do a little research, you can find some good prices. I'm definitely on a budget! A lot of the chairs at Urban Outfitters are also at Target in a similar version. LOVE!

Once I got started, I found Shelli, at a' la mode blog. I found her randomly one day when I was catching up with Kelly. I was struggling to find "MY" style, and as I went through her home tour, I felt like I had found myself. I like traditional lines but I want something that looks more modern (but not too modern), and I knew I wanted to go lighter and brighter (get out of my red and brown). I e-mailed Shelli on a whim, not thinking I'd ever hear back from her because she has like a bazillion readers, but you know that precious girl e-mailed me back and has been helping me!!! She is as sweet and precious as she looks in her blog. I just find it amazing that a complete stranger is willing to talk to someone like me that doesn't know jack about design! LOL! I simply can't thank her enough! I'm also wishing I knew her years ago when I used to travel to her home town when I worked in a the "real world". How fun that would have been! Had I known her then, I probably would have been making all kinds of excuses to travel there. Ha! I really think what it is is that she saw what I had done and my own and probably thought to herself, "Wow! That girl really needs some help." LOL! We also have an OBU connection, and once you've been to OBU, you pretty much become family even if you are strangers. =)

I was inspired by Shelli's wall color, so the next thing I did is paint my bedroom Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray. LOVE it! These girls haven't steered me wrong yet!!!


I still have work to do. I need to get art, and I'm working on a gallery wall for the room, but it is all coming together, and I'm loving my lighter space. Now, if I could just get the kids to stop eating Cheez-Its in my new retreat. LOL!

Somehow, I've convinced Derek we should also work on the living room. Again, precious, beautiful, design star, Shelli, has come to my rescue. I told her what I was trying to achieve, ideas Abby had already given me that I liked, and she has designed this for me:

It's gorgeous and exactly the look I'm going for. Shelli has such a gift for design, and more than that, she is the sweetest person on the planet. Seriously!

I've got this couch and ottoman above ordered along with this media chest:


I could NOT convince Derek to paint the walls a lighter color (we just painted about a year ago), but I'm tickled to get to redecorate, and I think I'll still get the look I'm after even with the darker walls.

Now, our biggest dilemma is how to get the kids not to spill on the lighter furniture, which you know will happen thirty minutes after it is delivered. Ha!

Oh, and I have a living room full of furniture I'm selling, so if you are interested, let me know. Ha (but seriously)! =) I'm having my first experience with Craigslist. It's quite interesting, but I have sold one piece. Yay!