Week One: Living Room Refresh

Once upon a time, we bought a farm with a small ranch-style house. It needed cleaning and paint and some updating - which we've been steadily doing for the past 6 years, getting it ready for the some day move there full-time day. In the meantime, we enjoy getting away on weekends and occasionally a week at a time.

 One space I've struggled with is the living room - it's tiny...11x14' tiny... with a huge angled fireplace that eats up lots of space.

I call it cozy and I've done my best using second hand finds to make it comfortable BUT the decor has never felt quite right. I rearranged the furniture several times and finally hit upon what I feel was the best layout.

And yet it still felt off. So I enlisted the help of my friend KariAnne of Thistlewood Farms. She's brilliant. We talked and discussed my likes and all and she came up with a wonderful plan.

Use red. Lots of it. With wood accents. And a bigger rug. With a touch of blue. Here's the mood board she put together for me.

I ran with it. The rug is ordered and on it's way. (I found one I think will be perfect).

I made new pillows. All of them with red.

I have material to turn the miniblinds into a roman shade - And it has red too. My color- loving heart is very happy!

And we're taking the beast from the art room and turning it into an entertainment center for the tv. Bruce will have to do some modification on it then I'm going to paint it to refresh it. (Right now it's pretty ugly but the size is perfect for the space).

Sorry about the poor quality picture. It. seems this is the only photo I have of the beast.

I'm excited. It's going to finally looked pulled together using furniture we already have.

And that fireplace that takes up one whole wall? It's possibly getting a makeover too. I can't wait.

*If you need help with your spaces, you can find KariAnne over at her wonderful blog Thistlewood Farms. But if you want to jump right into decorating, may I recommend her super cute, super helpful DIY Home Planner book?

It's like having KariAnne with you each step of your decorating journey plus it helps you keep track of all your decisions as you go. (I have one and I've been busy putting samples and fabric swatches in it, sketching floor plans out, and so on. I wasn't asked to mention her book, but I really do find it extremely useful when planning your home decorating. And did I mention cute?).

Next week, I'll be talking about the rug and pillows. Be sure to hop back over to see what I ended up with.

Raggie Star Garland

Happy July 4th week to all from the B Farm! I managed to get quite a bit done from my project list last week. I didn't finish everything but I got the major projects done that needed to be completed by the weekend so I feel good about that. And the mantel is finally decorated for the 4th/Summer. I added a few red flowers to the flower arrangements, the chippy star, a raggie star garland, Uncle Sam made from a piece of fence picket, and the lantern filled with starfish.

 Uncle Sam was made from a piece of fence picket with a strip of wood for hat band glued on then painted. Easy!

One of my projects from last week was making a raggie star garland for the fireplace mantel. I used the technique from raggie quilts - easy to do. I like the way it turned out too.

To begin with, I got 4 different cotton fabrics - 2 reds and 2 blues. I got 1/4 yard of each except for the stripe and I got 1/2 yard of it. You also need some osnaburg fabric - I had some left over from a raggie quilt I'd already made. You can find it with the muslin and other utility fabrics. It frays well.

Next, you cut your star shapes ( I made a template from a piece of cardboard ) - you will need a piece of osnaburg and a front and back of your cotton fabric for each star. I cut out 3 striped stars ( 9 pieces ), 2 dark blue (4 pieces), 2 red floral (4 pieces) , and 2 light blue (4 pieces) and 9 osnaburg stars. Then you layer the stars together - 2 cotton stars, right sides out, with one osnaburg star in the middle. Sew each star with a 1/2" seam allowance. You will then snip each seam allowance 1/4" to 1/2" apart, being careful not to snip the thread. You can see the stitching on the red star below:

Wash the stars then dry them. This causes the edges to fray and rag. Poke a hole in the arms of each star and tie together with twine. Hang and enjoy!

I hope you have a fantastic 4th! I'm off to cooler climates to visit some friends. Looking forward to under 100 degree weather!

:o)
Cecilia

linking up at these parties:
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Juggling Several Projects At Once

I am working on several projects at one time ... Why do I do that to myself? haha. I guess it keeps me from getting bored and I feel like I'm getting more done.

I actually have a list so I can mark them off as I go. My plan is to get as many done as possible before Friday.

I have these that need a new paint job - some will be going on the wall in the guest room:

I plan to paint the covers of these and use them for display. Later, I will repurpose some for the holidays.

This is going to get a label and will be added to the bottles on the bathroom shelf:

This is going in the bathroom to go with my other dog things:

These will also get painted and will hold my travel pictures. It will be easy to switch them out:

This was $2 at the Habitat Restore - I'm thinking chalkboard:

And this could also be a chalkboard message board or maybe a recipe holder. I love its shape:

The clock will get new works and a fresh coat of paint. It is going on the mantel:

These will be made into a garland for the 4th of July and will stay for the summer:

 along with this:

I'm thinking of taking out the candle and placing starfish inside. Nice and summery!

Then there's this chair of my daughter's:

I'm recovering so it will be fresh for her new apartment as she starts her new jobs. She just graduated in December with an Art Degree and has gotten two jobs working in two museums. We are so happy for her!  She picked out this fabric:

It is a chenille type; soft and nubby.

Then there's this:

I can't tell you how excited I was to find this at a local antique store (cheap too!)...it has the windows I was looking for plus peeling paint:

Oh, I have grand plans for it! It will replace my plain, beat up, hollow core laundry room door. I am so EXCITED!!

All of this besides my painting. I am working on a portrait right now plus some just for fun paintings.

Fortunately, most of these are small projects and go quickly. But, yikes! I may need my head examined.

How about you? Do you work on multiple projects too or am I just crazy?

Thanksgiving sign

I can't stand it...I was going to post this next week but I'm dying to show it off! I know, I know, now I will have to come up with a new post for next week. That's ok. I'm having fun with this and so enjoy it. You make it so much more so! So thanks for reading and leaving comments. I am thankful for you! Anyway, here's my farm mantel post:

My mantel needed help. Everything I placed there got lost against the brick. Painting it isn't an option - that was voted down very emphatically! However, I painted the trim around the fireplace to match the surrounding walls and ah, that looks better - blends instead of sticking out like a sore thumb.

 Also, it doesn't quite line up with the fireplace. Or the fireplace isn't centered on the wall. Who designed this anyway?! I can't tell you how many quirky things we've found in this house. I think it's  called character! ha.

To help it look better, I decided it needed a wooden sign. I picked a favorite scripture - this one is on being thankful - and got busy! I like the idea of remembering to be thankful and what better time to do so than the Fall when there's a whole season dedicated to it?

To make it I used 5 old fence pickets - I cut them to the correct length, wired them together, sanded, then painted them white. Next, I printed out my phrase in the font I wanted, then took it and had it enlarged to fit the size of the sign. Then I traced the letters onto the wood, painted them black, and added the leaves in shades of whites, tans, browns, and silver. Lightly distressed it and added wood supports on the back. Are you ready for it?
Yes?



Ok then, take a peek!

I found some urns at Home Depot to place on the mantle (which of course make me rearrange everything). I went outside and gathered some weeds  dried seedheads to place in the urns, and then put a couple of the burlap pumpkins next to them.  Mr. Crow got to stay along with the wooden block with the letter "B". oh yes, and that votive holder...hm.

the finished mantle and fireplace

The white shows up nicely against the brick too. The bottom stayed mostly the same, except I added the stool and the white lantern and moved one of the burlap pumpkins down.

I think it looks way better. One of these days, maybe we can replace the mantle with one that actually lines up with the fireplace and all. But at least this makes it look better and for that I am thankful! :o)

Thanks for visiting!
Cecilia
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