Well Draped {New Curtains for Rooms}

Well, I did it. I did what I drooled over for many months.

If you follow my Pinterest boards, you will have seen some beautifully colorful curtains (Jeanette) from IKEA on my wish list board. I didn’t end up getting the curtains per-say, but I did get a very generous gift card from my parents. The original intent was to use the card to buy a couple new cabinet doors for the kitchen. But in true Ashley-form, I bought two doors, spent the gift card, got home AND the doors didn’t fit. I measured horribly wrong. The doors were about an inch too short. So, they needed to go back, my hopes dashed.

And then I realized. This meant I could get my curtains! My fun, happy, colorful curtains! But wait, would they match our newer comforter? It had green and blue hues as well, but they were in a different family. Windfall (or inadvertent windfall) number two! Truman got the comforter dirty one day, and though we put it in the dryer once, it just WOULDN’T dry completely. So, without thinking, we just ran it through again. Big. Mistake. So we’ve been dealing with a cute, but shrunken comforter. So with the gift card, and a renewed want to update and perk up the bland bedroom colors, I bought a new comforter AND curtains.

 

Ta-da! New comforter, old comforter as a throw, and MORE IMPORTANTLY the curtains. It’s one, big, colorful family.

 

So it looks great, in my mind. I’m so happy with how the sun comes through those curtains in the morning. I love the coordination of the colors on the bed, in the pillows, and in the curtains. Plus, we still have our bright green side tables that just adds to the happiness quotient.

But where, might you ask, did our white curtains end up? Well, my friends, S and I have always been playing around with the idea of hanging curtains in the living room. Not only for privacy, but because there was an awkward amount of negative space above our windows. So I purchased a few IKEA curtain rods and went to town hanging the old-but-new-to-the-room curtains. I measured out the correct distance on each side, as well as halfway between the window and the moulding. Only, I’m really excitable with a drill and own no stud finder. So it was a bit more difficult than expected and it resulted in several more holes in the wall than necessary.

They add a sense of grandeur, don’t you think?

If you look really closely, you can see the tiny holes I left in the wall, yet to be filled. I also made the mistake of tricking myself into believing we already had enough to put two panels on each window. That would be six panels for three windows. I have four panels. Needless to say, I will be remedying this situation in the next few days as I am two panels short. Here’s hoping they still sell this style!

But eitherway, what do you think? I love the curtains and how they just slightly puddle on the floor. It makes the ceilings seem higher and the rooms, oddly enough, seem brighter. I am currently choosing a coordinating fabric for the bedroom to make a better sized piece of wall art for above our huge bed. We’ll see if I ever settle on anything!

 

XOXO,

Ashley

Visiting IKEA {They Never Cease to Amaze}

I had the opportunity to run into our local IKEA for an hour during the week. And if that is an available option, I’m obviously going to take it! Especially since I haven’t been able to see all the amazing things they put into their new catalogue. So here are some of my favorite finds from my whirlwind trip…

I love the bold wall color. Wish I could put a color like this somewhere in our house! The rest of the room is meh; I just loved the peacock blue.

 

This guy’s color does not come through on the picture. He was a peacock-y blue and adorable. He was also “temporarily oversold” so other people must have loved him as much as I did. He’d make a great coffee table or awesome side table for someone going for a more industrial look!

 

Look at the little tufting on the back of this chair! Very stylish IKEA, way to go. Not to mention that this chair was super comfortable. Yes, I was one of those people that got onto the platform to test the chair.

 

I’ve decided that this is what our kitchen must look like. We’ll go dark, very contrasting counters, better metal pulls on our cabinets, and glass front doors on the uppers. I’ll take the light fixtures too, if they’re included!

 

This will be mine. I’ve got it on my wish list. She’s $49.99 but totally worth it. Three nicely sized shelves that are easy to get to, plus she’s on casters. Easy crafting storage that I can just wheel into the closet when giving a house tour. Done and done!

 

If you need a folding chair, promise me you’ll get this guy. He’s comfortable and adorable (especially for a folding chair). On top of all that, he comes in MANY colors, including high gloss/laquer colors.

 

Gorgeous, but at $49.99, too rich for my blood. Definitely worthwhile. It was very sturdy and glamorous in person, just not for our house (or wallets).

 

Overall, it was a quick, but awesome, trip. I ended up getting a few more frames for our constantly growing wall-o-art up the stairwell. IKEA has amazing frames that I adore (RIBBA style), so I just grab a few each time I go. Not only are they modern and simple, they come with a mat and are pretty affordable. I also picked up our holiday gift wrap, because IKEA shockingly has awesome wrapping options, and a lamp to put on top of our new piano. Did I mention we got a piano? That’ll have to be your tease for the next posting. Until then…

 

XOXO,

Ashley

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekday Treasure Hunting {Leesburg}

Hey all!

My job is pretty awesome. Not only do I get to work with the greatest kids, learning from them as they learn from me, I also get a very interesting schedule. My body has gotten very used to this schedule of breaks and holidays. It now knows right about the time I’m due for a holiday, so it completely shuts down. This requires several days of recovery, while off from school, before I can get to the fun things I plan for my breaks. And since last week, I’ve been out of school for a holiday. I’ll return to school next week, so I still have plenty to get done before then!

But because I was off, why not go treasure hunting during the week? I know that swaps, fleas, and barn sales are most popular on weekends, but some of the very cool stores are still open! Let’s get down to some of the awesome finds that were to be had in Leesburg, VA.

First, I stopped at the Leesburg outlets for some happy shopping. And by happy shopping, I mean updating my tired wardrobe. I think I wear the same five outfits. My friends have gotten used to the few dresses that I just throw on before going somewhere. It’s no joke. Other people think a dress means that you’re trying to get yourself together, but to me it’s a simple throw-it-on and you’re out the door option. And, in pure Ashley form, I ended up with another new dress. It’s jersey, simple, and I can just pull it on and go. Wahoo! Plus, I got two cute old navy cardigans. S thought it was true-to-form that I ended up with a dress and cardigans. Nothing really NEW, just a freshened up version of what I originally had. Oh well.

But a bonus for the Leesburg outlets? They have a Restoration Hardware furniture outlet. Now, RH is a BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL store. It, however, was never even a budget possibility for our house. Not to mention that sometimes the store comes off as those rooms that you never sit in because they’re too nice and just meant to be adored. They do, though, have some SUPER AWESOME things.

I’m a sucker for worldly styled objects…and mirrors. This guy was super expensive and about 10 feet tall. Who can fit this in their house?

 

I’ve drooled over these in the RH magazine for months. I have not, however, drooled over their price. This guy was about $300 on sale and probably a good 8 feet tall. Needless to say, he did not come home with me.

 

Other than $5 lamp shades, this was probably the best deal in RH’s outlet store. I’ve adored these types of chairs for YEARS. I’ve pinned them, searched for them on treasure hunting outings, but never been willing to spend the moolah on them. He was over $200 originally, marked to $96. Definitely tempting, but I couldn’t do that to my bank account.

 

So RH had some beautiful pieces, but not for our house. After finishing the happy shopping at the outlets, Stein Mart was the next stop. I’ve never gone to Stein Mart, so I didn’t really know what I was in for there, but it was worth the stop. Strangely, I only have one picture to show for the Stein Mart stop, but it’s definitely necessary.

 

Love the chevron shade and the color blue. Did not love that I had nowhere in the house to place this guy!

 

And on our way back, there were some great finds in a pink polka dotted silo.

There’s something to be said for a pink and black polka dotted silo in the middle of the country. And I think that thing to be said is “aaaaahhhh-dorable.”

 

Obligatory owl find! When I saw him, I had a feeling he had a different life before this store’s shelf. A quick study revealed he was an awful bronze that they sprayed!

 

This table almost came home for my grandmother. She’s been searching for the perfect eat in kitchen table and this really seemed like a winner. But the shape wasn’t what she was looking for and she was very iffy about it, so it stayed in the polka dot barn.

 

As exciting as the polka dot silo was, I left empty handed and headed on to the last stop. It was like a crazy pickers dream outside and a refined, staging decor store inside.

Outside barn/garage.

 

Another outside barn filled with goodies.

 

Be still my mid-century modern heart. I love you chair! But I couldn’t afford you.

 

Ah! Another one! But again, you were too rich for my blood.

 

These were VERY expensive, but very pretty. I could put them in several places in our house…if I bought them.

 

And another owl sighting. These were cute, dried gourds from Peru!

 

So other than the clothes, I really didn’t end up with anything for the house. BUT, it was a day well spent and thoroughly enjoyed. If you’re interested in checking out these places, click on the links below!

 

XOXO,

Ashley

 

Pink Polka Dot Silo= On A Whim

Cool Garages and Barns and indoor design ideas= The Old Lucketts Store

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Little Things {Ch-Ch-Changes}

I’m on a blogging roll!

So, as I wrote about in my last post, we’ve received a “new to us” loveseat for free. This required a room shift and a rearrange. Plus, it was an excuse for me to try and accessorize our family room a bit more. Remember when I wrote about my furniture placement ADD? It’s amazing that I hadn’t moved the furniture in that room to begin with, but let’s be real. There are a lot of wires and connections for the TV, Blu Ray, DVD, Cable, Xbox, etc..etc.. that I was not about to fiddle with for fear of ruining something. Though, leaving the tv where it is, I was able to move some things around on my own.

I had searched for the dimensions of the loveseat online before we picked it up and had a general idea of where I would like it to go, so I set up the room and moved some of the furniture. I had to scoot the couch over to make room for the depth of the loveseat, which shifted the two chairs, army chest, and side tables. I had originally planned to sell my cute mid-century modern tiled table, but I just can’t seem to let it go.

Tiled table’s new home.

It now has a happy home next to the couch. And remember that doll house furniture from my king-sized post? It’s made it’s way downstairs to be the other side table for our couch.

Side tables anchoring the couch and…what else do you see? Some beautiful lamps!

Our bedroom is now sans nightstand and lamps, but it was definitely worth the trouble. I love that the lampshades coordinate with the pillows and the curtains. Now the lamps are actually being used and the nightstand has a fifth life (it started in my dorm room 4 years ago as a refrigerator stand). Plus, now that I’ve totally flubbed the dye job for the new loveseat, the pacific blue covers that are being shipped will look great with everything else. And even in my OCD world, I actually really like that the side tables don’t match. Maybe I’m mellowing out? Doubtful but a girl can dream, can’t she?

XOXO,

Ashley

 

PS- I REALLY appreciate those of you that read this. It makes me so excited, I just can’t handle it 🙂