master bedroom redo, part 5

for part 1 of this series, click here.

for part 2 of this series, click here.

for part 3 of this series, click here.
for part 4 of this series, click here.

here's what the room looks like today.
i put the white king size comforter on,
and turned it sideways (thanks to a great suggestion!).
i folded a dark brown coverlet on the end to break up the white.
i don't prefer it (that's what i teach my kids to say when they don't like something),
but it works for now.
i also have a lot of work to do on the pillows, but again, good enough for now.

here's the lamps joy found for me at marshall's for $40 each.
kind of pricey, but after looking all over for these lamps and really any lamp in general, $40 is a good price.
lamps are so stinkin' expensive!
they came with a drum shade, which i wanted, but its black.
it works, but i want to rework it somehow.
not sure yet...

and eventually, we'll place the order we've planned on placing for over 3 years now
and get some window coverings.
we're getting some woven wood shades.
eventually.
at some point.
did i tell you that my husband OWNS a window coverings company?
i know, it's bad.

here's the view on the other side.
yep, its kind of boring.
the memo board behind the chair will probably eventually hang above it,
but not actually sure if the chair will stay there.

and our wedding picture on top of the dresser should probably get hung.
i really want to add a bunch of pics to this wall, but i haven't given it much thought.
you didn't think this makeover would be fast, did you?

i'm still happy with these pieces, so they're staying.
i need to pull some more accessories to add here without looking cluttered.

this little bear is the only thing on top right now.
he was made (not by me) from my late gramps' shirt.
i love it.

and here's the garage sale chair all covered in sheets and blankets.
it really looks silly like this, but i can't handle the salmon/reddish color of the upholstery underneath.
i'm keeping my eye out for fabric to recover/slipcover this with.
any thoughts on that one?

oh, and thanks so much for all your comments on this process!
so many of them have been really helpful!

-lindsey

bad pics, good idea

thanksgiving pot pies
(my kids call them pot pot pies)

step 1 - take all the leftovers and dump them in a huge bowl.
or 2.
we chopped up all the turkey into bite size pieces first.
in our bowl was:
turkey
mashed potatoes
stuffing
gravy
creamed corn
green bean casserole
a bag of frozen peas

i didn't add the cranberry sauce because i didn't think it would taste good or look good all turned pink.

step 2 - pile mixed ingredients in a premade frozen pie crust.
you could make your own, but most likely you spent the entire day of thanksgiving preparing food, and at this point premade usually sounds nice.
you need 2 crusts for each pie.
we made 5 pies.
and ate 4 of them in one sitting.
we are a big family.
so let the top crust defrost for about 15 minutes then just flip it over onto the filling and crimp the edges down.
then cut a cute little design into the crust so the steam can escape.

step 3 - bake
if the pie is unfrozen, it takes about an hour to an hour and a half to bake.
be sure to cover the edges with foil until its almost done.
when the crust is golden brown, its done!

step 4 - devour!

hopefully you haven't finished off your leftovers yet and you can give this a try!
if you've made more than you can eat, wrap the pie with tinfoil and freeze.
when you want to eat it it will take a couple days at least to defrost in the fridge.

-lindsey

winner!

congratulations to:

Jenn said...

the best christmas present ever was about a decade ago. my grandmother was terminally ill and i was able to spend the holiday with her. she passed away the following week. i know god gave us that one last christmas together for me to cherish forever.

you won the christmas posies!

email me with your address and your choice of christmas posies
thepleatedpoppy@gmail.com

-lindsey

time for change

we (and i mean i) switched the living room around a bit last week.
i used to switch around my furniture all the time in our last homes, but there just aren't as many possibilities here.
my obstacles: the front door, the fireplace, and the entry to the playroom.
this layout fixed most of my problems, but i still have the back of the couch right at the entryway, which i really don't like.
but for now, i like the change, and it as a good distraction for me.
as i'm sure i've said before, when i am really busy, i tend to pile extra things on my plate.
totally unnecessary things, like cleaning my closet, organizing drawers, cleaning/organizing our cupboards.
oh, and rearranging my furniture.

-lindsey

family olympics '09

just a sampler of the fun we're having!

-lindsey

ps - check out my sister-in-law's tweets for updates on all the fun!

thankful

i am thankful for having these strewn across the floor to stumble on in the middle of the night as i blindly make my way to a little someone needing "nuggles" from mommy.

what are you thankful for?

-linds

a thankful giveaway

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED!*

i am so thankful to you guys for supporting me, my family, and my business!

what better way to say thanks than with a gift?!
i'm going to give one lucky reader their choice of christmas posy pin sets, just in time for christmas!

these pins are a great alternative to that sequined christmas tree sweater (you know you have one!) and the wooden necklaces with little christmas trees on them.
these say, "merry christmas!", whereas the sweater said,
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!"
how cute would one (or 3!) of these pins look on a simple cream sweater?
or on top of a little gift for a friend?
tucked into a scarf?
or on a beanie even?
so cute, i tell ya!

so how do you win?
tell me your best christmas present EVER!
that's it!
i'll choose a winner just after thanksgiving.

-lindsey

posy headbands

in the shop!

-lindsey

our first place

as i was searching through old pictures for who-knows-what,
i stumbled on these pictures.
this was the first house sean and i bought together.

it was a sweet little duplex just a block and a half from the beach.
i was pregnant with gracie in this house.
i used to walk down the street almost daily and take a nap in the sun on the beach (my theory: tan fat looks better than white fat).

so many memories rush back to me.
this place had been mildly cleaned up on the inside by the previous owners/flippers, but the outside was horrendous.

all you saw when you drove up were the garage doors.
the rest was a jungle mess.
an enormous yucca tree on what seemed to be a mountain.
a chain link fence, entangled with bougainvillea, which my husband now refers to as satan's plant (it's very thorny).
mini palm trees along the walkway that had branches sticking out at eye level.
i kicked those things down before i even first walked into the front door.
so this place was a lobor of love for us.
and i do mean labor.
inside we switched out all the fixtures and completely remodeled the bathrooms.
we repainted, refloored, reroofed, added all new windows and doors.
but outside was such a huge transformation.
it went from the scary place on the street to this.

both our dads helped install the privacy fence along the property line.
we built the swagging fence together.
every. single. picket.

we planted those stinking iceberg roses, which never did well while we lived there, but are taller than the fence now!

the planters on the side of the walkway was filled with hydrangeas, which were kind of smothered in the baby's tear that grew all too well.
the birdbath was from one of our many trips to mexico.
ah, those trips to mexico!
sean traded work for a lady that owned a home in a gated community down there, so we had a great free place to stay a few times a year.

we lived in one unit and fixed it up, and rented out the other unit.
then we moved into the other unit and fixed it up.
come to think of it, most of out marriage we've lived in a house that was under construction!

i know it sounds crazy, but i miss it.
i miss it because we probably won't ever do it again.
we could do it because it was just us.
we didn't have kids yet.
we didn't have to take the saw out of the living room or pick up the nails.
we took showers in a plastic lined shower because we didn't finish the tiles yet.
we hosted a christmas party we had no business hosting in such a teeny place.
it was a different time of life, where responsibility then, and responsibility now and 2 very different things.

ok, sorry for getting all nostalgic on you.
thanks for listening ;)

-lindsey

master bedroom redo, part 4

for part 1 of this series, click here.

for part 2 of this series, click here.
for part 3 of this series, click here.

ok, i need to make a decision!

option a

option b

so what do i do?
i ask the opinion of my closest peeps: mom, joy, and nicole.
they know me the best - my tendencies, my design history, my general likes and dislikes.

so you know, the goldish one is stepping waaaay out of my comfort zone.
i like simple, clean in general.
i like white.

so what did they all say about the 2 beddings?
choose the gold one!
so i go for it!

i take it on and off my bed for a week, just living with it.
i can't decide!
i know it's stepping out of my comfort zone, which can be a really good thing.
and it's pretty.

i added this pillow, just wrapped it in fabric to get some ideas.

but...
after a week or so, i just...
i just didn't love it.
and the whole reason i'm doing this is to find something i love.
now, i know i could just walk into anthro and find something that fits that requirement,
but that's not my reality.
i live in the real world.
not in the i-can-walk-into-anthro-and-buy-anything-i-want world.
i'd like to live there, but i don't.

one of the things i like the least about it is the pillow shams with the comforter.
it's too much.

so i figured i could just use white cases and remake the shams into euro shams.
that was better, but i still wasn't crazy about it.

my biggest problem with it is not so much the comforter itself, but everything else in the room that has to go with it.
and by "go with it" i don't mean match, but just look good in the same room.
with such a bold print i couldn't figure out what i'd do for the lampshades.
and i wanted to add a little something to the drapes, but it was starting to look too matchy matchy.
and the chair i bought needs to be recovered, but in what?
what print goes with that bedding without competing with it?

so i get out the white comforter.

and it's pretty.
the "kissing" pleats are just the right amount of texture, with the cute little buttons.

but it's white.
and really safe.
and not stepping out of my comfort zone at all.

and i cannot get the size right!
sounds silly, but i have a queen size bed, and this pic is with a queen size comforter.
look on the side - its too short.
as soon as you stick 2 (or 5) people in there, there would be no coverage on the edge.
i guess i'm picky about that stuff.

and here's the king size one i had to order online (free shipping).
it seems too long, but would be great to actually sleep with, i think.

i'm still unsettled.
if i were to do this one:


i could do some funky throw on the end, or even a quilt.
i'd funk up the curtains a bunch since the bedding is so safe.
and i'd also do some funky lampshades.
and on the chair i could choose any print i want since it wouldn't be competing with anything else.
i'd definitely do something better to the euro shams.
nicole wants me to replace some of the pics in the window above my bed with fabric, so that's a maybe.

but then again...


this one is pretty, too!
darn decision making.

-lindsey

boutique prep

i've got a boutique tonight!

i love the anticipation of boutiques and shows, the excitement of debuting new products and designs, the hustle of pulling it all together.

bad news: the shop will be closed this afternoon until sometime tomorrow.

good news: when i re-open, the shop will be fully stocked with tonight's leftovers.

i have waaaay more products than i'll need for tonight, but i still am feeling the need to squeak out a couple aprons and more posy headbands. gotta get the kids down for naps and get back at it!

****edited to add: just for clarification - this boutique was not the one i'm hosting in my home! so we're still on for the 3rd!****

-linds

sometimes...

every once in awhile
on a very rare occasion

these 2 can be found enjoying each other's company.

and i'm sure the lollipop had nothing to do with their good attitudes ;)

-lindsey

fallish

we collected these little acorns while on a walk with friends not too long ago.
it was supposed to be fall, but on that day it was about 85 degrees outside!
that's fall on the central coast for you (neener neener neener ;).

we're starting to see a little change in the weather, but now that its starting to feel fallish
i'm ready to ditch my pretty pumpkins
and break open the christmas boxes!
maybe i'm being wise so i'm prepared ahead of time for my upcoming boutique here at the house.
or maybe, in typical lindsey fashion, when i have a full plate, i heap on another (more fun) project.
maybe.

as much as the fall season gets the short end of the stick since christmas tends to butt in,
christmas really only gets just one month.
and really, we spend (well, at least i spend) more on christmas decorations than i ever would on fall.

oh, that reminds me: i'm not going to buy any new christmas decorations this year.
i don't need them.
keep me accountable, ok?

when do you start decorating for christmas?

-lindsey

redecorating shelves

like i mentioned yesterday, i tend to do unnecessary things when i'm already very busy.
it drives sean nuts!
i try to tell him that its just another reason to love me.

on either side of our fireplace are built in shelves.
they were starting to look a little cluttered
so i cleared them off, dusted (!!!!), edited and deleted.
i took out a lot of the tiny knick knacks.

sorry i didn't take before pictures, but these are the afters.
i tried to get each side similar in balance, but not identical.
i also tried to balance the colors.

i'm so happy with the milk glass at the top.
not sure why, but i always felt like i couldn't have serving pieces in the living room.
lame.
i *love* them here!
and besides, the dining room is about 3 feet away.
in the same great room.
silly me.

sometimes i get so stuck in a rut that i forget to try new things.
what have you tried lately?

-lindsey

master bedroom redo, part 3

for master bedroom redo part 1, click here
for master bedroom redo part 2, click here

this is the part where you can help (wink wink).
do you remember that i said i was trying to do this master redo for free?
well here's my strategy:
so far my mom has said she'd buy our bedding for christmas.
so, bedding - check!
next up is my search for lamps.
i asked my friend joy to keep an eye out for me.
i'm looking for those lamps that have a sort of art deco feel, where they look like 5 or 6 clear balls stacked on top of each other. i've seen them all over, but at too high of a price.
but just days after asking joy, she found them! (pics coming soon)
so now i need to pay for them (darn! why can't they be free?).

like i said, this is where you come in.
i have a queen size duvet cover and matching pillow shams that i made about 5 years ago.
it is made mostly of amy butler fabrics.

fabrics that you can't even find a smidge of anywhere.
mixed in with those fabulous prints are fun textures like chenille and terry cloth.
the whole thing it bordered and backed with fabric from rachel ashwell's shabby chic line for target.

the shams are from the same striped fabric.

its in really good shape, with one tiny little stain.
it closes with a great button closure.
one of the things i love about this quilt is that it is soft and muted, but still really colorful.
and it's girly and masculine at the same time.
most of the fabrics are actually reversed, i used the backside instead of the front, to keep it muted and vintage-looking.


this fabric above was what made me fall in love with amy butler's designs.
i believe it was form gypsy caravan (right, nicole?).
i only have a small 4" x 4" scrap left of it that i refuse to use.

so how much am i selling it for?
good question.
ummmm, not sure?
how do you price something like this?
it took me hours and hours to make (it was only my second time piecing squares like this),
and it cost me waaaay more in fabric to make than if i bought something ready made.
but it is exactly what i wanted.
so i'm leaving it up to you.
if you are really interested (a few of you have already contacted me), leave me a comment or send me an email and make an offer.
let's have the bidding start at, say, one meeeellion dollars (any austen powers fans out there?).

also, feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

ciao!
-lindsey