The Master Bedroom

Today's task was to tidy up the master bedroom.

Not much has happened in here recently, except that we have hung curtains, and we purchased a new four poster bed from Kijiji. It was $100, and was already painted white. I actually would have preferred it to be unpainted, but I wasn't having any luck finding an antique frame in a queen size.

I'm still on the hunt for a night table. I have one that would work as a night table, but it's too large for this space. 

In need of some time out of the house, Hudson and I ventured to the grocery store today and picked up all of the Spring bulbs that they had. The Hyacinths were three bunches for $10!

We also picked up a chocolate croissant for with coffee. It was a much needed treat.

I put a few bunches on our night table. They will make the whole room smell beautiful.

The curtain panels were $29 from Ikea, and the rods were 20% off $14.99 at Target. We tried out the curtain hanging tip from Miss Mustard Seed, where you use a template and just switch it back and forth for each side of the window. It worked quite well.

I also picked up a few more pots of bulbs as my others were finished.

Daffodils are always so cheery.

And I always enjoy the look of Muscari.

And I managed to get a photo of this cheerful looking Cardinal. She's so fluffy and was chirping happily the entire time in the Lilac bushes outside of our bedroom window.

Freshening Up Our Bay Window

I've been taking full advantage of the bright sun these past couple of days by freshening up the paint in the living room. This is the room I'm currently working on in my efforts to make my way through my whole house, finishing projects up and getting everything ready for spring.

This lovely bay window is one of my biggest frustrations in my house. I love the light it lets into the room, and it probably makes the room feel slightly larger than what it is, but when it was installed by previous owners, and a front entrance was added, it really diminished the layout options for the room.

First, it's completely off to one side. This means that I can't put a couch or pair of chairs in front of it. And even when the love seat is on the far wall, it's still partly in front of the window. The problem is, due to it's size, and proximity to the front entrance closet, it wasn't possible for it to be moved more to the middle of the room. It had to be all the way to one side.

Despite all of that, it's part of my living room, and I won't be changing it any time in the near future. I've simply had to come to terms with all of this, and see it as a challenge that I need to work around.

But back to paint. First, curtain rod holders needed to be taken down. Hudson actually pulled one end out of the wall a while ago while swinging on a curtain panel from the couch to the floor. I don't even know how long this small task has been on my list, but it's been too long. Next, I needed to repaint all of the trim and sills to freshen them up. It's been three years since I've painted this room and it desperately needs to be touched up. Actually, it's beyond touch up... I just needs to be repainted. Our windows aren't new, but they're not ancient. They're easy to clean, and they're decent looking vinyl windows. That is, decent from a distance. When you actually look closely at them, they are disgusting.

I told you. I didn't even want to show this! I hope you appreciate my transparency here. Now, here's the thing - I clean my windows. Not as often as I should maybe, but I clean them. However, no matter how many times I took to them with soap and water, these ugly stains and spots just didn't come off. I thought they were some sort of glue that stuck to the vinyl and then dirtied over the years, and that the actual vinyl was just discolouring over time. One night however, while removing my nail polish, I had a brilliant idea. What if I used nail polish remover to get whatever it was off?

You can imagine how ecstatic I was to see what a difference it made! Above, you can see where I started and the difference. My excitement lasted for about 5 minutes, and then the amount of work I had ahead of me dawned on me, and suddenly I wasn't quite as ecstatic. It took my nearly an hour, and a great deal of elbow grease, to clean this one window. And now I have to do the same to all of my other windows...

They still aren't perfect, but it made a huge difference. They instantly felt newer, and it really helped make the whole room feel more clean.

I used q-tips to clean all of the corners and crevices that I couldn't reach with my rag.

 

Here you can see the hardware and how dirty they are. In the summer and fall, these windows are constantly open.

I'm not going to lie, at this point I felt a bit like Martha Stewart.

It couldn't get every little bit out, but it made an unbelievable difference.

The latches to open them were also disgusting.

A few minutes later and they were beautiful!

Next the trim and sills were washed down, and while they dried, I filled in all of the holes and spots that needed to be filled in.

You can see here just how bad the trim is in some spots. It's one of those things that when you get up close to it, it's kind of scary.

But what a difference a fresh coat of paint makes. Everything just feels so much more finished and clean. You'll have to wait to see it though until the rest of the room is finished.

A New Painting and Our Master Bedroom

 

I finally received a purchase in the mail the other day.

 

Rather, finally bundled the boys, braved the cold, climbed in a frigid car and went to pick up the post that had been waiting for quite some time.

 

Luckily the post man knows me quite well and is very understanding.

 

I purchased this beautiful little antique watercolour painting from Giorgios Alexandridis' shop Retro-Deco Shop on Etsy. It came all the way from Greece.

 

I think it's so charming. It's very small, and fits the corner space between a window and closet in our master bedroom perfectly. It's a painting of a simple, little white house near a lake at sunset.

 

It's the perfect addition to my collection. I also loved the gesso frame. It compliments our mirror and stands out beautifully on the white walls.

 

 

 

 

I can't actually read the back with the exception of the date 1967.

 

 

I realized I've never really shown our bedroom. It's very simple.

When we bought the house it was red. Like red, red. I lived with it for 2 years before painting it. There were more important painting projects for me to do before I could get to this room.

 

It was a wonderful day when the red was gone.

 

Ryan had purchased this bedroom set before we were married and though I would love a beautiful antique bed frame, this one is in perfectly good condition. It's nice and high and is quite comfortable. I have a habit of mentioning how much I love my bed before I fall asleep, particularly after a long day.

The window to the right of this picture faces the woods in the back, and the window to the left, on the side wall faces our neighbors. Their house is white and there are no windows on that side of the house so it isn't so bad. Plus, in the Spring, that entire side of the house is mature Lilac bushes in bloom, smelling beautifully, and full of chirping birds. It was actually a selling feature of the house for us! They were in bloom when we toured the house and the owner had the window open. We just kept saying how wonderful it would be to wake up to birds chirping and the smell of lilacs right outside your window.

 

I recently purchased these white Euro covers for $1.47 at the Superstore! It's the only place that you can pick up pillow covers and groceries at the same time.

 

The wreath was something I picked up at Christmas from Vermeers (a local garden center) for $14.

 

I also found this little clock radio for $4.99. I'm still on the look out for an antique clock for on our night stand, as well as an antique light fixture, but I just haven't found anything I love yet. In the mean time, these are functional and simple.

 

Fresh Hydrangeas are lovely to wake up to. The whole room smell like Spring.

 

And then there's this beautiful little baby boy who snuggled so peacefully while I snapped some pictures. It's a nice change of pace as he's really grown up a lot in this past week! He's managed to start crawling, has got his third tooth in (top front) and can balance himself to sit up and play and then fall over softly.

An Updated Living and Dining Room

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

I wanted to share a few quick updates I've been working on in our living and dining room. They are nearly complete, there are just a few more details still needing to be finished.

First of all, I switched out our old loveseats for this loveseat and chair set that had previously been in our basement. It's the classic slip-covered Ikea sofa set. It's white, it's durable, and it looks a little more polished than the covered loveseats did. The old ones may furnish this room again one day, when I've had the chance to get them professionally refinished, but for now, this set is clean and simple - just what I was looking for.

Having sold my old trunk, I needed a replacement coffee table fast. For now, the matching poof works perfectly with a simple white tray on top.

The piano switched walls and I finally hung some artwork. I found this pair of portraits from Tattered and Torn and am happy to have found a home for them. It should be clear that I have absolutely no artwork in my house. This is something that I've always wanted to change. My husband and I both love artwork, and can appreciate good art. However, I have a very specific idea of what I love, and I've never been able to find myself something that matches that close enough. I love old landscapes and ornate frames, but we both find ourselves drawn to old, dark portraits. These two really did work perfectly. Maybe one day I will find two matching frames for them...

Space is quite limited in our living room, but we also have a large family room in our basement that houses our entertainment systems and has a cozy fireplace. I just wanted something simple and put together for our main floor. To me, this room is nice enough for a more formal sitting room, but

is still livable and inviting.

Opposite the loveseat is our armchair. This is my chair - the place where I enjoy my morning coffee and devotional, the place where I knit or read, and the place where Willen and I like to snuggle with our books before bed.

In our dining room, I got a replaced our old white pedestal table with a new one. It's slightly higher, but more narrow than the previous one, so it fits this space better. I also borrowed four wicker chairs from my sister in law. She wasn't using them... I wanted to buy the same ones new... so here they are!  I love my sister in law.

The wicker warms this previously very white space up a great deal (though you can't tell from these dark photos... it's so dreary outside and I'm lacking natural light, but it's been rainging forever!).

And finally, the last of my Limelights. The rest have all turned their dusty rose with the cold weather.



All Things Bright and Beautiful

[All Photos - Country Living]

I know that Monday mornings can tend to be looked down upon, as they, for most people, signal the end of a relaxing weekend, and the beginning of a busy work week.

For me however, this particular Monday has brought with it a sense of expectancy and a desire for order.

I was browsing through these few images this morning and I couldn't help but find the motivation I needed to pick up my cleaning bucket, and spend the day puttering around our house, "fluffing our nest" as so many other bloggers so cleverly put it. Each room is bright and beautiful and clean - just what I'm craving this morning.

I hope you find a sense of joy in a bright new week, brimming with possibilities and excitement.

Happy Monday girls. Isn't it a great day today?

Inspirations - White Living

[All Photos from Australian Country Style - White Living]

This article has been my greatest source of inspiration this spring.

I cannot get enough of this gorgeous home.

Happy Monday girls.