One Room Challenge: Fall 2015 ~ Week 3

 

 

Welcome back to my ORC. You can check in to Week 1 and Week 2 to see how far I have come redecorating our bedroom.

 

 

This week was spent shopping. Always a fun thing. My big focus was looking for a rug.  I thought a vintage Persian or Kilm rug would be just the thing to add movement and color to the room. I love how these type of rugs look in a space.

 

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So I turned to my trusty source, Ebay. Finally after about a week of obsessively looking at the listings, and losing out on one rug that I really wanted, I finally got the perfect rug for the room.

 

 

These are my tips to find a vintage rug on Ebay...

 

Avoid using too many keywords in your search. Sellers use all kind of words to describe things. If you get too specific you could miss out on finding an item. I wanted a rug that was mostly blue. I used that keyword at first, but quickly realized that with these types of rugs, there are so many colors, that most sellers were not even putting much of a visual description in their listings.

 

Select categories instead. First I go to the Antiques category and then selected Rugs and Carpets. I could then further narrow it down by picking the category for the size of rug I was looking for. I then reorganized the listings by resetting sort to list the lowest price first...I am looking for a bargain after all.

 

Read the descriptions. Most sellers are fairly detailed and honest when describing the rugs. They will list the condition of the rug and most of the time it's place of origin. Vintage rugs do not come in a standard 5x7, 8x10, etc. so look at the description for exact measurements, or ask the seller if they are not listed.

 

Look at pictures carefully, but don't completely trust them. I did study the pictures to see what condition the rug was in and to see if I could live with the kind of damage they had. (I was looking at vintage, so I expected the rug to have had a life with a few bruises along the way.) I did realize though that the color was probably not exactly true to life, since that can be easily enhanced. I was right when my bright blue rug from the ebay listing arrived looking a much darker navy...which was what I was hoping and was very happy with.

 

Look early and look often. New listings are added frequently. After a few days of looking, I did start setting the sort to list the most recent listings first. It helped me save time.



After following these tips, the rug I found looks great in the bedroom. So excited to show it to you all during the final reveal...just a few weeks away.


Check out the progress of the other One Room Challenge Guest Participants by going to Calling It Home. 

One Room Challenge: Fall 2015 ~ Week 2

 

 

Welcome back for week 2 of the One Room Challenge. I am joining in with Linda at Calling It Home to make over my master bedroom.

 

I played around with some ideas today, and came up with a plan. Here it is....

 

 

 

Some of the things I already have in the room. I will be keeping the green dressers being used as nightstands and the bed I already have. Also, there is a large wooden dresser I bought at a thrift shop about a year ago. It needs new handles and I am making the decision if I should paint it or leave it as is. Last is the roman shades on the window. Right now they are plain white, but they are just begging for a ribbon trim which can be easily added. Besides for all that, the room is a blank slate.

 

The first thing I need to find is a rug. I am currently scouring Ebay to find an antique Persian rug that will look right in the room, is the right size, and is the right price. Placed at the side of the picture above are some of the rugs I am considering. I need to make a decision soon, or it won't make it here in time.

 

I also wanted to add some nature inspired elements to the room to give it more the feel of the inspiration room I mentioned in week one. I am starting with framed flower prints. I love the image of Emily A Clark's botanical art wall. I am on the hunt for some similar pictures. I am considering framing them and placing them in a grid pattern like she did, or doing something different and hanging the pictures from a rod similar to Jenny's picture rail from Little Green Notebook. Also, I want to do a project with my kids where we create art using sun sensitive paper. I think it will be a meaningful and low cost way to get large artwork on the wall.

 

We also had a window seat built in this room which I am so excited about. I have always wanted one, and I am daydreaming of curling up on it on a lazy afternoon, with sunlight streaming in the window, and a cup of tea and a good book in my hand. But first I need a comfy cushion made with some sort of navy fabric. Of course the big question is do I try to sew it myself (what I have pinned on Pinterest doesn't make it seem to hard) or do I just pay someone. Budget vs time will probably make that decision.

 

There is one thing that will most likely not get finished. I really want the baseboards and doors painted white (currently they are a dark stained wood). Now I hate painting trim as I learned when I did it during the Fall 2014 ORC. For my sanities sake, it is worth it to me to pay a lovely painter to do that. I am not sure if I can get someone here in time to do all the painting, so I am just going to accept now that the room might not be completely done in week six. But it will be much better than it is now...

 

Be sure to stop by some of my other fellow guest participants taking part in the One Room Challenge.

 

 

 

One Room Challenge: Fall 2015 ~ Week 1

 

 

It's that time again when many of us in blog-land join in with Linda of Calling It Home to take on the challenge of redoing one room in six weeks. I will be popping back in each Thursday with my progress. This is not my first trip to this rodeo (you can see my past ORC rooms by clicking here), but I only decided about 5 minutes ago to throw my hat in the ring again. Our master bedroom needs to get put together, and I know the only way I will stop waffling on what to do and make some decisions is if I have a deadline. The One Room Challenge will definitely give me that.

 

 

I am thinking of keeping the room mostly navy with a touch of green. I was really inspired by this room designed by Lauren Liess.

 



 

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I loved the different color combinations, textures and uses of nature inspired fabrics. The room has the same kind of feel I hope to replicate in my bedroom.

 

 

I will be back next week with my plans for the room...

 

 

Be sure to check out the other guest participants for the One Room Challenge.

Keep a Few Things

 

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Yesterday I talked about how I cleaned out my closet. The big thing I couldn't part with were my prom dresses. Are they in style?...probably not. Will I have a time to wear them again?...most likely not. Do I even fit in them?...definitely not. But I just couldn't let them go.

When I look at my dresses I wore all those years ago, so many memories come up. My mother and I would take a whole day going to the fancy dress stores in town. We would both have to agree on a dress...because for me, I would be wearing it, and for her, she was paying for it. After many false starts and a few disagreements, the perfect dress would be found. Of course, then the anticipation of the big day would begin, and the planning among my friends would start. There would be so much talk and fun between me and my friends as we got ready for the big day. Eventually, the night of prom would arrive and each event would be filled with the highs and lows and dramas that only can occur in high school.

It is funny how a little bit of fabric can have so much memories woven into it's seams.

They are only taking up four and three-quarters inches of space (yes I measured). In my head, I know I should let them go, or take a pictures, or donate them to a good cause, or one of the other many things that professional organizers tell you to do. But for now, even though I no longer wear my prom dresses, they will stay in my closet.

Do you have a piece of clothing you just can not ever see yourself getting rid of?

To see the rest of the 31 Days posts, click here.

Clear Out the Closet

 

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So with most of my new projects, I begin with first getting rid of the old. If I was going to edit my clothes down to those that are truly my style, I needed to make room for them in my closet.

And so began the long process of eliminating things. (Yes, I read that book.)

The goal here at the beginning was just to get rid of the clothes that I knew for a fact I was never going to wear or no longer fit. I had to admit I was pretty ruthless. I felt like I had these ladies in the room helping me decide what to keep, and what to throw away.

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If I waffled on if I should keep an item, I admit I sided towards putting it back on the rack. This will be an evolving process, and I am seeing another closet tidying will probably be necessary once I further define my style. This is only day 2, and we have a ways to go.

 

At the end of this closet clean out, there is a pile of clothes on the floor ready to donate, and space in the closet, so I am going to consider this day a success!


To see the rest of the 31 Days posts, click here.

 

Find My Style in 31 Days

 

I am excited to be joining this year's 31 Days. It's a writing challenge where you pick one topic and discuss it each day for the month of October. Thanks for joining with me, as I talk endlessly thoughtfully about one subject.

For those of you who are new to my blog, welcome. In my blog, I always talk about small changes I make in my life. Because while I have a good life, there is always room for improvement. So of course, when I decided that I wanted to be a part of 31 Days I knew my topic needed to be of some benefit to me and my life. I thought a lot about what I wanted to do for the month of October, and finally decided that I should tackle a project I wanted to do for awhile now, and that is better define my fashion style. If I know my style, I envision picking out clothes to be much more efficient, and no matter which clothes in my closet I put on, I would feel happy and put together. I want dressing in the morning to be an easy task. I no longer want to feel like I am just a big cliché since I "never have anything to wear." So I am going to spend this month deciding what I really want in my closet, and what clothes will make me feel my best...and of course writing about it.

We will see what I look like by November...

And I wouldn't be me if I didn't make out a list of things to tackle for each day. (Click on the links below to see each day's post.)

31 Days to Find My Style ~ To-do List:

Pick a topic and get Started

Clear Out the Closet

Keep a Few Things