When our friends bought their cottage a few years ago, they had decorated it with items picked up here and there, stuff out of her dad's storage unit, etc.. Time passed, and after getting a feel for their cottage, what they do there, looking through magazines, visiting cottage shows, etc., Julie had decided what theme she's like to go with and how she'd like to do her cottage. One time, while we were sitting out on it's deck, she shared that she'd decided to let me handle the re-do of the guest bedroom.
I was both honored and THRILLED! I LOVE decorating!!! She gave me 'X' amount of dollars towards the project and I started spouting off ideas. She asked if I wanted to paint the room. I shrugged and said I didn't know. We decided that I was to take my time with the project, thus being able to scout for "finds". What fun I had doing just exactly that!
Time passed. One day, as we were again sitting on her deck, this time discussing some of the treasures I'd found, she again asked if I was going to paint the room. "That's the second time you've asked me that, I take it you want me to paint the room?" "I've hated what they did with that room since the first time we walked through this cottage!!!"
You know how when you have an overall idea for something, there is always a big gamble involved with how close to your concept the finished thing will actually turn out? It's that way with cooking, baking, customizing cars, sewing, crocheting, and decorating, among-st many other things. I am so-o-o happy to report that the bedroom turned out exactly as I had envisioned!!! I wanted to create a 'cozy cottage themed bedroom', incorporate some of the colors she'd chosen for her decorating, as well as some of the wood tones from the cottage itself, and some relaxing and encouraging touches.
I so-o wanted a particular type of bed frame. I looked and I looked and I looked.... had started debating if I should change my goal, when it showed up while we were out shopping together. I was ecstatic!! Another shopper was quite befuddled why I would want
that bed frame. I explained the theme I was going for. With quite the expression on her face, she questioned if I was going to strip and redo it then. "Nope, I'll just get a dark brown colored paint and paint very thin lines between each of the balls, which will change the whole appearance and make the whole frame really "pop". She wasn't convinced, but another shopper whom had been listening in, exclaimed that was a brilliant idea.
Before -
After - (I had brought along several small sized (even kid type) paint brushes... ended up wiping each one off and using a tooth pick... yes, a tooth pick.
I wanted several wood shelves... but had troubles finding enough that weren't painted over or that fit the size and styles I wanted.... so I ended up picking up a couple which had been painted over and painting over them again.
Before -
After - (besides just paining the shelf, I also painted thin lines to make the trim part "pop".)
(reminder, you can click on picture to see them larger / clearer)
Julie had wanted the room repainted for two reasons. One, was how poorly of a job they had done applying the white paint, the other was how bad the corners of the room looked.
Before -
After - (It had taken Brian quite a bit of time and effort, applying filler/spackle.. wait for it to dry, add another layer.... but once the two coats of paint were applied and dried, it showed how worth it his efforts had been!!! )
This is what catches your eye when you first open the door -
Close up of the frame - (At first I had printed off what we had come up with... didn't like the effect hanging in the room, so re-did it using colored pencils)
[Reminder - you can click on pictures to see them clearer/closer up]
Close up of the little shelf - (the gate is bolted to the frame seeings how it sits above where they sit up the port-a-crib ;->)
This is what you see when you look down upon entering the room -
The wicker hamper holds sheets and blankets for the port-a-crib and works as a night stand. The rug feels good on your feet in the morning.
Placed four (4) pillows on the bed, 'soft', 'medium', 'firm' and 'extra firm'. It's a guest room, thus it's used by lots of different people. Marked the pillows so it's easy to figure out which one you might prefer (also cut off all of those huge annoying tags they come with) -
I was again ecstatic when I stumbled across the quilt. It had the blue and white with touches of red of Julie's main theme, it totally fit the "cozy cottage" style I was going for, and the price was perfect!!
Julie had thought I should make one of my wreaths for the room, I was again honored. It hangs above the bed -
(PLEASE click on the above picture to see it clearer/better)
A larger sized wicker hamper is the night stand on the other side of the bed. Brian made the lamp for me out of a large Ball canning jar. Picked up the shade at Menard's. Plan to fill the jar with acorns out of the yard this fall. The jar didn't like to sit balanced on the hamper, so found the solution in this wooden board from a mission store. It had a wire attachment on it that Brian said had been used for .. unscrewed the screws, the ring came right off, turned it over, and wa-la, love the look! The book under the tissues is a four version Bible. There is also a blue rug on the floor on that side of the bed.
While this picture is included above, here is what is above the bed in that corner of the room -
The candle on the side wall is a battery operated one.
The wicker look container on the bottom shelf holds hand lotion.
The second shelf up holds favorite books from my youth. Books that would now be easy to read through on a rainy weekend. From right to left - 'Farmer Boy', 'The Boxcar Children', 'Little Men', 'Little Women', 'Ann
e of Green Gables', 'Heidi', 'Pippi Longstocking', 'The Trumpet Swan' and a Hymn Book (because old hymns can ease a down spirit wonderfully!) Found all but the Hymn Book via
Abe books on line.
The wicker look trunk on the top shelf is currently full of whatever your imagination deems to be in there... ;-]
The wall on the bathroom side of the room had not gone all of the way to the ceiling. It does now.
Brian also replaced the outlets and the outlet covers in the room.
The other outside wall of the room -
If you pull the curtains tight to both ends, your get the black out effect. Seeings how it's a east facing room, that's a bonus when you have young ones in the port-a-crib! (the little white nob hanging down in the picture is connected to the ceiling fan/light)
Close up of the two (2) quotes (also made using colored pencils) -
Julie had picked up the frames the quotes are in... we had both really liked the frames... here is what they looked like before -
The mirror is actually a gold colored plastic framed mirror, sanded down and painted with some of Kayla's 'shiny bronze' finger nail polish. Then inserted into a picture frame after the picture had been removed and the frame had been painted and fine lined.
Julie, THANK-YOU for allowing me the privilege of re-doing your guest room for you! I had so-o much fun doing the 'hunt' for the re-do and 'planning' everything. :-D !
Brian, thank-you so-o-o much for all of your labor in helping me actually re-do the room! ;-} !
