Wall Transformation

There are many eyesores in our house that we are slowly trying to improve. One of the worst culprits was this wall smack in the middle of our house. The builders has the brilliant idea of placing the thermostat, the humidifier, and the doorbell right in the middle of the wall. Not to mention, no one in Maryland needs a humidifier!

Anyway here is how it looked before. Attractive huh?

So we had an electrician come out to remove the humidifier and the thermostat. We moved the doorbell and upgraded to a digital thermostat.

See it already looks better. Sorry for the poor light. One of the perils of nighttime home improvement.

Then my husband made these super cute shelves for me since we don't have a mantel and I really needed a focal point to decorate. Doesn't it look much better? The only problem is, I am having some real issues decorating it. I have tons of ideas for Christmas and I can't wait to come up with something then, but I am struggling at the moment. Here is what I have so far...

I am thinking a bookpage wreath, which is what all the little paper rosettes are for on the shelf. Any ideas? Please fee free to link back to any ideas you may have. What are your trouble areas in your house?

Postage Stamp aka Front Yard Update

John and I had kind of a weird yard. First, we live in Maryland so our yard is teeny tiny. Second, once upon a time there was a tree smack dab in the middle of our yard that died that had to be cut down and an unsightly stump remained. Third, there was a big pipe that ran down the side yard and had to be replaced so the grass never grew the same.

Eventually these things started to drive us crazy and we decided to do a mini update on the yard.

We ripped up the mulch that was to the left of the walkway. We also ripped out all of the current bushes and plants. 

Then we filled in the holes and covered everything with new soil because the old was pretty rocky and terrible. 

These two bushes just weren't working. They only bloomed for a very short period of time and just looked scrawny. 

Next, we laid sod to the left of the walkway. I think it was an immediate improvement. 

Oops, we didn't buy enough!

As soon as the hurricane leaves town I'll give you an after picture! Stay tuned!

Plan for Revamping the Nook

My next step in redsigning this little space is to come up with a list of to-do's for myself. Obviously this will change as I move foward, but this seems like a good starting point.

1. Remove everthing from the wall.

2. Patch the holes left from the nails and repaint wall.

3. Paint the baseboards in that area.

4. Order wall stencils

5. Get paint for stencils

6. Map out pattern

7. Tape off area

8. Stencil

9. Search for antique window

Help My Home

Here is the picture of the first space in my house that needs help. There is this little nook near our front door that needs something. I threw this frame I made with some hooks thinking it would be cute. I actually think it is ok, but there are a few problems:

1. The black doesn't go with the rest of the furniture or decor

2. I hate having stuff hung there because it seems cluttered.

3. The shape is really shallow so it needs to look cute, but I can't really think of an actual function.

So I need some ideas. Right now I am thinking some wall stencils like the photo below.

Then layer it with an antique window that has a wreath hanging on it like way it's hung on the mirrow below.

But I think I would hang the wreath with a ribbon. Maybe navy?

What are your ideas?

Craft Room Reveal

After a ridiculously long time, several camera issues, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears here is my craft room!