French Farmhouse Living Room Reveal

As promised I am ready to do a reveal. No, not the kitchen but I promise it is coming very soon. Today I am going to show y'all our living room transformation. If you follow me on FaceBook you know what a time I had taking pictures of the space. I had over 400 pics downloaded and the computer ate every last one of them and erased them from my camera so I had to hurry and take pics all over again before I lost my light. I guess that is how it goes in the life of a blogger!;)

This is what our living room transformed into over the last four years. We started with builder grade everything to include carpet. The walls were the first thing I changed after we moved in. They were Sherwin Williams Whole Wheat. It is a lovely color but it made the space very dark and I was ready to lighten and brighten.

Welcome to our new living room! 

Still adding to the gallery wall.

My mama bought me this lovely lady for my birthday back in the spring. FaceBook followers have seen her transformed from a mustard yellow to a lady of royalty. Her crown is made from a paper cupcake holder!:)

I still have to hang our smocked burlap curtains but since that involves cutting down metal rods and will take awhile I figured I can just share the curtains in another post. 

Wall Color- Classic Khaki Olympic One. This paint truly covered in just one coat!

Tufted Chair- Home Goods but you can also order off of Overstock.com

Ottoman- Made in Build Your Own Ottoman Class Metamorphosis Designs

Coffee Table- Overstock.com

Rug- Overstock.com

Mora Clock- from local shop Laurie's

Couch- Flexsteel purchased locally from Furniture Traditions

Fireplace- Painted four years ago with latex paint and glaze. Paint color I used was Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams. I do not remember what color glaze I used.

Thank you for stopping by!

Linking up to the following linky parties:
Be Inspired Friday
Party Junk
Remodelaholic
Metamorphosis Monday
Amaze Me Monday
The Scoop
Tuesday Treasures
Wow Us Wednesday

Treasure Hunt Thursday #124 & Highlights

This past week has just zoomed on by!  I have been busy putting the finishing touches up on a few reveals. Can't wait to share but
till then let's party!

Here are my top picks from last weeks THT.

Treasure Hunt Thursday Most Viewed Links

Here are the most viewed links from last weeks Treasure Hunt Thursday!

1. Miss Grace Filled Life- How To Find Inspiration

2. Common Ground- Fall Vignettes

3.Eclectic Red Barn- Burlap Covered Vases

Thanx ladies for coming to the party last week!
See everybody back here later today at 4 p.m. for Treasure Hunt Thursday #125

A Pillow & A Vignette

Debra over at Common Ground just celebrated her 4 year Blogging Anniversary. In honor of it she hosted a giveaway with a pillow cover from Elliot-Heath Designs.

I was thrilled when Debra emailed me to tell me I had won! Elliot- Heath Designs has sooo many beautiful pillow covers that it was hard to choose. I was torn between a Christmas pillow cover and this here sheep cover. As you can see the sheep won out. Oldest & Littliest voted sheep because I can use it all year long and not just once a year. Smart boys!;)

I have been busy trying to accessorize the living room and kitchen for their reveals so the pillow cover came in quite handy. I was needing a pillow for this chair and it is perfect there. Thanx Debra!

Here is a little vignette I created in the kitchen. 

I am loving this little farm picture I hung with Command Strips. I was not sure they were going to work on our travertine tile back splash but they do.

I still have a few things to finish up before the reveals but they are coming soon!

Partying at the following places:
Amaze Me Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
The Scoop
Tuesdays Treasures
Wow Us Wednesdays

How I Found My Style Sundays- Peeking Thru The Sunflowers

Hi I am  Des from the blog Peeking Thru The Sunflowers. I am so excited and honored that Pamela invited me to share with all of you today!

I have always had a love for interior design and old houses…even as a child!  So, I feel very fortunate to be able to live in an old house built in 1870 and be able to decorate it any way I want until my little heart is content.

Most people are surprised to learn I really like color even though the color scheme in my house is mostly greys and whites. For many years I decorated with bold colors and was constantly changing things because I got tired of the colors very quickly. I still change things around frequently but with a neutral palate it is usually only accessories now. I  guess I would describe my style as French  with some cottage and rustic touches thrown in and a little elegance sprinkled around to top it off. 

My style has really evolved over the years….when we first got married we couldn’t afford much so I furnished our home with garage sale finds. Then one day we went to an estate sale just out of curiosity and down in the basement was an old treadle sewing machine made out of cherry wood. We hauled it up the stairs and took it home and refinished it and that was when I became really smitten with antiques. I loved that the pieces were previously loved and had a story! I really found my true love though when I wandered into a store about fifteen years ago that sold imported European antiques. The dark oak finish made my heart skip a beat and I loved the mellow glow the pieces had from being waxed. No one else had anything like those pieces and I was instantly hooked!

I really love old books…..but not just any old books! Since we live in an old schoolhouse I collect old school books. It is so much fun to see all the little scribbles inside them.

White ironstone is another thing I collect, I have it displayed in pretty much every room of the house. Platters seem to be my weakness……I think I have something like over fifty now?!?!?!

I have lots of treasures in my home that mean a lot to me for different reasons. One of those treasures is this armoire I found on Craig’s List. It is made out of teak wood and was originally stained before I painted it grey. Also, the old rocking horse on top of the armoire is special to me too……it was a find at a New Year’s Day auction about twenty years ago.

My best decorating tip is to always buy what you love and you can’t  go wrong. I also like to incorporate new pieces and antiques together so that a room looks like it has evolved over time and is not too contrived. I also use things with texture such as baskets and architectural elements with chippy paint.

Paint is also a great tool and can change the entire look of a room or piece of furniture for very little money. This bench in our master bedroom is a good example of this. When the bench arrived the finish was nothing like what it looked like on the website.  With a couple coats of paint and a little time I was able to achieve a completely different look for only a few dollars.

When I was a child my mother insisted I take home economics because every good housewife needs to be able to cook and sew for her husband….she was a little old school.  Ironically enough my mother liked to do neither one of those things and while cooking has never really appealed to me I do like to sew. I took sewing all thru high school and made lots of really tacky clothes that I wouldn’t dream of wearing out in public. However that skill has really paid off because I make a lot of window treatments,slipcovers, and pillows for our home now. Thanks Mom!

Thank you so much Pamela for having me!

I hope you will stop by my blog and say hello.

Have a Happy Sunday!

Thank you so much Des for sharing your beautiful home with us. You have been such an inspiration for me and the reason I redid our dining room table. I just love stopping by and seeing what you are up to next.