The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{home} Getting Ready to Sell: Picking Paint Colors

So today’s post is about updating rooms with paint.  I seem to come across this tip all the time!  Paint freshens things up, makes spaces feel current and clean, and is a relatively cheap upgrade.  In our home, we are focusing on three areas: the master bathroom, the kitchen, and the trimwork…all are in need of a little “refreshment”.

I’m sticking to mostly neutrals, and can I just say that picking a white is HARD!  So many undertones!  I’ve been staring at these sample charts all week and I think I’ve made my decision, but no promises until I get to the paint counter 🙂  

Do you have a favorite neutral color for the kitchen or bathroom?  Have a go-to white for trim?  Please share in the comments…you just may make my life a whole lot easier!  Have a good weekend, friends!    

{home} Getting Ready to Sell: A Mini Bathroom Update

The master bathroom in my house has much to be desired, at least compared to a lot of other homes.  We don’t have the separate tub and walk-in shower, double sinks or lots of storage space.  Instead, our bathroom is small and functional, with builder’s grade everything and little pizzazz.  Master bathroom = boring.  

Now that we are preparing to put the house on the market, I wanted to add some interest to this room.  So while it may be on the small side, a potential buyer would walk in and say “Wow!” instead.  

Step one: replace the shower rod and curtain.  I am a bad blogger and neglected to get a “before” picture, but imagine an old silver rod and a seen-better-days shower curtain from our newlywed days (almost 7 years ago).  A quick trip to Target and this is what we have now:

We purchased a curved shower curtain in oil-rubbed bronze (similar to this) and a white waffle-patterned shower curtain.  I love the change!  It’s a great start, but can you see my problem now?  The shower curtain is “true white”, which makes the builder’s grade white wall paint look…dingy.  Like not white.  So paint is definitely on the to-do list for this room, along with:

   
I also want to get new towel rods in oil-rubbed bronze and some crisp, white towels.  Hopefully these changes (while staying in a $200 or less budget) will have a big impact!  What are your tips for staging a bathroom?  What do you look for in a master bath when you are house hunting?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments!

{home} Getting Ready to Sell: How to Survive a Hardwood Floor Installation

I have had “hardwood floors” on my home improvement list practically since the day we moved in.  But like most of you, money doesn’t grow on trees here…bummer.  So we started a meager home improvement fund and put a little money aside when we could.  Five years and a lot of patience later, the day has come! 

BEFORE THE INSTALLATION
The weekend before the installers were to arrive, we moved all of our furniture and toys out of the living and dining rooms.  Stupidly, I thought this would be a simple, maybe even quick process. Um…WRONG!  It quickly turned into a real life version of Tetris.  But we prevailed and the rooms were cleared:

Side story on the unsightly blue stain on the carpet: Way back in December, my cousin was visiting and we updated my bedroom.  After a late night paint party, we left the can, which was 3/4 full, downstairs in the dining room.  Fast forward to the next morning: one of my sweet cherubs tipped the can over (with a lid not on as tightly as we thought!) and dumped paint in a lovely circular pattern onto the carpet!  After a lengthy interrogation with the big boys, we determined a sweet 12-month-old did the crime.  At that point, you just had to laugh.  Needless to say, that lovely stain has been “hidden” under a towel for the past six months.  Keepin’ it real! 🙂

So back to the pre-installation prepwork.  With two empty rooms, you may wonder where all of that furniture was stored.  Exhibit A:

    
Fortunately, we had an amazing company work for us.  The…hmm, what do you call him?  A carpenter? Floor guy?  Anyway, Cesar (that was his name) was super fast, but thorough and detail-oriented.  He had the carpet ripped out and the new floor down in a day and a half, for which I was forever grateful.  Having my three kids stuck in two bedrooms for eight hours was tough!

This is the flooring we picked: Bruce Engineered Hardwood in Gunstock Oak. 

AFTER INSTALLATION
And now the after pictures.  I still need to work on the mantle and find a suitable coffee table, but for now, we’ll call it done!

{home} Getting Ready to Sell: Progress on the Dining Room

Today I’m starting a new series on the Big White Farmhouse: Getting Your House Ready to Sell!  
As much as we adore our sweet little home, the time has come to get it ready to put on the market.  One of the big changes I’ve been referring to lately is that my husband got a new job.  An awesomely great job that he deserves.  But like every awesome thing, it doesn’t come without challenges.  And one of those challenges is moving in this horribly awful housing market.  Perfect timing, right?
With Baby #4 in utero until October, we have decided to wait until the end of 2012/beginning of 2013 to put the house on the market.  So that gives me 6ish months to whip this house into selling shape!  
Now let me be the first to tell you that I have absolutely no qualifications when it comes to house selling and I don’t really know what I’m talking about.  But I do look at a lot of pretty homes in magazines and on Pinterest and I do love to research, so I’m hoping we can all learn together!  
So today: the dining room.  Before I painted last weekend, this is what it looked like:
A whole lotta red.  My husband loved it, I tolerated it.  But we all know Rule #1 in the Home Selling Handbook is “paint neutral colors” so the red had to go.  I used YOLO Colorhouse Paint in Stone .02 that I ordered through Amazon.  A couple hours later, and we had this: 

HUGE difference.  The room instantly felt taller and larger.  But I’m not done yet!  Check out what’s left on my to-do list:

I’ll be back soon with updates!  Until then, what about you?  Have any tips for staging a dining room? 

P.S. Don’t mind the fact that one of my sweet innocent children broke one of the drawers off my antique dresser/sideboard.  Jury’s still out whether I can fix it.
P.P.S. That sweet innocent child is hiding under the table.  Can you see him?

{home} Home Goals 2012

Do you read the Nester?  Today she’s talking about home goals for the new year and I thought I would play along.  Here are a few of the things we hope to accomplish in 2012:



 1. Finish up the living room.

Our living room is one of the first rooms you see when you walk in our home.  My goal is for this room to yell, “Welcome!  We’re so glad you’re here.  Come sit and visit for awhile.”  Does that make sense?  I think I can accomplish that really inexpensively with a few fun accessories: pillows, a few frames with pictures of the boys, fresh flowers…that sort of thing.  I also have an empty wall that needs a little something…I’ve had my eye on this sign. 

Guess it’s time to check back in on my to-do list from last summer…gotta love blogging for keeping all of your ideas catalogued and ready to retreive!

2. Update a few things in the kitchen.
We have slowly been working on our kitchen.  SLOWLY.  So far, we’ve changed out the appliances and countertops and added a butcher block island.  This year, I hope to paint the walls, replace the lighting (goodbye brass!), and decide whether or not I want to paint our cabinets white.  An inspiration picture:

{via}

3. Plant a little container garden on the back deck.
Last year, we tried this and came up with black thumbs!  Within weeks, our poor plants had fried in the hot sun!  This year, we are determined to redeem ourselves. 
An inspiration picture:



4. Declutter and organize.
I’ve got my action plan in place and have already filled two bags for Goodwill.  Read this post if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the kids’ toys.  I literally read her post, closed the laptop and spent the next hour working through the toys in our living room.  A lot of work, but so worth it. 

More importantly than the physical improvements, my biggest goal for 2012 is to create a fun and yet peaceful home for my husband and children.  I want my home to feel warm and inviting for the guests that come through that front door.  And if that’s all I accomplish, I’ll consider this year a success!

Check out the Nester’s link-up for more inspiring home goals!

{home} A Year of Decluttering

One of the goals I forgot to add to my list was to declutter my home.  Room by room, closet by closet, I want to take out the unused/extras and get organized!  In years past, I’ve tried, but for one reason or another, well….it just didn’t happen.  I have a bad habit of starting out strong, but losing steam and getting frustrated or overwhelmed.  

I was super excited to find this website when perusing Pinterest one evening!  I immediately printed her 2012 Declutter Calendar and can’t wait to start.  It’s not overwhelming (just one task to do each day) and will take me through my whole house in one year.  That’s that kind of pace I can handle! 🙂   

{home} Master Bedroom Revealed!

If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, you know that I have had a master bedroom makeover in the works for a while now.  I’ve made inspiration boards, worked on two different projects for the gallery wall…I even made it an official “to do” on my 27th Year List.
So when my cousin decided to fly down to celebrate baby J’s birthday this past weekend, I knew the timing was right.  We had amazing luck at Homegoods and Lowes, finding great pieces at really great prices!  And in 48 hours, we were able to transform my room from blah to a cozy retreat with no toys allowed!  
The before (taken last spring I think?  Pardon the general clutter and baby stuff…it makes the after shot look that much better):
And the afters:     

I love this little corner of the room because it holds items that are dear to us.  The rocking chair came from my husband’s childhood home and the quilt is one that was made for us by my grandmother.  So much family history in that little spot.
The only project left to do is to install the gallery wall on the left wall (you can see the frames on the floor in the picture above), which I hope to accomplish this weekend, so check back to see the results.  🙂

{home} Master Bedroom Inspiration Board

One of my goals for my 27th year was to focus on our master bedroom and create a peaceful “oasis”.  And while I don’t really buy into the idea that our room will magically become a getaway from the kids (um, I have three boys!), my hope is that I can transform it from a room I tolerate to a room I adore.  Does that make any sense?

I’ve been going back and forth in which direction I want to go.  I blame Pinterest and too many amazing ideas!  However, I did give myself a few parameters:

1. Big pieces must stay.  As much as I would love a king-sized upholstered headboard, it’s just not in the budget right now.  It’s also a good lesson on working with what you’ve got and being content with what you have.  
2. Spend the least amount of money as possible.  This has much to do with my personality: it’s all in the hunt!  I want to work my creative muscles and search for just the right items that match the picture in my head.  It may take time, but like I said, I love the hunt!
3. Add items that have meaning and value.  Favorite quotes and pieces of the life we’ve made together.  I’d really love to add some of that to our room. 

Here are some of my pictures I’m using as inspiration for our master bedroom:

 This is the paint color I’m leaning towards: Gull Wing Gray.  Blue/Gray.  Moody, but not to dark.

Left, Right

 I have dark bedroom furniture, so this was one of the only pictures I could find that matched my room.  I like the contrast between the dark wood, blue walls, and white bedding.

Left, Right

 Still undecided about lamps.  I like the looks of both the white ceramic base and the antiqued mercury glass.  We’ll see what Homegoods has…I’m sure that will help me in the decision making!


Left, Right

I love the gallery wall on the right and we have the perfect space for one in our room.  Stay tuned tomorrow…I’m going to share a couple of ideas I’ve been creating!  Inexpensive and sentimental – love it!

What do you think?  Do you have any more ideas for me?  Is there a paint color that would look better with dark furniture?  

{home} It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Autumn…

Ever so slowly, I’ve been getting out my Fall decor.  Why is it taking me so long to decorate?  Maybe it has something to do with those three crazy boys of mine!  

Anyway, decorating this time of year is tricky for me.  I tend to be really picky.  I don’t really decorate for Halloween and I don’t like scary things.  Which is humorous in itself, because I’ll be the first to ooh and ahh over the neighbor’s elaborate Halloween Extravaganza display.  But for my own home, I think it boils down to simplicity.  So here are the beginnings of my decorating so far:

Jury is still out whether I’ll keep the plush.  It was mine from my childhood and the boys love it, but I think it borders on cutesy….we’ll see.  I found the print as a free printable.  So cute and a nod to my Texan husband who actually uses the word “y’all”!

 My mantle so far.  I bought the mini pumpkins at the farm where we went pumpkin picking.  I’m kind-of wishing I bought all white, but I also had a little almost-3-year-old helper and he picked his favorites.  So who can complain?  🙂 

Our “carved” pumpkins.  I HIGHLY recommend these things if you have small children or you just don’t like digging your hands in slimy pumpkins.  They poke right into your pumpkin and boom, you’re done.  Instant gratification and double plus: they’re super heroes! (And a Mr. Potato Head pirate just to shake things up a little)

{home} A Peek into the Nursery

It’s seems so cliche to say that time flies.  And to be honest, I never really believed it until recently.  When it was just me and M, the days seemed to be so long.  Sweet little old ladies would encourage me to cherish this time because it goes by so fast.  And I would smile and nod politely, not truly believing them. 

But now, almost five years and two more babies later, I am here to tell you it’s true!  My oldest is almost five…five!  We are starting school and learning to read.  He is a big help and is crazy funny.  I look at him all the time and think, “Where did the time go?”  

D is looking older everyday.  He is talking in full, understandable sentences.  He loves to color and draw.  He wants to be a Super Hero when he grows up.  As I listen to his silly belly laughs, I think, “Where did the time go?”
 
And now my sweet baby J is growing like a weed, crawling and pulling himself up to stand.  Cruising around furniture and playing right along with the big boys.  Eating solid foods and “talking” to his DaDa.  I sit back and think, “Where did the time go?” 
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All of that mamma mumbo jumbo to say…I thought you might like to take a peek into our nursery!  I have recently added in a twin bed and am still looking for just the right bedding.  I also need to order that artwork that’s been sitting in my etsy cart for months now.  But that’s really what I love about my home…it’s always a work in progress.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend!   

{home} Living Room Update: Reupholstered Chairs

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that this project has been over a year in the making!  Last spring, I found two chairs in an antique store and fell in love with the curve of the backs.  So I brought my sweet husband to see them and asked if they could be my Mother’s Day gift.  Thankfully he obliged, although he doesn’t quite understand why I get so excited about sheets and chairs instead of roses and chocolates! 

Soon after I got them home, I spraypainted them black.  And then they sat.  And sat.  And sat. 

It took a conversation with my husband (“Frankly, I don’t even notice the oriental design on the chairs anymore”) for me to get my bum in gear and choose a fabric.  I made my inspiration board.  I was ready to purchase.  So imagine my minor panic attack when the etsy seller had already sold out!  

I decided to go with the big guys and to my surprise, the fabric was even on sale!  

I’m in love.  I love the color.  I love the slightly modern design that is still quite complimentary to the rest of my home.  I love a finished project.  I love it, I love it, I love it! (That’s a nod to Molly Shannon for all you non-SNL addicts!)  

———————-
Here is a breakdown of what’s left on my to-do list for the living room:

Rip up old carpet and replace with hardwood flooring
Recover chairs with chevron fabric
Make pillows from chevron fabric
Make pillows with floral patterned fabric
Buy mirror for above the fireplace
Purchase map for above the couch and frame with molding
Make console for behind the couch
Decide on new coffee table solution
Find neutral rug
Find two lamps for the console table

Whew…so much more to accomplish!  I better get to work! 
Have a great weekend! 

{home} Living Room Inspiration

The living room is arguably our favorite room in our home.  We have lots of natural light and there is plenty of room to run and play.  But I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with it.  Too mismatched and not really fulfilling our need for organization.  And with three boys, you know we need organization and storage!!  So, last fall before the baby came, I started working on my vision for a cohesive look in the room.  We were able to get the big pieces I wanted, like a pull-out sofa for guests and a comfy armchair, but the little details were pushed aside…until now! 

So here is my inspiration for finishing up this room:

1. Inspired by Young House Love, I’m thinking of having a console table behind the sofa, DIY style.  I really love the cubbies for baskets on either side, so we can put all the boys’ toys away and out of sight when not in use. 
2. This bench is narrow enough that it doesn’t take up too much space and can serve two purposes: as a coffee table or also as more seating, if necessary.  It’s on sale at PB but I’m wondering if we can DIY it ourselves when we make #1. 
3. We hope to replace our worn carpet soon with hardwood flooring.  I think this soft, shag rug would help ground the couch and coffee table and add some neutral tones to the room.
4. I like this fabric and this fabric, so I think I am going to make pillows for the couch and armchair.
5. I once heard on a blog that her “home colors” came from a vintage map.  I think that would describe our home as well!  We are going to buy a vintage looking map here and frame it out with molding.  It will go above the couch.
6. I’d like to find two neat lamps like these (picture is from YHL) for behind the couch on the console table. 

I’m really excited to get this room exactly like I have envisioned in my head.  Now to decide which project to tackle first!  What about you?  Any redecorating going on in your home? 

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

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