Callan's room

Well, I can happily say that I'm about 95% done with Callan's room.  Just a few more touches and it will be complete.  It might be a while before I get around to those last touches, so here's a peek at what the room looks like at nearly finished.

But first,
let's take a quick look back at what Callan's room looked like when we moved in.

{BEFORE}

Remember those lovely 1970s intercoms?
Yea, those are GONE {thanks to my father-in-law}.

{BEFORE}

Ok, on to what that formerly purple/grey, dingy room looks like now.

{framed monogram inspired from here, painted CA inspired from here}

{pendant inspired from here}

{US map inspired from here}

{paper airplanes inspired from here}

Left to do in the room:

add a shade to the arched window
add some sort of valance to the other window

buy/make a curtain panel for the closet doorway, and install it

{eventually} replace the carpet or hunt down an {8x10} area rug

paint the door

I think Callan approves.

**{Note: This room was re-done on a ridiculously small budget.
The cost of a can of primer and a can of paint (my parents bought the second gallon of paint), and maybe $15 for maps and fabric.  Everything else we already had - items were repurposed, repainted, and reused.}**

+ color

When we first moved into this condo, I was pretty excited to live with white walls.  I've always admired the fresh, crisp feeling of a white room with neutral furnishings and accessories, like the room below.  Beautiful.  Comfortable.  Relaxing.

(source)

Now that the Christmas decorations are packed away until next year, the place is feeling pretty sparse, and to be honest, a bit bland.  I'm feeling the need to inject some color into this place.  Ideally, I'd paint the walls, but no can do here.  I'm thinking if there was more architectural interest, the white walls wouldn't be so bad (or at least a better shade of white), but the condo is just so simple - builder grade dullness.  A simple switch out of drapes or throw pillows would do the trick, but it's finding just the right ones that makes it difficult.  

Here are a few curtain options that I'm contemplating.  At first I was drawn to the ones on the left, but now I'm leaning towards the ones on the right...(and why wouldn't I - they cost more.)

checkered curtains from here; floral curtains from here

My coffee table is a glossy teal color and I have to (and want to) work with it, so that's my jumping off point for colors in the room.  

 

Here are a few pillow options that I'm considering.  I'm totally into the teal/tangerine color combo. 

pillow sources from left to right:

nenavon etsy shop

Olive etsy shop

DecidedlyChic etsy shop

decoYellow etsy shop

fromtheselvedge etsy shop

TheHomeCentric etsy shop

DecidedlyChic etsy shop

LeisureSociety etsy shop

Olive etsy shop

I love changing things up around the house.  I'm fearful, however to invest in changes and wind up not liking them in the end.  Sometimes I need a push.  This is one of those times.  Tell me what you think!  Curtain preference?  Any pillows that you like best?  Other sources that might be helpful?  Help a girl out!

mantle envy

I have a case of mantle envy.  I've had it for as long as I can remember.  Whenever and wherever Travis and I finally plant our roots and decide buy a house (affording it is the main issue), a fireplace with a mantle is up there on my list of must-haves.  Of course it's not necessary, but I would love it. To me, there is nothing cozier than a toasty, crackling fire on a chilly winter night with a chunky mantle accessorized with candles, pine cones and evergreen boughs, maybe a strand of Christmas lights and jars of glass ornaments...  Not to mention a place to hang our Christmas stockings.  Sure, I'm daydreaming, but I'm in decorating-for-Christmas mode and I always long for a mantle at this time of year.  

In thumbing through some of the blogs that I check in with regularly, this post at "The Lettered Cottage" caught my eye.  Mantels.  Need I say more?

I'm seriously crushing on each of these seasonal mantle displays, and totally looking forward to the mantle reveal of winter 2010.

All of our Christmas totes are stacked up in the entry way and guest room just waiting for me to break that year-long seal and start pulling out the holiday goods.  The tree was put up yesterday, it just needs to get dressed.  As I'm learning, everything takes just a smidge longer with a newborn.  Hopefully we'll be decked out by the end of the week.  We're also still recovering after having house guests for the past three weeks - so this week I'll also be washing linens and re-organizing the guest room, and catching up on other chores and projects that got pushed aside while we enjoyed the company of family.  In between feedings and diaper changes, of course.

Have you started decorating yet?  Christmas IS just around the corner!