Wonderfully Made: April 2017

Thursday, April 27, 2017

One Room Challenge {W4}: My New Entry Table

Hello! I am back for week 4 of the One Room Challenge and I am so happy I've stuck with this. So many times when I get stuck decorating I just move on and never get a room to where I want it. This ~~little~~ challenge is pushing me to actually make decisions and get stuff done! It reminds me of why it was a good thing my engagement was only three months... :)

Last week I felt like things were really rolling and that our entry room is already a million time better.

Now I hadn't really touched the other side of the room because I was waiting to find the perfect piece of furniture. I really wanted this dresser but no shot ~~in hell~~ Tall Tan Man would let me buy that {it is $1200...}.

{source}

I had been stalking Craig's List since I started this challenge looking for the perfect sized dresser and wasn't having much luck. My plan was to find a cheap dresser and DIY this pattern on it. Now when I found the right size dresser I felt like it was a little over priced at $75 {yeah, I'm real cheap}. I tried my best to haggle and get it down to $50 but they wouldn't go lower than $70. Most of my Craig's List experiences have been great, but this person was coming of a little cray cray. So after another week and me freaking out about never finding anything, Tall Tan Man called them and got the price down to $65. SOLD.

I am so bummed but I haven't been able to do anything to this dresser yet because life has been crazy {and my FAVORITE taco restaurant gave me food poisoning}. After having the dresser in the entry room I decided I didn't want to paint the white pattern on it. I just don't think it would work. I do plan on sanding it down, staining it, and updating the hardware.

I also plan on adding a lamp to the table and putting the plant in a different container. If you missed my {POST} earlier this week I talked about my new purse rack that I strategically place over our ugly alarm system.

I'm hoping this dresser is updated by next weeks post! I have a half marathon on Sunday in Oklahoma City so I'll have to get after when I get home. Thanks for stopping by!

{Calling it Home}

{Leslie}

Monday, April 24, 2017

Our New Coat & Purse Rack

Oh my goodness y'all, I just survived my first bout of food poisoning. I don't know if I am more sad about being sick all day yesterday or that I can never again eat at my favorite breakfast taco restaurant again!! Sorry if that was TMI... :) Our front room makeover is ticking along nicely and if you want to see some before and afters you can look {here} and {here}. Our front room has been pretty purposeless since we moved in, and I am hoping to change that! I've realized that I need a drop zone and I don't want it to be the floor...

Now I have a blank slate after another successful Craigslist sale and there is only one ugly problem.

Our house is wired for an alarm system that we don't use. We haven't decided if we were going to update the system yet or just take it out all together. So my solution was to hide it, kind of like how I clean the house if I find out someone is coming over...

I found {THIS} shelf at Target and it was almost perfect. So close yet so far... I thought about making a DIY version but this only cost me $20 and no time, so I went for it. I was thinking these shelves would be perfect for outgoing mail & decor, but I did't know how I was going to work around the alarm system. Then I stumbled upon this at Marshall's. I was so excited when I pulled on the sprigs and they came out easily!

Now I don't know know if I will keep the book on the other side but it works for now. I'd like to say this has worked perfectly but I spent about 45 minutes looking for my keys today... I'm looking at you Mack. Why did I ever let my baby play with my keys?!?

If you follow me on Insta then you know I have a new project {that I am so excited about!!}. I was supposed to get started on it yesterday, but that obviously didn't happen! I'm hoping to get to it in the next couple days before Mack and I head to OKC for my race. I am really hoping I make it through the race because my training has been SO bad...

Thanks for stopping by!

{Leslie}

Thursday, April 20, 2017

One Room Challenge {W3}: Curtains, Coffee Table and a Conundrum

& pillows!!!!!! Lots of pillows {I didn't want to mess with the alliteration I had going on in the title :)}!

Hi y'all! I am back for my week three update with One Room Challenge. Challenge being the key word... Our entry room is definitely looking better, but I am struggling with a few key items in the room which I will get to in a bit. If your are new here I'll give you a quick glance at where this room started.

Now last week I pretty much just took everything out of the room because I needed a blank slate.

and here is where I am now...

Let's start with my new coffee table. I wanted this room to feel more like a sitting area so it definitely needed a coffee table. I had been stalking Craig's List for a bamboo/wicker coffee table and I wasn't having much luck. I found one I loved for only $50 but it had a glass table top. With Mack and his love to flip everything over I just didn't think that would end well. Then I spotted this baby at Ikea.

I thought {THIS TABLE} was so fun and for $60 I couldn't pass it up. I'm pretty weird about buying furniture... I never want to spend a lot of money because I know me and I'll want something different in a few years.

My favorite heavy weight crate from JoAnne's fit perfectly under the table and is great hiding place for some of Mack's toys. Now if you follow me on {Instagram} then you saw my awesome pillow finds at Hobby Lobby. These are by the fabric section and they are just the pillow cases. I have a #pillowproblem so I already had plenty of pillow forms. Anyone else obsessed with throw pillows? Anyone?

This pillow only cost me $10! Wooohoo! The yellow pillow is an old one from Target and the black one is a new Target clearance find.

So now I need a little help... What do I do with this wall?!?!

If you look at the before picture I had three big wedding pictures on this wall with different colored mats. With all the different pillows in the room I feel like I need something more simple. I was thinking about doing a 2 by 2 grid of pictures with wooden frames, a large piece of art, or even some floating shelves. I really don't know yet and I can't see the answer yet. Help me!

{Calling it Home}

Thank you everyone for stopping by to check out my entry room progress!

{Leslie}

Thursday, April 13, 2017

One Room Challenge {W2}: Finding the Perfect Rug

I survived two days without Tall Tan Man! I know that sounds ~~a little~~ ridiculous and other Mommas endure MUCH worse, but two days with just Mack and I can be exhausting. I feel like a super star parent though because I realized something. Chick Fil A play area after dinner is a lifesaver. Mack and I went two days in a row {different chick fil a's bc I was embarrassed} and he absolutely loved it. He even got tired of playing a couple times, but I made him push through. Pure evil right there. ;)

Speaking of pure evil... rug shopping, does it get any worse? I am definitely joking but for someone as indecisive {and on a tight budget} like myself it can be no fun. There are so many online options but I don't always trust the color/quality on the computer screen. So I set out about a month ago to look for a rug for our front room. The room always felt hodge podge to me and I wanted it to feel like a welcoming sitting area. Here are a couple looks we have had in this room...

Gotta love the Halloween decorations and the microwave...

Like I said on my {week one post} that red chair has already been sold {twice} on Craig's List and the black table is next.

Alright y'all are you ready for week 2?!

{Calling it Home}

When I set out on my endeavor to redecorate our entry room I didn't think finding a 6 by 8 rug would be that tricky. Turns out that the majority of rugs in stores are 5 by 7.5 which was too small. And I firmly believe buying a too small rug kills the flow of a room. Here are some of the rugs I found but were either too small/big or out of my price range {about $200ish}.

At first I was mainly looking at Target and Tuesday Morning. I did look at Home Good's but their prices were not as good as Tuesday Morning. I was pretty surprised by that! I really wanted a crazy and colorful Persain rug. The problem with this was they were way beyond my price point and either super large or 3 x 5. I did see one of my fav bloggers recommend {this rug} which I almost bought. So after going to every Tuesday Morning in the Denver Metro area, no joke, I started online shopping. I was looking at Rugs USA and Urban Outfitters {the rug in the upper right corner}. I really loved the look of the UO rugs but I just couldn't find one in the size I wanted. So then I spotted {THIS ONE} on Rugs USA...

It was then I realized that a 8 x 8 rug would be prefect! The price was also awesome, $162 TOTAL! {If you sign up for their emails you get 10% off.}

After getting the rug in the room I realized my {black and white curtains} clashed with it... I am thinking I will go with something more simple that will just blend in with the room.

I haven't decided if I will swap these {pictures} with something different yet. Lots of decisions to make but I am loving that this space now feels more defined!

Alright y'all, if you are still reading you endured my play by play of rug shopping... congrats :) See you next week!

{Leslie}

Sunday, April 9, 2017

One Room Challenge {W1}: Updating Our Front Room

I'm a little behind the ball but I just found out about the One Room Challenge and am joining in {just one week late...}! One of my biggest struggles with {flipping our house} has been decorating rooms when they are not fully finished. Rooms would be missing baseboards or outlet covers and I would try to decorate but it was hard to see past everything. Now that our house is mostly finished {!!!} I need to go back through rooms and decorate them the way I've been wanting to. Here is our front room when we moved in:

That carpet was disgusting and blue... We did lots of updates that you can see {here} but I still feel like this room has a ways to go.

It is just too busy for me and not very cohesive. I picked this room because it's style has been driving me crazy and also for the fact that it is the first room you see when you walk in. Now I am already a little bit ahead of the game because I have already sold that red chair on Criag's List. It is a pretty weird story... I had a lady come pay me for the chair and NEVER picked it up. I waited THREE months for her to come back before I gave up. So I ended up making $160 on it! I am also contemplating selling the black buffet/sofa table, but I am not sure if I am ready to part with it. #hoarder.

Now I am the farthest thing from a professional decorator {see above picture ;)}. I am indecisive, cheap, love all different styles, and have a 14 month old that likes to destroy everything. I am wanting a place for Mack to be able to play, me be able to read, and people feel comfortable the instant they walk in. Here are some living room looks I'm digging:

{source}

{source}

So as you can see I'm wanting the room to feel warm with some leather & wood tones. I want to find some furniture that is a little funkier than I usually get. I now have 5 weeks to finish this room! Which means I will have to make decisions and hopefully good ones...

Ready. Set. Go!!!

{Leslie}

Saturday, April 8, 2017

"Carrot" Cookies

Listen y'all, you can have as many of these cookies as you want because carrots are healthy! I just don't recommend dipping them in ranch... ;) Now these Carrot Cookies did not turn out perfect, but I think they are pretty darn cute. I was telling Tall Tan Man, as we were looking at the ~~terrible looking~~ stems that; My lack of concern for perfection in life has allowed me a very happy person. Just chew on that for a minute...

I'm not doing a full blown recipe, but a cliff notes version of how I made these carrots. As I was baking I got the idea that I could of used brownies instead of sugar cookies. I might just have to make another batch this week to see how they turn out.

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookies {I used THIS RECIPE}

Icing {same as above}

Orange and Green Candy Melt {from JoAnn Fabric}

* Skewer or toothpick

Directions:

1. Make your cookies in a 9 by 13 inch pan and ice them

2. Divide your 9 by 13 inch pan into thirds. Hotdog style.

3. Now using the tip on a sharp knife make a triangle pattern.

4. Cut out the triangles.

5. Melt the orange candy melt, place in a baggie, make a small hole in the corner, and drizzle over cookies.

6. Melt the green candy melt and draw stems on wax paper. Make sure these are thick and you let them harden completely.

7. Using a skewer or tooth pick create a hole in the back of the cookie so you can easily insert the stem. Insert stem.

Finished! Now have one or twelve!

I really hope someone tries these out with brownies and please tell me how it goes! Tag me on Instagram if you do. :). Hope you have a wonderful week!

{Leslie}