Help Me Rhonda!

Remember Paint Magic?  Well I have an entire brick wall and if only it were magic to paint!   This is the added back room (connected to the living room) that is my office.  It overlooks the back deck and has a funkiness all to it's own.  I have debated leaving the wall alone, because I find the brick charming.  On the other hand, I think the entire house will flow much more once it matches the fireplace.  Plus I have some pretty pictures  I would like to hang,

and they would just get lost on the existing brick wall.

 Here are some additional photos of what I am looking at...

Here goes nothing!

Guest Room

I finished my guest bedroom a few months ago just in time for a friend coming in for the Austin Marathon.  I did not take any "before" photos, although I have one pre-move in.

Here is my after.

The Next Big Thing...

I have BIG changes in store for this room!  After getting this capiz chandelier on sale for a shocking $9 (retails $175+) at the Pottery Barn outlet, I decided to paint the extra room a dark, dramatic teal color.  (I was literally dancing the jig in the store after the cashier confirmed the crazy sale price!)  I will replace the outdated ceiling fan with the chandelier and think the moody new color will add lots of pizzaz!

 Here is the color I have in mind....

I think it will be striking paired with this existing rug on these walls...

More to come!

Fabulous Fabric!

Since refinishing my dining room table, I have been looking for the perfect fabric for the chairs.  I also wanted something that would pick up on the colors from the living room, as well, to keep the flow.  I FINALLY found what I was looking for!  Before I had gone through two different patterns and colors that just weren't right.  Shopping at one of my favorite stores, Tar-jay, some small napkins caught my eye.  After spending a lot of time looking for fabrics in Hobby Lobby and JoAnn, these little napkins jumped out at me because of their color.  They were more of a safflower yellow, which is what I wanted, and I loved the linen-ish texture to them as well.  For $9.99 for a pack of four, they were a bargain and would fit the size of my chairs perfectly!  I snatched them up and couldn't be more pleased with my find.

Here is the first fabric, before I really knew exactly what colors would be in my living room, etc.  I loved the color, and the funky geometric pattern.

Here is the second fabric I snagged at JoAnn, mostly because it was ridiculously cheap (and on sale) and was one of the only yellows in the store.  Unfortunately, it was way too canary yellow, and the fabric was very thin and cheap-looking on the chairs.

Napkin?  We have a winner!!!

Living room love

This room has seen more changes than any room in the house.  I have gone through countless curtains, rugs, pillows, etc. before I found what I was looking for.  I knew I wanted something "fun" and needed some color to brighten up the room.  Here are a few of the former looks that didn't work....

I loved the rust colors in this rug but didn't love the big picture of it all together.  Notice my fireplace was still it's original brick color and my curtains are hung low. *yawn*

Here I have some breezy white curtains and they are hung very high, to give the appearance of larger windows.  (You can also see I was in the process of painting the fireplace white!)  I loved the FUN, bright pillows here but that is about it!  This room needed more color than a few throw pillows could contribute.  There is also a neutral jute rug down.

Now I have different throw pillows (LOVE) and two ottomans to act as my coffee table.  I was thrilled to snag these babies on sale at Target for $50 each after Christmas, since I have been eyeing them for awhile.  They are wonderful because of the extra storage and the fact that they provide more seating in the room if needed.
*Notice I also took the door (on right) off the hinges.  It now happily resides in my garage. :)  I like this doorless look so much more than the previous awkward open door of living rooms past.

Finally, I found the rug.  It was on sale at World Market so I got a great deal.  Curtains are from IKEA and to bring it all together, I hung bamboo shades too.  Instead of purchasing one big, expensive shade, I bought three separate shades (on sale for $9.99!) and hung them side by side.  I saved big bucks doing this and you can't even tell that there are three shades there unless you look closely.  Overall, I am very happy with the room.

*I am very good about saving all my receipts and always return anything that doesn't work out.  As you can see, I have made a lot of returns and gotten very lucky with finding most everything on sale. :)

My TV and media stand are also pretty recent additions as well.  My parents got me a new television and TV stand for Christmas.  Putting the TV stand together was a bit challenging, but so worth it!

Out with the old

In with the new