DIY Industrial Sconces

 

One of the things I am excited to share with you is the process of recreating our new-to-us home. Admittedly, the place is dated and a little too country for our liking, but it's nothing a few gallons of paint and some elbow grease can't fix. So, I've come up with a 'This Young House' series which will highlight some of the things we are doing {or having done when it's beyond our skill level}. Naturally, we have a laundry list of projects, large and small, but we've decided to start with the small ones and work on just a couple rooms at a time... but more on that later.

One of the first areas we decided to tackle was the master bedroom. We want the space to feel calm and almost cave-like while still seeming airy and welcoming. For us that means a neutral color palette, layers of linens on the bed, and a few meaningful, dramatic details.

As for lighting, we decided on sconces versus table lamps to save precious bedside real estate for books and water glasses. Most of the sconces we liked were on the pricier end, so we decided to recreate a version of these. The process was really quite simple once we figured out what supplies we needed. 

Supplies:
two steel brackets {not shown above}
two lamp sockets
two lamp cords
a pack of steel nipples {no snickering}
a back of hex nuts

Other master bedroom projects:
- WALL ART: I'm waiting for the autumn/winter collection of these decals. I want to place the decal on a piece of old wood stained the same color as our imaginary bench.

- PAINT: While we've already painted the walls what we thought was a silver grey, a darker slate grey will be going up in a few weeks.

- A BENCH: We are building a bench for the foot of the bed out of some leftover wood and hairpin legs.

- HARDWOODS: As I've mentioned before, the carpet in this room is heinous. Simply heinous, people.

- {FAUX} COWHIDE RUG: We're envisioning a unique, dramatic rug to place under the bed after our hardwoods make their appearance.

More home improvement projects are on the way. There are so many!
Happy Friday.
xoxo

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Let There Be Life

When I was little some of my favorite days were spent in the garden with my mother. I loved trips to our local nursery where I would help her choose flowers, ferns and trees for our yard. We would pick out colors based on the season, grouping them together like making new friends. She was so patient with me, teaching me how to correctly pot the plants, and I had my own pair of child-size gloves and a set of garden tools. Our house was always filled with garden life, from potted house plants to vases of flowers from the gardens outside, so it's no surprise that I fill my own home the same way. I love being surrounded by elements of nature, beautiful living things that bring so much happiness to a room. 

 What is special to you that you bring into your home?

xoxo

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Good Things

September has brought slightly cooler temperatures to the south, with daily highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 60s. The days have been gorgeous and filled with just a hint of summer. I am overly excited for crisp fall days and the upcoming holiday season, but this Indian summer is oh so lovely. So as I feel the season coming to a close, I've been spending most of my time trying to soak up as much of the summer as possible.

Also, still obsessing over chambray. I'm obsessed this top. And this one isn't too shabby either.

Happy weekend.

xoxo

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Girlfriends

A couple weeks ago two of my girlfriends and I took a long weekend trip to Florida. After so many years of being in school and being unable to have girls trips, this was definitely a treat. My girl Kindredly and my college bestie Erin hung out for basically the first time on this trip, and it was so fun to have the two of them together. 

It's funny how much the three of us have in common, from superficial interests to deeply rooted character traits. We talked about fashion and style {naturally}, recipes and favorite foods, marriage and relationships, religion and family. We shared our favorite blogs, books and bands, and spent the majority of our time sunning and sipping from bubba kegs on the beach {when in Rome...}. It was a perfect girl's getaway, and I think it's safe to say we are all looking forward to next year's trip, {especially since this lady will be joining us!}.

xoxo

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Beautiful Mess

So I unintentionally took a break from this space, but I'm not apologizing. I will, however, spare you the laundry list of things that have been overwhelming me lately. Suffice to say that I've been learning the art of patience and grace under fire these past few months, and I am finally realizing that my life needn't be perfect at all times. My house may be messy {but clean}, the bed may remain unmade. I might miss a workout to make a deadline or just because I want another hour of sleep. My outfit might not be perfect, and my hair may always be a bit messy. But it's okay.

Our messy bedroom at the end of the day. The carpet is heinous, and the walls are more blue than grey, despite my choice of a silver paint. I have too many ideas about what to hang over the bed, and new curtain rods are definitely in order.... but I'm learning to see things differently. I honestly love this space. It's where we seek solace, say I love yous, lay our heads each night, and welcome every new morning. Despite the room's shortcomings, I love it. We have years to recreate it, to mold it into something truly ours. 

I'm learning to let the small things go so that I don't miss out on the bigger, more important things. 

My life is a beautiful mess sometimes, but it sure is beautiful.

xoxo

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