pinterest projects!! eek!

The Pinterest Challenge was to pick a project and have it completed in a week. I did a LOT of projects that have been inspired by my "make it a home" pinterest pins: http://pinterest.com/aggieskd/make-it-a-home/

As a quick reminder, here was the official challenge...

Have you ever wanted to wallpaper your cat (don't, i tried, unsuccesfully) or gold leaf your blankey (weird, but could be amazing...although the fact you have a 'blankey' is questionable)?
Regardless, now is your chance, my friends, to finish that crazy home project that you keep putting off because you are too 'busy' or 'constantly watching the reality tv' or 'not-goal oriented'.  I think i'm a combination of the first two, so, I was talking to my new friends,  Sherry and John from YoungHouseLove.com, Joey and Lana from JoeyandLana.com, and Katie and Jeremy from BowerPowerBlog.com and someone had the genius idea of throwing down an official Pinterest challenge; a design challenge to force ourselves to finish a project that we promise ourselves we will, inspired by a pinterest picture.

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And now... on to the show!! Here's everything Pauls {my fabulous mom} and I tackled this weekend!!

my bedroom then...

right after I moved into the house.
please notice the dust ruffle...

the great print series i found on etsy 

opposite side... sorry i didn't move the random box...

my bedroom NOW...

finally brought the headboard mom, dad and I made last summer from Linda's house.
also, we changed the curtains out to some really pretty yellow ones from IKEA.
and, the GREAT new bedside table that I can put LOTS on!

now introducing... the NEW BED! I got a NEW BED! found a GREAT deal on this bed from West Elm.
gooooodbye dust ruffle! hello less cloth material! oh... and we took down the curtains from the other window. 

this picture doesn't do this wall justice. these prints are something special. they are legit copies of pages taken from THE Woodstock Music Festival program!!! my dad's cousin sent me the program because he knows how much I love music! These are VERY rare... because most of them got ruined due to rain, mud, etc. at any rate, I chose 12 of my favorite pages... and this whole wall cost me $36. awesome!!

here's a better pic of the colors that I'm rockin' in my bedroom now!

 living room then...

living room right after i moved in... i bought a pretty braided rug, however it shed.like.crazy.
and... i also thought that i shouldn't waste my time by hemming the curtains...

 living room NOW...

and a neeeewwwwww rug! as well as heeemmmmmmmmed curtains!

close up of the rug... :)

i brought over my covered "extra" seating... just so everyone can see how awesome the print is against the rug!
you're welcome...

laundry/pantry then...

pretty sure this is a horrible picture, but it's the only one i have of the space.

laundry/pantry NOW...

BASKETS = organization = happy sarah
there's still more to come in this room... so that's why you aren't getting the full picture

guest bedroom then...

guest bedroom NOW...

goodbye busy duvet... and hello NEW set-up!

hung another poster :)

the "feng shui" is totally off, but the arrangement makes more sense!
and i have good plans for that white frame leaning up on the wall... don't worry :)

bathroom then...

well, i don't have a pic of that. basically i had 2 hanging shelves above the toilet... one decided it didn't want to cooperate. so enter new idea...

bathroom NOW...

framed my awesome embroidered hand towel!!! 

and another view...

So... as you can see, we were QUITE busy this weekend! And, I'll be the first to admit that I need some photog skills for indoors... those pics make me cringe.

Gonna keep tabs on my running list... so here's the update :)

Indoors ::

• replace the rug in the living room
• hem curtains in living room
• find a rug for the dinning/breakfast area
• paint or wallpaper hallway
• hang prints in hallway
• hang decor in bathroom
• take down "listing deport" shelf in bathroom
• baskets, baskets, baskets for pantry/laundry room
• additional shelving unit in laundry room for "crafting" storage
• paint another coat of chalkboard paint on laundry door {3 coats isn't enough}
• paint pantry/laundry walls a super fun "i love doing laundry and storing food" color
• possibly paint pantry/laundry floor
• window covering for pantry/laundry window
• window covering for dinning/breakfast door
• new front door
• paint inside of front door
• paint hall closet doors
• new light fixture for hallway
• possible new light fixture for breakfast/dinning area
• new, interesting dinning table
• use existing breakfast/dinning light fixture as standing lamp shade in one of extra bedrooms
• buy a standing lamp for the above bullet point
• hardwoods in master
• possible tile flooring or paint concrete in extra bedrooms
• new bed for master
• king size cases for master being shipped as I type!!!
• new pillowcases for master
• recover DIY'd headboard for master {but first GET said headboard from Linda's} didn't recover... but it looks FAB!
• artwork for master
• bedside table for master
• barn door {or something comparable}for master closet door
• rearrange guest bedroom
• new duvet for guest bedroom
• paint dresser in guest bedroom
• ceiling fan for guest bedroom
• curtains for guest bedroom
• hang curtains in roommate room
• set up bed in roommate room
• paint roommate room?
• hang artwork in roommate room
• get more Fiestaware coffee mugs
• organize kitchen drawers i figured i would save you from the completely interesting pics of my kitchen drawer organization :)

Outdoors :: haven't even gone there yet... it's TOO hot! 

• wood fence in backyard
• cut down "trash trees" in backyard
• deck in backyard
• add on a small storage room off of garage
• small fence in front yard
• paint house and trim
• paint front door fun color
• create new walk path in front yard
• build out flower beds in front yard
• build out flower beds in backyard
• flower/herb/veggie boxes in backyard
• add outdoor plugs in front and back
• sprinkler system
• lap pool {a girl can have lofty dreams, right??}
• plant an oak tree in the back

pinterest challenge update

I can honestly say I don't think I've ever been so serious about accepting a challenge! Wowza... the past 5 days have been CA-RAY-ZEE (re: crazy) with all of the little projects Pauls and I have been working on. The funny thing is that I never mentioned it to her... as I don't think she blog-stalks me. I'm sure Dad will inform her when she gets home today... as he always reads the blog! {hi daddo!}

At any rate, I'm taking pictures tonight and will post them tomorrow for you to see. I think I have before pics from Crimahtime (re: Christmas time)... but they will give you a good idea of where I started and where I am now.

In a few words: I LOVE what we did. Love. it. Mom is a rockstar, and I definitely inherited my love for decorating and thinking outside of the box from her. When it comes to decorating we both have our own styles, are honest in what we think, and we often convince the other to just "try it". But then there are the times, i.e. this weekend at 4 Hands Home, IKEA, Pottery Barn and West Elm, that we just look at each other and say YES.

As far as costs for the past 5 days... yes, I did spend $$. Mom did too {THANK YOU!!!}. But, it wasn't without much discussion. She and I pretty much approach buying furniture or any type of decor with the following questions:

• will this piece work in multiple places, or is a piece that will only work in one room?
• if the answer is "it will only work in one room", in most cases, walk away from purchasing. I really think the only exception is a bed. obviously that can't go in the dining room one day... or could it?? jkjk
• is the piece or decor timeless?
• if it's something that may go out of style in a few years, turn around and walk out the door. the last thing you want to do is invest in a piece that will be completely outdated in 3 years. or even 10 years in that matter.
• if I get tired of this piece or don't have room for it anymore, will someone be able to use it?
• you see... since graduating from college, I've learned the importance of sharing. my mom and my aunt Tresa (who has a great style of her own!) have always swapped furniture, rugs, decor, etc. literally, the futon my mom let me borrow after she didn't need it, is now in my aunt's garage apartment. when I needed a rug, I took the one my mom had gotten from my aunt years ago. all of us kids have, at one point or another, used the dishes that mom and tresa both had (matching sets). so as you can see, I want to make sure of 2 different things before I buy something: a) will someone else be willing to re-use this if need be and b) does mom or tresa already have one? :)

I'm really excited to share the changes we made this weekend. I think they definitely are more "me" and make my home even more a home... which is my ultimate goal!!

So get ready, the next post should be a pretty heavy picture post! But for now, I'll leave you with the list I want to do overall to my house... {this is more for me than anything}

Indoors ::

• replace the rug in the living room
• hem curtains in living room
• find a rug for the dinning/breakfast area
• paint or wallpaper hallway
• hang prints in hallway
• hang decor in bathroom
• take down "listing deport" shelf in bathroom
• baskets, baskets, baskets for pantry/laundry room
• additional shelving unit in laundry room for "crafting" storage
• paint another coat of chalkboard paint on laundry door {3 coats isn't enough}
• paint pantry/laundry walls a super fun "i love doing laundry and storing food" color
• possibly paint pantry/laundry floor
• window covering for pantry/laundry window
• window covering for dinning/breakfast door
• new front door
• paint inside of front door
• paint hall closet doors
• new light fixture for hallway
• possible new light fixture for breakfast/dinning area
• new, interesting dinning table
• use existing breakfast/dinning light fixture as standing lamp shade in one of extra bedrooms
• buy a standing lamp for the above bullet point
• hardwoods in master
• possible tile flooring or paint concrete in extra bedrooms
• new bed for master
• king size cases for master
• new pillowcases for master
• recover DIY'd headboard for master {but first GET said headboard from Linda's}
• artwork for master
• bedside table for master
• barn door {or something comparable}for master closet door
• rearrange guest bedroom
• new duvet for guest bedroom
• paint dresser in guest bedroom
• ceiling fan for guest bedroom
• curtains for guest bedroom
• hang curtains in roommate room
• set up bed in roommate room
• paint roommate room?
• hang artwork in roommate room
• get more Fiestaware coffee mugs
• organize kitchen drawers

Outdoors ::

• wood fence in backyard
• cut down "trash trees" in backyard
• deck in backyard
• add on a small storage room off of garage
• small fence in front yard
• paint house and trim
• paint front door fun color
• create new walk path in front yard
• build out flower beds in front yard
• build out flower beds in backyard
• flower/herb/veggie boxes in backyard
• add outdoor plugs in front and back
• sprinkler system
• lap pool {a girl can have lofty dreams, right??}
• plant an oak tree in the back

Don't worry... not even a 1/4 of these lists were completed this weekend. And again, I will use the word "lofty". This is all in my dreams with unlimited funds. I guess that's the beauty and curse of owning a home... you're never really done with all of the things you want to do!

So stay tuned...