Family Room Before and Afters

Today I was looking at the old listing of the new home we moved into a few months back, and MAN!!! What a change! I can't wait to share the photos of the family room.
 
To recap for you, the room started with purple/pink walls, wall paper on the bottom half, wood trim everywhere, outdated old green carpet, and an outdated light fixture/fan (which we haven't replaced just yet...but it is on the list of things to do).

Sound like a gem doesn't it? ;)

The layout of the house was what we were looking for and the family room has served as a great gathering space for our Monday night Bible study where we host 10-12 people at a time. It has worked out really well and for that we are thankful.

But it did take us about 6 months to get the room to a better state....just recently we had the carpet replaced. My hubby is amazing because he tore out all the carpet on his own! We hired a company to put the new carpet in and we are very happy with the results. We also repainted the walls and some of the trim (which there is a bit more left to do still), added our personal touches to it, along with some texture.

Are you ready to see the before pictures first?? Let's do it!!

I am sure the original homeowners loved this look, but it wasn't what we were going for so it had to change.
Here is the progress we have made so far...with the caveat that there are just a few more things left to do, but it is looking much like we wanted it.

What we have done so far:
Painted the walls in a beautiful neutral by SW called Mindful Gray
Trim is SW Alabaster
Put in new carpet
Added a jute rug for texture
Painted the French Doors in SW Alabaster to lighten up the space
We plan on keeping the fireplace in it's natural state


Still left to do:
Replace light fixture/fan with an updated one
Paint remaining bottom trim
Get a new sectional and move this couch to the office


And because I love a good side-by-side comparison...here is one for you!

Thank you for following along and I hope you found this post inspiring!
Linking up with Dimples and Tangles blog.
Like us on Facebook!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Friday everyone!

Thoughts On Mentoring

This will be another one of those non-DIY design posts for me today. It is a bit of a different direction than I usually take because I am always blogging about decorating, but since the idea of mentoring has been on my mind lately, I figured I would write a post about it. Not because I don't have any decorating to blog about (because I do) but because I don't want to forget some of my thoughts and conversations with others about the topic.

So here it goes!

My husband and I have had the chance to be mentored by a couple in Florida years ago that made a huge impact on our lives...and still does to this day. Once we moved to Virginia, I found myself expecting to be mentored by similar couples at the church we joined. When that didn't happen, and 3 1/2 years later still hasn't, I found myself getting frustrated and saddened. Maybe a little angry at times. Now that I have prayed and thought about it some more, I wonder if those thoughts were incorrect....they probably were. Well, actually, I think to some extent it was okay to be upset that we haven't experienced that to the same degree that we did in Florida because I think having a mentor is SO important.
But back to my thoughts on this now...instead of getting angry about it, I am actual thankful that we even had the chance to be mentored by this couple years ago because it is such a rarity to have these days. Both my husband and I found that this particular couple mentored us in pretty much any aspect of life you can think of. They were wise beyond their years and had much life experience...and it was very apparent that they loved the Lord and He has blessed them tremendously. Their 3 children and grandchildren love Him as well and that speaks volumes in and of itself.

So, I have come to the conclusion that since being here, we each have had mentors in some way, shape, or form. It may not be to the extent of what we experienced in Florida all those years ago, and truthfully may never happen that way again, but that is okay. We have been thankful that God has allowed us even that experience in the past and can pass that on to others. And we are thankful that we have mentors now that disciple us in smaller ways even though it is a different way than what we thought we were going to have when we first moved here.

I know I may be babbling, but these were some thoughts I had recently that I wanted to share so that I remember to be thankful for those experiences and not bitter or angry because of the fact that we may not have that again. We are just grateful that by God's grace we were able to experience it all in the first place.

And now I want to leave you with a quote I found from the Magnolia Mom. I made this sign in our home with this quote from her and put it up in our mudroom. A few people have mentioned they really like it so I will share it. It goes a little something like this:
"Let whatever you do today be enough."
Seems fitting for this kind of conversation today.


Thanks for stopping by!

Master Bathroom Vanity Update

Hello! Recently I have been able to paint our master bathroom vanity to update it a bit. After looking over at some of the pictures I took once the painting was done, I noticed that there are still some things I would like to complete before I actually call it a finished project, BUT I can say that I think the way it looks now is a huge improvement from where it started.

Let's begin shall we...

It all began when my step-mom gave me these 4 beautiful knobs for Christmas. I absolutely love them and started thinking about where we would use them in our home. One of the first places I thought of was our bathroom cabinets. I knew they needed an update and so figured that these knobs would work great in our space.

I will show a quick before and after first and then will share a little bit more of the details.
(p.s.- I did try to add some spackle to the gaps that went down the middle of the front of the cabinets like I did when we did our small kitchen updates. That is why the first Before picture has all that white stuff there.)

After the spackle was dried, I sanded any rough spots quickly so I could paint.

Next up on the job was to prime the cabinets. Looking back, I probably should have given them 2 coats of primer, but I only did one so hopefully there won't be any chipping somewhere down the line. If there is, I will just prime them one more time and then paint again.

I decided to use some left over paint I had from the dining room we painted a while back. It is called Intellectual Gray by Sherwin Williams and we also used it on our master bedroom walls.

I also decided to take off the handles that we had on the middle cabinets and replaced them with these brass plates we had. I really liked this look for some reason. This was the same thing I did when I painted the buffet table that sold a while back. This is the look I was going for when I pictured what these cabinets would look like so I am glad I stuck with the original plan.

 I didn't take many pictures because there is still a little bit more to do. I would like to paint the very bottom part of the cabinet that connects to the floor. It is noticeable, probably only to me of course, and it bothers me just enough that it will be getting painted sometime soon. I also need to do just a few touch-ups and add a new rug. There are a few other minor things that aren't big deals, but at least this is an improvement from where we started!

While browsing Houzz, I stumbled upon this beautiful photo below:

Contemporary Bathroom by Canton Design-Build Firms Mi-Kin Creations, Inc.

So in addition to some of the other changes to make, I would also like to add something to the walls like this in our bathroom. I think it is just gorgeous! What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little Bit More...

I haven't been blogging for that long especially when compared to some of the other "big" bloggers out there who have been doing this for years. So I certainly would not call myself a pro at this whole blogging thing because I am still learning many new things- like how to take better pictures, how to write clearer to capture peoples attention, and how to share a little bit more about myself (without sharing too much if you know what I mean). 

I really enjoy reading about other bloggers so when they decide to share a little bit more about the person they are, I get hooked and feel a bit of a connection. However, I am still all about the DIY projects when it really comes down to it and that is why I share most of that on my blog. Making things like furniture or a house come to life is something I love to do so I don't see that changing anytime soon. But I did want to write a bullet list of my life here if you don't mind, and hope that for those of you who are new here, it will help you get to know me a bit better.

So let's begin!

* My name is Stephanie- hopefully you knew that by now though ;)   I have one younger sister and 2 older step-brothers. None of them live close-by unfortunately. 

* I took ballet, tap, and jazz as a kid for 5 years and performed in many recitals. I have the tapes to prove it!

* I am a huge tennis fan and call that one of my favorite sports. Basketball comes in at a close second though.

*My younger sister and I played doubles as well as singles in high school together and we were featured in a few local magazines for it. It was fun being interviewed for that kind of thing. We worked well as a team together and I wish we could still play together. If only we lived closer to each other!

* The University of Florida is where I went to college and received my bachelor's and master's degree in Education. I also met my husband there and we dated for 6 months before we knew we were going to get married to each other. 

* I have been married twice...to the same man...and there was no separation or divorce involved peeps. We just decided that our original 7 month engagement was too long for us so we decided to get married at an earlier date with only our small group at church in attendance. It was very sweet and very special. We had our 2nd wedding with family and friends and that was a much bigger celebration. 

* My husband and I also rock climbed together for a few years while we were in Florida and we miss it so much. There are currently no rock gyms close by where we live now, so we have to settle on a small rock wall at a nearby gym if we want to go. We are hopeful that one will open up close-by in the future soon. Here's to hoping!!

* I was a teacher for 4 years in Florida before we moved to Virginia. Both of our daughters were born here and so I now stay at home with both of them. Some day I would like to go back to teaching because I do miss it, but I absolutely love being a stay-at-home mom and cherish these moments with my girls!

* Blogging for me began after my oldest daughter was born. It started out as just a way for me to write down some of the minor projects I would do around the house and it turned into something I really enjoy and will continue to do while I can. And I mostly blog in the evenings after our girls go to bed...that way I can just hit "publish" in the mornings and my post is already ready for others to read!

* I am a lefty. Kind of proud of that for some reason. I guess because it's not that common, maybe? I don't know. But it's fun to tell people that. I'm weird. :)

Well, that's me. There is more of course, but this was what came to mind when typing this up quickly. I look forward to a year of inspiration, encouragement,  and friendship with you all.





**Also, I know many of you have already done this, but if you haven't already liked my Facebook page I would appreciate it if you did! Thank you to those who have followed along. I tend to post more on my FB page, especially when it comes to some of my furniture makeovers- so thanks for following along. Thanks for stopping by!

Gray Painted Nightstands

Hello there!
I have finally been able to sit down and type up a post about the painted nightstands I finished a few days ago. I am really happy with how they turned out.
They were purchased at a Restore and even though they didn't exactly match, they were roughly the same height and close to the same style that I just went for them. 
To keep them consistent, I painted them the same color in a custom mix of gray and white. 
The knobs they came with were the same but I didn't think they fit with the piece, so I purchased some neat knobs at Hobby Lobby and added them. 
Both nightstands were finished off with a clear coat of protection with a bit of a sheen. I love how they turned out!!

I absolutely LOVE these knobs!!! They work perfectly with these nightstands.

The detail on this nightstand really sold me.
Both of these pieces have great storage on the bottom and both come with one drawer.

 The above is one of my favorite pictures. I love the way this one turned out because of the way the light was coming in.

These nightstands are a great height and have tons of storage...definitely what I was looking for. 
I am also glad they don't completely match, but they still work great together because they both has a storage drawer and storage underneath...and in addition, they were painted in the same color and have matching knobs so it works out.

Thanks for reading and I hope you also think these turned out great!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sneak peek of a Pair of Gray Painted Nightstands

Happy New Years!!!!!
Wow! Seriously cannot believe we are in a new year already and it is January 1st. My hubby and I were just talking about how quickly the year went by and now we are starting a new year again. 
We had a good New Year's Eve and tonight I get to go out with some girlfriends for some dessert. It will be a good day! :)

Well, I wanted to share a quick sneak peek of some nightstands I just completed.
It is no secret that I love the color gray so it wasn't a long decision to make before I painted them in a custom mix of gray paint. I also got new knobs for them and will talk about them later in another post.
But for now, here is a sneak peek for you. :)

I know it is not a lot but I will share more later with you.
And there was something about this shot that I loved...the way the light hit this particular nightstand and the way the rays came in through the window- LOVE it!

Happy New Year everyone and I hope your year is another great one!