Nest Updates

Hello Nesters! I thought I'd spend some time blogging tonight and sharing a few nest updates.

Remember Lacy's unique photo wall?

I ran around the nest and grabbed as many frames as I could find. Yes, these were all in our home and I still had others that I could have used {except for the large ones at the top and bottom- from Ikea}.

A little secret...Ikea has some great, inexpensive frames. These large RIBBA frames were $14.99 each.

They come in "aluminum color", "birch effect", black, "walnut effect", or white.

Although they are cheap and can be purchased in many colors, there are a few issues with them:

1) The "walnut effect" means these suckers aren't made of real wood...

and if you nic them, you can see that the faux material scratches easily.

2) The corners of the white ones that I purchased have huge gaps where the sides meet.

They could easily be fixed with wood filler, but who wants to mess with that?

3) Biggest issue: They aren't TRUE PHOTO SIZES!! Ugh! I guess they are "Swedish sizes" (isn't that where Ikea originated?) So the large frames below were 18.5'' x 15.75''. It was fun trying to get photos blown up to fit them. {notice my sarcasm?}

Would I recommend these frames? If you are looking for something inexpensive and you want to just "make it work", then yes! I would.

I really loved how Lacy's version of frames all had a mat to create unity between all of the various sizes, but to achieve the same look, I would have had to spend over $100 to complete this project {even at Ikea}. Trying to save and "recycle" frames that I had, I was pretty pleased with the outcome.

The best part- we included photos of our family and friends from childhood growing up, to our college days and our wedding weekend.

The process was actually really easy.

I remembered seeing a post at Isabella & Max Rooms that explained the idea.

You can use any type of paper {butcher, wall, wrapping, etc}. I had some cheap Christmas paper left over and got lucky because the back of the paper had the 1'' square grid lines. I would recommend using cheap wrapping paper with a grid. Just be careful not to tear it because like I said, it's cheap and thin.

Basically, you just lay out your frames on the paper, measure the spacing, then outline each of the them. Once I picked them up, I labeled each frame with a small piece of tape "A", "B", "C"... and labeled the paper so they would correspond to the correct frame when ready to hang.

You then tape the paper to the wall where you want to hang the frames.

You can't tell that the outlines of the frames are on the paper, but they are there. I used a blue marker so the sharp point of a pen or pencil wouldn't rip the paper.

One by one, you match up the frame to the outline and nail it into place. Once you get all nails in the wall and they look good, just carefully remove the paper from behind each frame.

{warning: this can be tricky, so you have to be careful and slow or you may end up with broken glass}

Isabella & Max Rooms where a little more precise but you get the idea.

 Since I've lived in our nest (almost 1 year), we've been through 2 different coffee tables. Our first table was a large, HEAVY mission-style made of wood and granite. Our second was the gray distressed painted table, shown in this post. And after many nights of moving those heavy tables out of the way for P90X {Adam, not me}, we decided to do away with a table all together. Our solution? Burlap ottomans! Much easier to move and they are super comfy to prop your feet up! Both were purchases made at the Mart.

I saw the same ones in my favorite store, AtHome in Birmingham.

{for $98 each- we got 2 for that price}

 

I updated my lamp shade in the breakfast nook. I used the leftover fabric from my throw pillows. I just love how it brings a pop of bold color to this area of the nest. This lamp was a $6 find at Goodwill. I painted it and I actually have two. The other lives upstairs. 

I haven't had a chance to paint my dining room walls, but I updated the wall art. The white frames purchased at Ikea were used to display our vintage produce labels.

{before}

{after}

Much better, right?

 Before our new furniture was received, I wanted to brighten up the family room. I didn't think the color change was a big difference, until we started the actual painting. You can see a HUGE difference in the photo below. We went from a dark khaki color to Sherwin Williams "Muslin". This color was selected with help from my dad, who is well versed in paint colors. Because we don't get much direct sunlight in this room, it really opened it up and made it appear much brighter. 

 My plans are to paint the ceiling with a tinted metallic antiqued glaze, but I haven't mustered up enough courage. Anyone have thoughts or experience with metallic glaze? I just don't want to HATE it.

And finally...

{drum roll please}

OUR NEW FURNITURE ARRIVED!

Remember this post? I could not be more excited about getting our new sofa sectional, chair and ottoman. We waited in anticipation for a L O N G  9 weeks.

{our old one is for sale on craigslist if you know anyone interested.}

Not only has the paint changed the look of the room, but the sofa really lightened it up too.  

I chose this sofa for both the masculine and feminine details. I love the chunky dark wood legs and bronzed metal nail heads but also adore the dainty curved arms and soft oatmeal linen fabric.

And check out the chaise! It's HUGE! Adam and I can both fit on it. It's perfect for lounging around.

{still need to sew my throw pillows...the fabric is draped over an insert for a visual} 

 We also received our matching chair and ottoman.  Whoohoo!

You cannot tell in the photo, but the fabric is a pale blue textured stripe. 

It too has the same details of the sofa.

Sneak peak: I just ordered my fabric from Calico Corners. The bold suzani will be used for the front of the throw pillows while the oatmeal and rust stripe will be used for the contrasting back fabric.

The bold multi-striped will be used for the curtain panels.

Fabric should be delivered in a week, then I will be sewing my little heart out to complete my projects.

More updates to come...