The House Tour: Craft Room

The final room of the house tour. I suppose it is more of a closet but because we took the door off, it feels like an an extension of the back room.View to the right of the room. The fabulous table was at this house when we bought it. I LOVE IT! It was left downstairs but it is the perfect fit for this space. It is the perfect height to stand at to do projects but also for little girls to sit on stools at and craft it up (as Mya and Sydney love to do)!
This space has all of my gift-wrapping and card-making supplies, along with other officey items (like paper clips, rubber bands, a three-hole punch, etc.). The peg board was already there - I just painted it a fun color. The fabulous grey organizer-thing (I have no idea what you call it) on the table was given to me (thanks Angie C) but it originally came from the ISU surplus sale, of course!

The card stash.

Card-buying is not in the budget so I usually buy packs of general cards on clearance. My should-be-professional-card-making-sister inspires me to try making my own cards. Now that all of my supplies are easy to find and I have a place to work on cards, I am beginning to try to make some. I will never be like Kate, but it is fun to see what you can make out of old cards that have been given to you. :)

Office supplies. The little glass and silver containers were less than a dollar at Hobby Lobby when they were 50% off. The round metal containers I bought in Thailand when I lived there more than a decade ago!

Random supplies in Target dollar bin containers (middle shelf). Gift wrapping supplies in square Target clearance containers and plastic (look like glass) containers from Hobby Lobby (50% off of course).
Organized writing utensils. (I am quite aware that this room could also be called my OCD room!)

Gift wrapping supplies.

I have to do a little promo for the best glue gun ever. My sister and my mom have sworn by glue guns for years - they use them to fix and make everything. I have never really thought they were that necessary . . . until recently. Kate got me one this year for my birthday. But, not just any glue gun . . . this thing is awesome! It has its own stand which means you don't have to find something to catch the dripping glue.
Also, it also easily comes off the stand for you to take anywhere in your house to use for a little bit. Finally, you can leave it plugged in and just turn it on and off with the switch. I had previously not cared that much about a glue gun but I use this thing all the time! Ironically, I just bought Kate one for her birthday this month. They are at Hobby Lobby and if you print off a 40% coupon online, they only cost about $12.
Here is the left side of the room/closet.
The floor is left-over bamboo flooring from our old house (7 years later). We had a few boxe left over so we brought it with us and my brother installed it here to cover up the old linoleum. I love it!

Very left: Storage for Bibles, fabric, sewing kit, project-y stuff and extra craft supplies. Underneath is our filing cabinet.
Lots of foam and felt letters/things in the buckets on top, electronics/batteries/CDs in the black photo boxes and more crafty storage in the middle. I personally would rather organize craft supplies than make things with the supplies, but one of the primary ways I plan to spend time and bond with my older adopted daughters is to do crafty-stuff. Therefore, all the craft supplies (which were largely donated to us!).
The home school storage shelf!

I honestly don't know what to do with half the stuff on this shelf - but I'm okay with that. Since our girls are 7 and 8 years old, they will have to be officially registered in home school. But, fortunately (for me!) home school is going to be very, very simple the first several months. Lots of me reading to them, practice drawing letters and just learning English in the every day things we will do. That will be school. We will be focusing way more on bonding and attachment than school, but doing simple school stuff will be a great way for me to spend time with them.

Lastly, pictures of my nieces and nephews when they were each one year old. They will forever be like my first babies so I can't part with having these pictures somewhere in my house!

P.S. I'm pretty sure MandyBee Photography took at least three of these adorable pictures!

The House Tour: The Back Room

Or, as I like to call it, the secret weapon room!

Without this room we would not have bought this house. It adds an incredible amount of space for our soon-to-be family of six.

Here is the view from the garage entrance BEFORE:

NOW:

The story - as we have learned from different neighbors - is that this was an addition put on two owners ago by an artist/art professor at Iowa State. This was his art studio which explains all the (wonderful) windows and sky light. The first thing we did was to get rid of the three six foot long fluorescent lights. We replaced them with a ceiling fan and two sets of track lighting.

Here is a view going clock-wise around the room from the back.

This room is our play room/home school room. I got the table and chairs super cheap on Craigslist. My mom helped me cover those huge bulletin boards (from the ISU surplus sale, of course - $3 each) in fabric.

Here is the BEFORE of this space:
And NOW:
I painted this room "Mysterious Ocean Fog" (a Walmart color I had matched at Lowes). This is my current favorite color in the world. The space above is my office space. We took the door off of the closet behind my desk to create more space in this corner. The closet space is my home school/craft/gift wrap/etc. storage room. It will have its own post next!

I had to post my favorite quote (author unknown) that I have where I can see it daily. Because one of my greatest struggles is the sin I'll call "timeaholicism" - always wanting more time to accomplish more tasks - I need this reminder daily!

It is extremely liberating to recognize that God gives us enough time to finish everything to which he has actually called us. Here are some of those things: devotional time with God, relationships and service in your family, church and community; and matters of stewardship over your material goods. If any of these areas are suffering because of the amount of time you spend doing other things, take a closer look . . .

On with the tour . . .

Jason wanted this room to be as open as possible so that the kids can run around and play. I agreed. Jason and Abram are having "batting practice" as I type this! But, I also wanted a small area that was more "comfy" for the kids to be able to sit and read. We were able to accomplish that with a cheap, small futon from K-mart and a rug we already had. The futon folds into a bed which is also very helpful since we don't have a guest room.

Here is the view from the back of the room looking towards the front of the house. The door on the left is to the garage and the door on the right is to the kitchen. Having an entrance straight from the garage is another huge blessing of this house.
The previous owners (when they "flipped" the house) put an old kitchen cabinet and sink in this space. The reason they put a sink there was because there was plumbing there from the the closet on the other side. The former artist owner made the closet into a dark room and it still had the big trough sink for developing pictures.

While this was a unique idea, the sink had to go. With four kids we needed a place for coats, hats, shoes, bags, etc. So we turned this space into a "mud room"/entry area.

I had half of the white hooks (Walmart) from our old house. They circle hooks were Hobby Lobby clearance. I got the Ikea shelves for half the Ikea price on Craigslist. I love that the horizontal shelf makes its own bench for the kids.
And this is Jason's area for keys, sunglasses, wallet, etc.

House Tour: The Kitchen

Here is the view from the front room. I thought we would have to get a new kitchen table and chairs to accommodate the more square-ish space. But, when I tried the long table ($10 from the ISU surplus sale last year) coming out of the wall, I liked that it created much more walking space through the kitchen than a square or circular table would. Since the kitchen is right smack in the middle of the house, there will be a lot of traffic through there. The table also allows us to get in and out of the patio door. I am also thankful to get to use the 6' bench that I searched high and low for (and found on amazon.com) for our old house. We can squeeze a lot of little people on that bench!

Here is the opposite view of the eating part of the kitchen BEFORE we bought the house:And NOW:I painted the kitchen (and hallway) walls Mark Twain Ombre Grey (Lowe's) and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this color. It has a touch more brown in it (though you can't tell at all) than the High Speed Steel I used in other places. That makes it go a little better with all the brown in my kitchen (more on that later!). I would like to either have my sister write a Bible verse on the wall in the frame, find some wall words or if I get lazy, maybe just put a big clock in there. I got the huge frame at Hobby Lobby in their 90% off clearance section and painted it my favorite Satin Nickel color.

More jars on the table as well as Abram's silverware since I don't have room for it in my silverware drawer.
View from patio door. Having a BRAND-NEW kitchen with drawers that all work properly and new appliances has been a dream. While the color of the cabinets, back splash and counters are not my fav (by a long way), I am learning to love my kitchen . . . because what is there not to love about a BRAND NEW kitchen?!
I would love a long dresser or buffet in this space to the right of the frig some day but instead I used the tall cabinet I already had. I didn't really need more cabinet space but I needed something on that wall and I put the dishes in the cabinet so that my girls can (eventually) be able to put the dishes away and set the table on their own.

On top of the cabinet
This cabinet used to be more of "curio" cabinet with an upper glass door and lower glass door on it. After using it like that for awhile, I got tired of the formal feel of it, so I took the doors off of it and used it like a bookshelf. It is perfect for my dishes because it is deeper than a bookshelf.

The bulletin board is not the most aesthetically appealing (at all!) but is there out of necessity rather than design. I need to post the kids' daily schedule in a place where I can talk to them about it. Kids adopted from 'hard places' need a very high amount of structure and predictability in their days. Change can often be very difficult for them. I am planning to make flashcards with pictures of a toothbrush, eating, reading, playing outside and other activities that they will do each day. I will hang those on the board to make the schedule. (I got this idea from another adoptive family.) This will help initially in their language learning and then will help them know what is coming next in their day. I plan to go over this with them while they are all sitting at the table for breakfast (and at other eating times). I just bought some cardboard letters at Hobby Lobby today that ironically spell, 'TODAY,' that I plan to paint and put above the bulletin board.

To the left of the frigMain view of the kitchen BEFORE:

And NOW:

This little black shelf that I have had for 5+ years fit perfectly in this little space. It originally had three doors that each flipped down. But, after the doors broke for the second time a year ago, I was done fixing them. I was going to get rid of the whole thing and then realized it would still work well without doors (just like my other cabinet above!). I found totes at Walmart that fit perfectly. I put the kids plastic dishes and cups in here so that again, they can get to them themselves! And my recipe box (complete with grease marks!) on top for very easy access.Another ISU surplus item . . . the 50 cent old paper holder for typing. I LOVE THIS THING! It is magnetic, so I could also use magnets on it. I've very recently realized that I plan out my meals and use what I have in my cabinets better if I have an inventory of all that info EASILY ACCESSIBLE (just like my recipe box). Putting these lists and my menu on this paper holder is a fun way to have it on my counter but look decent, too.

While I am greatly enjoying and learning to love my new kitchen, I'll just take a minute to share my honest opinions about what I don't like. First is the obvious fact that I like grey and black WAY better than brown. But, you all know I am embracing the brown in my house! Second, I am no design expert but the problem is that the cabinets are a bit busy with all of the grain and knots that show on the light wood. Then, while the back splash has a very beautiful decorative strip of tile in it, that makes it busy to look at also. And then the counter top also has a busy pattern in it. If just one of these components were SOLID, I think it would look so much more appealing. Which is why I had planned to stain the cabinets black and replace the back splash.

BUT, Jason is done with house projects and I am thankful for a husband who knows when to say 'when!' I also swore I would never paint cabinets again after I did them in my old house. Not only is it a ton of work, but the moment you sand and put paint or stain on a cabinet, it just seems to me that they aren't new anymore. Paint or stain rubs off in time. If I had old cabinets that needed updating, I would do it in a heartbeat, but to redo brand new cabinets . . . I feel like there is a lot more to lose.

So, the lesson learned is that when God puts a house in your lap that is perfectly suited for your family with way more space for your four kids but the kitchen is not the colors you wish it were, you learn to be thankful and content and even learn to LOVE it!!

Up close with more jars.
Here is the tile I have that I would love to redo the back splash with some day. I love this tile because it would incorporate the colors that I love (while still working with the brown tones). Some day.
On the back side of the kitchen wall with my five jars is this very unique cabinet (in the hallway to the back room). It only has the depth of a soup can, but I love that I can store lots of pantry items in it.
That completes the kitchen tour (with my commentary, of course!)

The House Tour: Front Room

Here was the view when you walked in our front door.

And here it is NOW:

It is about double the size of the front room in our old house. Woohoo! While I do love it, in order to make use of all the space (which is Jason's preference), it looses a bit of the comfy feel without a coffee table (or something) in the middle of the furniture. But it totally works.

Here is the view from the opposite side of the room. BEFORE:NOW:I am planning to paint the front door (inside and out) - it sticks out like a sore thumb. I would also like to put a fun console table in place of the black wooden chair by the front door . . . in time. One decorating lesson I learned a long time ago: Use what you have and be content with it.

Did you see the two sets of four shelves indented into the wall in the before picture? The shelves had to go. We didn't have the time or money to tear the trim out completely so Jason ripped out the shelves and I sanded and painted the wood. The lanterns and hooks were in my kitchen in my old house.
This is my favorite wall in my house by far . . . the mirror collage!

I have been wanting to do something like this for over a year. I didn't have a place to do it in my old house. But, I started collecting mirrors over a year ago and was finally able to pull it off here. All of the small mirrors are from Goodwill. The curvy one ($10) on the left is from a barn in Galena, IL. The fancy looking one ($12) is from the Habitat Restore in Des Moines. The long one is from my old house and the round one ($8) is from Goodwill. I used a Krylon spray paint in the color Satin Nickel from the Brushed Metallic collection (got it at Walmart). I am in love with this color of spray paint! It is like a muted silver. And it looks great against the dark color I painted the room - 'Semi-Sweet' from Lowes. The paint sample card looked like a dark brown color. But, when I got it on the walls, it looks like a mysterious brown/charcoal with a hint of dark purple (go figure!). It was the color I went out of my comfort zone on and I love it!

We did buy a new couch . . . at a real furniture store even! We needed a couch for more seating in this room and I was looking on Craigslist for one. Decent couches are $300-350 (or more) on Craigslist. I wanted a grey couch and knew that would be hard to find. We were in Des Moines one weekend and we decided to just go and see how much couches are at a 'real' store. I honestly had no idea. Low and behold this couch was $359 and so were many others. Who knew? The crazy thing is that I swear to you this couch was GREY in the store. Jason can vouch for me. That is why we bought it. It was one of only a couple grey couches in the huge store. Once we got it in our house it totally looks brown. Which is completely okay. It goes with the rest of the furniture quite well.

You can see the color of the wall better in this picture. The color is actually very dark, but I'm here (along with Nate Berkus) to tell you to not be afraid of dark colors! They add such a warm feel to a room.

I don't know what got into me, but I have a sudden love for decorating with glass. I have always loved old glass jars, but primarily used them in the kitchen. I have them in a number of rooms in this house however. Here they are hiding the nasty TV antenna. And I thought this would be proof that my love for decorating and organizing does not translate into cleaning. Look at all of that dust. And I don't really care. It is way up high where no one can see!

I had to blur out the pics of the kids from Africa once again in the picture below. I would love a different chair in place of the $5 wicker chair I got at Goodwill 7 years ago when I moved into my house and recently spray-painted black. BUT . . . I'm working on being content with what I have! The little side table was a $3 garage sale find that I sanded and painted a turquoise color.

Well, there is the front room and all of my commentary.