A Fresh New Start

IN THE BEGINNING

Once upon a time boy meets girl.  Boy builds girl a beautiful cozy home.  Girl loves the home!  Boys mom decorates her beautiful home in a primitive style, with strong country influences in brick red, greens and blues.  Girls thinks this is cozy but not sure if it is for her. 

Girls mom decorates her home elegantly with burgundy and lots of gold, glass and shinny things.  Girl thinks to her self "hmmm is this the style for me?"

Girl decides to meet in the middle and decorates her new home somewhere in between the country and elegance with lots of rich floral, and vintage influences in burgundy and green.

WHOSE HOME IS THIS

A few weeks ago I dedicated a week home, no plans, free schedule.  The whole week was dedicated to focusing on helping Dylan get a good start on potty training.  Well, as you may have read in previous post, that did not really go as planned.  But one thing I did realize that week was that once I was able to sit with a clear mind I realized how my house does not really feel like my own.  Once I reflected on this I realized all the comments and hints that I have dropped to my husband about changing it. 

I love my home.  I love the comfort and warmth of it, and especially the love that is shared between the special persons who dwell in it.  BUT it's not really a reflection of me.  It is a reminder of the person I use to be.  A person that was not really sure what she wanted of life, nor had an understanding of what family would look like to her.  I took a piece  of the old me that I was trying to leave behind, and a piece of the only other example I had and tried to make myself fit in the middle somewhere.  YES, much of this is a metaphor, maybe an artistic souls or two can maybe to what I am trying to say.

A BLANK CANVAS AND FRESH START

I am forever grateful for the lovely home my husband gifted me.  He and his dad built it themselves!  There was lots of hard work and love put into it.  I don't see myself able to walk away from it any time soon.  I would just like to make it a little more lively.

(Above inspiring photos from Better Homes and Gardens Special 100 Ideas Flea Market Style)

The week I was home I realized how much I was "dealing with it" instead of "living in it".  Since I started to find myself, and my style I have been drawn to bright white and cream decorated homes with flea market and French accents.  I look at the photos and it just feels like a refreshing breath of clean sweet air.  I know it sounds silly, but it almost transports me to a different frame of mind and makes me feel lighter in the chest.

(Above photo inspiration from Romantic Homes May 2011 issue)

SO after much thought I approached my husband.  GULP.  After much discussion and explaining he was very understanding of why I needed the change.  So with out delay I jumped right in.  I went through lots of magazines bookmarking all the inspiring ideas.

(Another inspiring photo from Better Homes and Gardens Special 100 Ideas Flea Market Style)

PIECES OF A PUZZLE

Here's the plan.  For a fresh new start on the house as cheaply as possible.  I like a challenge, and frankly I am sure my husband will enjoy it much more and go along with my crazy ideas if he does not feel the need to ask "what is that costing us" every time he turns a corner.

(Pinterest Home Makeover Inspiration)

I want the house to be a blank canvas!  My goal is to paint and refurnish as much as I can from the things we already have.  I already have whipped out the white paint!  I want it all white and distressed.  EVERY ROOM!  White slip covers, white furniture, WHITE! I think that by doing this it will really help brighten the house up.  OUR HOUSE IS A CAVE.  It really is!  Ok well not really, I don't LIVE in a CAVE, but our home is really dark.  We have a good amount of windows, but they are covered with dark wood blinds and the burgundy furniture and dark colors just make it dark. 

Of course my husband said some things are off limits.  So I will have to use my creative juices to try to work around those things, but that's ok.  Once everything is whiter I want to decorate with vintage flea market inspired things.  With VERY LITTLE blue and/or green.

I ACTUALLY DID IT

A couple days after talking to my husband I started working on my first piece of furniture.  I started with a little bakers cabinet (not positive that is the correct name).  I painted it, and bought some glass knobs and accents for it.  The photo above is mid way through distressing.  I still need to put on the new hardware, but so far I am loving it!  I will be sure to get updated photos once it is done. My husband did put a limit on how much distressing is ok.

I also painted the table!  I LOVE IT!  I want to put some ruffle white cushions on the chairs not I'm not there yet.

The lighting in the house is still really dark and it makes it hard to get good photos, but once I can get a good photo of the whole table I will share it with you.  Below is a picture of what it use to look like.  Dylan was about 18 months in this photo.

One of the things off limits according to the hubby is the blinds and wood framing around the window.  My husband built wood frames around our windows, with a shelf over each window.  I want to put some sort of lighter white or sheer curtains up, maybe paint the rods a lighter color and I think that will help lighten them up.  Also I had a bunch of bottles up over the shelves in the dinning room.

I took them down (EEeekk yeah they are pretty dusty).  I painted some of them with white gloss spray paint, and some I used acrylics inside the bottles to color them.  I added a few little floral touches, and added some blue mason jars.  The result is a lighter fresh feel over the windows.  I love how the light hits the blue mason jars!  Once I do the curtains I think the results will be much brighter.

 
Even with the few things I started, the table, the bakers cabinet, and the bottles the dinning room is so much better.  The last few mornings I will open the blinds a little to let the light in and it is just so rejuvenating to wake up to!

Another thing I like about the white is that you can easily change it around to go with anything for the holidays.  I have always wanted a BLUE CHRISTMAS lol

It is going to take some time to get everything just how I want.  I plan on doing a lot of it myself, and then enjoy shopping the flea markets and Craig's list for fun pieces and things to use or alter.  I told my husband in the end though all the pieces of the puzzle will come together!

LOOKING ABOVE

Another fun part of the puzzle is that my husband and I had plans of building on an addition as my craft room.  It was going to be a LONG project and probably a year before we could get to it. WELL, one day I saw an attic craft room that I adored and mentioned it to my husband.  HE LOVED THE IDEA!  So now I am busy busy clearing out the attic so that he can start on my craft room while he is so eager lol. 

(Pinterest craft room inspiration)

I will be taking photos as much as possible so that I can share my DIY projects with you. I am excited about our little project to lighten up and refresh our home, and I have already started to feel so much better, comfortable, and more at home.

 

Comments

[Sherry Smyth]

fresh start, working with what feels "right" and enjoying the process....looking forward to seeing more of your works in progress and finished pieces!

[dragonfly jane]

I understand completely where you are coming from, I love the white distressed home style I keep seeing in magazines and on blogs. It does look just so fresh and bright. I'm someone else who lives in a house that is just so dark, with lots of dark wood about and it can get quite over powering at times.

I am really looking forward to seeing your future projects, you seem to have made a great start already. Are you going to do some before and after pictures of your rooms?

[Jem]

Cassandra, so much of what you have said strikes a chord with me - I adore many of the 'things' in my home but so much of our furniture is things we were handed down or cast offs generously given to us when we first set up home together. Most of this I like, but none of it is really 'me'. It's a difficult line to draw as to what to change and what to keep.

I'd never want my home to be free of personal things but I'd like it to feel as light and full of space and air as possible :-)

I look forward to more updates as your makeover progresses!

Jem xXx

[Cassandra]

Dragonfly Jane,

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment! Yes actually I do plan on taking more before and after photos. I should have got one of the dinning room before I started but I was so eager that I forgot. lol

Thanks so much for your comment!
xo

[Cassandra]

Jem,

I know what you mean. One of the challenges I will have is a big corner hutch we have that was passed down. I don't even know how to describe it, it is this dark wood with such a harsh contrast and big black hardware hinges. My husband said no altering! But I can make small changes to the inside.

I am curious to tackle that one when the time comes lol. I guess I will be just trying to see what I can change in the surrounding area to make it appear more in place.

Thanks so much for visiting and your commnet!

[debi]

Oh, I'm so excited for you! You will love your lighter, brighter surroundings!

And, lucky you...I would love an attic studio!

[Heidi]

Hi Cass - i just picked that mag up too and fell in LOVE with that same article. my whole house is already painted various shades of creamy whites. Some of my fave paint colors are Sherwin Williams "Creamy," Behr "Cottage White" - great job - have fun! xo

[Brigitte]

I love that magazine too my house has a lot of life and WHITE my favorite no color!

[Erica]

Congrats on the progress so far!! Thanks for sharing the pics - of the inspiration and your work. Your painted jars look FABULOUS!! I never knew you could do that. It makes them look like pottery, with clean lines.

Tell your husband - when something is distressed, then the little bumps and bruises furniture might acquire from children, pets, and life won't show up. My husband has "ruined" 2 table tops, but since they're distressed, no one knows it but me.

[Sherry Williams]

I love the shabby chic white decor, Cassandra. You would love Karla's home and studio. It is beautiful and I am sure yours will be, too. I can't wait to see more pictures!

See ya soon sweetie!
hugs, Sherry

[liz]

So far, so FANTASTIC!!! Your table and cabinet are looking great in white, and you have given me the inspiration and push I needed to paint my own table (the oak top always intimidated me). I LOVE how the bottles and vases turned out - such an easy idea with mega impact!!!! Can't wait to see more!

[Angela]

Yay! You sound so excited and ready to get er done! Congrats! I really like what you did already. So beautiful.
I hope to see more as you go along. Bravo to the hubs for being on board with this. Us gals just like to spruce up our nests :)

[marisa @ a little birdy told me...]

That is one of my favorite magazines! And you were right, it really must be going around!!! Ive had 2 or 3 fresh starts in my decorating life, but I have yet to actually finish what Ive started. I take so long that I want to start all over again. I think I have a 2 year limit before Im over a look.
Everything youve done looks amazing and I cant wait to see your craft attic all finished :)