Bedroom Blah

Our bedroom so far has been pretty neglected. As you can see we have no headboard, no bed frame, our nightstands are end tables from my mom. (FYI: Not proud of these pics, but I'm keepin' it real, people.)


The lamps are hand-me-downs as well.


The curtains are ones I bought from a thrift store when we moved in just to keep the light out so we can sleep. They aren't quite long enough to cover the window!


I'm also toying with the pillow configuration and have yet to begin adding my little touches of orange. I originally started with a blue and gray color scheme, but it quickly became boring to me. :o/


Up to this point, I've had my heart set on a metal bed frame. You know, an antique-looking one with scrolly metal work? Even on Craigslist the cheapest I have found is still a couple hundred dollars. Hmph. I can see I will not be getting this anywhere in the near future.

Both Pottery Barn

I know there are many DIY headboards that are beautiful, but I wonder how functional they actually are. The last thing I want is to have something fall on my head in my sleep.

Like this for example. This is adorable, and you could display any art collection. But can you lean against it with your pillows while you read? If you stretch in the night, will your hand go through a piece of glass?

Vintage hankie headboard and drum nightstands? How sweet! (BHG)

BHG

And this one would lend us some much needed display/storage space. But I can just picture pillows knocking our books and picture frames behind our bed or waking up with seashell imprints on my face from them falling on the bed in the night.

BHG

I can see a variation of this being a little more sensible (even though the comments on Apartment Therapy were surprisingly harsh-- ouch!). Instead of hanging the fabric on a curtain rod where it can be pulled down, it can be hooked up very well where the ceiling and wall meet and the frame can be hung just high enough that when sitting up, it doesn't touch your head.

Apartment Therapy

And probably the most sensible of all is the fabric upholstered headboard. This seems easy enough, but I don't have a vehicle that is big enough to carry a king-sized piece of MDF or plywood back to the house, or the tools to cut the board to size.

Um, ca-ute!!! (CandiMandi)

BHG

So what is a headboard-less girl to do? Are there any solutions I'm not seeing? Any ideas on how to add some beauty this blank slate of a bedroom?

Some Color Theory

We have been in this house for nearly a year and I am sad to say that I still have not yet taken a paintbrush to a single wall! The beige--is driving--me crazy. I don't exactly have plans to run to the paint department any time soon, but I was trying to think of what colors I would use and where. Like I said earlier, pretty much everything in this house so far is blue. The couches, dishes, curtains, etc. I know blue paint is out of the question because I want to make the blue around the house pop. Hmm...

Did I go to art school for two years to have this difficult of a time picking a color for the walls? (Yes, yours truly is an art school dropout.) Trying to remember what I learned about color theory, I pulled up a hand-dandy color chart to help!


Orange is blue's complement and as I picture my kitchen walls painted a terra cotta pot orange, I actually like what I imagine. My living room curtains use this complementary color set:

Ah, looooooove my peacock curtains...

Nature uses blue and orange as complements:






And finally here are some pictures of blue and orange used in the home. I picture the living/dining area using the complements in a bold way, and the master bedroom and bath using pale blue with little touches of orange throughout.

I actually have that bud vase!

I think I must have these curtains for the bedroom!

I can't wait to start adding some orange accents around here!

Yummy Fall Food

I made my first ever fall-themed meal this past weekend (with the much needed help of my sister.) I had to do something to take my mind off of the Chocolate Covered Raisin Incident of 2009. (Our pup is fine now, just to let you know.) The next night my husband and I had the leftovers for dinner and it was still delicious!


The extent of my fall decor is that fall colored bow with the hurricane and candle. But say hello to Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Chutney and Gingered Pumpkin Soup!

I found the recipes on Better Homes and Gardens' website. Mmmm, it was good! I preferred my soup a bit sweeter than the recipe made it, but adding more brown sugar was an easy fix. You can't go wrong with brown sugar! And I got a little fancy with my pumpkin seed garnish. **insert giggle here**


Try the recipes out if you'd like. If someone as special needs as I am when it comes to cooking can do it fairly easily, I promise you can too. (Ask my sister or husband about watching me cook. It's painful. I have a stab wound scar on my index finger to prove it.)

Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Chutney
Gingered Pumpkin Soup

A Success at Last

As I told you earlier, the bat project I set out to do was kind of a catastrophe. (See my bright idea here, and my subsequent epic fail here.) But I worked out a Plan B and ta-dah! The bats aren't going anywhere!


All I did was make a big stitch with black thread in the middle of the bats, sewing the duck tape to the bat. And just so I didn't have to knot the thread on each bat, I just taped the ends of the thread together. Yay!



I also got a few yard of gauze to hang up in the entryway. It was really easy to rip holes in and tatter. I'd love to have more next year to drape over bushes and trees.


Oh, the gauze was also fun to play in. :o) Am I cute, or am I cute? You like it.

Today, I added my last Halloween touch for the year, the scaredy-cat:


Hmm... a mosaic would really add some "oomph" to the front porch. All in good time...


It's not a lot, but pretty good and budget-friendly for our first Halloween here. Only a few days till Halloween! What are YOU going to dress up as?

I linked this post of to A Soft Place to Land's DIY day and at Posh Pieces. Check it out!

My Sweet Millie

My heart is just breaking right now for my puppy, Millie. Like a fool, I left my purse on our lounge, unzipped with candy inside. Not just any candy-- chocolate covered raisins to be specific. It may sound like no biggie, but raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. There's no way to tell how much will be deadly. I read that as few as seven raisins can cause serious damage if not caught.

Celebrating her one year birthday.

We rushed Millie to the emergency vet tonight. We got her there within 15 minutes of her eating them. They induced vomiting and are keeping her for two days to monitor her. I wonder if she is scared as they hook her up to IV fluids and draw blood from her...



They said the prognosis was good and that she would probably be fine. I don't know what I will do if she isn't though. Even a few hours in this house without her is unsettling to me. I find myself peeking my head up from what I'm doing, just to see where she is, what she's doing, and she's not there. I expect to hear her collar tags jingle behind me as I move room to room, but nothing. I love her so much and I failed her. It was my job to keep her safe.

My Millie is a spot-stealer...

A trouble-maker...

And a constant companion.

And I love you so.