2013 Recap & 2014 Action in Motion!

There are some changes going on around the blog just in case you haven't noticed! I changed the name, but everything is still 100% me! Why you ask...because this blog is about making home feel more like what home should feel like for me and you. It is about everyday design for everyday living. Everything I share with you is to not only show you what I have been up to, but also to show you that you can do it too! Just get out there and try something even when you have no clue what you are doing. You will be surprised at what you learn in your mistakes and through your victories! And, I always sign off with Making Home, Home so I thought how befitting it would be to just call the blog Making Home! I love it and I hope you do (or will) too! 2013 Recap In an effort to spread a little more sunshine in the blogosphere, do a little more blogging, and let you in on the happenings around my own home, I'll be sharing with you more little projects I'm doing around the house to make home a little bit more homey!<

Trying to Get Things Done...Finally! Relocating from North Carolina to metro Atlanta three years ago, getting the kiddies situated, starting new positions at work, and having a new baby (4 months ago today) has had me burned out. Last year I finally started tackling a few projects around the house like this this fabulous (in my humble opinion =)) kids space. It was actually even featured on Apartment Therapy, and a few odds and ends type projects which I'll show you in the coming weeks. I must admit, I am really funny about what I share about my home and how much I allow the world to see - so I will probably never really put it all out there - but this year I think I may share just a smidgen more....maybe. I will at least share some great little projects I'm doing around the house and maybe a few room reveals.

So, first things first - a small recap of some accomplishments to get things kicked off right. 1. I actually started blogging. Something I talked about for at least a year and I finally bit the bullet and just did it. Here it is in all it's glory! And you can read about it my beginning journey here.

2. I tackled one of the most important rooms in the house, the Kid's Playroom and I customized some ottomans. My mother is an upholsterer and over the years I have picked up a thing or two. So in trying to walk in her footsteps just a little I figured I would try my hand at my first small upholstery project, and I loved it, and she did too. When she saw them on the blog she told me how great they were and then I knew it was coming....she started telling me how much greater they could have been had I done so and so.....LOL!!! I love that lady! And she was spot on with the finer details. You can read all the reveal here and visit the tutorials for those little storage ottomans here.

3. I completed my first client project in Atlanta. Decorating has always been something I have loved to do even before I knew it was something I could actually do. And for years I have wanted to start a decorating business after having studied architectural drafting and design in college, and teaching graphic and lower level interior design classes at The Art Institute of Raleigh. Well, right before we moved to Georgia, I had finally landed my first decorating client (see it here)**Fix link** and I loved every minute of the process. Once we moved here everything kind of went on the back burner until I could get my footing. Finally, the opportunity to design a space and get the ball moving again happened. A friend and former client called to inform me that he was moving to Atlanta and of course I had to design his new space and I managed to redo some oh so chic ottomans (read here) for him too. So now I'm getting back in the saddle and getting this business in gear. Onward and upward!! Read all about his space here - Small Space, Big Style - ATL Bachelor's Pad.

2014 Action in Motion I am kicking off 2014 with a host of projects around the house. And I will start out with the home office. It has truly been a work in progress and still is. I'm very OCD about where things should go and when it comes to my own spaces I will move things around 100 times until it feels right. Sometimes I really can't get out of my feelings even when I know technically some things are right, if I am still unsettled with it...well it's getting moved around or replaced! It's just like that sometimes. It's kinda weird that with my stuff sometimes thought and I just can't put a finger on it, but with everyone else I have no problem.

Anywho, we converted our formal living room into our home office because: 1. we are veeeeeerrrrryyyyyy far from formal.

2. no one ever walked into that part of the house except guests passing through from the front door to the family room, well you could count the kids running around chasing each other because of the open spaces or them doing cartwheels and standing on their hands, and then there is the screaming from someone slipping and falling...I digress - but you get the point.

3. I was tired of cleaning up eraser shavings, glue droppings, crayon marks, homework papers, and everything else you can name from the little kiddies sitting at the island in our kitchen.

4. and probably the most important reason - I'll be darned, I just wanted a home office! =)) So here is where we began (dark, organized clutter, and just plain ol' boring). So not our personalities, at least most days. =)

I know..the pics are not the best. I took them with my phone. I really forgot to use my camera. Sorry! =/

The To-Do-List 1. Better shelving including keepsakes - for now - I love a bookshelf covered with books not necessarily knick-knacks!! We need something that extends up these super tall walls. I believe the ceilings are at 12' - 14' high. Plenty of place to vertically play.

2. Make better use of the desk Basic iKea folks. Great selections for low, low prices. I like the contrast of the dark tops against the cream walls and the contrast with the legs, but again, not sure if I want to paint the tops or not. We will see!

3. Rearrange the seating and get more seating, maybe (to upholster or not to upholster - that is the question. I picked these low wingbacks up when I was a grad student at NCState. They had the coolest mid-century modern furniture they were throwing/giving away. If my truck was big enough I would have hauled tail outta there with a ton of other things. Sigh...Some great pieces. These are solid wood covered in vinyl, super heavy, and have stood the test of time. I contemplate recovering these with fabric, but there is something about being able to easily wipe the surface without having to scrub that I love, especially with three kiddies in tow and one of them being a little baby that is bound to spit-up on these babies. What are y'alls thoughts? Leave me a comment

4. Bring in some color through textiles and art.

5. Lighten it up with some lamps! Stay tuned as this space evolves and I will surely keep you posted!!

Anything you all are trying to accomplish in this new year? Let me know by leaving a comment! Now get to having a little fun, creating something new, and bringing out that staple gun, that hot glue gun, or that hammer!!

Making Home, Home!

Kathleen

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. As we move forward with all the goal setting and resolutions for the new year, please be reminded to approach each day with an unwavering sense of  'I CAN DO THIS' no matter what is placed before you. I am so thankful for all that 2013 offered me and my family including this here little blog - my place of digital heaven. I have used it to get some creative juices flowing, tackle some projects floating in my head, and share with you some of the fantastic (at least I think) results. Thank you for taking the time to visit, read, comment, or just flip through the pics of my pages and posts. I hope in some way I have inspired you (and hopefully continue) to get moving, get creative, and start doing something to make your home feel more like home.

Although I have a list of goals for 2014, I will not bore you to tears with all that stuff - at least not yet. I'll instead, worry you to pieces with tons of posts for you to read throughout the year! =))

So...cheers to you and all the great things that 2014 has to offer. Thank you again for following along with me on my blogging journey. May you all walk in truth, abundance, and a genuine satisfaction with life all while Making Home, Home!

From Granny Classic to Modern Graphic: Ottoman UpDo 2

Upholster Something I Just Bought? Say What Now?

So a few days back I posted Ken's Bachelor's Pad which showed those awesome ottomans covered in a modern graphic fabric. Well here is a little secret, they looked nothing like that when I purchased them. You heard me right, purchased them!!

They actually looked like this! YIKES...OUCH...Can you say Grandmaaaaaa!!!!!! And I'm talking Grandma from back in the day folks (when furniture was covered in plastic and you couldn't sit on it because it was in the fancy living room that no one was allowed to go in), not like the little hot grandmas of today! =))

Now typically I don't mind DIY projects if it's something old or something that needs a little TLC, but to modify something completely brand new... GASP!!!! I have never been a - buy new and then do some work to it type of girl.

Side Note...nothing drives my husband more crazy than DIY projects and DIY projects of items I just bought from the store - that's just something he can't fathom, and ummm...I can't either sometimes.

But he knows by now when I'm determined, I'm determined. He also knows that the end result is going to be great (or at least that's what he tells me). So he takes a back seat to my madness and waits for the finale. =)) Love you hun if you are reading this.

With these ottomans I thought, how awesome would they be had they been done like this (use imagination). So this time, I stepped outside of my rationale self, thought nothing of the head shaking I knew I would receive from my husband (even though I was spending Ken's money and not ours), and I went with my gut...which never fails me folks, NEVER!

I purchased these babies at a big box store for a few reasons: 1. The scale, shape, and style were all perfect for this space. 2. They were built pretty solid. 3. I knew with a little imagination they would be beyond awesome.

Recovering the Ottomans To liven up these soon to be beauties, I removed the tufted buttons and the granny fabric.

Because Ken's space was grays and golds, I knew I wanted to warm the space up a little with some natural tones. I had a side table I scored for $5 years ago (that I knew would work in somebody's space one day) that was a nice walnut color and I wanted to bring that warmth to these ottomans, especially since they would reside in the center of the space. As you can see the legs were painted a pale, blond color originally. So I sanded them to remove the top coat of sheen and pulled out my paint brush. I painted the legs with a nutty brown color. Believe it or not, I did not prime the legs at all. The pale, blond color worked in my favor helping me achieve the look I was after. The original color created the highlights you see below. The result was nothing short of magnificent (at least in my opinion =)). The legs look like they have really been stained!! YESSSS!!!!!

Next I had to fill the holes made by the tufting since the tops would be completely flat. I had some foam left over from a previous project, so I cut little pieces from it and stuck them in the ottoman holes. I then wrapped the whole ottoman in batting to smooth out the tops and add a little extra cushion. Sorry I don't have a pic of this step. I was too excited and eager about wrapping them in the fabric. Lastly, I wrapped them in a citrusy, modern graphic fabric centering the print on both ottomans. I made sure the edges were as smooth as I could them and then worked my way around the bottom of the cushion stapling the fabric in place.Now check these babies out!! My husband could not believe how great they turned out. He is now a believer of As for my lucky apartment dweller Ken, he saw a picture of the ottomans when I purchased them, but I kept the fabric and the final look of the ottomans top secret until installation day. I wanted to surprise him. He could not believe they were the same ottomans.

Pay no attention to the shreds folks!! =))

Just goes to show you that with a little imagination and elbow grease, you really can make new even better. Now get out there and find you some almost awesome ottomans and get busy turning them into something magnificent.

Making Home, Home!

Kathleen

DIY: Ottoman UpDo

A few days back I revealed my latest design, Project: Children's Playroom, that had the little storage ottomans shown above. What you may not know, is that when I purchased those little babies they were not made with storage at all. When I first saw them, I knew they were the perfect size and shape for the playroom, but they needed to be overhauled just a bit.They had a pretty solid body, but when I flipped them over I noticed they were hollow on the inside. I thought...hmmm, what a waste. So Instantly my mind ran with the idea to not only reupholster them, but to knock off the legs, turn them over, make new tops and wala...new storage ottomans. So...that's just what I did!

Before Ottomans

Tools you will possibly need to do something like this yourself.

I began by knocking off the little peg legs and removing the existing fabric. The fabric was attached by nailheads all around the bottom of the ottomans (such a waste of nailheads, but I knew I could use them for another project). After removing a gajillion nailheads, the fabric (for the most part) easily pulled off leaving what you see below - a super thin layer of batting and a fabric covered top.

So what is batting? Thanks for asking...Basically batting is a thin layer of cotton, polyester, or wool that goes between layers of fabric. It can come in different thicknesses and is usually sold by the yard. Most fabric stores or shops that specialize in upholstery products carry batting you can purchase.

Next, I cut off the aztec fabric to expose the perfectly shaped foam you see below glued to the top. I used a butter knife - a great household tool =)) - to score around the edges to loosen up the foam topper for removal.

I then used the foam topper to trace out the exact size the new wooden tops needed to be. I knew that the little kiddies and their friends would be pouncing on these tops so I selected two small squares of a pretty sturdy wood (ohhh....I can't remember) to cut from. After tracing the shape onto the wood, I used my handy jigsaw to cut the wood into rounds. I then glued the foam toppers onto the new wooden tops and wrapped batting around them (sorry, I forgot to take a pic).

 After adding the batting to the tops and sides of the ottomans, I stapled a canvas dropcloth to the tops to create a super smooth surface for my fabric. You would be amazed with what you can do with regular old painting dropcloths from the hardware store.

Notice also that the batting here is much thicker than what was originally on the ottoman. I selected a thicker batting because little kiddies would be running around and I wanted it to be a little more plush and soft just in case one of them bumped their little noggins against it while playing ultimate warrior or something. =)) You'd be surprised!!

Lastly, I wrapped the toppers and the sides with my fabric. I stapled the heck out of it to make sure that all fabric was secure enough to stand up to the wear and tear of little kids and then glued the little peg legs back onto the bottom with gorilla glue. That glue holds up like a champ!

So there you have it folks!! This is something that you can easily do yourself! It doesn't have to be perfect, just perfect enough for you!! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to drop me a line in the comments section below!! Until next time, happy decorating!!

Making Home,

Kathleen