When I first saw the rug, I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. I mentioned it on twitter and facebook, and the responses were pretty divided (with references to both Missoni and the Golden Girls). After thinking about it for a bit though, I’ve decided that I quite like it! Finding the lamp to go with the rug really helps pull the two together with a little style, albeit it a granny chic style.

What do you think? Love it or hate it?

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© Making it Lovely, 2010. | Permalink | 118 comments

Look at what the electrician left us with in the kitchen though. Are there better looking light switches that go one above the other? There is not enough room for the standard side by side switches that I was expecting, and I would like something, you know, less ugly. The electrician said that he could replace the switches with white ones, and I suppose a new switch plate and some touch up paint will help. Still, I miss the simple standard switch that we used to have.

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© Making it Lovely, 2009. | Permalink | 32 comments

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It’s so much better than the light that was there before.

It’s understated, but it’s a perfect compliment to the room.

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© Making it Lovely, 2009. | Permalink | 57 comments

We need a new window in Eleanor’s room.

The one that’s there now is actually falling off of the house — yikes! While it isn’t quite at the point of being dangerous (it’s still sort of attached), the gap does let hornets and other bugs in. If we had a proper functioning window, we could actually open it for some fresh air. What a concept!

And I know, I know. I really need to post the finished nursery.

We would like a new light in the library.

The one that’s in there now is just plain ugly, and it doesn’t even cover the hole in the ceiling for the junction box. The ceilings in the library are only 7.5′ tall, so we need something that doesn’t hang down very far.

I’ve had my eye on the Chase Ceiling Mount for a while now, but they keep pushing the availability date back. I’ve been patiently waiting, but perhaps it’s time to find another option.

Our bathroom needs some serious help.

It was bad when we moved in.

We did do a minor update about a year and a half ago with paint and accessories for about $300…

And while it’s much cuter than it was, that was just a temporary fix. We want to make some structural changes and relocate the toilet a few feet over into what’s now a closet space. Oh, and um, maybe we could have a white tub and toilet instead of blue?

The outside of our house also needs some serious help.

At the very least, we need to paint the trim. We also would like to resurface the dormers to match the stucco on the rest of the house, change the color, and add some landscaping. Basically, I want our house to look like this:

Matching seating out back would be nice.

I talked about this not long before the whole BHG 48-Hour Challenge started. Basically, we have a mish-mash of seating around our table.

While I can appreciate that look when other people do it, I would prefer a matching set of chairs.

Eventually, we would like to refinish the basement.

This will probably have to wait, but it’s definitely on our list. I won’t post pictures because it’s too scary. Well, maybe just one picture. Would you like to see our indoor outhouse?

Yeah, we’d like to remedy that (and the rest of the basement) at some point.

*Sigh.*

A girl can dream, right? Wanna help out? We’re in the running for a $5000 bonus, and I’d really appreciate your vote every day from now until June 12!

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© Making it Lovely, 2009. | Permalink | 88 comments

(photo by Janet Mesic-Mackie for Home Magazine, September 2008)

The little light in the room is horrible and it doesn’t even fully cover the hole in the ceiling for it, but I’ve had a hard time finding a replacement because our ceilings upstairs are only 7.5′ tall. I had ordered this Jonathan Adler light previously, but it was far too large for the space and we used it in my studio instead. I did see this light recently, and it may work since it’s a bit smaller.

The stairway woodwork has been painted mustard yellow (“Campground” by Behr), which does look nice with our current curtains, but I was never a huge fan of those. They’re okay, but not great. I’ve always loved Amy Butler’s Lime Primrose fabric, and seeing it recently as pillows made me revisit the idea of using it for new library curtains.

I’m just a little worried that the fabric won’t work with the yellow wall. Brandon’s mom gave us a curvy wooden side table recently (and the go-ahead to paint it or do whatever we want to it), so maybe it would be nice if it were painted the same yellow? I also have a neat little side table on the way that could be painted. Or we could keep a dark brown side table to match the legs on the chair and ottoman, and rely on the mustard yellow throw that’s in the room (which was just $1 at goodwill). The Orla Keily pitcher from Target that I’m eagerly awaiting (used as a vase with some pink flowers) would be nice too.

I love the fabric so much, I’m determined to make it work.

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© Making it Lovely, 2009. | Permalink | 35 comments

I’m the more handy one out of the two of us and I felt bad that I couldn’t help, but we didn’t think it was a safe job for a pregnant lady. Oh yeah, I’m also a wee bit of a perfectionist… It was really hard to not go in there and obsessively sand and smooth and do things myself. After priming and painting though, the ceiling looks really good.

The new light looks great, though we did have to run out and grab a ceiling medallion. I’m not really a fan of them, but Brandon had a hard time smoothing out the ceiling near the light, and the medallion was an easy solution to hide the remaining popcorn texture. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll leave it white or if I’ll paint it the same color as the rest of the ceiling.

Now, I know people get a bit nervous when dealing with electrical projects (we do too), but changing a light fixture is EASY. We’ve done it six times so far in this house (in the living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, studio, and nursery). You just make sure the power is off, take down the old fixture, connect like wires to like wires, attach the ground wire to the little green screw on the mounting bar, and then attach the new fixture.

We decided to keep the room the same color (Wheat Bread by Behr), but it needed a second coat of paint. Really, it’s always needed that second coat, but I think I was too tired when working on the guest room before and I just figured ‘good enough’ (which is so uncharacteristic of me). It has bugged me ever since. So now we’ve painted the ceiling and walls, and even did some touch up work on the trim, and the guest room is officially ready to be switched over to a nursery.

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Now, I know these aren’t the same (pale pink vs. white, different silhouette), but they are fairly similar. Feel free to ignore or embrace the fact that they are Mary-Kate and Ashley brand.

(Mary-Kate and Ashley accent lamp and table lamp available at Target.)

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© Making it Lovely, 2008. | Permalink | 30 comments

I think the Pier 1 lamp that I bought for the office might find a home in the guest room too.

Do you know why? Because we have a guest coming! Lili will be staying here for a few days next week! We’ll be going to the Design*Sponge Biz Ladies Meet Up, the DIY Trunk Show, and maybe a couple of other events too.

I haven’t even started on the guest room yet though! Here’s what it looks like when it’s empty:

It’s an awkward little room (7′ x 14′, with a sloping ceiling). Any ideas? I haven’t devoted much thought to it yet, but maybe we can whip it into shape quickly! You know, in all of my spare time. ;)

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© Making it Lovely, 2007. | Permalink | 17 comments

Here’s the office with the new lamp:

Here’s the same lamp, but with a white shade:

This is the Nikki lamp:

And this is the Nikki lamp in red:

And this is the lamp that used to be in the office (which will probably go in the library instead):

Something else to consider is that I just ordered this fabric for the window directly to the right of my desk:

That’s a whole lotta pink and red.Do you still like the chili lamp (maybe with a white shade)? I’m liking the simplicity of the Nikki lamp. Oh, and the Nikki has two light bulbs (which is a definite plus).

I’m feeling indecisive lately.

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© Making it Lovely, 2007. | Permalink | 34 comments