Bedroom Gallery Art

A few months ago (maybe is was last fall?!) I mentioned that our cable company was making us getting a box for every TV in the house. We love to watch TV in bed (I know, a TV in your bedroom is the ultimate no-no for peaceful sleep, but we sleep just fine, thankyouvermuch), so we had to rearrange in order to accommodate our new cable box.

We also decided to get rid of Otto's bed, because he never used it. It was kind of a joke that all I did was clean dog hair around it, because Otto sleeps in our bed.

Once the bedroom had a new arrangement, the big wooden frames (now in our Dining Room) looked so out of place next to the window, and I was looking for something softer to flank the windows. So I shopped the house and came up with 2 new gallery collages. It took me a while to fill them with pictures, but for now I'm calling them done.

I'm still looking for something over the bed, and then this wall is next. I'm thinking its high-time for a full length mirror in our house, and this seems like the perfect place.

Master Bedroom Updates

I had really hoped to have everything done by the time I was ready to post these pictures...
But life happens and the bedroom frames are still empty or have pictures of kids that I don't know.

And even though it's not "done", I'm still sharing these pictures. Because I'm proud that I shopped my house and didn't spend a dime to refresh our bedroom.

Here is our bedroom looked this fall. Just so you know, I thought it was done.

And then our cable company decided we couldn't have cable in our bedroom without a cable box. And that one little cable box changed the whole layout...

(And just in case you were wondering, no, it was not an option to not have TV in our bedroom)

We had to move the dresser to house the cablebox. Which means we had an empty wall.

And now our floor lamp didn't have a place to live, and the frames on either side of the window seemed too big for the space. Oh, and I have to figure out how to hide that cord.


Here's the first part of the update - new wall frames.

  

I love that the layouts are a little different from each other. One of my unofficial new year's resolutions was to challenge myself when it comes to decorating. What that really means (for me)... not everything has to be symmetrical. That's a hard concept for this virgo. 

Don't worry: we plan on filling the holes in the wall & removing the price tickets on the frames, too.

This is the mirror from our dining room. It may be a little too low. I blame this on pinterest, and the suggestion I had read about hanging all of your artwork & mirrors lower than normal to make a space feel more cozy. C has to bend down to see himself in the mirror... so maybe it's a little too low.

Pictures are ordered for the frames, so maybe I'll have an update on those soon!

{Pallet Headboard}: Tutorial

Thank you all for your sweet comments & emails about our bedroom!

Today I'm sharing how we made our pallet headboard. Please know we did not take step by step pictures, but I've done my best to explain how we did it.

Let me also say something upfront about this project: our headboard is nailed directly into the wall. I know this isn't feasible for everyone, so before you keep reading this tutorial, I wanted to share that information upfront.

Materials:
1) 2-3 pallets (depending on the size of your headboard)*
2) tape measure
3) level
4) table saw (or hand saw)
5) nail gun

* We chose to purchase our pallets from a business that had stored them inside. We didn't want to take any risks with rotting wood (or bugs!).

Prep Work:
1) remove each board from the pallet
2) remove nails from each board you plan to use
3) sand each piece
4) determine a rough size of the headboard

Once you've completed all of the prep work, installing this is quick & easy!

Step One: nail in two of the larger, end pieces to make up the sides of the headboard. These will be part of the frame, so be cognizant of how far they stick out on each side of the bed. To ensure that the two pieces are level, mark the wall with a ruler prior to nailing.

Step Two: nail in the two pieces that will make the top of the frame. Before nailing, make sure each piece is level.

Step Three: starting at the top, start nailing in the smaller pieces to fill in the rest of the headboard. You'll want to stagger the seams, so that you don't end up with a straight line down the the headboard. This part requires some patience, as you will most likely have to cut each piece as you go. Before you leave the room to cut, just make sure to re-measure the empty spot you are looking to fill.

Try to not over think the pattern of the headboard: it is meant to look rustic and imperfect. Here is a closeup of the headboard, so you can get a feeling for just how many gaps there many be between rows.

The spaces don't bother me at all (which says a lot, coming from a perfectionist). If we had to do it all over again, we would have painted the wall behind the headboard a darker color, so that the gaps would be less noticeable.

That's it!

Please don't hesitate to email if you have any questions!

Happy Monday, friends!

Linking up with
Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

{Home Tour Friday} - Master Bedroom

I gave a little sneak peek last week, but today I'm sharing our whole bedroom!

We've recently made some updates which have really changed the whole room. I've posted before about how much I loved Pottery Barn's Vanessa Duvet, but it was sold out online. I had found it on eBay, but was still hesitant to purchase it. On a whim, I called our local Pottery Barn store to see if they had any left, and they did - just one - and it was marked down from $129 to $50.99. Can you believe that?! I loved it even more in person (even C likes it :)! It has brightened the whole room!

These pillows were the other new addition, from Target. They too, were on clearance when I found them, and were $16 each.

Total bedroom update = $95 (with tax)!

Here are some pictures to understand the progression of our bedroom since we moved in. It's come a long way!!

after closing, but before we moved in

right after move in (and really, for the next 2 years!)

before painting & installing new trim

best "before" pictures of our old duvet

old bedding

It's come a long way, our little bedroom!

Before A was born, we did a major renovation of this room. We painted, changed all the trim and changed out the closet doors. I say we... but really, C did all the work. At 8 months pregnant, I would just sit on the bed and keep him company, while I folded tiny baby clothes!

While we absolutely love our bedroom now, the wall with the TV will need to change in the near future. Our cable company has decided to shut down analog cable, meaning every TV in our home will need a cable box. Clearly, there's not a lot of room over in this corner... so we've talked about making some built-ins, to house the cable box. The TV will stay mounted on the wall, and hopefully the new shelving will give me some more space to accessorize with my favorite pictures and artwork.

Oh, and check back next week for a tutorial on making the pallet headboard!
(update: tutorial can be found here)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with
Debbie Doo's
It's Overflowing 
Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Savvy Southern Style
A Bowl Full of Lemons 
DIY by Design 
Kelly's Korner