Layering Rugs

There is a trend right now that I really like. It is layering different size rugs on top of each other. I’m not usually a trendy person and I won’t jump on a trend because I know I will tire of it. But this trend, I really like and am confident I will stick with it past its trendiness. 

I first did it before the trend took off, but not with rugs. When I hung placemats above my cabinets in the kitchen, I had an extra. I had bought three and then used something different for the middle.

Instead of returning the placemat, I knew I could do something with it. Then I layered it on top of a charger I had that was currently under my favorite lamp. 

It made me love my favorite lamp even more!

Back to rugs, I really like the idea of layer a rug on the back porch seating area. But I don’t have any rugs out there right now, and it’s not on a priority list, so we’ll see if it ever gets done. But I did layer mats for my entry ways.

Current Inspiration

The back door is not fancy, but it was the first runner I bought from Walmart. It is under a Stanley Steamer mat that works really well at getting the grime off shoes after playing in the back yard.

For the front door, I found a runner from Costco to put under the mat. Mom loves a good plaid, and the colors went with the house pretty good.

I like how it pulls the porch together and can’t remember it without it.

I also layered rugs on the inside! I found these rugs that I felt didn’t take away from the detail of the brick. It went with it very well. I bought one for each exit door, but the one at the front felt too small. I then ordered a Dash and Albert rug from McGee and Co to put under it.

Love it!

Drawer Organization

I’m definitely going through a phase of wanting to organize everything! It started with the pantry and then went to the drawers in the kitchen and bathroom.

I did not pay the cabinet maker for custom dividers in the kitchen cabinets and drawers, and I am glad I did not. When we built the house, I did not have an idea of how I was going to store things. I had a plan that was very top level and helped me decide how many drawers, but it was not detailed enough to know what I actually needed.

For the last three years, we used containers we found at the dollar store and Walmart to divide things up and keep it less like a junk drawer. This worked, but I still wasn’t happy. When I’d pull a drawer open, the organizers would shift and move around inside the drawer.

I then started researching inspiration. Something were very custom in using high-end parts, but I was not willing to spend hat much money. I then went to Lowes to see what my wood options were. I found some thin and narrow pieces of wood that I thought would be perfect. I used two different sizes. All were ¼ inch thick but some were 3” and some were 4” wide.

I started with the silverware drawer. It was my main goal to get done with the drawers.

We have two silverware drawers. One has a set of my childhood silverware and the other has my set I bought when I moved out on my own.

I then went to town with the remaining drawers.

I was most excited to tackle my baking drawer.

There was even a true junk drawer that I cleaned out/organized.

That was part of the process. I took everything out of the drawer and slowly added things back in. Somethings found new homes in other drawers and some things were thrown away or donated.

But as I laid items back in the drawer, I put it all together as a puzzle.

I didn’t stop in the kitchen. I moved to the master bathroom!

Mr. JCrew had some drawers that were a mess. Those are now cleared and he can find things!

One of my drawers had my hair ties and clips that were always tangled. They are now separated and I love it! It feels so custom!

After laying items in the drawers, I starting measuring the wood and cut the pieces. Making sure they fit, I started using wood glue and my nail gun to secure it all in place.

I’m pretty excited and am willing to show off what is in my drawers! Not ready to show what it behind my closet doors, but this is a big step! Another step in the process of making sure everything has a home!

Guitar Hanging

The Bonus Room is coming together in phases, but it's definitely a hangout spot.

I always envisioned it being our music room, and it definitely has a music side of the room. We have various instruments we put on display in that room. Mr. JCrew has an electric guitar and my dad had a guitar.

We at first bought wall hangers for the two guitars to get them off of the ground.

Then my mom came home with another guitar. She put it in the toy closet and it was taking up too much room on a shelf, so I went out and bought another hook to hang the third guitar.

The space below the guitars has some more musical instruments so that the boys can just breakout in music at any time. The wire cubes came from the old house and work for the moment. It's not my favorite set up, but I am living with it. I don't know if new cubes that are all the same color would work or if it needs to change all together. I actually have more wire pieces to make it longer, if needed.

We'll see how this area changes. I really like having the guitars hanging on the wall.

Staircase Pictures

The staircase has been pretty bare since we moved in, but I finally hung some artwork.

You may remember me talking about these watercolors here. Mom had come up with the idea to have watercolor paintings made of the two houses we combined to create JW Homestead. I had a picture of our old house and my parent's townhouse converted to watercolor.

I looked up tutorials on how to do this in Photoshop and did a couple of my own, but I really liked the app called Waterlogue that I had originally used. It had more "bleeding" imperfections that I liked.

Well, I never got these prints made or framed. I honestly couldn't figured out where I wanted them. I'm still trigger-shy on putting holes in my walls! I don't want clutter, yet want decor. My mom kept asking when I was going to do it, but I kept putting it off, but for Christmas, her gift was cash that was earmarked for the frames. This was her way of kicking me in the tail to get it done.

Before I could pick out frames, I had to see how big the print would be. I was unsure if the Waterlogue app had given me a print that could be printed large. Plus, I also had to go find the digital copies I had saved...somewhere. It had been too long. The Waterlogue app provided large digital files, so I was good. I printed 8x10's. I then found frames and used large mats.

Next up was placement. I still was unsure. I had a couple ideas. I narrowed it down to the staircase. I was undecided on where to center it on the landing... the step? the railing? the landing itself?

I ended up centering it with the two railings. This part took a little longer because the hooks on the backs of the frame were not identical in their height so I had to measure the actual distance of the two individual hooks and make sure they created a level frame!

I'm really happy with the placement. It finishes that space.

I liked the staircase before, but really like it now.

I do not plan to make another staircase of pictures in the last house, but this gives some interest and has meaning.

Every time I walk by the stairs now, I notice the pictures. I want to keep that feeling of my brain knowing there is something new. It's a great feeling.

Dining Room

The dining room is constantly changing, but here it is in its current state.

The old dining room set we owned dated all the way back to my condo in Orlando. I kept it as a square in the condo, but put the leaves in to make it a rectangle in the larger house.  The buyer of our old house wanted it, so he kept it. It was a bar-height table which worked, but I was ready to get down to table-height.

Condo

First House

I bought the new dining set while we were living in my parent's townhome and we put their dining room set in storage and put our new set in her dining room. The table and chairs were not a set together, but I picked the table I liked and the chairs I liked. I've always been drawn to ladderback chairs.

The table has leaves to expand and we need them to fit everyone during the holiday's. I love having a big table!

If I could change one thing, I might have changed the color. I went for a dark color, as I love dark wood, but the new house has very little dark wood. I guess it doesn't blend into the floor or wall, but it definitely sticks out. But the color has grown on me. The thing these days is to mix colors of wood, so I am okay.

2015

I was back and forth on a rug. The rug from our dining room in the last house is now under our bed in the master bedroom. This table is larger, therefore needs a larger rug. I first thought I wanted a sisal/jute rug, but that became too popular. Now, I'm thinking of a rug that has navy in it so it can tie in the office right next to it.

Here is the rug I am currently liking.

Kensington Blossom by FLOR

I took my time decorating the house (still not done), but the first thing I hung on the walls were the candle sconces. But the space above the shiplap was bare and I didn't know what to do with it. I couldn't center artwork on the wall, because that wouldn't be center with the room. The staircase opening threw things off.  But I was fine with not having anything on the wall. Til one day Mom found a large cutting board. I had been looking for a large one to use as a table runner. I found this one locally and loved it, but it wouldn't work as a table runner. It just got lost on the table with all the decor on it. And if I was going to spend good money on it, I didn't want it to be hidden. So, it went onto the wall!

I like it!

As for the table, the decor has also changed on it. I got the large jugs at Hobby Lobby in the tinted green color. I have a few different sprigs to alternate during the seasons, but the fiddle leaf fig stems I found at Pier One have been my favorite and I have not rotated my other stems.

Pussy Willow

I love that our dining room is close to the kitchen, but open to the rest of the house. I could sit at our table for hours and eat and talk. Guess I need to plan more dinner parties!

Sources:
Dining Table - Pottery Barn Cortona Wood Extending Rectangular Dining Table
Dining Chairs - Pottery Barn Wynn Ladderback
Tabletop Jug/Vase - Hobby Lobby
Cutting Board - Local Shop (Brooks & Collier)
Chandelier - Lowes Westmore Lighting 9-light Hartford Oil-Rubbed (also used in many "Fixer Upper"s!)
Candle Sconces - Pottery Barn Juliana Hanging Iron Hurricane Item # 43-1868504

Screened Porch

When building our house, it was always meant for the back porch to be screened in. But when the budget was going over, we looked at things to postpone. The screened porch was one.

We’ve enjoyed the porch not screened in, but always imagined it finished.

We originally had the couch facing the house, as I thought we would put a TV out there.

Mom refinished a table to have out there to serve as our outdoor dining room. 

Before

After

We then rearranged and put the couch so that it faced out. We didn’t know why we didn’t do that sooner!

I was back and forth on screening the porch in. We sat on the edges of the porch and used it as seating. I didn’t want to take away the seats. But I really wanted to be able to eat outside without bugs!

We decided to go for it. We got an additional bid at a lower price, but once I said, “Let’s do this,” he stopped returning my calls! I then went back to my original contractor that gave me the highest quote and went with him. We had to wait four weeks, but it was worth it. Luckily I had time (I got the ball rolling in January and we were complete by mid-April.) 

The first day of work didn’t look like much. The material was on site and a lot of measuring was going on. The posts weren’t exactly lined up, so decisions had to be made on placement. He explained how he made sure the bottom of the screen was lined up because your eye would most likely look down. But if you look at a post, one post will have the screen centered, and the post next to it will have the screen off-center.

On Day 2, they got a little bit more framing done.  We joked that this was definitely not a DIY job for me. What took him four days, would have taken me four weeks (to find time). But when we were having a hard time getting contractors to call us back, DIY was being considered!

Day 3 finished the framing and some screen started going in. The screen was completed on Day 4.

The final product was amazing! I was shocked at how closing the porch in made it feel bigger! We have gotten use to that feeling now, but it really started to feel like a room!

Mom goes out on the couch and drinks her coffee every morning. The boys like to join her out there.

And we didn’t lose our seating on the ledge! It is still there if needed. My mom’s dog, Hunter, likes to walk on that ledge.

The contractor we used was well worth it and was definitely a perfectionist. And the boys really liked him. Little JCrew told him all about Star Wars. 

Loving the new outdoor room! No bugs!