Melanie's Purple Travel Room Theme...Yes, Really.

Without much fanfare, my youngest daughter (soon-to-be 14) and I took some much-needed mother/daughter time to give her room a little style makeover when they had a few days off from school before Valentine's day.

Much to hubby's chagrin, she wanted lavender, silver and black.  When choosing the design for my girls rooms, I encourage them to choose two colors...main and complimenting and a metallic color (silver, gold, bronze, copper, etc) but everything must compliment their current furniture.  Additionally, we pick a theme.

Though I've been painting murals for about eighteen years now, teenagers are still a little unchartered territory for me because it's an extremely rare occurrence to be contracted for a mural for a kiddo over the age of ten.  My kids are happy to be the experimental volunteers and I just love giving them cool rooms.  I suppose I can say it best when I say it's part communication, part giving up control.  The control part is a real stickler for me (my kids have some pretty elaborate ideas), but I think we did okay while still accomplishing her goal of a "travel" theme.  Melanie did the research on fonts while thinking of a font best-suited for the personalities of the appropriate cities (notice Austin's).

Ironically after having completed her room, my husband I had to locate a new hairdresser this week.  Low and behold, what could have been considered Melanie's inspiration (though we found it after the fact) was found at our new hair salon..."Hue".  My husband just shook his head...lol.  Does this mean Melanie's taste was justified?  I think so.

Melanie's results appear to be a modern, more-chic-than-shabby with glossy black accents and a silver chandelier with purple prisms (coming soon!).  I haven't yet painted the ceiling white and am not sure I will...time will tell.  However the research and layout with Melanie was fun and it makes me smile knowing this little project provided some quality time and memories for us.

 

What's a travel theme without the Eiffel?

Snazzy Silver Chandelier with Purple Crystal Prisms Coming Soon!

Raspberry Addiction Competing for First Place with Chocolate

Ever get a sweets craving that just won't quit?  For the past two years, mine is usually a spongy white cake with a raspberry filling.  Undeniably, chocolate comes first, but this sweet cake is closing in on my sweets craving for first place.  I've found a variety of ways to substantiate making them when my craving strikes...here's a few ways I've presented them:

Daughter #3's 13th birthday cake...and the cake that started it all!

Some of our wedding guests had nut allergies (one layer was Italian Cream
Cake) so I opted to make the bottom layer white cake with raspberry filling.
It was a much-appreciated hit!

Daughter #2's sweet 16th birthday cake but with a snoyw-winter theme.  The butter cream frosting was also raspberry.

After I scoop out a hole in the cupcake with a melon baller, I inject raspberry filling into my cupcakes with a pastry bag and tip.  Then replace the cake ball I scooped out and top with raspberry-flavored butter cream frosting.
Guilty pleasure for one! Yes, please...

My Pinterest/Craft room is complete! And all for under $500.

Not too long ago, I made the transition from full time Realtor to Wife & Mother Extraordinarre.  A lot of ladies will relate to this, I'm sure of it.  It's just that "wife" became a new title for me last year when I married a man with two little boys.  Not that my schedule and routine wasn't packed already with three teenage girls, but I found myself in a plethora of kid-related involvement with five kids ranging from 7 to 18 and a new husband who travels for work...a lot.   It's usually a daily balancing act for us with practices, baseball games, basketball games, volleyball games, band concerts, choir concerts, art contests, and a few "Mom, I have to turn this project in TODAY before 8 am. Can you take me to school?"  (It's an hour and half long morning commitment when that happens!)

Rewind to last year when we purchased our home (the one in all the photos).  We happened upon a home so perfect for our family of seven that it even included a home office for hubby as well as an upstairs place to set up shop for me.  Feeling that little room upstairs was most ideal for me, I wanted to make it my own recharging station.  It was perfectly situated between all the kids rooms and was the perfect to still be connected to what was happening downstairs.  It was where I could recharge my creative juices and find my (indoor) happy place...or, worst case scenario--work!  However when I discovered Pinterest, everything changed.  

Because everyone is aghast at my frugality and thrill of doing things on a budget, I've listed where I found most everything you'll see along with the prices paid for things.  Please note I'm not one to just go out and spend $460 (about what this room cost me) to set up a room...these things were all collected over time...a few years even.  For example, the chandelier was purchased about a year and a half ago for reasons my husband nor I could quite understand...I just knew it was charming and cheap and I had to have it.  It sat in a box in the garage in it's quite dilapidated-looking state for quite some time until my husband threatened to throw it out if I didn't put it to use.  That was all the kick-start I needed to complete my "Pinterest Room".  Welcome to my happy place!  

Pottery Barn Bedford cabinets purchased through Craigslist. These plus the lateral cabinet...$200.  Mirror belonged to great Aunt, chandelier purchased through Craigslist...$25.  White shelf pieces purchased at Home Depot...$12.  Granite desktop lovingly provided by father-in-law's granite company.
**Please note the paint color here isn't the best depiction from my camera but is a beautiful color in person.  I'll note in a photo below what is the most accurate example of the true color.  I used Home Depot's Martha Stewart paint color in "Winter Fog".  It's the PERFECT light blue choice for a shabby theme!

Bookshelves made by grandfather in wood shop class in 1938...pieces I can never part with.  Baskets purchased from Target and Ikea...$6-9 each.  Wood bird (taken from an Indian ship) purchased from auction...$40.  

Lateral filing cabinet included in Craigslist purchase of other cabinets.  Hutch purchased through Craigslist (Pottery Barn piece so I knew the white would match without requiring painting) and converted into a gift wrap holder...$40, hardware and dowel rods added an additional $10.  Carousel horse garage sale purchase...$10.  Painting is my own.

Gold antique picture frame re-styled into coordinating fabric pin board (what we used before Pinterest came along) purchased from an estate sale...$10.  Lamp and lampshade purchased from garage sale...$7.

Sitting view of my happy place with my once-small girls handprints.
I still remember when...

This lamp originally was solid brass.  I spray painted it, removed, cleaned and replaced the hooks for the crystals that came with it and added a few spare crystals I had leftover from my spare parts bin.  Voila!

Vase purchased from on sale from Hobby Lobby...$5.  Birds given to me by my mother for Mother's Day a few years ago.  These are what started my bird theme!

Happened upon these adorable and most-fitting shades that I couldn't have designed better myself!

Lamps purchased at Goodwill...two for $12.  Shades purchased separately at Wal-Mart...$9 each.  

**This is the truest example of the "Winter Fog" color from Martha Stewart (Home Depot) depending on your screen color.**