Master Bedroom

The master bedroom in our new house is proving to be a tough space to decorate. We have done a lot in the room but it is just missing those pretty details that make the space more inviting. It has come a long, long way from being an empty, white-walled space so here are all the things we have done to date.

We found our bedroom set at Ashley Furniture the same day we got our dining room set, more on that here. It was so hard to pick a set that H and I agreed upon! I was oogling over this one bed from Ethan Allen (a very expensive bed might I add). Though it was a lighter wood than I originally wanted, it was beautiful and I just could not get it out of my head. Ashley had one similar but it was white and didn't seem to come in a different color - we were looking for darker wood, something that wouldn't go out of style any time soon. So we looked everywhere and finally found one at Ashley. It just so happened to be one of their top quality sets with the drawers made of cedar and having dovetail joints. Me, I had no idea what that meant, but H seemed to really like it. I believe this was part of the Porter Collection at Ashley.

Now, one thing I always forget is that you can haggle at furniture stores! Yes, that's right, haggle away! (Well, within reason). So we talked the guy down in price and then they added a 50% off discount because it was one of those, "this weekend only" deals, and then we had a multi-room discount because we bought our dinning room set on the same day. Needless to say we got an amazing deal!

Originally I was expecting to get a queen size bed, NOT a king! H had been trying to talk me into a king bed for a while at this point, and I kept saying no because not only is it more expensive to get the bedroom set, but then you have to buy the mattress AND sheets which aren't cheap. So the added expense of getting a king would be more than we originally wanted to spend. H doesn't ask for too much when it comes to furniture or home decor but this was something he wasn't going to let go. It wasn't until we talked to my good friend and MOH at the wedding who "knew a guy" in the mattress business and told us she could get us a mattress for pretty much at cost. This in combination with getting a great deal on the bedroom set changed my mind, and H won the bed size battle. 

When we had the bedroom set delivered we didn't realize that it would be another few weeks before getting the mattress so we had to sleep on our double size mattress on the floor for a few weeks, that was fun! But surprisingly enough it fit in the room with all the new bedroom furniture! I am pretty sure our master suite is larger than our entire apartment was in the city which I know is hard to believe! 

H and I also had some trouble finding a comforter set that we both liked. He was begging me for some color since we just painted the walls grey. We painted the back wall Creek Bend by Behr and we absolutely loved it! But, it was way too dark for the whole room so we painted the remaining walls Porpoise by Behr. This one we did not love. In some lights it has this lavender tint to it and while it is a nice soft grey, purple was not the color we were going for. Oh well, for now it works and maybe down the road we will change it up, who knows. So anyway, we found this orange/grey comforter set at Macy's on clearance and used a $100 gift card we had from turning in our credit card points so I think we paid $50 total for the comforter, two shams, and three accent pillows that all came in the set. It is a bit more masculine that I would like, but it works for the space and it is something that we can change out later on with a duvet cover or something if we feel like it. 

I also purchased two silver colored lamps from Ross and two white/grey lamp shades from IKEA. Though the shades are a bit small for the lamp they work for now. A great alternative to spending an arm and a leg for lamps at other stores, who knew how much lamps could be! 

The mirrors on either side of the dresser were a DIY project. They were hand me downs with a gold frame. So we bought some spray paint, sanded 'em down, and went to town with the white gloss paint. I wish I had some before and afters for this project because a little bit of paint really does go a long way. We are thinking we might rehang them a bit higher, but for now they frame out the space nicely. Oh and PS, don't mind the mess!

Here are a few more detail shots of the room.

I would eventually like another chair in the seating area and a stand mirror for the far left corner.

We really love how the room turned out but as I said before, it is very masculine. I think I need to find some nice artwork for the walls or just a few soft touches to make the place more inviting. I am trying to keep track of where I get all the decor items so here goes:

• Curtains - IKEA (though they still need to be hemmed)
• Curtain rods - Home Depot
• Love pillow - Home Goods (left over from our wedding)
• Ceiling fan - Hunter brand at Lowes
• Decorative frames above the bed - Pier One (on sale! 20% off!)
• Comforter and bedding set - Macy's
• Lamps - Ross
• Lamp Shades - IKEA

So, now here is what our to do list looks like:

- Purchase bedroom set
- Paint the room
- Purchase a comforter set
- Buy and hang window hardware
- Buy and hang curtains

- Reupholster love seat

- Find colorful artwork/frames for the walls
- Put up crown molding <- if H lets me : )
- Print four 4x4 pictures to fill the frames above the bed
- Hang TV on wall above the dresser (maybe)
- OR hang a gallery wall of wedding photos above the dresser
- Purchase a white print tufted bench
- Buy a floor lamp for behind the love seat
- Purchase a side/end table for seating area
- Possibly purchase an accent chair?
- Find or make a jewelry stand armoire with a mirror front

Most of these things are details and can be hammered out over time. I am so glad that we have this space more or less finished now. It will be even better when we get the master bath painted! Then we will really have our own little retreat : )

Check back for updates!

JP

Garlic Croutons - Yea, these are good!

These garlic croutons are a great option to make if you have some day old bread (or 3 day, in my case) to just use it up instead of letting it go moldy and having to throw it out. Plus, they are delicious so that's an even better reason to try out this recipe!

Ok here goes,...

Ingredients:

- 3 to 5 thick slices of crusty italian style bread
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or sliced


Directions: 

- Cut bread into bite-sized cubes

- Heat oil and garlic in a saute pan until garlic starts to brown

- Discard garlic and add bread cubes
- Fry bread, stirring often until golden brown (5 min)

That's it! It is seriously really easy to make and they are great as a garnish in soups, on salads, or even just as a snack : )

Enjoy!
JP

First Year in Review

One year ago today, H and I closed on our first home, where has the time gone?! And we have completed a number of projects, though there are still many many, many left to do. Being a homeowner is a never ending task but I thought that if I make a list of all the things we have completed this year, not only will I feel very accomplish (I hope) but it will motivate me to continue to make this house our very own. So here goes, in no particular order:

1. Put up blinds in the the entire house (except the breakfast nook).
2. Mounted the new flatscreen above the fireplace. I actually think that was done the very day we moved in. H has his priorities straight : )
3. Oh, and he put up surround sound in the family room, again priorities haha
4. Bought a front loader washer and drier, and installed them ourselves. Well, H did that on Halloween last year and while all the little kiddies came to the door for candy, he was cursing and yelling upstairs trying to hook up the dryer which was way more involved than we both expected. Made for a very interesting Halloween. 
5. Purchased a dining room table and chairs which we both love. We actually switched out the chairs that came with the table for more modern looking chairs from a different set, you would never know the difference! More on that here.
6. Started and (more or less) finished our "butler's pantry" area! This was a big undertaking and very rewarding! Check out the project here.
7. Purchased a new stainless steel refrigerator. Complete with ice maker and water dispenser! See the photos of the kitchen on the House Tour Page.
8. Painted and decorated the dining room, though it still needs some artwork or something. See it here!
9. Finally bought an adult bedroom set. It took some convincing to get a king size mattress but it was sooooo worth it! The furniture really makes the room feel so much more mature : )
10. Painted and decorated the master bedroom.
11. Got part of the garage organized, though it has a long way to go, at least there are some shelves up and room for storage now.
12. Painted, stenciled, and decorated the wash closet in the master bath. For being so small, it sure was a challenge!
13. Put in a custom (well custom looking) closet organizer that is amazing. Check it out here.
14. We also installed two garage door openers which were H's parents' wedding gift to us. My FIL even helped install them over Thanksgiving weekend. A big thank you to them!
15. Started painting the kitchen! Yay! Ok, so I know I haven't posted on that yet, but we are mid painting so check back later for that update. Very exciting!

I'd say that's a lot of accomplishments in one year! Not to mention getting a puppy, saving for and then going on our dream honeymoon! I am impressed with all that we have done, and I am so looking forward to the coming years, checking things off the to do list one project at a time!

CSA Part 2

It has been a while since I posted about the CSA program H and I are a part of so I figured I would show what we got this week. We are starting to get into fall crops so the root vegetables are coming up which makes me a very happy girl. And we are getting lettuce again which means more salads for lunch (I don't know if that's a good or bad thing). And I can't wait until we get sweet potatoes, those are my favorite! But, until then, I will make due with all the other delicious veges we got this week!

Ok here's the breakdown:

- 1 huge head of cauliflower

- 1 eggplant

- 12 assorted hot peppers

- 2 bell peppers

- 1 bunch of turnips

- 2 daikon turnips

- 1 bunch of carts (that look like they are on steroids!)

- 1 lb heirloom tomatoes

- 4 lbs slicing or beefsteak tomatoes

- 1/2 lb of spinach

- 1 lb of arugula

- 4, yes 4, heads of lettuce

No clue what I am going to do with 4 heads of lettuce, but I'm sure I will figure something out. And looking at those carrots and the cauliflower, whoever said organic means small never went to this farm!  It's a really good feeling to know that we are helping out a local farm, even better that it comes with the perk of all this amazing produce!

Happy Picking!

JP

Broccoli Leek Soup

This soup (from Williams Sonoma's Soup of the Day) is so flavorful and if you love broccoli as much as I do you will love it! It is so easy to make and requires very few ingredients which is definitely a bonus. You could always change it up too and add some sharp cheddar cheese on top and pop it in the broiler.. mmm.

Ingredients:

- 2 tbs olive oil

- 2 leeks (white and pale green parts) finely chopped

- 1 1/2 lbs broccoli (I just so happened to have 4 heads from the CSA, so that's what I used) florets and peeled stems cut into 1 inch pieces 

- 4 cups chicken broth (or you could use vege to make it vegetarian!)

- Salt and Pepper

- Sour cream for garnish  

- Chives (optional - I didn't have any so I didn't use it)

- Garlic croutons (optional - You can either buy them or make your own)

Directions: 

- Warm oil over medium heat

- Add leeks and saute until softened (3-5 min) 

- Add broccoli and saute until slightly softened (2 min)

- Add broth and bring to a simmer 

- Cover partially and cook until veges are tender (15-20 min)

- Remove from heat and let cool slightly

- Working in batches puree soup until smooth (or use your immersion blender!)

- Season with salt and pepper, garnish and serve!

Enjoy!

JP