Living Room Redo- Board and Batten DIY

So for my birthday this year I requested a little spruce up of the living room/kitchen where I spend most of my time and where there are some things we have been wanting to change and add since we have been living here.  We did board and batten in the living room then decided to use the leftover pieces and get some more to do the bathrooms while we were at it.  It made such a huge difference and after doing that I changed out a few accessories and felt like I had a whole new house!  I also touched up the white paint in my whole house (baseboards, cabinets, dresser, etc) so that made a huge difference too.  I was able to complete the whole house revamp for under $700- here is the breakdown:

Easiest Blackout Curtains for $15!

After having 3 kids and Allie starting school early in the morning my kids bedtime became VERY important to me!  Haha!  Allie and I used to stay up til 1am sometimes when my husband was working full time AND in school full time just so we could see him.  After Macsen came along bedtime was still pretty late- around 9/10pm.  It makes me laugh to say that my kids are now rarely out of their beds later than 8 and I usually get them in their beds at 7!  It is AWESOME and keeps me sane, but when the sun starts hanging around later it created a little bit of a problem- that is, until I made their black out curtains.

Polka-Dot Walls

So I am finally posting Allie's room, even though there are quite a few finishing touches that still need to be done...

I posted about the fabric choices here, and haven't made the pillows for the window seat/bed yet, but did finally do the curtains.  I got the fabric at fabric.com and it ended up being $35 for 6 yards.

The polka-dot walls were done in about an hour and were so easy!  The polka dots are from Urban Walls and I love them!  Here is the product page.

The chandelier is from Ikea (already in the house)  The white down comforter is also from Ikea (gift)

Crazy About Kitchens

What is it about kitchens that I can't get enough of?  Really, when I see a pretty kitchen (even when the style is different than mine) It just makes me giddy!

Dream House: Living Area

I love big, open floor plans.  I would love to have the kitchen open to the living area with only a bar separating the two.  I don't even care if I have a dining room or a front room.  Just a big open living area from the entry.

My style combines Rustic Revival, Nantucket Style, and Cottage Chic so materials used would be wood, woven rope, canvas and linen, rustic metals, vintage leather, and of course lots of wicker.

 via Design Style Amy D Morris

I am a huge fan of white fabrics; especially couches and chairs.

But I also love leather (my new favorite is camel-colored like the above ottoman)

via Metropolitan Home-Darryl Carter

via Architectural Digest- Sheryl Crow's Home

Architectural Digest

Camilla at Home

Love the colors in this room; not so much the modern pieces:

via Coco & Kelley

Elle Decor

via lil blue deer

Also, I love big clocks...wouldn't mind having a few in my future dream home :)

...And I would like a little office nook in the main living area.  Here are a couple examples:

via decorpad

My Dream Home

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the future.  Where will we end up settling down?  What kind of house will we finally buy?  We still have 5 years of school ahead of us, but sometimes it is fun to plan some of these things; even though I know I can't plan that far ahead in the future.  

For the location:

Of course I love Seattle and would love to be by my family.

Although, I would also love to live in Oregon 

(preferably close enough to go to the coast every so often)

If the great northwest isn't where we end up I would also be in heaven in Florida.

While we were there last Fall we drove through a couple cities that we really liked.

 For the style:

The last two years of blogging has opened my eyes to the many styles of interiors there are.  As of recent I have been drawn to the Rustic Revival style.  I took this quiz to see what it was called and read more about it.  Go take it yourself!

First off, the layout:

I love ramblers (since they tend to have more light) and I would love something with big windows 

(preferably south-facing.)

I shared this pic a while ago on my blog already, but it really does portray my style to a tee.  The dark rustic wood, white fabrics, big windows, lots of natural light, and wicker.

I love the contrast of dark wood and white; and an open kitchen is a must.

I am also a huge fan of interesting ceilings and crown molding.  Along with big, tall doors...

 ...and windows.

I would love to have a fireplace (preferably white)

And, a spot for a desk out in the main living area that doesn't look out of place.

I love big, open rooms, and this includes the bathrooms.

Again, the contrast and marble will always be my counter-top of choice :)

Stay tuned for the rest of my dream home...

President's Day Decorating

I am actually a HUGE fan of using red, white, and blue (especially in a boy's room.)  So, here is my decorating post dedicated to President's Day (which may also be a little bit nautical):

via pottery barn