Living Room Sneak Peek

As we've taken our house off the market until after the holidays, I've decided that I want to "live" in my home again. I'm putting a few more accessories around and have decided to freshen up my living room. This is how it currently was looking {I apologize for nothing ~ well, maybe the picture over the couch, which I just grabbed from the dining room to try and fill that space}.



After reading Rhoda at Southern Hospitality's post about her visit to her sister, and the drapes she suggested her sister buy from Ballard Design, I decided to check out what Ballard's had in an affordable drapery panel. Unfortunately, this led to me looking at their burlap table covers, as well {conveniently, at a new lower price}.

Here is the window before:



I have two of these mauve chairs ~ they are going! They are not very comfortable and were very inexpensive. I believe they were a 2-fer deal from JC Penney many years ago. I do love this black and white chair from Pier 1, but even on sale at $399.99 it is a bit much for me.

Here are my side tables before:

I wound up ordering two burlap table rounds and black and white check drapes.

I moved the lamps you see in these pictures into our big den and bought two black lamps and white shades from Target. Inspiration struck from another blogger for something to put together for over the couch {so that poor little picture can go back in the dining room}.

I am in the midst of having a white slipcover made for the sofa, so pretend my sofa looks like this:

Pottery Barn

Here's a teaser of what I've done so far:

I don't want to give too much away because it won't look right until it's all completed, but at least you can see {sort of} the direction it is heading in.

I could use your help on one thing. I am seriously thinking of painting my coffee table, which is currently a white-washed looking pine ~ you can see it in the first picture above {not enough white and too much pine}. I am leaning toward black {especially since the slipcover for the couch will be white}. I think this room needs the black to ground it. I'd love to hear your opinion on the coffee table.

Linking this post up to Metamorphosis Monday at Susan's Between Naps On The Porch {even though the changes are in the beginning stages}.

Metamorphosis Monday & My First Mis-Treatment

I'm hooking up with Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at Between Naps On The Porch and I have to give a shout-out to Nester over at Nesting Place, who talks about window mis-treatments on her blog, and has pictures and how-to's.

When our powder room went from this:

To this:

I had to take down my pink and green plaid, box pleated valance. I was very sad because I had purchased that from Calico Corners about 15 years ago as something that was made and never picked up {got a fantastic price on a custom valance}.

I got this picture from Home Goods to put in our very small powder room. I loved the colors and it went well with the espresso colored cabinet and mirror, as well as the Blond Wood paint.

And I realized . . . . the fabric I am putting on the chairs I'm redoing has these exact colors in it! I knew, though, that if I put holes in the wall to mount a rod and sewed drapes I would not only never hear the end of it from hubby {because he spackled the original holes before we painted}, but it would take me at least two hours to sew a valance. So, I went the mis-treatment route!



I found the trim in my stash and it was the exact width of the fabric. The colors in the tassel trim were not what I would have picked if I was purchasing it to do this, but it was close enough for me. This is becoming more meant to be as I go along! I wanted to see if I could make a no-sew valance. {I like to challenge myself every once in awhile}.

I fired up the glue gun and I hot glued the selvage edges and the top edge. I then hot glued the trim to the bottom edge, which hid the raw edge. I had upholstery tacks that I was using as push pins on a bulletin board and I grabbed them.



I put the two ends up first {after finding the middle of the fabric and the middle of the window ~ I just eyeballed it}. I then took one side and pleated it in {I think you can see it in the picture above}, then did the same thing on the other side. I pushed the upholstery pins into the wall as close to the top molding as possible.

And, done!

I still want to tack the pleated areas down, and I could do that with a simple needle and thread. But, I want the whole thing to be a no-sew, so I will most likely pin it either with straight pins or safety pins.

This is as close as I could get to show the picture and the valance near each other {it really is a small powder room}.

I have to tell you that I love it! If it wasn't for reading about Nester's window mis-treatments I don't know that I would have done this. So, thank you Nester!

Also linked up with A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day.

Don't forget to enter our current giveaway from Pixie Dust Decor! Ends Friday!