In the ruckus and rush that was this hardwood installation, the craziness of summer with a life change, our bathroom redo {almost finito – pending some shower glass (!?!?!? sooo close !?!?!!) In our defense, we totally did about three other spaces in the meantime, so to channel my inner classic SNL Cindy with her french fries: lay off us, we’re trying} + the summer tour… {cue deep breath from run on sentence} we realized it’s been a while since we’ve rounded up all of our projects in one place for this space.
Like, a three years kinda while.
We’ve received a lot of questions about it lately in the form of comments and messages and emails, and we thought it may be good to address + link a few up, especially for any of you who are new here. In one easy-to-find stop.
Most of the time, it looks like this {with laundry, home school books, and the ever-present, imperative army men.}
Once upon a time (brace yourselves)… It looked like this.
And this is what we call our green phase.
But making a house a home is a true process, and that process takes time.
Awe yeah. We’ve come a long way, baby.
The funny part? That egg painting has moved about fifty gazillion times and recently ended up back in that very same spot.
So without further ado…
Where did you get that frame? Are those Instagram photos? They are! And you can read all about it, here. We have a blast revamping with fresh photos ever so often, and my one regret? Though it’s perfectly proportioned for the space, I look forward to adding something larger, later. It’s perfect for memories. We’ve simplified so much in the past year… but one can never have too many family photos. You just can’t.
We’ve simplified our lives in ways I never thought possible, but I still hold to this mantra. Hoard three things: Craft supplies, books, and photos. {the latter preferably in the digital form until you need them.}
Where did you find that sofa? How has it held up? Are you happy with it? Once upon a time, I had a slipcovered sofa. And I did not prewash the fabric. There was the gnashing of teeth, and lots of bereaved planking, and it was sad. But this story has a happy ending. You can read all about the source with a few FAQs, here. We love this sofa, it’s held up fabulously through wrestling sessions and spilled food and pee {things happen – it wasn’t mine. I don’t think…} and through it all, we love this sofa. It’s been perfect for our family.
Can you tell me about that coffee table? Inspired by Restoration Hardware, we built it {with the help of a friend} once upon a time. And then updated it over time with fun variations of table tops. This one is our most recent, and you can check out that how to, here.
Where did you get that rug? We have this classic seagrass rug from Pottery Barn and it was one of our very first investments for our space, years ago. It has held up beautifully with three kids and a dog. Recently, because of the hardwoods, we decided this shot of orange would be a fun little addition to the floor, as well. We originally intended it for our bedroom. But the best of intentions and some other vague reference to old sayings = we changed our minds and now it’s in the living room. We scored it at a flash sale, but you may be able to find it here.
Where did you get those purple striped pillows? We made them with duck cotton and some paint. A fun project with endless possibilities – check out the how to here.
Where did you find that light? From the fantastical Lamps Plus site. Confession: we’re kind of obsessed with them. They have amazing selections with great selections. And we are in love with this light. We may or may not have more of their great finds in our bathroom – stay tuned!
Is that an old Duncan Phyfe? The story of Duncan Can be found here. {I know. I’m so original with my names.} He suffered a bit of a break last summer, {was it spring? I can’t keep up with my life} and if you look closely… he’s still sitting on books. I won’t give up on you, Duncan! We plan to repair him. Now that we have a little more time on our hands, he’s still one of my personal faves and he’s at the top of that to do list.
You can read more about the masterpiece theater chairs, here.
Where did you get the crate? This was a lucky duck find of an old shipping crate that we actually keep all of our memories in. {It keeps the hoarding to a minimum and has required the purging of some high school notes from piles in the attic – we kept the best of the best, but we had to make room for those baby pics and yearbooks!} We painted it – with lyrics that are in retrospect, oh so appropriate. And you can read the how to here.
Did your mantel come with the house? Did you make that art? We recently redid the mantel, and you can read all about that process, here. We hate to sound like total ingrates, but I despised that tile for years since the floor was coming up because of the beercanmoldpocalypse, we decided now was the time, if ever.
Whenever we redo something, we ask what took us so long to make the change, because it’s so rewarding. But really. This should have been the first thing we changed. Ever.
Okay. I lie. That’s probably the hardwoods. #Itonlytookusnearlyeightyears.
The art was a part of this series. It’s one of my favorite pieces! Read all about that fun challenge along with the other things that were sent, and why we call it Magellan’s Adventure.
Did you guys make that media console? Where did you get that blue crate? We made the media center around Christmas, to better organize our stuff and free up some floor space. The crate holds all our DVR stuff, and clears up the clutter. It was a lucky duck find at a flea market.
Where did you get that art? The art around the walls are from our book series and the amazing artists who participated. You can read more about those awesome people, here. It’s a great way to grab up some insta-collections in a super affordable way.
Many how-tos from the frames you see can be found in Handmade Walls. It’s another part of our series. And you can purchase any of our prints from paintings you spy, here.
Are you happy with your floors? The floors are our very favorite thing ever to do for our home. I was once a floor snob, and naively proclaimed I would only do “real” hardwoods after a bad experience with our first home. But we needed to replace the flooring after the mold issue this winter. {It ruined the carpet in our bedroom, and we couldn’t replace just the bedroom, since the spaces met, and it wouldn’t look right.} So we could either do more carpet all the way through, or spend a little more, and get those hardwoods I’ve wanted for seven years. We went with our budget and what worked best with our family situation {see: not moving out for three weeks while things were stained and sanded and we all died on fumes}. We purchased them from a local store here, and had someone help us lay them. And by ‘help us lay them’, I mean I got out of the house for a few days with the kiddos while Jamin stayed behind to help. These hardwoods are still real, they’re just pre-finished, and we are very happy with the results.
We literally went to a store, and I picked out something that was in our budget. I decided to stop being so fussy about it, and finally, after all these years, just picked something. It’s funny to me what we choose to be all high maintenance about in our homes. At the end of the day, we all have our impressions and hold ups and delays over past choices. It turned out to be a fairly simple process {as simple as hiring someone to lay hardwoods can go, because sometimes it’s fun to not DIY} and we were finished in just a few days. But it was worth the wait, and it was also worth every penny. I kinda wish I’d gotten over myself sooner. Especially when we saw what was under the carpet. It may sound counterintuitive, but it just feels cleaner. We went with hand scraped, so you can’t see every ding. Or dust bunny. Because it’s all about the dust bunnies when I haven’t vacuumed in five a few days. It’s made a huge difference.
We hope that helps answer some of your questions about products and sources and processes behind this space. It’s literally been years of work, slowly but surely. I guess it’s a testament to keep working toward what you want, and a nice friendly reminder that spaces you love don’t happen overnight. This {and the kitchen} is the heart of our home. We love it. And feel that it truly reflects who we are as a family.
Let us know if you have any more questions… Have an inspired day!
Design Chic says
WOW…what a beautiful difference. I love the paint color you chose – so calm and soothing and all of the details are wonderful. Adore the way you did the coffee table and the tufted sofa…functional, pretty and perfect for the space. Thrilled to find and follow your blog!!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thanks so much! We have truly enjoyed this space ;}
baileywife says
Amen on the hardwood thing. We (2 yrs ago) added the same floors along with wood beams, and have said….why didn’t we do it YEARS AGO?? The answer: because we didn’t have that good of taste or sense of style that I feel we have now. And the wood we would’ve chosen back then , we definitely wouldn’t like now. (Flooring choices have come a long way) So now I love our home, and our taste! ~Kim
ashley @ the handmade home says
That is so true! Circa 2002 when we moved into our first home, I had this glossy, cheap stuff that scratched so easily and showed every single smudge (let alone dirt) it was a total nightmare. And that was before kids! So I was completely stubborn about it for so long. Silly me. There are lots of options out there nowadays that don’t have to be completely redone {see: cutting down in the woods at my imaginary mill and sanded and stained and sanded again and…} we’re just glad to have an affordable option!
JP says
Fantastic- Thank you for rounding all these up in one place. You guys have finished up so much work! Looks great.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thanks so much! We thought it might help to have it one big post ;}
Tania // Run to Radiance says
Yay! Love this post. I think that crate with the lyrics is one of my favorites ever. I bought a (ugly) purple trunk that I want to paint and do the same type thing with…I even have the projector! 🙂
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thanks so much, Tania! ;} DO it! You will love it. ;}