Bit by Bit...

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not very patient. Having a new house has been a good way for me to practice that very quality! I knew I wouldn't  be able to get everything done in the house I wanted to without time - so here we are a year later, still plugging away. This post is a just about a couple of little things that are exciting in their own way. 

First up is a project I saw on pinterest (I LOVE pinterest!). They suggested upholstering your box springs instead of using a bedskirt. This was music to my ears because I generally don't like the way a bedskirt looks (too country for my tastes) unless it is the tailored kind and then it has to be ironed and never stays in place.  I didn't want to have to spend any money on material if I could help it, so I decided to try using what we had first. We decided to move out our bed in the man cave (we had a full bed down there for guests) and switch to a sleeper couch (yet to be purchased). That way we would have extra seating all the time PLUS room for guests if we needed it. Once it was moved to its new home in my sister's house we had a full size bedskirt that would not be used anymore. Our bed is a queen size, but like I said I wanted to try using what we had first. I grabbed the staple gun and got to work (okay, so Jason did it, but I did at least attempt it on my own before he came in to help me!). It worked! The way that our bed frame is made, you do not see any of the gaps on the corners from it being a smidge too small. I am not very good at taking pictures that are properly lighted, but you can get the idea here: 

You have to look close, but you can make out the brown on brown striped pattern. It blends with the color of the bed perfectly. I forgot to snap a picture with all of the sheets on, but you can see that with the sheets on the mattress there will be no spaces of white mattress or box springs showing (and yes, that is Eden all cozied up in the matress pad as Jason is trying to put it on). LOVE it! And the best part? It was F-R-E-E! 

Next up is our mantel art. I finally found a print of what I wanted to hang above the fireplace online - it was a reproduction of an original manuscript of a Beethoven piano sonata (my favorite composer). Unfortunately, it was gonna cost me a TON of money, to the tune of $250 plus. I was bummed, knowing I couldn't justify spending that much. So I waited and did some online hunting and managed to find it in poster form for $30! I figured framing it couldn't be too expensive so I bought it. Boy was I wrong. The quote I got from AC Moore was $425 and that was 50% off. OUCH! Not gonna happen. As I was talking to a friend of mine about my framing woes, she suggested a mutual friend who had a side business framing and matting. Gave him a call, and three weeks later I had a custom frame (he made it) and mat for my beloved Beethoven for a whopping $43.  Hallelujah! Here it is close up:

And here it is in its new home:

Honestly, I had originally planned on getting something bigger (about the size of the black part of the fireplace). It looks a little dwarfed in this shot, but it looks perfect when you are actually in the room. Anything bigger would have been too much, I think. 

So bit by bit we are getting things personal in our home! I love these little things that add so much. I am also busy spraying door knobs and hardware with only 6 doors left. Sounds like a lot, but I have already done 7. There are a lot of doors in this house! I also have new hardware for the kitchen cabinets, which means I will have to spray all of those hinges too. It's all in the works! :)