Spring decor with natural elements and textures

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope your weekend has been good to you so far. It's been sunny here in Maine and finally starting to feel like spring -- I love it!

So, it's the perfect weekend to show you my spring decorating. I didn't go crazy this year and I mostly used things I already had on hand. My focus this year was on natural elements and textures, with glossy white accents as contrast. Take a look!

This is the dining room, which is back to being a dining room after we flirted with it becoming a sitting room. On the table is a simple centerpiece in my Pottery Barn lantern that I got for a steal a couple years ago. Inside, you might recognize the jute twine eggs I made over Easter weekend, and my DIY rope-wrapped pot.

The plant inside is an Arabica plant that I picked up a couple weeks ago. I wasn't sure how it'd like being inside the lantern, but it seems to be growing and thriving! The lantern is sitting on a charger from Target.

The white vase and white bird are Michaels finds from a couple years ago. I love the glossy white with the textures of the jute and the greenery. And the colorful bamboo placemats are from Bed Bath and Beyond. They make me happy :)

I spent a few minutes last weekend poking around our backyard to find some sticks and branches, then let them dry out for a few days in the garage. They're quick, fast and cheap fillers for vases. I'd love to have fresh flowers all the time, but they're more a splurge for me than a regular purchase. To add some soft spring textures, I made a little flower out of tissue paper by simply cutting two layers of paper into an irregular circle, poking some floral wire through the middle, and gently folding the tissue paper into a petal shape. I secured with a little hot glue and a little green ribbon around the base.

Recognize this console table? It used to hang out in the living room until I decided to put the media cabinet in its place. I like it in the dining room. It holds our cookbooks and makes a great spot for drinks or appetizers when we're entertaining. But right now it's a great spot for more spring decor!

Let's start at the bottom with the runner -- a past DIY project using some fabric from the remnants bin at Joann. I'm a total sucker for that remnants bin. The bottles are simply old beer bottles wrapped in jute twine. Since there's no art on this wall (yet), I wanted to create some height with this display, so I used more branches and tissue paper flowers. These are some tissue paper pomanders I made (and never used!) for our wedding (I used Martha Stewart's directions, but you can find how-tos everywhere). And yes, I've kept them! I've felt kind of silly hanging onto a box full of tissue paper pomanders, but let me tell you, they've come in quite handy over the years. They just need a little fluffing to look good as new.

My new terrarium is hanging out here too -- I'm happy to report it's still alive! The bird is big brother to the little one on the table.

This bird print, bought  for me by my mom from HomeGoods, adds some fun color to the whole display. This used to hang in our living room but it was a little small for the wall so now I'm trying to find a different home for it. For now, I like it here, especially as it echoes the birds-and-branches thing I've got going on.

This white bowl from Target has the rest of my jute eggs and the yarn ones I made too.

 
And if you like me on Facebook, you'll recognize this glass bottle, my latest flea market find for just 10 bucks. I'm addicted to glass bottles. I particularly like this one with some curvy branches and tissue paper flowers. It looks so romantic!

A couple more photos, because I can't resist...

In short, I bought nothing new for this spring setting -- just the way I like it! :)

Have you decorated for spring yet?

Before I sign off, I just have to take a minute to say my heart goes out to everyone affected by the tragedy in Boston. As I said on my Facebook page, this one hits close to home for me -- Boston is really the heart of New England, and I have so many happy memories of time spent there, from going to the Science Museum on school field trips, to Red Sox games with my husband, to visiting good friends who live there. I'm happy all my friends were safe, but my heart breaks for those whose loved ones were not as lucky. And while they may have apprehended the people responsible, the ordeal is not over for those who have to continue healing and grieving.

I can't do much to help, but I can donate blood, and I did last week. My proximity to Boston means my donation might actually be transported there if they have a shortage and need it. I'm a big advocate of blood donation, so wherever you are, I urge you to consider taking the time to donate blood. One pint of donated blood can save up to three lives! It feels so good to know you're making that kind of impact.

The sitting room is painted

Hello, hello! Hope you all had a good weekend. I got an extra day off on Monday for Patriots Day, which we celebrate here in Maine. I spent it gettin' my paint on in the former dining room/soon-to-be sitting room.

Last we left off, we had a bazillion paint samples on the wall, and the hubs and I each had a different favorite.

So, what color did we pick? Behr Misty Morn!

I feel like I get my way a lot of the time when it comes to house decisions, so I decided to go with the hubs' favorite. I was nervous it would be a little too dark. Well, I have to give the hubs major props, because the color is perfect!

I'll take better pictures another time, but even in this low-light photo, you can see how much brighter the room is sans-maroon walls.

Our plans are to paint the living room the same color, but this weekend I just focused on the three walls that were maroon. It took a coat of primer and two coats of Behr paint + primer in one to cover the red. Getting rid of the red walls also checks off one of my home goals for the year!

In other news, the lovely Christina at Christina's Adventures featured my little chair makeover!

Thank you, Christina! She hosts a weekly link party for DIY projects and crafts under $20...you should definitely stop by! It's amazing what people can do with things they have on hand, some creativity and a little elbow grease.

Feelin' the blues

No worries -- I'm not feeling sad or anything! Well, only a tad sad over my trouble picking a new paint color for the living room. I always get so excited about picking paint colors in the beginning...then I end up with a zillion swatches and samples on the wall and get a little discouraged.

As I mentioned earlier this week, we have plans to turn our dining room into a sitting room, and paint both the living room and the sitting room the same color. The rooms are open to each other, but separated by the stairwell. Here's a look at it (decorated at Christmastime!):

We decided to go with a blue that's got a little gray undertone in it. But, as you can see, we had to try out a lot of colors...

But we did pick a couple favorites: Offshore Mist and Misty Morn, both by Behr.

I'm leaning towards Offshore Mist, while the hubs likes Misty Morn. Of course, after I snapped these photos, I put three more samples on the wall. I'm keeping those Home Depot paint guys busy!

It's been really tough to pick a color, since they look completely different in the beige living room and the maroon dining room. Don't they all look practically white here?

I found images of both colors online. Here's Offshore Mist...

Source: socialsalutations.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

And Misty Morn...

Source: sippycupsandfingerprints.com via Mindy on Pinterest

I've been pinning some inspiration photos lately for both the living room and the sitting room. I love how the blue walls and green curtains look here, but I think it's a little too glam for my style.

Source: hgtv.com via Mindy on Pinterest

This one's glam, too, but so gorgeous! I love the chunky crown molding against the blue walls.

Source: thelennoxx.com via Mindy on Pinterest

We've got black furniture in our living room, so I like how this photo shows how it would look against a blue wall. I like it!

Source: houzz.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Light and airy with lots of neutrals...

Source: ivillage.com via Mindy on Pinterest

More black accents...

Source: harmonyandhome.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

I'd love to use some coastal elements in the living room and/or sitting room. I love this rattan coffee table!

Source: bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

I love the textures in here and the little details, especially the window shades and the rope holding that pendant light. And those chairs!

Source: bhg.com via Mindy on Pinterest

I saw this mood board on Seventh House on the Left for a cool and coastal living room and it was like they made it for me! It's got a beige sectional (check), a blue-gray wall color (soon-to-be-check), and a coastal painting that happened to look a lot like the one I just bought on impulse at HomeGoods.

I can't wait to pick a paint color and get to work! Wish me luck...

Furniture switcheroo, and some new plans

Hey all! Hope you had a great Easter! I ate way too much good food and candy, but it was worth it :)

Are you the kind of person who starts a new project before finishing the ones you have going on? Tell me I'm not the only one guilty of this! So, we've still got our office redo hanging out there (making progress with some curtains!), as well as a laundry room in progress (no new news on that front, except we got a rug), and, with our new sectional in the living room, we've been slowly working on updating that room (right now, we're trying to pick a new paint color -- more on that later in this post!).

So, despite all of these projects in the works, last weekend the hubs and I somehow ended up rearranging our furniture in our dining room. We have a formal dining room across from the kitchen that, well, rarely gets used. It's just the two of us most of the time, and we eat at the counter peninsula in the kitchen.

We also have this awkward space next to the kitchen. Since we moved in, we've been scratching our heads over what to do with it.

We stuck this little table in there mostly as a filler. We kept it mostly open because there's a door on the left that leads from the entryway, and on the right is the door to the deck, and we didn't walk to block the walkways.

I'd always thought about putting a couple chairs and a coffee table in there against the window, but I never pulled the trigger because, well, it just didn't seem quite right. I just couldn't imagine us doing a lot of sitting out there.

We had previously talked about putting the dining room table in here, but I nixed it right away. I don't really know why. I was worried about blocking off the walkway to the deck, and thought it would be weird for people to walk into the house and right into the dining room table. Plus, we had a perfectly lovely dining room! Why wouldn't we use it?

Anyways, fast forward a few months, and the hubs convinced me to give it another try. He started talking about turning the dining room into a cute little sitting room, and I just got excited. So, we moved the dining room table into this space next to the kitchen, and just try it out for a couple weeks. Well, I'm loving it!

Here's how it looks from the entryway:

Instead of centering it in the space, we edged it closer to the window, so there's plenty of room to walk into the house and walk through to the deck. I thought it would bug me that it's not centered, but it actually doesn't at all.

See? Plenty of walking area.

Our table actually has three sizes, since we have two leaves we can add. This is its smallest size. I think when we tried it the first time, we had one of the leaves in, and I just thought it looked too big. But in this size, I think it looks just right. At this size, it'll seat six, and it's only a few times a year we have larger brunch or dinner parties. And there is room to extend the table to its full length, although it's a little tight. But again, it'll be so infrequent that I don't think we'll miss having the large dining room for just those occasions.

I don't know why I was so against this just a few months ago, because I'm totally jazzed about it. We got to take the new setup for a test drive this past weekend when we had two friends over for dinner. They said eating next to the kitchen felt more intimate and casual, which is really what we're going for, since we're not fancy-party people. I'm just so happy about actually using this space instead of leaving it as wasted space! I'm hoping the hubs and I will use it more just the two of us -- why is it that having the table next to the kitchen makes it seem more usable than in the dining room? The table is still the same distance away! But for some reason, having it in the same room as the kitchen just makes it more welcoming.

We also took off a door that separated the entryway from the house. We never, ever used this door -- I think it's been closed maybe three times in the year and a half we've lived here. I could see it being kind of practical to keep cold air out of the house while coming in or out, but really, we never have the outdoor open that much. Since it was in the way of the table, we just took it off.

I don't have a good shot of what it looked like with the door, but you can get the sense here.

And I can't believe how much better it looks with the door off! It really visually interrupted the flow of the room. Of course, we have some repair work to do.

The door will eventually go downstairs in our laundry room, saving us from having to buy one for down there -- score!

So, what to do with our former dining room? After the hubs lured me into this new layout with talk of a cute sitting room, he started talking about a ping pong table...um, no, thank you! (He was kidding anyways...I think.) Right now we're thinking about a loveseat, a couple cute little chairs and a coffee table. It'll function better as a sitting area than the space where the table is now, because you can fit more furniture and accommodate more than two people. It'll be the perfect place to transition to after dinner is over for conversation and drinks. I'm picturing a little bar in the corner!

We also started talking about some kind of woodstove or fireplace. We've been pondering a way to put a backup source of heat in our house since we moved in. We have an oil furnace, but when the power goes out in the wintertime, the furnace doesn't run -- meaning our house could get cold enough for the pipes to freeze, which is very, very bad. Plus, a warm fireplace or stove is so nice and cozy in those cold winter months. :)

But, our house doesn't have a chimney, and we just could not come up with a place to accommodate a woodstove. Our house has lots of windows, leaving few walls big enough to fit a stove. But, this wall here could be just perfect for a stove. The other side of the wall is the entryway closet, which is deeper than a normal closet since it used to hold the washer and dryer. What does that mean? Extra space for a chimney.

Please ignore the random stuff in here and that paint swatch on the wall...

We're still working out the logistics, and a stove would be a few years down the road, but how great would it be to sit in there in the winter with a hot cocoa and a nice warm fire going? Yes, please! Plus, it'd be centrally located, meaning it could help heat the kitchen and the living room nicely.

The hubs is Mr. Practical and wants an efficient woodstove, while I'm dreaming of a crackling fireplace. Maybe we'll meet in the middle and get a gas fireplace that's low maintenance but also pretty to look at.

And though we don't have kids yet, we will someday, and we'd already talked about how great the formal dining room would be as a playroom. I can see a sitting room turning into a nice play place pretty easily (goodbye, bar!).

So, really, this decision to move the table out of the dining room is solving a lot of our problems: no more dead space next to the kitchen, better and more frequent use of the dining room space, and the ability to install a backup heat source.

What do we do next? Well, this room shares a wall with the living room, which we're already planning to paint. So, we'll be painting both the living room and this room the same color. I can't tell you how excited I am to get rid of these red walls.

We're planning to paint them a light blue-gray color. To differentiate the new sitting room from the living room, we want to install some wainscoting. I'm really excited to give this room a new look! Getting rid of the red will also be a check on my home goals for the year.

Our goal is to pick a paint color before next weekend so we can tackle the painting over the Patriots Day holiday weekend -- in Maine and Massachusetts, we celebrate Patriots Day (a nice reader last year informed me that Patriots Day is to commemorate Paul Revere's ride, as well as the first battles of the Revolutionary War), so, we have next Monday off. Hopefully the wainscoting will come shortly after.

Then will come the fun part -- picking furniture! I am totally smitten with Target's slipper and armless chair collections, like these (click the images to get to Target's website):

Target also has cute settees and armless loveseats like this one:

It's kind of funny -- the hubs and I agree on the big things, like values, life goals, etc. But when it comes to decorating, we rarely seem to agree, at least on the first go-round. Usually it takes lots of talking and compromising before we make a decision. So, the fact that we both really want one of these cowhide rugs from Ikea means we just have to buy one.

So, we'll be working on this while also wrapping up the office. The laundry room isn't a major priority, since it's functional and in the basement, which means no one ever sees it. I kind of feel like we're crazy here, but sometimes this is just how this house stuff goes, isn't it?

Wow -- if you've made it through this entire, blathering post, I'm seriously impressed. :)

Have you ditched your formal dining room  for another use? Or do you also take on new projects before finishing other ones?