A Sweet Room for Sweet Dreams

Well, I suppose one really shouldn't wait almost seven weeks between posts when trying to start a blog, but eh, life happens. In truth, we just haven't done anything lately that was worth posting about. Our DIY and decorating plans are very much based on our financial situation, which has been pretty tight. Fortunately, we got a decent tax refund this year. And so, after putting the majority of it into savings should disaster strike, we took a little bit and used it to begin overhauling our master bedroom. Yay!

 

So this is what it has looked like for the past year or so. Yeah, I know. Pretty embarrassing, huh?

 

 

General clutter disaster aside, you'll note the unsightly paint splodge and holes on the wall where the previous owner had their TV. Then there's the nasty ochre shade with fringe on the window (also the previous owner's). Hard to believe we've lived here for 16 months, isn't it? And then of course we have the completely mismatched bed skirt, duvet cover, pillows and wall color. I think we've got olive green, lavender and sky blue all represented.

 

Anyway, we finally tackled this wreck of a room last week during Pete's spring break from school. Thanks to a lick of paint, some new bedding (purchased on clearance from J.C. Penney) and a major clear out it now feels much more "ahhhh."

 

Check it out...

 

 

 

 

 

We're not finished by any means, but at least we can get to our bed without tripping over my mountain of clothes. And the wall color is amazing! It's Pale Smoke by Benjamin Moore color matched to Glidden. We're thrilled with the results.

 

Now we're thinking about what window coverings we want, a new light fixture, a cozy seating area, a big rug, some photos and art on the walls. I also want to refinish that chest of drawers, too. It was a freebie we took off my brother and sister-in-law's hands. That, however, will be a different project for this summer.

 

If anyone has any suggestions for making this room even better, I'm all ears. I'm the first to admit I'm flying blind here. This is my first attempt at any kind of decorating beyond painting my childhood bedroom pastel peach and hanging Monet posters in my college dorm room. I welcome all the help I can get.

Home at last

Hello and welcome to Crumpets and Cornfields! I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog for, oh, about seven years. I really ought to have started one back in 2005 when my husband, Pete, and I first got married.

 

Pete is English, and I'm "The American" as his late nana used to call me. Yeah, it sounds all so Downton Abbey, but the reality is far less exciting. I'll save the LONG story of how we met for another post. But the short version is that he's English, I'm American and I hopped across the pond following our July 2005 wedding here in the States.

 

We spent approximately 4.5 years living in England. How was it? Rainy. Beautiful, but very, very rainy and cold. Sorry British friends and family, 65 degrees F is NOT cause to break out the sunblock. Just sayin'. This photo is of a freak hail storm in July. Not my ideal way to spend the 4th.

Anyway, in March 2010 we quit our jobs; sold our cars, furniture and appliances; said goodbye to England and headed west. We arrived in my home state of Illinois (the not-as-cool-as-Chicago-southern-half) and ended up living with my parents for 20 months. Yep, that's right. At the grand old age of 30, I moved back in with my parents (back into my old bedroom!) with my husband of five years and our 15-month-old daughter in tow. Well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

 

Thankfully, a year and a half later we both had found full-time jobs, Baby No. 2 was on his merry way and we were able to buy this little brick ranch house four streets away from my parents' house. We certainly didn't intend it to happen that way. We just fell in love with the house and knew it would be perfect for our first real home. We had rented two other places in England and were aching to finally buy our own home.

At just 1,086-square-feet, it's definitely not huge, but at least it's ours. No more renting. No more living with the parents. And it has (almost) everything we want in a house.

We've got big plans for this little house. We're just not exactly sure how to make them a reality yet, but we will. I've only just discovered the wonderful world that is DIY blogs (hello Petersiks, Centsational Girl, 4Men1Lady and Sarah at Ugly Duckling House!) and am slowly but surely making my way through all the amazing ideas and projects that are out there. We'll get there eventually. One project at a time. Thanks for stopping by and come back often to find out how we're getting on.