Shrunken Shore Living Room

So I've been on and on about this bunk room but you might be wondering just how I magically made an entire room appear.  Okay, a small room but still magic!  Well, we cut about 40% off the end of the living room to make that bunk room.



I absolutely LOOOOOVE having another bedroom (why didn't we do this sooner?) - now we can put Aggie to bed and then stare lovingly into each others eyes binge watch Orange is the New Black.  The downside is that it leaves the living room as a somewhat more awkward, challenging to decorate space.



Luckily for us, our existing furniture mostly fit, albeit not perfectly. Which means I'm sort of free to think about this room for the rest of my life a little while longer before I'm compelled to make any big decisions.

In the meantime I still love the white sofa and the grey walls so thats a plus.  I know I need some new artwork in here and I plan on getting that done this summer.  Pretty sure I need a new coffee table too but I haven't found anything I love just yet. Suggestions?


In case you were wondering, here is the before before (before we bought it) and then before we chopped it up.  You can see why I was anxious about losing the spacious feel of the room but it was well worth it for the upside.  Now I just need to tweak this little living room into something I love just as much.

Glidden Complete Paint Giveaway {Sponsored Post}

It's no secret I'm addicted to paint makeovers.  If it sits still in my house, there is a good chance it will be painted at some point or another (#paintallthethings). So when Glidden asked me to test out one of their two new paints, I was happy to oblige.





Complete is a new line of affordable, low VOC, stain blocking paint from Glidden and it seemed like the perfect test to try it on the shore bunk beds.  We were covering a solid pine Ikea piece without a primer so good coverage was important.  And we were putting this bed in a tiny room where my daughter would sleep as soon as the paint dried so the low VOC factor was key.

We went with one of my favorite colors - Marshmallow White in semi-gloss for extra durability.  We cracked open the can and got to painting.  One coat did a nice job of covering most areas but since we had no base color, a second coat was needed to get clean solid coverage.  The paint dried surprisingly quickly which allowed this project to be completed in a few hours spread over two days.  And despite allowing it to dry in a small room with the window closed, there was almost no noticeable odor lingering.  All in all, we were very happy with how it performed.  And the best part, its super affordable at just $28/gallon.



Now for the fun part!  Glidden agreed to let me give away up to 5 gallons Complete paint to one lucky winner. Want to makeover your space for zero dollars and zero cents?  Just enter the giveaway below.  Would love to know how you would put Glidden complete to work in your space.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


disclosure: this post is sponsored by Glidden but all opinions expressed are my own. For more paint inspiration, read my column at My Colortopia.

Black and White Bathroom Mini Makeover Complete

A few months ago, I shared how much I didn't love my guest bathroom. It was in that weird decor limbo where it was good enough not to be totally offensive so I've lived with not liking it for 8 years but your comments gave me the impetus to just make a change. And oh boy do I love it!


I went bold with black paint - what I had wanted to do all those years ago but chickened out with an untested grey that ended up looking like poop brown. See, that is what I get for not following my own advice about testing before painting!!  To quickly cover up that mistake I used some blue green paint I had hanging around and closed the door to this room.

As you can see, this bathroom is small so it didn't take much to make a big impact.  First the paint - Glidden Diamond in Onyx Black - was exactly what this space needed.  It really makes the white tiles and fixtures pop and brings out the black in the vintage style hex flooring.  I also changed the light fixture, shelving and linens but that was about it.  It was an easy makeover with a big result.  Now I just love walking past it!

Black and White Little Big Girl Room Gets Trimmed Out

Ah picture molding - you complete me. It took forever to get around to this project but what a difference it makes!  I had been storing these pieces of trim molding since working on Aggie's baby nursery in 2012 and I'm so glad I did!  A few hours of work and a little careful measuring later, the whole space looks so much more complete!



I'm finally ready for the home stretch here. A little art, some storage and Aggie herself. I just have to organize that closet with Aggie's stuff (aka throw most of my craft supplies away - the things we do for our children!)  - a project I'm putting on the absolute must do list before the new baby arrives.  Wish me luck!  As you can see, Aggie already has taken up temporary residence.

Sources:
Jenny Lind bed  | scored second hand + painted black
Banded Custom Drapes | Tonic Living
Chevron Stripe Rug | Rugs USA
Chandelier | Vintage scored from Mr. Limestone's parents old house
Wall Paint: Glidden Marshmallow White Flat
Ceiling Paint: Glidden Onyx Black Flat

Must Make: Narrow Vertical Garden Planter

It will come as no surprise to you that I'm a sucker for a vertical planter: see my DIY vertical herb garden, the lazy man's pallet vertical garden, and my recycled can chain link fence garden for further proof.  So when I stumbled upon this twist on the concept that is especially perfect for those short on floor space, I had to save it to the must make file. Pop over The Craft Patch for the entire how-to.

So many projects, so little time!

Tiny Beach Bunk Room Complete

Even though I have a few small things to adjust (isn't that always the way?) I'm calling this one complete.


After many years of thinking it over, we bisected the living room to make a little bedroom. Now its complete, we are wondering what took us so long! It also gave me the perfect excuse to have bunk beds.  The remaining living room is a lot smaller and a bit of an awkward layout but still functional and we have a whole new space for sleeping, playing with toys and privacy. Yes the room is small but plenty big for what we need it for. And isn't tiny living in fashion now? I'm on trend.



Sources:
Wall paint: Glidden Granite Grey 
Bunk Bed: Ikea Mydal painted with Glidden Complete Marshmallow White 
Rug: Rugs USA Cape Cod Bold Stripe
Letters: Michaels
Toy Baskets: Amazon
Vintage Style Fan: Vornado
Bedding: Target's Pillowfort Wave Quilt + Star Quilt
Pillows: Target's Pillowfort Never Grow Up + Dream Big Little One
Artwork: Moi

Saving Memories with Legacybox

Call this digital nesting or just plain being smart.  Some of my most prized possessions - old photographs - are finally off the shelf and safely backed up.  After years of wanting to get this task accomplished, I can finally cross it off my list! I had been researching the various companies for years but Legacybox seemed to be at the forefront both for ease of use and great reviews.




The process could not be easier.  Legacybox sends you a kit which is essentially a box you can load your various outdated formats into  - VHS, Super8film, slides, photos, whatever. You return the box and LegacyBox turns those bits of ephemera into digital form and send the whole thing back to you in a few weeks.  The only hard part is going through all those old photos without spending a week reminiscing and calling up old friends to laugh about the good ol' days.


I had expected the task of culling down to just 250 photos was going to be difficult but I was wrong. Back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth (pre-digital cameras), there were a lot more bad photos thanks to not having that handy preview feature so even in the many rolls I had taken over the years, it was easy to find the ones worth treasuring.  Most importantly we are able to preserve in time some beautiful old photos that were well on their way to being damaged by sitting in shoeboxes! Like some of these beautiful black and white portraits that were practically falling apart...


Or just some generally adorable images of me being cute.


Excuse my sap but having some of these treasured photographs secured in a way that not only I can appreciate but my kids will be able to share gives me the warm and fuzzies. It also makes me feel like I really accomplished something with very little effort on my part. Double score!


Want to preserve your own digital memories?  The first 25 readers will get a 40% off coupon with the code "LIMESTONE".  Click here to grab the deal. 


disclosure: This post was sponsored by Legacybox but all opinions expressed are my own.