Dining Room Evolution

Another post! We got a lot of nice birthday wishes for Eloise -- thank you! But I'd also say after posting this photo, I got a ton of requests to talk more about our updates in the dining room. It's definitely been a while since I've written about what we've changed in the house. And we've changed quite a bit. So, let's get to it.

Back up for just a minute. When we moved in, the dining room looked like this:


Then we changed it to this:


And then this:


Then I decided to go full-on Joanna Gaines.

And I think we're finally done with changes.

Changes 

Major changes included added the corner cabinet that I found at an antique shop. I had stalked the piece for years, and it finally went on a super sale. It's just the right height for the room. It looks built in, which I love. The room isn't huge, so it's nice to have a place to stash our nicer pieces and tablecloths.

The next step was doing a faux shiplap on the walls using plywood planks. I am actually going to do a dedicated post on how I did this because I consulted a variety of sources, and it was quite a job! I did it all myself, too. We had a guy cut the plywood into six inch planks, but I did all the measuring, nailing, and shorter cuts at home.

After the planks were up, we painted everything using White Dove from Sherwin Williams. I think it's actually a Benjamin Moore color that I had matched at our local store. I hate painting, and if I'm being totally honest -- I think we need another coat in this room. Maybe Stephen will be generous enough to do that for me this summer.

You may also notice that our dining set changed in these photos. It's the same set, but I used chalk paint to refinish the table in white and the chairs in black. I still need to give the chairs another coat and do the polyurethane. But I am really pleased with how the table turned out. I did some distressing . . . and it is holding up well so far.

My kitchen is a disaster right now, but in my post on how I did the shiplap, I'll try to snap a shot of how this room flows into the kitchen. The two spaces are nicely tied into one another now. Again -- after all these changes in the three years since we've moved into this house -- I think I'm done. I really love this room. It's my favorite in our home right now.

PS: If you want to see what our house looked like back in 2015, be sure to check out the photo tour. It's in dire need of updating, so I hope to do that soon! I cannot believe how crazy the living room looks in these photos! I also stumbled upon the tours I did of our first house. Here and here and here.

PPS: That plank wood art piece came from Home Goods several years ago. We have a similar one in our dining room. They were on the more expensive side for what I spend on art, but I think they were well worth it.

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DIY Silhouettes // $10

I’ve been slowly transforming our house through cleaning and decor to make it a calmer place to spend time. After all, this is my home and my office, so I spend a ridiculous number of hours under this roof. We’ve always been clean (wiped down counters, scrubbed toilets, steamed floors) . . . but definitely messy (mountains of clean laundry on the floor, toys everywhere, piles of mail).

With all the stuff we’ve been going through, I’ve found cleaning and decluttering to be this weird therapy of sorts. Like, I’d rather spend a couple hours cleaning than reading or watching TV. I even skipped working out on Thursday last week and cleaned for a couple hours instead. And the other night I took a good half hours to wipe down the washer + dryer that were honestly not left in the best condition from our previous owners over a year ago.

Do you think I’m crazy? Maybe I am.

Our decor is making a shift, too. I want cohesiveness. I want simplicity. Neutrals. Country and rustic to remind me of my hometown. Corner by corner, we’ve been doing little projects to make our home a place that feels really cozy and lovely. But as the fall and holidays seasons are approaching, we’ve stopped any heavy lifting (I so badly want to add beams to our living room!) to focus on the light stuff, like art and textiles.

Here’s a fun DIY art project you can make in a weekend for less than $10. There are lots of tutorials you can find online, but it’s a pretty intuitive process. In fact, my second grade teacher made silhouettes of all my classmates way back in the day by shining light on our heads and tracing the outline with pencil. This is that project, just kicked up a notch + improved with some technology.

Here’s my inspiration:

STEP 1: Take Your Photo

Take a selfie or have someone else take a photo of your profile on a plain background. You can use a wall or even fabric backdrop. Some tutorials I came across even suggested using a window, but I found the light made it tricky to get all the right detail.

STEP 2: Edit + Order

Convert your image to black and white and up the contrast using a photo editing site like Pic Monkey. There’s no right or wrong. You just want to make sure you’re clearly able to outline your features. Oh, I took our photos in square cropping, so I had to overlay them onto a 4x6 backdrop with black so they would print out well. Does that make sense?

Then order prints at a place like Walmart. I got a couple in 4x6 and 5x7 because I wasn’t sure which size I wanted. (And they were super cheap per print, so it wasn’t a big deal to have a couple extras.) For our silhouettes, I ended up using the 5x7 of my photo and Stephen’s. We used the 4x6 of Ada so she’d be a bit smaller.

STEP 3: Cut it Out

You can use sharp scissors or an X-Acto knife, but go slowly! Get the divot where your bangs hit your forehead. Keep that stray piece of hair. Don’t chop off where your glasses hit your nose. Basically, cut as closely to the photo as humanly possible because the more little details you get -- the more it will actually look like you.

STEP 4: Spray It Black 

Again, a lot of tutorials had different instructions for making your silhouettes black (or whatever color you want!). I decided to use some matte spray paint we had hanging around in the basement -- and it was SO EASY this way.

Just a few spritzes, dry time, and they were done with an extremely smooth, flat finish.

STEP 5: Mount on Paper

So, you’ll need frames for this next part. Cut out a piece of paper (I used plain white and some paper bag paper) to the size of your frame. Use a bit of glue and stick the photo onto the paper. You can write your name, the date, or anything else, or just leave it plain.

STEP 6: Frame

Stick your artwork in your frame and admire your project! I love the look of oval frames for silhouettes, but I couldn’t find any for instant gratification. So, I ended up picking up a mixed lot of frames because I want to add to our collection in the future, but I don’t want to be limited by the type of frame so they would all match.

The frames I got were around $7 a piece, the paint was free because we already had it, and the prints were like less than a quarter. So, you can easily do this project for $10 or less, depending on what frames you use.


This isn’t how I plan to have them displayed in the long run (see my inspiration, above!). I want them on the wall, but I want to add a bunch more first. So, I’ve put them on the ledge for the time being. I need to mix in some more dark frames, too. But I’d love to do the cats and maybe some full-length silhouettes. We shall see.

Have you tried this project before? 

Please let me know if you do!

Psst: For more cheap DIY decor, check out the 5-Minute Fall Wreath.

More fall essentials:


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A List of Autumn Essentials

Tuesday was our eighth wedding anniversary, and as I wrote on Instagram -- September 1st = fall in this house. I don’t care if the temperatures are still in the upper 80s, I can sense the crispness in the morning air and have been delighting at the very first falling leaves.

I haven’t done a shopping post in a while, but I enjoy them. If you have birthdays, housewarmings, back-to-school, or any other special occasions coming up, I hope you find this list of “fall essentials” helpful. And bring on the socks, sandals, and sweaters!

// PS: See more shopping posts.

FOR HER

• Birkenstock Paris Clog for stylish comfort
• KAVU Heritage Bag because I just bought this one!
• Carharrt Waffle Henley for lightweight warmth
• Carharrt Slim Fit Canvas Dungaree because they’re somehow sexy
• Field4U Wool Socks to keep feet toasty + dry
• Canvas Corp Apron for when you need it
• Fair Isle Cotton Cardigan for when the weather changes
• Fitbit Charge to keep track of all those long walks + runs
• Woolrich Flannel because I have 4 flannels in my small wardrobe

FOR HIM

• American Apparel Organic V-Neck because it’s soft
• Stanley Classic Vacuum Bottle for soups and stews at lunch
• Birkenstock Arizona Unisex because Stephen loves ‘em
• Large Bento Cube for more snacking
• Carharrt Watch Hat to protect unsuspecting ears
• Timex Weekender Watch to track the time
• Pendleton Board Shirt for huge deal w/ the right size + color combo
• Kirkland Trail Socks because guys have feet, too!
• Mountaineer Beard Care Kit for budding + established fall beards

FOR KIDS

• Fluf Lunch Bags because Ada has this same dinosaur
• Yak Pak Classic Backpack for lugging stuff to/from school
• OshKosh Denim Overalls since they’re my favorite of Ada’s clothes
• Hatley Raincoat for fall rain and snow showers
• Merrell Chameleon Hiking Shoe to trudge through the trails
• Melissa + Doug Seasons Tree Puzzle to do on cold afternoons
• Brain Quest Cards to support school activities
• Berenstain Bear Books because they’re Ada’s favorite
• KidKraft Sling Bookshelf for keeping rooms tidy (+ currently in my cart!)

FOR HOME

• Lodge Cast Iron Griddle for pancake breakfast traditions
• Crock-Pot Slow Cooker to simmer dinner with ease
• Buffalo Check Woven Throw to ward off chills
• Autumn Harvest Wreath to decorate for the season
• 3-Tiered Hanging Produce Rack to hang your CSA goodies
• Portable + Electric “Wood Stove” to keep your feet warm
• Anthony Stoneware Mug to drink your tea + hot cocoa
• Handmade Beeswax Candles to set the mood
• Stoneware Mixing Bowl Set for all those batches of cookies

* Links are Amazon affiliate links. I also like to note that I link to things we either already own or ones that are very similar to things we have tried. Thanks for your continued support of (never)homemaker. And happy shopping! For previous frugal gift lists, click here.

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Ada's Nursery Tour

It's surprising how clean Ada's nursery looks in these photos. To take them, I had to rotate around piles of clothing and other clutter. It was worth it, though. I've been meaning to post a nursery tour for months. I'm hoping to include some tutorials on how to make certain items in the near future.

First, this is what the room looked like before we got to work:

If you haven't been following the baby blog, I initially wanted to keep Ada's nursery relatively gender-neutral (here's our first plan). It ended up more feminine after we discovered a floral rug in one of our closets.


Yeah. That's sort of the central theme: Budget/Handmade chic. (My best friend Lindsey made that knit blanket on the crib.) We didn't have a load of money to spend on decorating. So I made her curtains, crib skirt, and cushions.


We also made these awesome book slings that we've seen all over the internet. (My friend Dani made the framed A.)


We initially resisted wall decals. But when we found a simple black tree, we couldn't resist. It compliments out chalkboard wall perfectly. And we made it unique by installing it as half a tree versus the entire thing (there were two arrangement options).


We re-purposed our TV console for her room, too. It serves as a generously sized dresser and changing table -- all in one. We kept the decorations simple. Ada loves staring up at her name during diaper changes. (My mother-in-law gave me the letters, I spray-pained them.)


We also chose to forgo a traditional mobile. They are expensive and babies can't necessarily use them for very long. Instead, I hung colorful flags between the beaks of two thrifted birds (also spray-painted).


Though she doesn't sleep in her crib yet, I can tell Ada loves her nursery.

No. Really! I'm not just speaking for my baby. She's enthralled by all the bold colors and patterns. If she's particularly cranky, I take her up to the rocking chair and turn her around. In seconds, she's wide-eyed and taking it all in, especially the tree.


(Did you catch the clutter in that photo? I thought I got away with it. Nope!)


I'm hoping to break down the total cost of this project sometime soon. In short: It wasn't expensive. We bought a crib and the window seat. Otherwise, we re-purposed or benefited from hand-me-downs. Score!

More baby stuff: If you'd like to see what Ada's current morning routine looks like, check out (never home)maker, baby! I posted a cute video that I, myself, can't stop watching.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Friday Randomness and Giveaway

Our first floor redecorating project had been on hold for a couple months. We're happy to be back at it. I mean, what a difference some curtains make!

BEFORE:

WITH CURTAINS:


Our original plan was to hang some bright, coral-colored panels. And I had actually found exactly what I wanted at Burlington Coat Factory for $10 (great deal -- it was Waverly!). However, I think the reason it was on clearance was because "it" was an IT. As in singular; there was only one panel.

My mother-in-law and I pawed through each and every curtain in the store and couldn't find any matches.

CLOSER LOOK:


These curtains may look familiar. It's because we've had them for years. Until last weekend, they were hanging in our front entryway. You know, the one we redid a little less than two years ago?


They aren't what we had originally envisioned. Right now, though, spending $0 versus around $80-$100 that we had estimated is ideal. The front entryway has suffered as a result . . . but we have some other panels we'll eventually replace them with. Do you do the whole home decor shuffle, too? I feel like we're always borrowing things from one room and putting them in another.

Yes. We REALLY need to re-shoot our house tour.

GREAT GIVEAWAY


If you haven't checked out Meg's guest post (and tasty, simple apple pie recipe), I encourage you to do so now. Her new book -- Little Old Lady Recipes -- came out earlier this month.

I'm big on photos in cookbooks. And the photos in the book are seriously fantastic. The approach is something I've never really seen before, connecting the author of the recipe to the dish. You get a feel for these "sassy" ladies this way (and through their quotes and Meg's observations/anecdotes).

And though not all items are vegetarian, the mix of breakfasts, soups, sweets, and other meals is sure to please. Plus, the recipes are great in that they are s.i.m.p.l.e. Classics like Pigs in a Blanket, for example, can easily be adapted by making s.i.m.p.l.e substitutions.


WHAT YOU'LL WIN: 1 (one) copy of Meg Favreau's Little Old Lady Recipes. Value: $14.95.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment with the word SASSY in the mix.
IN ADDITION: Tell us something about one of YOUR favorite family recipes.
GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday, November 18th at 9:00PM EST
PRIZE SHIPS: USA only.
ALSO: To win, I need your email address -- so please provide it (or your blog link so I can find it -- just some way of contacting you) or, unfortunately, you cannot win.
PS: One entry per email address is allowed. The winners will be selected using Tara's Random Number Generator and announced Monday (11/21) morning. Unless I'm in labor or something :)

If you're new to the blog or interested in all-things-pregnancy, check out (never home)maker, baby! today. I've organized all our baby-related posts in one place. Yup -- It's 9 months in 1 post . . . and I can't believe how close we're getting!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Weekend Scenes: Mess

Our place is chaotic. This weekend, it got even more chaotic-er. For example, the record player seemed like a great place to stash my shoes and Stephen's wallet/sunglasses.

>
Get a load of this mess!


The good news: It's a mess with a purpose. We've packed most of what we want to keep -- but not use -- away.


The rest, we've taken to the Salvation Army.

While we were there, we found this great side table for only $4. The best way to spiff up any Salvo find is to repair and then coat with fun spray paint. That's exactly what we did:


It's still not a pretty site. Mismatched pillow everywhere.


But we've crossed some major to-dos off the list. Like adding a lamp above the dining room table. Changing out the light fixture in the dining-room-turned-family-room. And various other things we'll get into soon.

For now, this is the only near-finished section. Notice, however, how we still haven't completed the paint job.


As a result of our weekend preoccupations, we ate mostly bagels and caprese salads. But we'll get up some great recipes for you soon!

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Simple Smoothies and Grey Walls

I try my best to keep things simple. But I make all sorts of delicious foods -- all the time, in fact -- that I often don't deem blog-worthy. Especially lately, as it seems my tastes are changing again due to my pregnancy. Anything ANYTHING will give me heartburn. And I've again developed some food aversions. Most notably: I can't eat collard greens without having an immediate reaction (to put it lightly).

Simple. Easy. Boring? This smoothie, for example. It's so basic, I almost considered skipping it for posting purposes. But what makes this smoothie great is the texture.

BASIC STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE

What you'll need . . .

• 1 frozen banana (essential that it's frozen)
• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup almond milk

Method . . .

1. Toss everything in a blender and blend.
2. Add more or less milk depending on your texture preference.
3. To jazz it up, add cinnamon. Or vanilla extract. But I don't think you need to.

I'm also favoring simple foods these days purely because I don't feel like I have much time to cook. We've been constantly on the go visiting friends, fixing up the house, etc. I'm also noticing my energy levels are changing. Our summer work hours have changed back from an 8-to-4 to a 9-to-5, and I'm having the most difficult time adjusting this year. Usually it's no biggie -- but now I can't wake up early knowing I have an extra hour to sleep in. And when I get home . . . I don't feel like exercising or blogging because I feel like it's too late.

Sigh. I can't complain too much, though. We're still getting a ton done. Stephen painted most of our first floor last week. He has some detail and touch-up work to finish, but we're loving the new, bolder color.


We also bought this new rug at Overstock.com as a start to our new color scheme. See the difference? If you've been on our house tour, you know we used to be all beach-y, Young-House-Love-Style.


But that's so not who we really are. I think we went that direction at first because we just didn't know what to do and it was a popular look. Thing is, we're way more dramatic than that. So, the dark grey walls add some much-needed drama. We plan to keep it colorful and slightly bohemian-influenced.

But we have a lllooonnnggg way to go.


That's all for now. I'm going to TRY to sneak in a run this morning. We'll see if that happens! In the meantime, what's your favorite, most basic recipe? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

And today on (never home)maker, baby! we're celebrating an early Thanksgiving. We want to know what baby items you've been fortunate enough to borrow . . . or what things you've been generous enough to share!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

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