And then life happened…

October 13, 2015
nicole

Hi! I'm Nicole

Fearless DIY. Sharing building project tutorials and interior design tips. Let’s build something beautiful together. For more projects, design tips and behind the scenes, follow me @designtobuild.nicole

More About Me

Search

Subscribe!

That moment when you have your whole week planned out, is usually when you can expect “life” to happen…. as evidenced by our week last week.

While working on the boys’ room (hanging trim), I got a phone call from the kids’ school. My heart always stops when I see their number come thru and it stops even longer when it’s a call from the school nurse. 🙁    Fell off playground equipment…wrist…definitely broken…Grayson….of course!! If an accident is going to happen, it’s going to happen to Grayson (8yo). Not my most graceful child! Definitely struggles with staying planted on both feet!!

moms house graysons bday 199

Well, after spending most of the afternoon at the orthopedic, we learn it’s going to require surgery…

moms house graysons bday 197

So the next day we spend the day at the hospital…

moms house graysons bday 204

All goes well. He had a great doctor and lots of friends and family praying. Never easy seeing your child in SO much pain. A rough couple of days for this mama, for sure! But happy to say, he is doing much better.

So much better, that we decided to keep his birthday party we had planned for Friday night with 5 of his little school friends. Whew!! Five little boys=chaos and lots of talk about bodily functions. Boys!! SOOOO different from girls! 🙂 It was a lot of fun!

moms house graysons bday 224

But by Saturday morning, I was happy to head over to my parent’s QUIET house, get into my zone and tackle a project. A project my parents have been wanting me to do for quite some time. Sorry mom and dad. 🙁     But, happy to say, it is done and looks AMAZING!!

My mom has always been excellent at decorating. Growing up, I would come home from school and most of the time find something new, different, changed. She was always improving our house and making it a warm place to call home.

They built their house back in 1987 and over the years it has gone through many changes.

miscellaneous 009

Recently, my mom felt that urge to update it again. It had actually been a while since she had made significant changes. So she took it to the next level! And it is beautiful.

They replaced carpet throughout and laid laminate flooring through three of the rooms. Freshened up the entire main floor with new paint, a wall treatment in the dining room (see pictures below) and painted cabinetry in the kitchen…just to name a few of the improvements. Just these updates alone made this 28 year old home look like new.

I can’t wait to give you the full tour….For today, we’ll take a look at the foyer, dining room and guest bath.

In the foyer, my parents changed a couple of the light fixtures. I love the industrial look of these. Much more the style of today…

moms house graysons bday 311

moms house graysons bday 376

And Fall is in the air..my mom’s favorite season to decorate for…

moms house graysons bday 309

A very peaceful look at the dining room…when our whole gang invades upon visits grandma and grandpa, this space is anything but peaceful. :0    ….

moms house graysons bday 312

This is the wall treatment, I was referring to. Board and batten is an inexpensive, very easy project that really adds to a room (I’ll post how to do this soon)…

moms house graysons bday 314

My grandpa built this buffet for my mom quite a while back. Such a great piece to have as a keepsake. He was quite handy with building furniture and pretty much anything….

moms house graysons bday 318

And because I like any decor with numbers on it, here’s a command center basket piece leading into the laundry room. (sorry about the low quality of pictures–I was competing with the sunshine and the sunshine won.  :)…..

moms house graysons bday 358

And lastly, (for today) my 2nd son’s favorite room…the guest bathroom. I know that sounds strange. But really, he loves the modern look of this room…

moms house graysons bday 382

And isn’t that the coolest sink! I SO want one of these for my guest bathroom…

moms house graysons bday 388

The planked ceiling was my calgon-take-me-away project this past weekend after a houseful of 7/8 year old boys. Ahhhh. 🙂 I love how this turned out!! It really completes the room…

moms house graysons bday 401

I shared how to complete this project here. Again…a super easy, super inexpensive way to change the look of any room!! My mom painted the planks, by just dry-brushing black paint (Behr Marquee Black) and white paint to get a rustic, old barnwood finish. I love how they turned out!!

Here’s the before…

boring

And here’s the after…

LOVE

Don’t you just love it?!?!!!

Planking ceilings is probably my favorite project to do. It just does so much for a room. Friends, trust me…it is SOOOO easy!!! You can do this!! Is there a room in your house you would like to try this on? What’s holding you back?

Can’t wait to give you the rest of the tour!! I’m sure you will love it!!

 

 

Read more posts like this one…

Holiday Gift Guide: Home with a Touch of Fashion

Holiday Gift Guide: Home with a Touch of Fashion

Sharing my holiday gift guide with you today. Here are some of the things I'm looking to add to my shopping list for friends and family. Along with a few of the things I purchased this year that I am absolutely loving! Click to Shop my Holiday Gift Guide Matte White...

5 DIY Modern Master Bedroom Furniture Builds

5 DIY Modern Master Bedroom Furniture Builds

What if you could save a lot of money and make all of your master bedroom furniture? What if it rivaled the bedroom furniture you were eyeing online? I did just that a little over a year ago and I'm happy to say, it's all still standing. HAHA!! It's actually probably...