A deal I couldn't refuse.

I was at Home Depot helping a friend find the perfect paint color.  When the employee at the paint counter looked in to our shopping cart and said to us, "I see you like deals."  I thought to myself,  "Why yes, yes I do."   She directed us to the front of the store to a clearance section.  There, I found something I didn't know I needed!  It was a deal I couldn't refuse.  Two counter height barstools.  Originally $99.99, Now $29.99.  At Homedepot.com they are still $49.99.  

Parsons Barstool Chesnut : Home Decorators Collection : HomeDepot

This year is off to a great start!  Here is how they look in our kitchen.

Hallway Makeover

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!  I have been so busy around here that I haven't had time to blog.  Now that kids are back in school and Christmas decorations are down I have found some time.

I want to share with you my Hallway Makeover.  The hallway leads to the kids bedrooms and the kids bathroom.  The walls were painted a light beige color in a flat finish (contractor special).  They showed every scuff and hand print.   I knew I wanted to choose a dark color and add a space for coats and backpacks.  I painted Valspar Montpelier Ashlar Gray throughout most of the house.  For the hall I choose a color a few shades darker called Valspar Mountain Smoke.  It was the perfect choice!

Valspar Mountain Smoke

I also added a place for the kids to stay organized.  I had my father cut the board to size and drill it into the studs.  I patched the screw holes and painted the board.  I found these coat and hat hooks at Home Depot.

Coat and Hat Hooks from Home Depot

It works perfect for coats and backpacks.

Hallway Organization

Hanging proudly in the hallway is a shadow box my parents made me for a Christmas present.  It has my kids hand prints cast in sand.  For more on this project, click here.

Sharing At:

 

Crafts A La Mode, What To Do Weekends

Etsy and Facebook

Callie's Crafts is now on Etsy! Visit the link below or click Etsy Shop on the menu start shopping.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/4CalliesCrafts

Visit Callie's Crafts on Facebook click Like to share with all your friends.

https://www.facebook.com/CalliesCrafts

Planning my Living Room

Living Room To Do:

Paint Walls

Beadboard Wallpaper

Stencil Walls

Reupholster Chairs

Curtains

Build Keyboard Stand
Paint and Recover Bench

The Living Room is on the front of the house and has large arched openings and a large window.  It is open to the foyer and the family room so I really want the 3 rooms to coordinate.  I painted the walls the same color as the kitchen and family room to give it a cohesive look. (Montpelier Ashlar Grey by Valspar) To give it a fresh look I put up white bead board wall paper under the chair rail. View post here.

To finish off the walls I want to stencil the top in grey and white.  While searching Google for stencils I found Cutting Edge Stencils.  There are so many great stencils to choose from, but I've managed to narrow it down to two of my favorites.  The pictures below came from their gallery.

Harlequin Trellis

Hourglass

Do you remember these great yard sale finds?  Click here to view post. They will find a home in this room once they are reupholstered. 

Here are the fabrics that I'm considering.  They are from Premier Fabrics.
The final selection will be dependent on which stencil I choose.  I think the trellis stencil will go best with the striped fabric and I could make coordinating pillows with the media fabric.  On the otherhand, the hourglass stencil will go best with the Kimono fabric and I could make coordinating pillows with the Dottie fabric. 

Premier Prints:  Accord black/white - Media black/white

Premier Prints:  Kimono black/white - Dottie black/white

I will use the coordinating fabric on this storage bench.

This room has a window 8 feet tall and 12 foot ceilings.  

Here is an idea of what I want for the window.  I want the curtains in the Living Room to coordinate with the accent wall in the Family Room.

I love to do things myself and I try to do things for low or no cost.  I especially love free software like this room planner on Ashley Furniture's website.  It is great because you can adjust the size of the room and all the furniture.  I used it to create the plans below.

Option #1

Option # 2

I can't decide and I would like your opinion.  Which would you choose?  Leave a comment telling me your favorite stencil, fabric and room design.

Beadboard Wallpaper in Living Room

This is a paintable textured wallpaper I bought at Lowes.  This was my first time hanging wall paper.  I followed the instructions on the packaging and it was easy.  Just make sure to use the recommended tools on the packaging.  Also, make sure your Exacto knife is sharp. 

      

Here are a few pictures I took during the process.

This is my temporary set up until I upholster my yard sale chairs.

 

This is the listing picture.  I am really bad at taking before pictures.