Puttsing...

I've slowly but surely been puttsing away on this house. I feel like I have quite a few things in the 'pipeline' at the moment. Things that are in process but not quite finished, things that I've ordered but haven't arrived and/or things I've scheduled but the work has not been completed yet. Let me fill you in: 1) For about 2 years now, I've been on the hunt for new wall sconces for our upstairs bath. To refresh your memory, the ones that were there were $3.99 fixtures from Home Depot that the previous owner installed. Picture chrome bulb holders with etched glass grapes. Yikes, they were pretty awful. However, I don't blame her for installing them since the space is really difficult to work with. With the slope of the ceiling and the height of the mirror, finding a squaty enough fixture was tricky. I was reaching my throw-my-hands-in-the-air point in my search when I looked up and noticed the wall sconces that have been residing in our family room. They were the finish I was looking for (black), had a shade (which I thought would fit nicely in there) and very stout indeed. I had Jeff un-wire one and try it out in the bathroom and wouldn't you know it was a perfect fit! So, he moved the other one and we called that little project done. The finish on the fixtures is oil-rubbed bronze and feels verrrrrrry traditional in the bathroom. I'm thinking down the line maybe I would paint them to give them a chic-er feel...maybe a high gloss black or maybe something completely different. For now, they work, so I'll just leave them be. 2) Next up came the task of filling the now two gaping holes in the wall of our family room where the previous fixtures lay. This was absolutely NO problem however since I've been dying to find a place for these puppies in my home. I have been in love with them forever as they've certainly circled the blogosphere a time or two. I ordered them in brass as well as a nice compliment to the dining room fixture, stairway gold gallery frames and few other accents of gold in the house. Can't WAIT to get them! 3) I am also still waiting on my pair of pink lamps I ordered for our family room. One will reside on the laptop desk to the right of the couch (where I am currently residing myself;-) and the other on the black end table to the left of the couch. But UGH! I ordered them in JANUARY. Supposedly they ship next week - I'm keeping my entire body crossed. One concern I had with the previous wall sconces was the fact that there would be a shaded sconce right above a lamp - 2 shaded sconces + 2 shaded lamps equaled a whole lotta shades on one little wall. I feel like the less fabric shaded look of the new sconces next to the shaded lamps will be a nicer combination. Here's an old pic from when I 'tried out' the lamps...see what I mean? 4) The new 'den' upstairs is about to take super shape. The chaise/sofa we ordered for up there is scheduled to be delivered around 5/5 (seen here but not in this fabric): I also ordered a rug for that room since I finally found an inspiration image for how I wanted the room to feel. Here it is: So I ordered an over-dyed rose colored rug that is slightly larger than the current rug that's in there. Here's a glamor shot of it... I'm also considering the pendant pictured in the inspiration image (which is surprisingly cheap but INTERNATIONAL and we know the kind of luck I've had with that;-) or this one that I've long been in love with. Have a preference? I still need to figure out a top for the floating wall of cabinets we did - I was originally thinking stained wood, but am kind of feeling like going glossy white with it like the inspiration image. Hmmmm... 4) I have been working on a little arrangement of frames for the bare wall in our dining room. I had the kids silhouettes updated by the same artist I originally had do them (found through Etsy). I'm waiting on those so I can update the girls and have the matte cut for Henry's. Then I have one other print that I ordered from one of my favorite print shops #SSPrintShop, and then I can finally start putting the frames up on the wall. Aside from the painting going over the fireplace (scheduled to be here before 5/11), there really isn't much left to do in this room (here's a preview of my painting...eek!). At some point, I would consider a large rug to make the room feel intimate and a little more comfortable - but I'm not in a rush considering Henry is in the peek (I hope) of his food-throwing phase;-) Have considered a mirror between the windows and would also someday like to get a table runner or placemats or cloth napkins...I own none of any which I became painfully aware of when setting my Easter table with paper towels for napkins;-) 5) My windows are about to go black. All of my common area windows will be removed from their sashes and sprayed satin-y black next weekend. I had the estimate done long ago, but was held up by this blasted Sprinter. You can believe that when I saw the forecast for this weekend, I got straight on the horn with my painter. Of course each year around this time I get a fire lit under me to wrap. up. some. tasks. It's birthday season in our house which is really and truly the one time of the year we have our families over. Our house is far too small for hosting our two large families, but we do it anyway because Jeff and I both enjoy entertaining and because Gloria asked that her party be at her "homsey home." She so loves being here and begs to go home when I take her out - so her little palace shall serve as the home of her and her brothers little 'beach party' (as chosen by the birthday girl). Even with it just family, the guest list tops 48 people, so a 'party' it will be! But this little ball of sorts is good motivation to get all these dibble dabbles of projects tied up in one big birthday bow:-)