January | 2014 | This Old Colonial Home

January 20, 2014
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A Little Paint Goes a Long Way

We’re slowly but surely making progress on changing our walls from being all white. This weekend I tackled the upstairs bathroom while my husband took on the dining room. Isn’t it amazing how just a coat (or two) of paint can make such a difference?

For the upstairs bath we both wanted a light blue. We decided to go with Tinsel Beam by Valspar. And I must say I love it! This bathroom was meant to be blue – now it pops!

Before

After

Note: I really can’t take all the credit. Jamie actually painted the first coat awhile ago. I just added the second coat :-p

As for the dining room, we both agreed we wanted a sage-y color. We chose Mint Frost by Valspar. Again, I’m so happy with this color! Jamie did a great job! Here’s a before and after:

Before

And just for fun here’s a panorama of our front three rooms – dining room, entryway/hall and living room. The entryway/hall was painted awhile back too. The color is Cream in My Coffee by Valspar. It’s a shade lighter than the living room, which is Desert Fortress by Valspar. (We’re big fans of Lowe’s paint if you couldn’t tell!)

Next up for paint is the family room and then the master bedroom. What are some of your favorite paint colors?

January 7, 2014
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Lighten Up

My husband and I currently have several little projects going on all at once. One of those projects was replacing the two light fixtures in our entryway. They were simply old, ugly, dated and not our style.

Before

Ideally, I wanted something simple above the door and something a little fancier in the main part of the hallway, and of course, something that would go well together. After much time spent searching online, we finally found two we liked. We ended up receiving the fixtures for Christmas (thank you Barb, Jim & Maureen!)

It was one of the first things Jamie tackled when we returned home. It’s amazing how such a small change can make such a big difference!

After

Above the door

Main hallway

Jamie is also working on painting the upstairs bathroom and the dining room, while I’m working on some artwork for the living room. What projects are you working on already in the new year?

January 3, 2014
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Home for the Holidays

Did any of you score some post-Christmas deals?! I usually avoid the stores after the holidays, but while visiting my parents I happened to see an ad in the paper for Hobby Lobby – 66% off all their holiday decorations! This was an opportunity I knew I couldn’t miss, especially since we don’t have a Hobby Lobby near us in Jersey. My mom was gracious enough to join me, and boy did she help me snag some good deals!

I knew I needed a wreath for our front door. I had picked out a typical green pine one, but she talked me into this one, and I’m so glad she did!

It’s so unique! The best part – it was originally $70, I got it for $23! Here it is on our front door. I don’t think the picture quite does it justice.

Since we have a colonial house, some year I wanted to get wreaths to hang on all of our front windows. Well, next year I’ll be able to! I also scooped up 5 wreaths, bows and ribbon for a total of less than $25!

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our family for all of their generosity this Christmas. Your thoughtful gifts are truly helping make our house a home. We are so blessed! Here’s just a small sampling (pillows were popular, which is great because they add such warmth!)

It’s A Wonderful Life pillow

Awesome handmade canvas throw pillows inspired by Etsy

Handmade canvas throw pillows inspired by Etsy, as well as a new velvet blue throw pillow

I Love You shams and new yellow throw pillow

I Love You shams and a new yellow throw pillow

We also received several gift cards, which will come in handy as I start to decorate more (look for a gallery wall coming soon hopefully). And we received new light fixtures for our entryway. Check back for that post shortly.

And of course, Christmas wasn’t just about the deals and gifts – it was a chance to celebrate our faith, spend time with our family and friends, and to slow down just for a little while. We hope you were able to do the same!