An interior window awning...

I'm the vision on our diy team.  I could see this piece before it was built.  Sara's window needed a bit of visual interest, and I knew that adding this striped awning would give it just that.

Travis started out using 1/2 inch cabinet grade plywood.  He measured the window and decided to come out 8 inches from the wall for the lower part of the awning and 3 inches out from each side of the window.  We wanted it to hang out a bit, but not block a lot of light from her room.  The side pieces were cut four inches at the top and eight inches at the bottom to give it a slope.

Travis used a 2x4 on the top piece (brace) to give it a bit more support in hanging it.

Once the sides were attached to the front, he cut another piece of wood for the very bottom of the awning front.  Then used a template and his skillsaw to cut the scallops.

The entire piece got a good sanding...

Then it was time to tape and paint.  We wanted to give it black and white stripes, so Travis taped off each piece lined up with the 4 inch scallops...

And this is the result...

Travis used four inch screws to secure the awning to the rafters.  He wanted to be sure that this piece didn't come crashing down...

I may add a fun little rug to her room, but for now this room is "finished"...

Sara's room...

Sara's room is shaping up to look more like what I had envisioned when we moved in.  I am big on using what we already have, and she is so attached to certain things that clearing the room and starting over is not an option.   Now that the accent wall is painted, and her door/headboard is complete, it is time to add a little somthing to the window.

Originally I was going to build her a wood/box valance and cover it in the same striped material as her bedskirt, but Travis came up with a better idea...

I adore vintage valances, so here are the inspiration pictures he found:

He is planning on building it this week and I will paint the black/white stripes.   That's the plan anyway...

Sealing in the chippy charm...

Now that Travis is off turnaround we are going to try and cross a few projects off our list.  The laundry room is the next big project, and I am thinking we will tackle that in December, but for today we are making Sara a headboard.

Originally I was going to do something like this...

Minus the fabric, tufting, or super fancy engraved wood- and the expense.  Yeah, totally just like that.

I've had an old door that I found in a junk shop for a few years ago.  In the last house it sat propped up against the wall in the living room.  I adore the size (a bit smaller than a standard door) and love that it came out of one of the old houses in Galveston.  It's chippy perfection, and I got to thinking that it would probably make a really cool headboard in her room.

What you can't hear is me talking like the magician who is sawing the girl in half...

Well, except that it is more than likely painted in lead paint and tends to spread bits of chippiness wherever it goes.  Like little sprinkles of happy, only I really can't have Sara picking paint flakes out of her hair everyday, so I decided to use some Country Chic Paint Tough Coat on it.  It was the perfect product to lock in some of that chippyness without me having to worry about it yellowing down the road.

Travis used hinges to connect the two boards together.

Once the Tough Coat dried it was time to hang it!  We used super sturdy hanging hardware to insure that it would stay in place.  Nothing is worse than a headboard crashing down on you in the middle of the night.  And why is it that those things always happen in the middle of the night??  Like the object is being held in place with solar energy...

I'm so pleased with how this little mini-project turned out.  I think the door-turned-headboard adds some chippy charm to her room and really pops next to the black wall.  Throw in the added bonus of it being a no-cost project!

Next, I will build her a wooden valance to go high up over the window and cover it in the same black and white stripe material as her bedskirt.   Then I think I'm going to call the room finished, but we all know how that goes ;)

Around the tudor...

With Travis working this turnaround schedule I seem to spend the majority of my time in the kitchen.  Not that I mind, I adore my little kitchen.  For such a small space it really is light and bright, and so easy to cook in!

Of course, the nicer the meal the more dishes you have to dirty!

I got my slipcovered chairs back from Lsslipcovers, and just like any other pieces they have done for me- they are divine!  I said the word "ball gown" for my vanity chair and they delivered!

Sara's gallery wall finally got painted.  Projects are at a slow pace right now, so getting this one wall done was the limit for the month...

I also traded in Mr.Darcy, my Mini Cooper, for Mr. Bingley, my new Mini Cooper.  I lease my vehicles because I love new cars and can't just live with one!  I upgraded to a bit larger car- the Countryman S.  It seats five, so it feels so much bigger!

Sara and I walked the Step Up for Down Syndrome this past weekend.  I love how aware she is of Down Syndrome and how confident she is in talking to others about what she is doing with her time now that she is out of public school.  She loves homeschooling and adores the classes she takes on Thursdays.

I did get a new rug for the living room- Dash & Albert rugs are my very favorite! I love how preppy this one looks...

Fall decorating is at a minimum this year.  Most of our attic things are still in storage, and we won't get to cleaning that out until Travis is back on a regular schedule.  So the kids and I picked out a mum and a few pumpkins and called it a day...

We are busy with classes, reading, painting signs and just being.  I don't really feel the need to change things around or shop- I'm just content to be here.  I am taking that as a sign that we are exactly where we need to be- wacky neighbors and all ;)

Grad girl...

We moved into the tiny tudor at the end of the summer.  Sara finished school last June- as in aged out and D O N E.  It's a new era, she is 22, on to bigger and better things- and it was time for a change...

We took a trip out to the PB Teen store and found the duvet she loved- this is what we are decorating the room around...

The console/dresser that Travis built her is the same deep pink as in the roses.  The walls are White Duck by Sherwin Williams and the interior doors are Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams.  I am thinking of painting the gallery wall in her room a smokey black as well...

image via Pinterest

Sara's gallery wall...

The sheets, sham and bedskirt...

I am also including touches of Gold and plan on painting a few things gold to put on the gallery wall, like the giant "S" I found in a garage sale years ago.  I also bought her the bunny lamp for her end table...

Once Travis finishes his turnaround schedule at work, he is going to build her a headboard.  I am thinking we will do a painted wood version of the PB Teen one Sara likes...

Sara loves momentos- pictures, announcements, invitations- all of it is part of what gives her room meaning to her.   She treasures memories and I knew that the graduation plaque by Tiny Prints was the perfect addition to her wall.

Personalizing a space is easy to do with pieces that commemorate special events in your life.  For Sara, her graduating was something we were told she would never do.   We knew that with the right environment, encouragement and support she would not only graduate, but she would do so much more.  When Sara looks on her walls and sees her diploma, graduation picture, and this plaque- it is a reminder that we are all capable, and with love we can accomplish great things.

This and that and so much more...

hello.

Sorry for the extended absence.  It's been crazy around here.  Travis started turnaround schedule, and having a resident vampire among us has been an adjustment to say the least.  75 nights straight of working sounds daunting, and in reality it is, but we are adjusting.  I am cooking a lot so that he has hot homecooked meals to take each night, and the kids are adjusting to moving quietly through the house during the day.  We spend a lot of time reading, studying and quietly talking.  It's actually kind of nice in an Anne Frank kind of way.

Doctor appointments are the bulk of my week- they are ruling out any heart issues, and now the focus is on my lungs.  That makes sense to me since I grew up with a dad who smoked, and am an asthmatic who has taken more than her fair share of Albuterol.  I have scar tissue on my lungs and there may be something else going on.  We shall see.

I've been tweaking the house a bit, moving things around, editing down more, and rethinking rooms- especially Sara's.  It is not quite as functional as I'd like it to be, and there are some things that need to be cleared out still.  I'm going to work on that this weekend.

Still waiting on the bedskirt and sham...

Homeschooling is chugging along- I love our structured classes through CLA, but also our more relaxed style of learning at home.  Hunter is a changed kid because of it.  I know in my heart that we saved him when we pulled him out of public school.

Voluntarily reading Animal Farm on a Sunday morning...

Impromptu math lesson before dad leaves for work...

One of the joys of older homes is older plumbing.  We had already had issues with the French drain that runs to the storm sewer, and last week we had a MAJOR block under the house back up into the house.  Yeah, good times are had by all when sewer water starts pouring up through the toilet and into your home and over your newly installed hardwood floors.  (Notice please that ALL bad things happen at night while your husband is on shift...)

He griped, but I know that secretly he was having fun.  Boys and mud...

Anne has started her cosmetology program and is as happy as a clam at high tide.  This is her niche, her passion- her THING...

Up do entered into a contest with signature eye liner, nose ring and blue lips...

Could not be more proud of this girl...

Travis managed to squeeze in a few small projects before his crazy schedule kicked in.  Hunter's room needed shelves, and I wanted something with a bit of an industrial feel.  Plumbing bits and old weathered/stained wood did the trick...

Next up was the little coat closet next to the kitchen.  This is Texas, most of us don't even own a coat, so this closet was fitted out with shelves so that I could store the small appliances and cookbooks...

We also managed to get our flag hung.  This flag belonged to my Grandpa Myers and it is very special to me...

The kid's bathroom roman shades finally came in.  They have a top down/bottom up feature that is perfect for a room that needs light, but requires privacy...

JCP Roman shades...

This tv console was found on Etsy from aTICOfurniture and we love the piece.  It is just the right mix of industrial with the warmth of stained wood.

Lea, from Elegant Remodeling and Design, was the lovely lady who helped us tweak the design and order our kitchen cabinets.  She did such a fantastic job of listening to my vision and adding her know how so that we didn't end up with a kitchen that didn't have a trash bin pullout!   Last week she showed up to photograph our kitchen and brought me this lovely vintage lunch pail...

Perfect as our new/old breadbox!

I lived without a rug in the living room for about a week.  I just couldn't do it.  It needed something to anchor the room, and that coffee table clanks LOUDLY when anyone hits it.  Table needed a muffler...

So enter the Dash & Albert rug Tattersol in black.  I am loving the lodgy feel of this room and the pattern is one of my all time favourites...

I always design around my dogs...

Well, that's about it for me.  I am teaching today- so I am off to enlighten and engage young learners.  Follow me on Instagram if you want to keep up with my day to day doings.  Finding the time to sit down and blog is becoming a bit more difficult.

Love, kisses, and paw prints...