The Living Room Wall & Our Kitchen

Well, we kinda sorta finished most of our planked living room wall. And by finished, I mean we painted it. (You can read about the making of that wall here.) I am apologizing in advance for the horrible iPhone pictures, but here it is...

 I am SO in love with this wall! It adds so much texture and interest to this room and makes it seem a little brighter. We still have to replace the back door, extend the outlets so the covers can go over the paneling instead of hide inside; and then we need to trim it all out. But I am so happy with it!
In other news, I was looking through some old posts, and I didn't realize that I never shared a picture of our kitchen! I really need to do a post on that project. We still aren't done, but I came across an old photo, and it looks so completely different.

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

 



RIGHT?! Big difference. I am really going to try to get some better photos taken and I will post some more pictures. Hope you all are having a great week! Christmas is only 7 days away. Can you believe it?!

-Tara

Just a Little Update

Hey everyone! Just a little update over here. Friday night we went to the store and packed the car out with plywood strips we had the friendly guys over at Lowe's cut for us. We bought 3 sheets of 4 x 8 plywood and some trim for Addison's big girl room. A friend of ours let us borrow their tools, which helped us finish WAY faster than we would have without them. They were such a blessing! The husband and I stayed up til a little after 12am and worked on the living room wall. This is what we started with:

We let the girls do some doodling. Hey, the walls will be covered anyway! :)

 Obviously, these are the drawings of my husband.

Then he got to work, starting on the left side

 

 And then the right side

 Looking good!

 This is after some spackling yesterday afternoon.

 

Saturday night we moved on to Addison's room and Husband put the trim up on her main wall.

 

Blank wall:

Trimmed Wall: 



We also fixed some flooring in the hallway and gave the kitchen ceiling a second coat of paint. Now we have to caulk around the trim in Addison's room, spackle all the holes from some previous décor, prime, and paint!

 

Here is what our list looks like now:

1. Apply the second coat of paint to the kitchen ceiling & touch up any trim. And then touch up areas where paint may have dripped onto the wall.

 2. Remove the weird electrical wire hanging out of the kitchen wall (it belonged to our old vent hood)
3. Install the backsplash on both sides of the kitchen.
4. Hang wooden shelves above the stove that match the shelves on the opposite wall.
5. Add a light fixture in the kitchen (we've been without one for a little over a year. Oops!!)
6. Add some trim to Addison's main bedroom wall and paint that whole wall white. Maybe paint her opposite walls a pretty light turquoise color, gray, or a different shade of pink?
7. Add wood-planked walls to the middle bathroom.
8. Add wood-planks to the fireplace wall in the living room.

 

We're hopping around a little, but that's what keeps us moving. We like to keep things interesting around here ;) But at least we are making progress!! I can't wait to show you all what it all looks like after it's painted!!

 

Have a great Monday!

-Tara

 

 

Let's Get Crackin'!

Hey everyone! It's been a little while since I've chatted you up. ;)

I've been really busy keeping up with the shop, my online store,

and of course, spending time with my family. I haven't even been able to get house projects done, except we finally painted the first coat on the bead board in our kitchen-that we hung about 6 months ago. Yikes. So anyways, in the past few months, we've discovered some hair lines cracks in our bedroom wall and noticed the exterior brick splitting a little. Turns out, we need about 6 or 7 piers. SO, there went our new windows. Womp, womp, womp. (insert pouty face here) While we save money on that expensive update, we decided to do some smaller projects that will still help us oomph things up a bit. But while we've been so busy, those projects never got done. Except the first coat of paint on the bead board. Like I said. With Christmas around the corner and family coming into town (all of whom haven't seen a lot of the updates, like our kitchen makeover), we wanted to really make an impression. Vain, aren't we? Well, I look at this like a challenge. I love the pressure involved with the rush of getting it all done. Call me psycho crazy. Our list isn't HUGE, but it's still a good list of some-what time consuming projects.

 Here's what we're hoping to knock out by Dec. 20th:

 1. Apply the second coat of paint to the kitchen ceiling & touch up any trim. And then touch up areas where paint may have dripped onto the wall.

2. Remove the weird electrical wire hanging out of the kitchen wall (it belonged to our old vent hood)

3. Install the backsplash on both sides of the kitchen.

4. Hang wooden shelves above the stove that match the shelves on the opposite wall.

5. Add a light fixture in the kitchen (we've been without one for a little over a year. Oops!!)

6. Add some trim to Addison's main bedroom wall and paint that whole wall white. Maybe paint her opposite walls a pretty light turquoise color, gray, or a different shade of pink?

7. Add wood-planked walls to the middle bathroom.

8. Add wood-planks to the fireplace wall in the living room.

This is kind of a lot to do in 30 days, but we're going to see how far along we can get. The wood planking in the family room isn't a MUST by our goal date, but it would be nice. Can't wait to get some things crossed off!

Be back with some updates and before/after pictures as we make some progress!

-Tara

Vacation & The Shop

Hey guys! It's been a little while since I've posted, because we were on vacation! We went to visit my family in New Jeresy, who we haven't seen in 2 1/2 years; they hadn't even met Zoey! It was so much fun and it seemed to fly by. That's one of the things I hate about vacations. They make you want to quit your job. We made a trip up to Vermont with one of my childhood friends to surprise our mutual childhood friend for her birthday. It was SO much fun! We went shopping in Massachusetts, watched a movie, drove around the beautiful small town she lives in...it was perfect. And I miss it. But, you know, there's no place like home. None. To be in your own bed, in your own house, where you can do whatever you want is...bliss.

 

Back to our normal, hectic life though! We got back late this past Saturday and we've all got some coughs and congestion. Booo. Sunday was all about unpacking, grocery shopping, crafting, and getting my shop set up with my mom. We took the furniture for my space to the store and she helped with some of the setup and then I was on my own. Hanging a curtain rod to the ceiling with twine while standing on a wobbly step ladder is not my idea of fun. I was so sure that I would break the ladder and come crashing down on the setup next to mine. 'Cause that's something I would do.
But I got most of it done and tonight I will head back to the store for some pricing and to add some more things to the shop and I will have pictures for you all later. I am so excited and honored. Please pray for success, dear readers! I would love it if this could be something that would be big, something I could devote more time to. Thank you all so much!

I hope you have a wonderful week,

Tara

Sutton Home Interiors Giveaway, Hosted by The Funky Monkey

Hey everyone, just a quick post today! The Funky Monkey is hosting a giveaway today for Sutton Home Interiors. The contest is for a FREE Love You More pillow. Follow the directions on the page to enter to win. Contest ends 9/16/13. Thank you so much for your support! Have a great Monday!

Sutton Home Interior {Shop Feature}

Hey everyone, I hope you all are having a wonderful Friday! I am really looking forward to this weekend. Vintage Market Days is tomorrow, here in Tulsa! My mom and I love going to VMD. I am so inspired by all of the creativity and love to see what others are making. I'm hoping to be a vendor at VMD in Spring of 2014, but right now, Sutton Home Interiors has some things going on that are going to keep me busy!
Here are some good great news:
{Number One}-I will be featured (as Sutton Home Interiors, my shop), over at The Funky Monkey! There will be a one week long giveaway featuring one of my items. She gets a bunch of traffic, so make sure you check it out & enter! The feature will start September 30th and run for a week. I am still not 100% sure on the giveaway item at this point, but I will make a decision within the next few days.
{Number Two}-I was asked by a soon-to-be shop owner to sell my product in her store! I still cannot believe this one; I feel so honored! The store will be opening in Broken Arrow & they are hoping to open on October 1st. Which means...a lot of rushing to get done with planning my setup and making enough product for the store. I am going to be SO busy, especially with our vacation being at the end of this month. Wahhh!! I will give you more info as we get closer to the date. SO excited, people!!
Have a wonderful weekend!

-Tara

UPDATE: The Funky Monkey giveaway starts today (9/9/13) and will run through 9/16/13.
Also, I didn't give too much detail about the shop S.H.I. was going to be setting up at, but the shop has changed. I wasn't liking the details of the previous shop, and while I would love to have worked with them, I will now be at a new location. Look for Sutton Home Interiors at Creme de la Creme Boutique in Collinsville, OK starting October 1st! I am beyond excited to start getting everything set up!!

Encouraging Words

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today and came across this really encouraging article, "10 Ways to be a Happier Mom". Read it. It is so insightful. It made me think about how I am at home, always rushing after work to make dinner, clean the house, spend some time with the girls, get them ready for bed, do this, fold laundry, do that, etc. I feel like I am always going and never stopping. I hate to be that way, to not make myself slow down and enjoy the moments, enjoy my husband, the girls, life. It makes me feel horrible sometimes, that I don't spend more time with them and less time cleaning.
I am one of those women that feels stressed and frazzled when the house is turned upside down. I can't function. So, naturally, a clean house makes me feel more calm, happy, & satisfied. BUT, I think one thing I struggle with is making a clean house my priority. When I come home, I should be able to love on my family, enjoy dinner with them, and let the girls run wild and make messes with their dolls and coloring books, while I enjoy a conversation with my best friend, my husband. I shouldn't care if the laundry is piled up and there are crumbs all over the floor (there are always crumbs on the floor). It shouldn't phase me that there is paper work all over the kitchen table, and on the counters, and on the TV console. But it does.
So, one thing I want to work on, is slowing down. And being a little more carefree. I want to fully embrace each moment with joy. I want to have wonderful memories of my husband and I playing with the girls, laughing, and making sure they get all of the attention we can possibly give them before they are gone from our home and making memories of their own.
It's a simple thing, but I'm going to start with easier dinners-crockpot dinners, sandwiches, whatever can be done quick so that I can focus on my family. And as for cleaning, it can wait until after the girls are in bed. Unless, of course, it's something like spilled juice or something that really needs to be done right away. Obviously. And as for joy--joy comes from the Lord. I've been so busy with life, being a full time employee and a mom to two little girls, a wife, a cook, a small business owner...I haven't spent time with God like I should be, and that's something that is really important to me. I am going to make it a priority to spend more time with Him; in prayer, in worship, in scripture.
I hope you get something from that article, it really was a blessing to my heart. The encouragement I needed and God knew. He always does.
Do any of you struggle with slowing down and really enjoying the moments? What do you do to help make more time for your family and what matters to you?

-Tara