As Seen on Fixer Upper {House in the Woods}

Chip and Joanna really outdid themselves this time on this home renovation!  The master bathroom was O-M-G amazing!!  The kitchen is high end all the way with the custom cabinets and glass door cabinets to showcase the homeowners china.  Overall, this renovation seemed much more sophisticated, expensive, luxorious, and high end than we normally see from the Fixer Upper design duo.  From the designer finishes they chose throughout the home, the choice of gray painted trim versus a standard white trim, to the grand kitchen and master bathroom.  This was by far the most luxurious 'fixer upper' to date.

One of the very first things I noticed on this episode that was different than their other home renovations was the paint color on the interior trim of the home -- the crown, base boards, and door casings.

This was one of the biggest trends I saw this year at the Indianapolis Home-A-Rama, and I think it will be a huge trend for the new year.  Every home I visited on the tour had painted interior trim, other than just white.  If you are thinking of doing this in your home, start in the basement.  It is a great way to introduce this new look into your home without having to repaint your trim throughout the entire house.  And it gives the basement a separate, more masculine, sophisticated look.  I am currently working on a new construction home where we will be painting all of the interior trim of the basement a dark gray.  Dovetail Gray SW 7018 is a great choice for painting your trim work something other than white and looks very similar to what Joanna chose for their trim color.  If Dovetail Gray seems a little too dark for you, try a few shades lighter such as Dorian Gray SW 7017.

This massive kitchen that spread from side to side of the room was gorgeous!  I'm not what I liked best -- those oversized pendants, the large, custom range hood, or the custom glass door front with the circle detail in the glass.

What an amazing transformation!!

Luca Round Pedestal Table  //  Cooper Round Dining Table  //  Round Blanca Table  //  

Grangeville Dining Table  //  Muses Dining Table

At only $500, the Round Blanca Table from World Market is my favorite affordable table to get this Fixer Upper look. It looks as though the black French style dining chairs Joanna chose for this dining area are metal, but these black, wood bistro chairs are also a great option to complete the look.

Black French Bistro Side Chairs, Set of 2 from World Market $240

I love this detail they added to the back wall of the master bedroom.  It is a great way to add a focal wall to a space without spending a lot of money.  Just get some 1x1 boards at your local hardware store, starting in the center, make your pattern, nail to the wall, and then paint the entire wall, including the trim, the same color. 

This house was really all about the bathroom, so lets see that bathroom!!!  They basically just covered everything with marble, even the ceiling. 

It makes me so happy that they didn't just lay that beautiful marble floor in a basic brick pattern on the floor.  I love that they laid the tiles in a herringbone pattern.  A little more money for labor and a lot more wasteof tile with all of the cuts, but definitely worth it for the impact it creates.  And they followed the same design pattern in the shower. 

They really didn't miss a beat in this bathroom.  Every detail is just perfection!

I think we are all yearning for an opulant bathroom covered in marble like this now! 

I had so much fun watching this episode because I spent the evening in my home with my girls Val and Kelly having a little watch party!!!  We talked and drank wine WAY more than we did watch the episode, but it was so much more fun that way.  It was recorded, so I could watch it again later!! 

Chip and Joanna really stepped up their game on this episode of the Fixer Upper.  There was a lot to love about this home.  Let me know if there are any specific pieces you would like to know more about and I will do my best to help you find them.

{All photos are from HGTV or Magnolia Market Blog}

DIY Shirt Pillow

Another amazing year is coming to a close.  Another great Christmas spent with family has come and gone so quickly.  I am so grateful for all of the time I get to spend with my family at the holidays.  Luckily, our family all has holiday parties on separate weekends, so we are able to spend a lot of time with everyone.  It makes for a long holiday season, which I don't mind, and makes for a lot of travel, but it is completely worth it.  It is also a great time to "unplug" and unwind a bit.  I try not to work as much (sorry for those emails that haven't been answered), try to blog less, and try to stay away from social media a little more to relax the mind!

Between all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the list of gifts to buy, the things to do...we tend to just buy gifts for people without always thinking about it, just to check that off the list!  It doesn't have to be about the dollar amount of each gift or about how much money we spend on each person.  It's not about the materialistic things we give or get.  It should be about those special gifts with meaning and love behind it.

This year, I wanted to present a very special gift to my grandma, who lost her loving husband, my grandpa last year.  He was truly an amazing, talented man that will never be forgotten.  To keep a special little memory of him around the house, I decided to make a pillow out of some of his favorite shirts we all still remember him wearing.  We all know how obsessed I am with pillows, so I thought this would be the perfect gift to give.

This will also be my VERY FIRST pillow EVER that I have made.  After, owning a basic sewing machine for a few years now, I haven't put it to much use, to say the least.  I've been dreaming of making pillows, but have been so intimidated because I didn't know what I was doing.  I thought this would be the perfect project to conquer my "pillow making fears" and to finally just make something!! 

It ended up being REALLY easy to do.  After asking my Grandma to give me a few of my Grandpa's old shirts for a "special project" I didn't tell her about, I knew I HAD to get these pillows made or it would be a total let down for the both of us.  If you have ever made a pillow or sewn anything before, then you can do this.

 

These are the sizes I cut my fabric to.  I used another pillow cover I had as a guide to making this.  I decided to do an ENVELOPE ENCLOSURE on the back because it is really easy to make this way, I love that you can easily add or remove any pillow insert, and you can easily remove the insert if you need to wash the pillow cover.  So, this is why the back side of the fabric is wider and also why that piece gets cut in half -- to make the overlapping envelope closer.  Just like a pillow sham.

To start, I buttoned the shirt all the way up.  Ironed it really good.  Cut the shirt into two pieces -- front and back.  I just cut up the sides on the seams.  I cut around the arm holes to keep the sleeves in tact, just in case I wanted a complete sleeve for another future project.  (I will be keeping all of this scrap fabric for a "future" project!!)

My favorite image of me and my Grandpa, I was a baby, sitting close by for inspiration and motivation. 

I made two pillows at the same time, so I cut all of my pieces, from both shirts, at the very beginning.  Both of these shirts were striped, so it made it really, really easy to keep cuts straight and sewing lines straight!

The first thing I did was sew the front buttons down.  Just one quick, straight stitch from top to bottom, to ensure that button closure doesn't open.  You don't really want it to be functional anymore, it is just for looks.

I didn't take a lot of pictures of how I did the envelope closure.  But as you can imagine, the larger of the two fabrics get cut in half.  Each gets a nice seem made on one edge of the fabric, where the envelope closure will be.  Once that is done, those two pieces get pinned together with the front fabric pieces, front sides facing, and sewn together on all four edges.

One of the shirts had my Grandpa's name written by the top tag area.  Most likely from the hospital or nursing home.  So, I decided to preserve that and sew that on the back so that you can see the name of who's shirt it was.  I decided to put a white piece of fabric behind it to make it stand out more.

It took me a couple of days, working on the pillows a couple of hours here and there, to complete both pillows.  It took me longer than usual because 1. I didn't know what I was doing  2. I was totally clueless at first when my bobber ran out of thread  3. And then there was a major panic attack when my needle broke.  But after all of that, it was super easy, just a little time consuming.

I bought my 18"x18" pillow inserts from Hancock Fabrics.  I like the Feather-fil type best, over the polyfill because I feel like it fills the pillow better and gives it a puffier, natural feeling, versus a stiff interior.  You can do a really good "karate chop" on your pillows with the feather-fil as well!

A good read here on polyfill vs feather pillow inserts.  I always prefer feather! 

I made two pillows -- one for my Grandma and one for our family White Elephant Gift Exchange we do between the whole family. Both pillows were a huge hit!  For the gif exchange, I added in a tobacco scented candle as part of the gift because my Grandpa always smoked his tobacco pipe and smelled of sweet tobacco.  It's amazing how you use all of your senses to remember your loved ones. 

Now, I know not everyone has a sewing machine sitting around waiting to be used, like me, but you can always have your local seamstress or upholsterer make things like this as well for you or for a gift.  Gift giving can become a monotonous thing that we just do each year instead of thinking about why we are buying these people gifts.  Maybe we can spend this upcoming year working on creating more handmade gifts for our loved ones. However, I also LOVE all of the gifts people BUY me as well!!   I can't say I didn't love the jewelry and clothes and new winter coat I received this year as well!!  Let's get real! ;)  Maybe it is just about the balance of both!

This gift literally came with blood, sweat, and tears!  But I am SO glad I could push through and get these made.  Now, I just need to make myself one!

As Seen On Fixer Upper {The Brick House}

The Brick House from Episode 2 packed a lot of punch into this little home on Baylor campus.  you don't need a lot of house for a lot of style.

There were a lot of things on this episode that got me excited.  From the original shiplap on the bedroom walls and ceiling to the cement tiles in the kitchen.  It was such a quaint little home with so much character and personality everywhere you looked.

I have to cut straight to the kitchen, because I almost jumped off my sofa when I saw the cement tiles Joanna chose for this kitchen!!  They are the SAME tiles, SAME design, I chose for my sister's home I am designing!  Joanna chose the gray color for this project, as I chose the black and white for my project, but I'd say we are definitely decorating soul sisters!! :)  You know everyone will be choosing these patterned floor tiles now that Joanna did!

the tiles that I chose are from Artistic Tile in Hydraulic Matte Black

12" x 12" Porcelain (available from Louisville Tile)

Now that I have that excitement out of the way, let's take a look at the rest of this gorgeous little Texas cottage.

I'm obsessed with lighting!!  I would spend half of my client's budgets on lighting if I could.  I'm really passionate that good ceiling fixtures 'make' a huge statement in a room.  I love this light because it has a classic, yet interesting look to it.  It is dainty with the open airiness of it, but still makes an impact in the space.  

This size and style of light is perfect for a space where you may be walking under the light, versus like a dining room light.  Because it is wider than it is tall, you can hang it closer to the ceiling. 

I can never be completely certain of the exact items Joanna uses in her projects, but I would say this light fixture that I found is pretty close.

Wrought Iron Frame Ceiling Lantern Ceiling Light from Shades of Light

Joanna uses these drying racks a lot in her kitchen accessorizing.  They are cute, practical kitchen decor that can be found at a anyone's budget.  Antique Farm House drying rack is available now on their website, but as they deals change daily, it won't last long.   The drying rack from World Market is a little smaller, but at only $15, you get the exact same look for a lot less money. 

I LOVE decorating kitchens with bread boards or cutting boards.  They are a functional kitchen item that looks beautiful leaning against the wall as well.  These come in a set of 3 from The Painted Fox.  This online store is one of my favorites and has the best 'farm house swag!'

A vintage sign that says "eat" or "kitchen" or "bakery" are very popular right now and they come in lots of different sizes in styles.  I like the simple black and white signs because they make the biggest impact in the most sophisticated way.  I found this one on Etsy.  Antique Farm House also sells a large metal one occasionally as well.  

What do you guys draw inspiration from on the Fixer Upper episodes?  Do you like to see the artwork she hangs on the walls, the accessories she uses in the space, or do you look at the larger pieces of furniture for that farmhouse inspiration?  Let me know and I will try to touch more on that in the next episode!

Visit the Magnolia Market website for all of the details straight from Jo about The Brick House and this episode.  All images are from Magnolia website, unless otherwise noted.