Romantic Cottage Bedroom Reveal!

I don't know about you, but I am just not ready to give up Christmas! The holiday season lasts until New Year's Day, so I try to savor every last minute of celebrations and decor. Today it snowed and it seemed to keep the magic alive just a bit longer.

I have been wanting to post our attic bedroom renovation since we finished it in June but I never had the time for a proper post, so you are going to get to see it this evening all decorated for Christmas.

You will notice a lot of feminine and romantic touches in these photos, but there are some mantiques and masculine items to balance things out on my husband's side of the bed that I haven't photographed as of yet. Once the Christmas decorations are down I will hopefully get around to covering the whole bedroom.

Here is our attic bedroom, completely gutted and rebuilt by my wonderful husband. Imagine insulation and old wires, spider webs and exposed floor joists. You get the picture. That's all that was here before. There was only a crawl space in the hallway ceiling for access, so he completely built a second floor out of the attic, including a new set of stairs from our foyer. He also built our son's room and a bathroom that we are getting ready to finish.

I told him I wanted a dreamy, vintage cottage bedroom and that's what I got!

The floor is simply 1/4 inch plywood cut in strips and painted white.You can see it a little better in the picture below. We got the look of pine flooring for a fraction of the cost! It really doesn't take any more maintenance than darker floors and has held up nicely so far. He also made the board and batten for the walls and installed the beadboard ceiling himself. Actually he did every bit of it himself. With the help of my opinon and "constructive criticism" which added to his sheer enjoyment of the renovation process...

I chalk painted this yard sale bench to give it the appearance of antique grain sack, and it fits perfectly at the foot of the bed now. I showed the before and after in my last Christmas post.

                I just love the headboard we repurposed from a flea market door! I adore lots of pillows, so I  am looking forward to making some more from vintage fabric remnants as part of my New Year's resolution of learning to sew. The gorgeous antique chenille bedspread was the first puchase we made for the bedroom two years ago before we even got started on the room. We found it at the annual Court Days festival in Mt. Sterling, KY. At the time we hadn't even decided what look we wanted for the bedroom, but finding the bedspread gave us the inspiration to go all white vintage-cottage. Total cost of the what you see in this picture (minus the mattress) is only $50.00!

This year my husband and I will be spending our 13th year together, and we look for nothing but GOOD LUCK to come our way in 2013! Our bedroom is filled with little nods to romance and lots of vintage bling. It was so easy to incorporate a dreamy Christmas feel to the room since the bedroom is all white and sparkly to start with.

     A picture from our wedding day is tucked in this little antique jewelry box filled with vintage tinsel and a bottlebrush tree. Notice what I am wearing in the picture...

I display my wedding suit on this old mannequin all year long. It is also the perfect place to drape my collections of vintage pearls. For Christmas I simply added some tarnished tinsel and my hand made angel wings.

Below is a unique window treatment I designed using my oldest and most delicate lace. It actually is a panel but I used it in a different way. It had several holes that needed to be camoflauged so I turned the panel sideways as a sort of swag and draped it over a curtain rod with a vintage silk scarf and lots of strands of pearls in various shades.

Before we finished the bedroom I had the curtain panel displayed over an old window.

I love how light streams through as if in a dream

Under the window is an old metal trunk I repainted white. I especially love the hardware.

And on top of the trunk I created a shabby Christmas vignette

Meet Joy, the sweet little antique composition doll. Isn't she an angel?

 

 Next on the tour is my dresser, a $20 side-of-the-road-sale special. It was pretty cruddy before but it turned out great with some TLC.

Love the French country details...

$5 chair makeover--- white chalkpaint and burlap, the perfect combo...

 with an 1800's romantic prairie chemise displayed on the back

Everything in this picture was stitched by hand! Can you imagine the hours?

I love using this shabby chic towel holder to hold my favorite antique garments, scarves, gloves, pearls, and any other romantic girly-girl pretties I may find on my adventures.

My dresser is a great place to display my own embellished bottles and flea market treasures. I carried a bouquet of real ivory roses on my wedding day, but this summer I crafted a bouquet using the same shade of faux roses. I was experimenting with making a brooch bouquet using vintage brooches, hankies, doilies, ribbons lace, pearls and buttons, with the intention of selling it, but once I brought it up to the bedroom it was mine. ALL MINE!

Can a girl really ever have too much bling??? Especially vintage bling? I never can really pull off the look of a lot of jewelry unless I am getting all decked out for a date or formal occassion, but I discovered that our house can pull off  lots of bling, so I love to collect it and display it unexpected ways.

I am fascinated by small treaures and I adore making little vignettes, like this antique powder compact opened to reflect the beauty of gorgeous vintage rose and rhinestone earrings, an old hair pin, and an antique English angel sticker from the early 1900's. I get so excited by such little things as these.

And I will ask again...Can a girl really ever have too much bling?  Maybe some girls, but not this Junkaholic!

This is the collection of treasures on the desk beside my bed: More of my embellished bottles, small vintage  items, antique jewelry collections, old buttons, lace, and pearls.

My favorite display in the whole bedroom is this old train case that I filled with things I find beautiful. The candle in the center is the unity candle from our wedding, and the ribbon around it is from my bouquet.

In a previous post I discussed how I am changing my holiday decorating style by adding seasonal elements to what I already have.  Here is how I tweaked the train case...

With some simple additions like my handmade bottlebrush tree/spool ornament, angel wings and a halo for the sweet little doll, along with Christmas carol ornaments, the train case evolves into a charming Christmas treasure box.

I really do decorate my home from top to bottom for the holidays! On the floor of my side of the room sits more of my favorite Christmas loot. The room really is as romantic and cozy as it looks here. Since we couldn't incorporate a fireplace into the bedroom, the next best thing is an old stove filled with white lights, which makes a perfect night light.

And what better place for David, than right beside me when I sleep? (I explained a little bit about how David ended up in our bedroom in the previous post.) My husband jokes that one day I am going to leave him for David. Actually he first started making that joke when David was still in our antiques booth and I kept going back and forth on keeping him or selling him. Now he is not only at our house, but right beside me in the floor by my bed. No one ever said junkaholics weren't a little crazy!

He really is stunning! But at least I have him facing the opposite direction so he isn't staring deeply into my eyes...

Love, love, love that grain sack stocking...

...and the old chippy plant stand loaded with my collection of vintage lace, doilies, and linens...

This tour of the bedroom makes me want to go snuggle up to my sweetie for a long winter's nap!

But in case we decide to sleep in too long, we made a personalized sign to remind to us to get up and get going, because...

Sweet dreams fellow junkaholics, lights out!

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/01/feathered-nest-friday.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: blogspot/QoLtm (FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE)

http://www.commonground-do.com/2013/01/be-inspired-friday-121-whats-new-in-new.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: blogspot/bCGJMl (Common Ground)http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2013/01/be-inspired-feautures-and-link-party-51.html

 

 

2012 Blog Review!

I hope everyone had the most Merry Christmas and that you all are looking forward with great anticipation to 2013!

 I have been most blessed this year. Looking through my blog has brought back happy memories of junking adventures with my family and of times spent enjoying the comfort and beauty of a home that we have truly made our own. This year we finally "finished" a four year long (interior) renovation which has been daunting to say the least, so we will spend the winter months resting planning and pinning ideas and inspiration for the exterior and landscape changes that will begin in late spring.

Today's post is an overview of my favorite projects and decorating highlights of the past year. I have put the links to each post so you can quickly scan the old posts if it peaks your interest and you want to see more. Here we go!

January: Embracing Winter's beauty

After Christmas I began removing the reds and greens from my decor, but I wanted to keep the beauty of winter throughout the house. I left any natural objects such as pine cones, fire wood, and  fresh cut pine branches in place, and I simply replaced my colorful bulbs with snowflakes and white and silver bulbs in all my garlands. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/01/christmas-to-winter-transition.html

The fireplace had a rustic charm.  I loved how the old mirror reflected the lights and added interest to the space, so I decided to keep it there all year. 

 

If we must have winter, then please, LET IT SNOW!

February: Antiques Booth Grand Opening!

What a joy it was to finally fulfill a life-long dream of opening a booth of my own last February. It has been financially rewarding, but the whole experience has been worth so much more than money. My family has had so much fun searching for treasures to sell throughout the year and we have made so many new friends. My knowledge and appreciation for antiques has grown and I have received so many intrinsic rewards as a result of having an antiques business. Getting started in February made it easy to create eye-catching displays using a romantic theme throughout the booth. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/02/grand-opening.html





I spent so much time at the booth I wasn't able to do much at home, but I did create a Valentine's Day tablescape. For a centerpiece I chose to use my feather tree decorated with vintage Valentines and displayed in a tarished silverplate urn. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentines-day.html

I also decorated my mantel super-shabby-romantic using Victorian-style Valentine ornaments, old lace, and red beads woven in a winter snow and red berries garland.

 March Madness!

A fellow vendor was putting this dress form in the trash! I had the luck o' the Irish that day!!!! I brought her home and decorated her with antique collars and pearls, and I also decorated her for holidays as the year progressed. Her tarnished bronze patina matches perfectly in our home. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/03/free-antique-dress-form-find.html


Late March also saw the emergence of spring beauty in the garden. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/03/spring-in-garden-part-1.html

April: Easter In The Cottage

 Cottage style and soft Easter hues just go together, wouldn't you agree?
http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/03/easter-time.html

It was during Easter that I started to experiement with adding seasonal elements to existing displays instead of changing everything out and packing away my day-to-day decorations. It takes some creativity to make  this decorating technique work, but its perfect for those of us who love our junk too much to see it go.

In this picture, the tan rim of the little egg holder mimics the tan colors of the antique photograph book, the ironstone, and the muted buttons and marbles. The vintage easter eggs all have muted tones which ties everything together. The effect wouldn't be the same bright plastic eggs just stuck up on the mantel here and there.

I also stopped buying new Easter decorations, and I got rid of many of my mass produced Easter decor other than some plastic eggs that go in the kids' baskets. I began searching for antiques and vintage items that could be used all year but double as spring decorations, such as this beautiful old picture with spring colors and tulips.

In April we also hit all the spring estate sales and caught the first flea markets vendors opening for the season and the result was pure eye candy at the booth!
http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/04/antiques-booth-favorites.html

I sold almost everything in this photo, except the bust of David...I had a few months of delusions and actually had him for sale! Now he is safely home, in our bedroom, right beside my bed where he belongs. My husband just laughs at me.



Here is another example of "What in the world was I thinking trying to sell that???" I created this display for the booth and almost sold this sweet little doll. I loved that birdcage too and it didn't last a day in the booth, but luckily the doll didn't sell. She also is in my bedroom now right where she belongs, with David. Decorating is so much fun and I love "playing" with my toys!


I also began experimenting more with my displays at home as the year went and incorporated new styles.
http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/04/white-wednesday-april-24th.html

April ended with some fantastic flea market finds too! http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/04/flea-market-finds.html







May: More Flea Market Junk Finds And Antiques Booth Success

Another great find was this fabulous Art Deco Mirror! It was hard to part with her but once again I found that being able to "keep" her here on my blog helped a lot. The lady that bought her was absolutely thrilled and I love to make people happy with my finds. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/05/mirror-mirror-on-wall-whos-fairest.html

 

Fleaing in May also led me to discover these vintage lovely ladies by the artist Huldah. I got lost in each picture and told a little story about each of here : http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/05/lovely-ladies.html


I sold this set on the very first day to one of my favorte customers, Roberta Messner. Roberta  is a contributor to many of our favorite decorating magazines, and you may be familiar with her latest article in the debut issue of Romantic Prarie Style Magazine: "Nesting Instincts." Roberta recently visited my home and I will posting about that soon!

I was sad to part with these pictures so quickly, but not long afterward I found another set of  3 smaller Huldah prints that I brought home and placed on the desk beside my bed. It helped my junk appetite to be satisfied tied over for a while.


By the end of May, roses were blooming outside in my garden and showing up all over the house in late spring shabby vignettes. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/05/everythings-coming-up-roses.html

 
 June: Projects, Junk, and Idea Overload!

As the old Rogers and Hammerstien tune states, "June is busting out all over!"  It most certainly was, and so were my ideas, and so was my basement full of junk! I had so many craft ideas and junk projects to upcycle that I was about to go crazy and loving every minute of it. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/07/busy-embellishing-bottles.html

I was so busy in fact, that I didn't even get a post up, but here are some of the bottles I embellished and posted about later in July. 

I absolutely fell in love with embellishing vintage bottles. I created these to sell at a craft show, but I decided to keep them because I put so much heart into making them and they fit so well with my bedroom decor.

Can't get your old bottles clean? Spray paint to the rescue!
 I gave this bottle the "royal treatment" using all kinds of vintage junk and its my favorite. It sits beside my bed. With David. And the little blonde doll. And the three little Huldah pictures.

 I must admit, my side of my bedroom looks like a booth display. At least I can say the bedroom is full of thrills and excitement! (Sorry, I just couldn't resist!)

July: Feeling hot, hot, hot!

It was actually too hot for me to tolerate much junking, so I used the time to work on some more projects in my craft room or I painted outside in the evening under some shade trees.

In July I finally got on the chalk paint wagon and I am still hanging on! Love, love, love, the beautiful patina and ease of using chalk paint. I make my own so the cost is great too. I started painting everything with chalkpaint and my customers loved it. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/07/celebrating-4th-of-july-white-wednesday.html

Notice the square frame with the oval opening? I used it for a Christmas chalkboard that you will see at the end of this post.

I even discovered that I could paint fabric with chalkpaint and sand it down so that its actually smooth enough to sit on. No more passing up furniture because of the daunting task of reupholstering!

Frenchy Chair makeover---SOLD!

In July we also opened a second "MANTIQUES" booth so my husband could play around with his vintage toys. With his artistic talents he needed no help from me to fill his booth with creative displays.http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/07/come-browse-our-romantiques-and.html

I love those large signs he painted on wood salvaged from our attic reno!


I'm not the only one who decides not to sell things after a day or two.  My husband couldn't part with this collection of vintage luggage either. Now it is stacked at home on his side of the bed  repurposed as a bedside table. Before long our whole bedroom will look like an antiques store if we keep hoarding things!


Further up the aisle at the antiques mall,  my booth was filled to overflowing with the theme of summer romance and weddings.



Meet Grace, (I named her in honor of Grace Kelly) the antique jewelry bust that I bought for use in the booth. I brought her home after a few weeks just because she is simply amazing, and I missed her. Yes, I missed her. I know you junkers know exactly what I mean! You'll be seeing her many times in the future on my blog, and later in this post during the Halloween review.


August: Back To School And The Balancing Act http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/08/pretty-little-post.html
In August it was back to school and I didn't have much time to post. Getting back into the swing of things, keeping the booth stocked, and decorating at home took some creative management of time. My blog was something that had to be put on hold,  but I did find time for one post which featured some more of my favorite little pretties in the house. I had been experimenting more with embellishing bottles and making coffee filter roses. I hope to have some snow days this winter so I'll have time to  make more before Valentine's Day.


More bedside table loot... If I ever get desperate for money I guess I could have a bedroom sale!


 In July I also posted my "Apple Basket Makeover," which turned out to be one of my most popular posts to date. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/08/apple-basket-makeover.html


September: HAPPY BLOGGERVERSARY TO ME! http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/09/one-year-blogger-versary-great-junkin.html

It was my one year bloggerversary, and I really think the post showed the evolution of my style from strictly shabby- French Cottage/Flea Market, to using junk in more creative ways and incorporating elements of Romantic Prarie/Farmhouse. The unifying element that has allowed the evolution to take place without me having to abandon any of the things I previously loved and used rests entirely in one word---VINTAGE.

October: It's the most wonderful time of the year!

October is my favorite month and autumn is my passion, so naturally I put a lot of creative energy into my decorating during that time and in my posts. My autumn garden was so special to me this year and I will always remember how much I enjoyed the morning that I got up early to photograph my fall garden displays. I think it would have to be my favorite post of 2012. The beauty was just unsurpassed and there was a bit of fall magic in the air and excitement for all the festivities that start with Halloween and last through New Year's.
http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/10/an-autumn-morning-in-garden.html





Halloween...


All the family felt that this year's Halloween decorations were the very best, but due to a big renovation that was going on in October, I was late posting and I didn't really get to participate in any linky parties, so I didn't get many views of my posts. I will have link up my 2012 posts next year. If you missed it in October and you love Halloween like I do, you may want to check it out now. http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/10/its-halloween.html





Who's that girl???  It's Grace! I made her costume from scraps in my craft stash.


I found my first flower frogs in fall! Say that five time fast!


And here is that old dress form, proving once again that the best things in life are FREE!!!!
http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/11/halloween-favorites.html


November: Season of Thanksgiving

Thanks to my talented husband, I had a lovely new dining room to decorate for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and although a lot of people skip through it these days, I think it really has a vintage feel about it and  the holiday lends itself to vintage decorating. Maybe its because people just don't celebrate it like they used to and most people already have the halls decked for Christmas but in my house it will always be a separate holiday which focuses on family and simpler times.

 This year it was all about the ironstone. When is it not all about the ironstone with me?






Okay so maybe it wasn't all about ironstone, but I loved how perfectly ironstone worked into the displays.


My absolute favorite Thanksgiving decoration  was this cloche display I created with vintage dolls and a celluolid deer.

Although I was excited for Christmas, I hated to say goodbye to autumn and Thanksgiving, but at least I always have my blog to visit for inspiration.

 http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-home-2012.html

December: It's ALSO The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

Christmas in our house was delightful with the new spaces my husband created fpr us. Even though we gained more useable space and opened everything up, the house got even cozier. We have all enjoyed sitting around by the light of trees with warm snuggly blankets, listening to Christmas music while the scents of Christmas filled the air. I will definitely miss all the beauty of the holidays but I am resolved to embrace the majesty of winter and have been collecting ideas on my Winter Wonder's pinterest board like the hoarder that I am.
Here are some favorites from my three Christmas posts this year. The holiday was wonderful and in light of recent world events, the true meaning of Christmas and family meant more than all the Chrismtas treasures and trinkets I could ever hope to find. I hope you also had a blessed and beautiful Christmas season!

http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/12/use-what-you-have-christmas-decorating.html

http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-favorites-2012.html



http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-makeovers.html






Well here we are at the end of December! I hope you enjoyed this 2012 review as much as I have. Creating this post has me looking forward to the upcoming year with lots of decorating ideas. Hobby-based goals for 2013 including improving my blog posts with better pictures and presentation. Friends and family love my blog, but everyone agrees that our home looks much better in real life and I haven't quite figured out how to take pictures that are true to life. This could easily happen by learning to use the super nice camera I received as a gift last Christmas,  instead of relying on my phone and instagram. I still have a week and a half left of break so maybe I'll start practicing.

 In addition, I will be teaching myself to sew with my brand new Singer sewing machine! The one I got for Christmas! In 2007.

Also, I am considering a new blog which will focus more on home decorating, gardening, and styling. I will keep this blog for posts regarding junk adventures, project makeovers, and the antiques booth. I hope you all will follow along if I choose to create the new blog!

Have a great New Year everyone! Come back and visit me soon. I will be sharing a bit about my visit with Roberta Messner and I am looking forward to seeing all that we will create and share in 2013!

Blessings,
Amber

PARTIES!

http://www.commonground-do.com/

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2012/12/feathered-nest-friday_27.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: blogspot/QoLtm (FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE)

http://www.homemakeronadime.com/2012/12/creative-bloggers-party-hop-92.html

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/01/time-travel-thursday-130-talented-time.html