Things with words on them

I noticed one thing in particular when we moved, especially as I unpacked our art. I had a LOT of things with words on them. Art, signs...whatever. Just lots of words. This trend has exploded over the past four years or so -- especially the farmhouse-themed signs. 

It wasn't until I saw it all together that I realized just how much I had. I wouldn't say our house was FULL of it, but it was enough. It was at least spread out pretty well! I've been making a concentrated effort to tone down the things with words since we moved in. I think it can get a little overwhelming if there's too much of it in a space.

But then! I'll find the cutest art that will look just perfect in this or that spot. And I've noticed I'm just generally attracted to cute signage. I find myself reaching for them more than anything else. And there are rooms that just tend to attract this kind of art...I've noticed our kitchen and mud room in particular: 

(Affiliate) Similar grocery sign

Tour of our organized pantry

Especially the mud room! So many cute things with words for a mud and laundry room: 

Large DIY chalkboard

DIY It's good to be home sign

But I'm still determined to use some restraint when it comes to signage. But I've been looking for the right thing for over our bed for seven months now. Our ceilings are much higher over our bed in this house so what we had up before looked dinky.

I've tried four mirrors, other art...all kinds of things we already had and a couple I bought and returned. Then I saw a sale for scripted art on Facebook (those dang ads get me!!). I didn't see anything quotes that really struck me, until I saw this one:

If you can't read it, it says "The most wonderful thing I decided to do was share my life and heart with you." It wasn't too corny and actually made me tear up a bit when I read it. Truer words were never spoken. You can see what I had up before (and a tour of the whole room) here. 

I got the biggest size they made and everything was on sale. (I think they still are because I keep seeing the ad pop up.) I got this sign from a site called Smallwoods. I could have made this myself easy -- I've made many over the years. But I loved this script. And sometimes it's just nice to buy it!: 

DIY tufted headboard for less than $100

I was looking for something at HomeGoods the other day and instead of what I was looking for I found some new bedding that I fell in love with. Our other duvet is a dark gray and heavy for the summer, literally and figuratively. 

I love the light tones of this duvet and I LOVED the sheets with it, but those are going. They are SO dang scratchy. I mean, it felt like we were sleeping on sandpaper. 😂 I thought they would soften up after washing, but no. And they're a little too small for our bed -- both big bummers because I love them together! Can I return washed sheets? Any tips for softening up cotton sheets that feel like burlap? :) 

So our old sheets will go probably go back on, but I love the way these look! 

The floral duvet cover is DKNY and the design is called Wallflower, I actually found a queen version on Amazon! The review says it's not soft but I find it to be very soft. The sheets are called Vintage Select and they had a ton of cute options, but they are not comfy at all. The blanket didn't have a brand name on it but was from HomeGoods as well.

Someday I'd love to replace the dark curtains with something lighter...but they have to be light blocking, super long and a decent price when the budget allows. I have a feeling that's not going to happen anytime soon. So for now I will continue to enjoy our perfectly dark room at night. ;)

The art with words won out! It's simple and meaningful and my husband loves it too -- score all around!:

I have big plans for this room -- the wall behind the bed will get a treatment that will frame out the art and I want to recover the bench seat (it's actual burlap). ;) I also have plans for the tray ceiling. But these little changes are making this room feel lighter and prettier, perfect for the summer months! 

Are you a lover of art with words and sayings or no? I think they can be overdone for sure, but at the same time I think they are lovely in the right spot! 

If you missed my last post, check it out here!: 

Affiliate links included for your convenience! 

Our finished family room transformation!

Oh my goodness! I'm finally done with this project! It's only been about five weeks since I started it though, and that's pretty darn good for me. ;) Usually I take a few months. I was just so excited to get it finished up!

There's still a lot more I want to do in our family room but I'm SO pleased with it so far. I'm feeling pretty good that I've been able to put our stamp on it so much already. 

I shared how this all started when I painted the super tall fireplace walls last month, and then as soon as that was done I knew the built ins had to go in. I just couldn't wait. Here's a tutorial on how I built these into the areas next to the fireplace. I tackled the left side later and it was a much bigger pain in the butt because of the electronics. 

I had to label every single cord, install the built ins, then reconnect everything. When I painted I just propped everything up and painted underneath. I wasn't taking all that out again, no way no how. It came together so well!:

I'm SO SO happy to have our electronics and the subwoofer put away. When we had just the TV consoles on either side, the electronics were somewhat hidden but we just had the subwoofer sitting out. 

I built these to a size that would fit everything perfectly. I went with the dark Cyberspace color on the built ins for many reasons, but a biggie was that I knew the sound system stuff would disappear a bit against the dark paint -- it definitely helps! They would have stuck out big time on light built ins. 

Anyway...I'm done! I do plan to add a wood top to both eventually, but for now I'm calling it finished. I'm so happy to be able to put the nail gun and paint stuff away. SO happy. 

Here are some more photos! This is a before with the main wall color (Agreeable Gray):

And here it is now, with both sides painted:

I'm a HUGE lover of contrast, and an even bigger lover of the color blue. This dark blue gray works so well with everything we had!

It is so nice to have this side done and organized now!:

I don't think I've ever shared that angle because it was always kind of a mess. 

Here are a few more shots for you and then I'll wrap this up with some sources if you're interested!

I made the floral pillows last week and had the striped ones. They joined the new Pottery Barn covers I got on sale a couple months ago:

The fireplace has so much more presence now! I still plan to do some kind of trim work on it, but I'm waiting on that. I need a break from paint and crazy tall ladders. 👍

I have a small project in mind for that wall under the stairs. I feel like it needs something but I don't want to clutter it up too much:

There you go! I worked my tail off on this room and I'm so thrilled with the result. It's even prettier at night -- the dark paint is super cozy in the evenings. 

Here's a straight before shot: 

And here it is with some contrast...it's feeling more like home than ever!: 

Our dark chairs are a little faded from the light in the old house so I'd love to recover them someday -- they're not expensive chairs at all but they are SO comfy and the perfect size. So many ideas running through my head but I'm pausing to enjoy the transformation so far! :) 

By the way...these built ins are NOT perfect. I've said it before but it's important to mention again -- so many sins are covered with caulk, trim and paint. So. many. But I'm super proud of them and they will hold up to just about anything! I remind you of that as often as I can because if you tackle something similar it's OK if it's not perfect. The only person that will ever notice it is you. 

Here's a quick list of the items in this room for you! (Affiliate links included for your convenience.)

• Mirrors -- HomeGoods (But I found this similar one)
• Sofas -- Urban Underpriced in Indy
• Chairs -- World Market 
• Round side table -- World Market 
• Round glass table -- Amazon
• Rug -- Vintage Abstract rug from Rugs USA
• Blue/gray pillows -- Pottery Barn 
• Floral fabric pillows -- Calico Corners
• Stripe pillow -- made with West Elm napkins
• Wood vase -- Target
• Tray on table -- a mirror and I took the hanging hardware off the back :) 
• Baskets hanging on stair wall -- Target
• Round wood art on stairs -- HomeGoods
• Sconces -- Wayfair