bleached

We're making over our bedroom and I have wanted this bedding from Pottery Barn for awhile. I did not like the price tag. After weeks of searching, I found it cheaper on eBay. Yay!

However, when it got here the color was golder than I had pictured. I was bummed out. Should I resell it or live with it? I lived with it for a few days hoping I would like it but I did not. So I decided to do a brave (or foolish) thing. I would try to bleach out the color a bit.

I stuck it in the hot wash and poured a 1/2 cup of bleach. I let it sit for 15 minutes and with fear and trepidation, I checked it. It was lighter! I went ahead and washed it and then rewashed it then stuck it in the dryer.

As I went to pull it out of the dryer, I was a little nervous. What if I hated it? I couldn't resell it now and I would have to live with it. Fortunately, I loved it and it is what I had in mind all along.

Here's a picture of it next to the original color (these are the shams that I sold).



It looks so good next to our turquoise blue walls. I still need to get some new sheets, sew a bedskirt, finish the curtains and sew some shams and then I can reveal the new look.

friends

Many of my friends who had older children would give me encouragement and would tell me that I wouldn't be stuck always giving orders and correcting my children. Someday, they said, I would be friends with my kids and really enjoy chatting. I must admit I didn't necessarily believe them. I was too busy spanking, wiping bottoms, getting snacks, tying shoes...

Now I believe them. My oldest is almost 15 and my second oldest is 13 1/2. It dawned on me the other day that I share my life with them. They understand jokes now, they understand situations, they understand there is more to life than just themselves. It's wonderful. We sit and chat about things for hours. If I discover something funny on the internet, I call them in and we watch and laugh. We have fun going shopping, even to the grocery store.

I was talking about this very thing to a mom I met at swim class. She mentioned that was great that my daughters liked being around me because at that age, most don't. I do see daughters at the store trailing their mom and all the while texting their friends (or boyfriend?). I find that incredibly sad. What a wasted opportunity to talk and teach and learn.

Sure I'm still their mom first and they must listen and obey my words but the biggest change is I can talk to them. Really talk. It's nice and I'm looking forward to growing our relationship in the years to come. Even though I panic slightly in realizing just how little time is left with them before they move on and get married or go to college. But that is part of life and what I'm ultimately preparing them for.

remember

I can't leave well enough alone. Remember I recovered this footstool a few days ago.

This was the after:


I liked it but it was still too tame for me. So I recovered it again with some cool red fabric. I sewed them into strips for interest. Now I like it and it feels like me.

After and a peek at the dropcloth slipcover I made (more on that later).




I'm finally getting around to redoing our bedroom. So far there is a new blue coat of paint in Benjamin Moore's Waterfall (a great turquoise). I'm making new curtains, we have a new Craigslist dresser. I'm saving for new bedding and a rug. I really wanted Pottery Barn's lamp sconces but the cheapest I can find them for was $139 for a pair. We have perfectly good lamps but I was tired of the boring look. So I fxed them up!

Semi before (The bases were a brassy metal before I spray painted them):


I recovered them in Amy Butler's fabric. There's a peek at our wall color. The color is more true in the before lamp picture.


I can't wait to post after pictures in the bedroom makeover. It's finally becoming the room that reflects me.