Little Details Make a Big Difference

Hello friends! Welcome back to the weekly update of what is happening in this crazy renovation. Next month, we will be coming up to the year mark of ownership and we are still knee deep in all the details. Here’s what happened this week.

Fake it until you make it

Last week I was watching my four grandchildren while their parents attended a wedding out west. So I was limited a bit on my work time to when they were at school.

Lots was still happening outside, and so I had a little project to do inside. When we bought this house, there was a stained glass window in the spot that would become my snug. Not really my vibe, but I lived with it a bit just to make sure.

Once I added the bookshelves in there and painted them, it really wasn’t giving me the feels that I wanted. It had to go. I obsessed about many options, even looking for a vintage window, but nothing felt right. I figured a small investment would be the way to go while I wait for something I loved or took a stained glass class and made something myself.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to make (what you might consider) to be an interim choice. Creating a beautiful space takes time.

So I ordered a piece of plain glass from my favorite local glass guy for like $70, and went searching for a decorative film to enhance it. I looked at many options and decided to choose this classic faux leaded glass look. The name of it was “Old English Window” so I knew it would fit right in with all my other choices I have been making.

It was pretty easy to attach to the window, and after a bit of window trim, it became a little detail that has made this space! For under $120 total, it was transformed!

Don’t you love how every picture I post has either masking tape on the wall, painting half done, or a pile of stuff waiting to be moved to it’s final resting place? Oh well, just keeping it real here. Can you even believe the transformation?

I love it so much that I may just have this be the final choice, but who knows. I might learn how to make a stained glass work of art one day, so I am keeping my options open. Meanwhile, I can live with something that I actually like.

Of course, I showed my bestie and she was all “where else can you put that?” After a bit of thought, I do have a small window in the bathroom that would be perfect. The film allows light, while providing privacy, so it’s “peeping tom” proof. Haha! Perfect for the bathroom, so I will get a two-fer from that roll of film.

Still organizing

Last week I was also working on organizing all my ribbon. I have way too much, and lots of scraps which I have put in some vintage jars by color. The baskets above have things organized in them by size.

I still have piles to go through by pattern.

I had my daughter cut these flat wood spools for me, and I am organizing some of the patterns that are used the most. I will make cuter wood boxes that fit the shelves exactly in the armoire for them to sit in, but for now, they are just sitting in these plastic bins. This is a long term project! And I am purging along the way, not just hoarding. Okay, a little bit of hoarding.

What do you have that you can organize this week? Pick something and make your life a bit easier by being able to find what you need!

Touches of sweetness this week

While we were watching the kids, hubby took our granddaughter and her friends to the MSU football game. They had a great time, Papa treated everyone to snacks, and when he got home, he realized his wallet was missing.

Well, he had just been to a college football game with 78,000 other people and probably another 25,000 roaming campus. Normally, he NEVER takes his wallet, only some cash and one credit card! What are the odds that the day he does, it’s gone! And he never loses stuff like that.

I placed a call to the campus police, just to report it to lost and found in the unlikely event it turned up. He was pretty sad about it. Not about the inconvenience of canceling all the cards, or the great Italian wallet he has had for years that we bought on a trip, but sad about “the photo”.

Back in 1992, for hubby’s birthday in September, I had a photo taken of me and the kids for his present that year. You know, back when we all went to Sears or JCPenney for the glamor shots! The kids were (almost) 8, 4, and the baby was literally just a baby on my lap.

That photo has been in his wallet for 34 years. Not the same wallet, but it has transferred from wallet to wallet, and he always wants the kind that has the clear flip out flap that is supposed to be for your license. Nope, that’s where the picture goes. He told me he’s most sad about losing the photo, and asked if I maybe still had a copy. ummm, probably not I am guessing.

He was so sad about it, he even sent up a little prayer. Not 10 minutes later, the police department called me back and said that someone had just returned the wallet like 5 minutes ago! Hooray! Can you believe it?

It is now back, safe and sound at home. And amazingly enough, the wallet was returned with money and (now cancelled) credit cards intact. There are still good people in the world!

I was under 30 years old in this pic. Where has the time gone? UGH! And look at how cute that baby is! I am pretty sure that is the last time I wore purple.

Okay friends, that is it for me this week. I have a big project I am finishing up this week to share next time. Oh! And I did buy a really cute and cheap thing for my kitchen this week. I love new useful stuff!

Have a good one, and tell me in the comments below, what do you have that you can organize this week? And remember, with home decor, it’s all about the little details that make things special!