Big [Belated] Reveal - MIL's Laundry Room

I brought you the big reveal of my Mother-In-Law's Master Bathroom not long after I completed it back in February. Now I have another to bring you. For some reason, I had forgotten to share it with you until I walked into it the other day and it slammed me in the face. It said, 'This is the room you love, the room you would sleep in if you slept here, your favorite room in this whole house, the room you still have to stop and stare at when you come over... why have you not shared it with the world!??' and I said, 'Duh!' So here it is.

This is the view from the entry way into the laundry room...

The red wall is Ruby Dusk by Benjamin Moore, and matches the garnet colored flecks in the granite counters. I found a fabric that went great with our peachy orange, burgundy and plum color scheme and copied valances after some I saw in a catalog. Debbie had just had the granite and cabinetry re-done to match the kitchen cabinetry when I came on this job. Having to share my one full bath with the washer and dryer at my house, I greatly admire that big spacious counter top and imagine myself folding clothes there in nice, neatly sorted piles... though does anyone actually fold clothes in their laundry room? I have yet to see someone actually doing that. Well, if this were my laundry room, I would!

Moving on, in a clockwise direction, toward the washer and dryer...

I usually end up coming up with our color schemes, and picking out most of the big furniture items, wall art or shelving, and accessories when I decorate for Debbie. But she never fails to bring something to each room. She thinks she is terrible at decorating decisions, but she always finds perfect finishing touches, like the rug above, which brings in all the colors from the room beautifully, though it doesn't show well in the photo. She also contributed those cute star hooks and the corner laundry basket that fits perfectly behind the door. Good job Debbie!

Continuing in a clockwise direction, on either side of the pantry, we have the peg-rails!!

I'm sorry but I get a little excited about peg-rails! I came up with the idea to install them on either side of the pantry, and a carpenter friend of mine built them for me. He built them strong enough that he could hang from them. Crazy! This way they will stand the test of time... and the test of Debbie's 14 grand children! On the left, the pegs on top are bigger, and there are smaller pegs on the bottom rail, just right for the little ones to reach. Debbie stole that pottery barn bench from one of the bedrooms I decorated in her basement, and I didn't argue because it was just perfect there. Out of the way of the door and provides a great place to sit and put on your shoes, and also ties in the black touches scattered around the rest of the room. Good job again, Debbie! And on the right side of the pantry, the pegs are spaced closely together, so they can hold brooms and other cleaning tools.

Here is a closeup of the construction, consisting of 1x4's on the top rail or 1x3's on the bottom (shown), with holes drilled for the pegs, and countersunk screws into the wall studs, covered with wood plugs. I stained all the woodwork before we installed it.

One more thing I must point out is the lighting...

It is the Gimbal track light system by Portfolio purchased at Lowe's and I love it! It kind of has a casual, utility feel to it, and goes anywhere. Debbie was not so sure until we got it installed and then she liked it. We also put it in her bathroom, office (oh, I need to bring you that reveal, too!) and the living room, entry and kitchen! Muuuuch better than the old brass track light systems from when they built the house!

Similar to my nursery re-do, a sort of 'theme' developed as I worked on this room, which Debbie pointed out. It started with this print that I found...

It says 'live simply' and has the barn style stars. Well then actual barn stars went above the peg rails, Debbie found some star wall hooks and I found another star print...

and I found a star wine rack...

And Debbie picked up this plaque for above the door...

So did you notice the 'theme' before I pointed it out? Is it too themey for you, or does it all flow?

Photo Sessions 1 & 2

Many of you know I want to start doing portrait photography. Last Christmas, just after I got my 'big-girl camera', I gave out gift certificates to my brothers' and all Ty's sisters' families for free photo sessions by me. I also gave one to a BFF, Kristel, because she was expecting a little one and I was really excited to try some creative sleeping infant pics like these by Tracy Raver.

So I've been to Kristel's twice now and only came out with two pictures of little Lucy that I am happy with! Infants are tough! It didn't help that Lucy was not sleeping for either session, even though Kristel and I tried to get the timing just right. As soon as I would touch her she would wake up and there was no going back. Probably wondering why that crazy lady (me) kept trying to pose her in positions unnatural for an infant! Anyway, these are the two Lucy gave me, in color with PW's 'Warmer' action, and also in her 'B&W Beauty' action...

I'm learning a lot already, even though I didn't come out with tons of perfect shots. That's why my sessions are free right now!

While I was snapping away with Lucy, Mark was on his first date. Yes, he's 3 and 1/2. It was with his Godmother, Leah (doesn't that make you sound old, Leah? Haha). She took him to the Reptile Man and the Snohomish Pie Company.

When I met her at the Pie Company to pick Mark up, I took a few shots of him. He hasn't had a photo shoot since he was 2, I think! How does that saying go? 'The shoemaker's children go barefoot' or something? Yeah.

Anyway, his session started out with "Why do I have to stand by this wall, Mom?"...

Then he pulled the "Whaaaaat?" card, like he has no idea how wierd he is and I should not think spazzing out is anything but normal. He gets it from his father. =)

Okay, we're getting closer. His hands wouldn't stop moving and his mouth was following after, so I told him to put his hands in his pockets.

There! Much better! I can work with that.

Now, those of you who know Mark know he's done posing nice and is already getting that crazy look in his eye...

Yeah. I was done at that point. But I took the one good shot and ran PW's Fresh and Colorful action. Here's the SOOC (straight out of camera) next to the Fresh and Colorful version...

Then for fun, I ran the Boost and Colorized actions, and here is that comparison...

I think that one looks vintage and fun! If you know a little about Photoshop, PW's Action Sets are really easy and great. I feel like a cheater when I use them.

I'm doing a wedding for free on Memorial Day weekend, so I look forward to bringing those results to you!

Progress - Big Boy Closet

I finally get to blog about the transformation of this former crafting closet...

Into this unique and tidy big boy closet...

First I painted the back of the closet a color I pulled from the sheets on his bed. Then I purchased a closet rod and the brackets to attach it to the wall, painted it all white, and installed it. Then, I used my two shelves from the craft closet setup and mooched two more off Leah (she didn't need them right now), to create some free shelving.

Then I had fun arranging some art and decorative storage for some of his games, memories and clothing.

Kind of unconventional, but I like it much better than the store-bought white wire shelving that you get at the big-box stores that looks lifeless and cheap. And the giant Ryan Villopoto Motocross of Nations poster looks a little weird in there, but due to the dormers (?) there isn't enough wall space for it anywhere! And Ty and I brought it back for him when we went on a date, and Ryan is his favorite so it has to be in his room!

The main reason I am in love with this closet is for the balance it brings to the room. The room walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Bar Harbor Beige, but the bedding brings in this creamy white, almost black, and the sheets are actually a charcoal gray with a dark denim blue hue to them...

Though it doesn't look like it in the pictures, the closet shelves repeat the creamy white from the bedding, the laundry basket repeats the almost black, and the closet walls repeat the denim-y gray from the sheets...

Again, it doesn't show well in the pictures, you just have to trust me. It echoes the bedding colors all together in one place, across the room, making it all seem as if it were planned that way! I love it when that happens!

I might add some curtains to the closet, kind of like YHL did for their baby girl here. He will probably need it when he becomes a teenager and doesn't keep such a tidy room! But I am still debating.

So what do you think? Does it work for an improvised big boy closet?

And a huge shout out to my dear husband for finishing the wood and coming to the rescue when chop-sawing and brad-nailing proved too difficult for me to plan around naps toddlers and babies! He finished the closet trim, replacing the red stained trim that didn't match the rest of the house!

Thanks Ty for all your hard work! You do a great job, even though you hate finish work!

The Yellow Church Cafe

Okay, Leah requested me and Mom's Sundried Tomato & Feta Pasta recipe several weeks back and I told her I'd get right on it. It turned out to be a lie. I decided I couldn't do it until I made a trip to the source. See, we copied the recipe after a dish from our favorite place to eat in Ellensburg, the Yellow Church Cafe. And that Yellow Church Cafe is worthy of a blog post.

And finally, me, Mark and Susanna treated Mom to lunch at the sweet cafe yesterday.

And it really was a church, by the way. You walk through those doors into a sweet and colorful cafe, full of touches of the church's history. It was built in 1923 for the German Lutherans. Churchy details abound, from the stained glass accents...

to the booths resembling church pews...

to the balcony dining area...

there are touches of old church style everywhere.

I love the bright colors, and the blue ceilings make it feel like a sunny day inside the Cafe. The kitchen is small and visible from the dining area. They also have an espresso bar and a selection of wines (the owners started the Ellensburg Wine Works).

Here is what the specials looked like that day...

Mom chose a soup and salad combo (I forgot to photograph), and I chose a delicious heavenly loaf to share with Mark...

You can't even imagine the warm, cheesy goodness steaming out of that loaf!

And a side salad...

And, the aforementioned Penne with Sundried Tomatoes & Feta...

And after all that, it still took much willpower to say no to these homemade treats...

They bake their own sweets, and I know from experience that they are devine! I recommend the carrot cake.

They also have a very nice selection of gifts and tea products from Tea Forte, which are super fun, especially if you know any ladies that enjoy a fine cup of tea.

So, without further ado, here is the much awaited Sundried Tomato & Feta Pasta Recipe I posted to TastyKitchen. You really should try it if you are a pasta person; it's really easy and quite good. And if it's not your thing, at least stop by the Yellow Church Cafe next time you go by Ellensburg, and give another one of their dishes a try - I am sure they will not disappoint!

Post Script- if you want to make it just like the Cafe does, here's PW's post on How to Chiffonade Basil. It was most helpful to me!

Framed Arrangements - Consistency

Okay, I had some mismatched frames in my bathroom, that I decided were bugging me. It didn't help that last time I got frames at Ikea I decided to get the uber cheap versions that you paint/finish yourself and I painted them with dull craft paint. Anyway, this time at Ikea I chose the Virserum frames, which are quite a bit nicer, and I think the consistency looks a lot better.

See for yourself...

The consistency really helps the pictures pop. You might want to think of streamlining if you have an arrangement that doesn't stand out like you want it to.

The only thing is, I have an arrangement planned for my master bedroom which I am loving for the fact that I am getting all the frames from thrift stores, and thus they will be mismatched. I might have to do a contradicting post when I get that put together!