Instant Gratification

This is why I love my job so much:  Instant gratification. Well, that's not entirely true for the client, but it is for me. I don't actually have to live through any of the kitchen remodels myself. I just get to snap a "before" pic., offer advice/direction, boss people around, give opinions and then snap the "after" pic when it's all done. It's all just sooo rewarding! 

Here is a kitchen of a home that was built in the 1990's I think...(Bonnie, correct me if I'm wrong).  Bonnie called me in for advice on updating her main kitchen and living areas.  She was a little sick of the traditional styling of her kitchen and felt that the oak had worn out it's welcome. I suggested that she have one of my favorite painters (Dave Williams) paint her cabinetry creamy white (Ivory White #925).

Well, we got on a little roll and out went the backsplash, the countertops, the appliances, sink, faucet, and the purple walls too.

Still traditional in nature, but now with an updated twist. Here's a few more angles:

I don't have any before shots of her living room unfortunately, but we transformed this space as well by updating her lighting, window treatments, wall color, accessories and accent tables. Still looking for a perfect piece of artwork for above her sofa, but we're making due with what she had for now.

One of the other perks of my job is meeting people like Bonnie. Come to think of it, I haven't met a "Changing Room Chump" that I haven't liked. Like I said.....this job is soooo rewarding. Give me a call Bonnie...your formal living room is next.....:)

All you other chumps....call me too. There's always room for change!

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LiKe iT. LovE it. WaNt MoRe oF iT!

I'm lovin' me some early summer!!

Hope you had a great Holiday weekend Chumps! I overindulged with food, sun and fun and my early morning workout is gonna be soooo painful tomorrow morning!  We packed in lots of great new memories with friends and family.  We hit the bike trails, garage sales, the beach and pool and tomorrow it's back to reality. All play and no work makes this chump a refreshed, but very broke girl so I'm breathing a deep breath before I need to hit the garage to paint, hit the stores to shop (for clients) and hit the road to meet with fellow chumps in need of decorating advice/direction. 

Hope you ease back into your week with little effort....

I wanted to share with you these before/after pictures of a bedroom remodel and painting job I did several months ago. A very stylish chump called me a while ago to help her freshen up and finish up her newly remodeled house.  She was tired of her old rustic- looking pine bedroom set and wanted to know if she should replace it.  

Here's what it looked like:

Here's what I talked her into:

Gone are the red geraniums.  Move over knotty pine.  Out with the Amish quilt.

Enter soft, serene colors.  Hello blue accent wall.  Welcome luscious white fluffy bedding. 

Notice the headboard. Ken and I have done quite a few of these antique door headboards in the past.  This chump had her own door and her own handyman husband who put the door together but had me paint it.

I also painted her pine dresser a creamy white with distressing.

Here it is before with the dated mirror:

Here it is after-looking all classy and sassy:

And some more pics just for fun:

She had this old ladder in her basement.  Strung a little rope...added some clothespins and black/white pics and instant wall art with cottage charm.

A close up of the repurposed door headboard:

Sheets are from Target.  Decorative pillow shams and burlap trimmed toss pillows are from Pottery Barn.  Small ruffle pillow was Pier One I think.

We even repurposed the doorknobs that came with the door and I had Ken make a door sign/plaque for her niece who was getting married and who had given her the old antique door to begin with. Sorry, forgot to get a pic. of that.

I've also been wanting to show you this picture I took at a crazy and crafty chump's condo I went to in Grandville a while ago.  She had so many fun accessories and great pieces of furniture, I told her that she was forbidden to have a garage sale without calling me for first dibs. I snapped this pic because so many of you chumps have asked me in the past how to jazz up a bathroom mirror that was installed as a builder's special with no trim or character.

Well, here's what you do:

This creative and crafty chump framed her flat mirror with trim from Lowe's (or Menard's or somewhere like that).  She did this herself!  Her next step is to paint the lower cabinets with Annie Sloan's chalk paint in "Graphite" and add some cool hardware. I loved how she had her little topiary vignette in the corner so I had to get a close up of that too.

"A-dorbs"!!  (as my 14 year old would say). (Slang for "adorable" in case you're not familiar with 'teen-speak'.)

And if that wasn't adorbs enough...

check this out:

Another little saying that we may over-use a bit in the Boeve household is this one:

"Like it. LOvE it. Want more of it"!

Yes please to the topiary with the wall word under it!

AAAAAAADORBS!!!!!

Til next time Chumps. 

Always be willing to change and grow.

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Chump Change

Okay Chumps. So, how do you like your new nickname?  One of my favorite "Junk Fairies" ( a friend who drops off amazing "junk" (SOOO not junk) in my garage every now and again, dubbed us "Chumps". Here's the explaination....

In Becca's Words:

"Momastery's followers are "Monkees". (See previous post) The Changing Room's follower's should be "Chumps" as in "Chump Change".   See definition below:

Noun 1. chump change - a trifling sum of money
chickenfeed, small change
cash, hard cash, hard currency - money in the form of bills or coins; "there is a desperate shortage of hard cash."

I don't take insult to it. Do you? As humiliating as it is to admit, I've earned the nickname "Crusty" among dear friends for my frugality over the years...Chump sounds way more approachable and friendly. I like it! 

We Changing Room Chumps take pride in our frugal finds.  We are not ashamed of dumpster-diving or garage sale-ing!  We will barter and haggle and niggle and pinch (pennies that is).  We are all about spending chump change-that ain't no thing....but ask us to break a twenty...oh no you don't! :)

I feel that it's an especially appropriate nickname for me, being a die-hard Zeeland Chick after all.  ("Chickenfeed...get it)? 

Sooo Cheers to being a Chump!

Speaking of chump change....check out the stuff in my booth at Not So Shabby that you can get for "a trifling sum of money"....

 
 

Okay, so this last piece isn't priced for an average 'Chump' but it's worth the pretty penny (ies) that we're asking for it.  It would be great for someone building a new house with 9-12 foot ceilings. 

 It is a Tommy Bahama Lexington brand armoire with linen upholstered interior shutter doors.  It's solid, hand-distressed and quite frankly....uuuuuuhhhhhmazing!! 

It was priced at $1,800, but just got marked down to $1,500.  It was originally $3,400.  No joke.

(Some of my junk fairies have realllllly, reallllly good taste)!

It's truly beautiful. Go check it out for yourself.  Can'tcha just picture it in your master bedroom to house your t.v. and undies? Oh, did I mention that it has lots of drawers and storage?

That's it for now, Chumps. Hope you're feelin' the love. 

 
PS-Here I am in the Chicken Suit. Go Chix!
 

Just Kidding.  I AM a loyal fan, but Brecken would've posed for a pic. if she thought that were me in there!

See, just to prove it wasn't me. :) (pic. on left)
 
Hey, you never know. It just might be something this chump might do.
 
Fellow Chump: "Would you dress up as a chicken for this collection of old vintage windows and doors?" 
 
Me: "Why, yes. I believe I would.

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Mommy Dearest (me lately)

Happy Belated Mother's Day to you!  Sorry it's been a while since I've posted.  I've been busy painting for clients (and me), decorating for clients (and me) and shopping for clients (and me).  It's been fun, but exhausting.  Rewarding but draining. Invigorating but stressful. 

 I've got a stiff neck, sore back and a right eye twitch to prove it, but I still am so thankful to be able to do what I do and have some free time to do what I really love to do...which is to spend time with my peeps.

Yesterday, we celebrated all Mom's - of which I have the very bestest one.
Here's a pic I snapped of her yesterday in the park. Let's just say I don't deserve her, but I am so very thankful that God saw fit to make her mine.

I came across a blog post yesterday that I thought was very true and touching. It's a blog I've been following called "Momastery", written beautifully by a girl named Glennon Melton. She calls her blog readers "Monkees" (you'll get it once you read her back story) and if you click on it, I know you will leave me forever, but I won't even be offended.

 It's raw, real and very inspiring. And it has nothing to do with decorating...but everything to do with living your very best life. Check it out sometime. This partial post (below) speaks to what I was feeling yesterday about Mothering. Here's a blurb from her blog:

"Mother’s day is brutal for many people, and I’m not going to be able to change that here. I’m just hoping that acknowledging it will help a bit.


I do want to try to explain my evolving definition of the word Mother. I am starting to understand that the word works better for me as a verb than a noun. Mothering is a choice we make, like loving is a choice. We do not need to have given birth or to have signed adoption papers to Mother. To Mother, to me, means to nurture. To heal, to help grow, to give. And so anyone and everyone who is involved in the healing of the world is a Mother. Anyone who tends to a child, or friend, or stranger, or animal or garden is a Mother. Anyone who tends to Life is a Mother. Tomorrow is a celebration of all the healers and hopers and lovers and givers and tend-ers. In other words- tomorrow is for every single one of you Monkees".

Howard...THAT WAS AND IS FOR YOU!!

(Tribute blog to my little sister another day soon).

In honor of Mother's Day, I put together some pictures of some of the things I've been working on to fill custom orders for Mother's Day gifts and to bring to my booth at Not So Shabby. Make sure to check out the store this spring. I've got lots of 'smalls' in there right now, but as soon as you buy up some more things, I will be bringing in some bigger pieces. Here's what's kept me busy lately....

Before

And a few before/After pics just for good measure.

After

This cabinet below belongs to a client. The flowered stencils are "Before".  Linen white with a walnut stain "After".

Before

After

Old table legs from an antique dining table

Before

After

That's it for now. My neck is no longer holding my head up and it's way past my bedtime. Nighty-night Monkees!  (We're gonna have to come up with our own nickname here)! :)

I'm open to suggestions.  See you back here soon.

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