help the mccradys: volume 4.

I need help.

I was one click away from purchasing this bedding set from Target. I really love the damask print with a hint of stripes, and I especially like the rich turquoise color because it obviously goes well with dark wooden furniture (and we have a lot of that). And its fresh, clean, cool and pretty.

On a whim, I decided to google the name of this bedding and see if anyone had posted another picture of it. Here is what the actual color is. While it is still very pretty, I just don't like it the same. It almost looks tropical now. Do y'all think this would still look good with our dark brown furniture? Could I style it so that it wouldn't look like you're spending the night in a Hawaiian hotel? Help?

our sad bedroom.

exhibit a:

notice the icky bamboo panels, the blank walls, lack of bed frame or matching nightstand.

and here we have more icky bamboo panels, a full-length mirror on a box, mismatched dressers, and a way-too-small tv that looks miniscule when sitting on the bed.

and here's a close-up of how i wait for weeks before hanging clean clothes up.

ryan's "night stand". or other people call it a stool.

my nightstand and fan on a stool. we are classy!

just keeping it real! can't wait for matching furniture!

wish list top 10.

We haven't done much to the house that's blogworthy, but we DO have a mighty-fine list of things to do and things on our wish list.

1. Blinds and drapes for the living room & dining room. I hate, repeat HATE, these bamboo panels. (I know they're expensive...I write them for a living!!!) But it's just the farthest thing from our taste. I can't wait to get them off of our windows and have nice blinds and some pretty curtains on either sides of these big windows.

boooo bamboo panels!

2. Bedroom furniture. I have resisted taking pictures of our bedroom because it is SUCH a sad room at the moment. We don't even have our nice comforter set on because it's been so hot. So basically our room has blank walls, mismatched dressers and night stands, just our bed without a frame, white sheets and down comforter, and that's about it. So sad! I'm really wanting furniture to make it feel more like home AND so I'll know where to hang pictures! I'd also like a sitting area (since our room is big enough) so I'll have a place to read my books and my Bible.

maybe this chaise for the sitting area?
can't you see a cozy little table & floor lamp for reading?

3. Guest bedroom furniture. I'd really like an upholstered headboard like this:

4. Umbrella for the patio. I built the patio table all by myself, so now all we need is a coordinating umbrella. Like this one?
5. Note: This is on RYAN'S wishlist... not my own. Just to clarify. He wants a bigger TV for our living room so that we can move the 40" one to our bedroom. I say we have a lot higher priorities at the moment.
6. Dining room table that seats more than 4. We haven't used this table once since we've been in the house. Most of our guests eat in the breakfast nook since it holds 6 people. I'd really like at least a 6-seater for our dining room furniture. And of course a matching buffet/hutch wouldn't hurt either.
7. Paint. I don't know what room to paint yet, but I know that I'm already bored of the off-white walls in every room. Maybe we could paint a guest room? Or our room/bathroom? We will see.

8. Garage organization. Right now our 2-car garage only holds my car and a bunch of junk. We'll need to organize it once the weather cools off so we can fit both of our cars in there...It'll be especially important when it gets into the freezing months so that Ryan's care won't ice over.
9. New hardware and fixtures. Everything is brass. So we may just get a new doorknob every month until our house is updated!
10. An area rug. Not sure if it would go in the dining room or the living room, but that "great room" definitely needs some color on the floor.And there our current wish list. It keeps growing and growing!

bedrooms

here's what i like about these bedrooms from house beautiful.

interesting headboard & fresh color palette with crisp white linens

clean lines, soothing color choice, cool headboard

cozy & fresh at the same time

the green, white & blue together...super fresh.

natural light & light yellow. yum.

whitewashed. feels like a cottage.

love the headboard. *and our bamboo panels would work apparently.

not feeling the pink; but i love the canopy.

really like the green.

and this is probably how we'll end up decorating it...
our whole house is basically exactly like this.
cozy, warm, lamps, candles, wrought iron...

which one is your favorite?

all in a day's work.

ah, homeownership.

yes please.

I would like to go on a vacation to wherever this little bench is.

i'm calling it right now.

If we don't use this happy little hot tub at least 10 times during our first year, then I want to get rid of it and put our patio furniture under the arbor instead.

Because I'd really like to hang little lanterns or candles for festive parties. :)

Can't you just picture it?

I am slightly excited about climbing in on one of those (few) really cold nights this winter.

How cozy & romantic :)
There will definitely be twinkle lights regardless...you can bet on that.

light & airy guest bedroom.

We may be having someone stay with us in a few weeks(!!!)...but there's a tiny problem. Our guest bedroom currently looks like this:
Yep, there's not a thing in there besides that shelf. My full-size mattress & box springs from college are at my dad's house, so once we move that to our house at least she'll have a place to sleep. :) But I'd really like to make it as inviting and comfortable as possible (not just a mattress on the floor).

This is a really exciting time because we can totally decide how we want to decorate each room. Part of me wants to have the guest bedroom be very light & airy... with whites and blues and all light colors with a padded headboard and sheer curtains. The other side is thinking more cozy, warm with lamps, quilts, etc.

But for now, here are my light & airy inspirations:
I may post my cozy/warm guest bedroom inspirations later. Until then, would YOU want to sleep in these rooms??

new feature

I've added a new feature! See what it is right below this post!

dear hobby lobby,

It is August. Early August.

So why...oh why...do you insist on tempting me with your fall decor goodness?
It's hard enough being in a new house and wanting to buy EVERYTHING IN SIGHT to decorate with...and I'm doing really good with the "not buying anything we don't need" thing...
but then I see these pumpkins...
and I smell the spicy candles...
and I get sucked in...I can barely resist!!!
I almost bought THIS and carried it out with me.
No! It's August! I can't buy autumn stuff until at LEAST end of September!
Come on!!