teen boy's bedroom...

We've finally, finished!

I had a great time collaborating with Detail Boy on the long overdue update for his room.

He definitely had an opinion about every single element we included.

We didn't have a clear vision how the 'modern' look he wanted was going to come

together, but piece by piece it did, and it is totally 'him!'

BEFORE - yikes!

AFTER

We started with paint, Mined Coal by Behr, and then took a trip to Ikea in search of

furniture. Besta cabinets and nightstands won out, and he chose the configuration for

mounting the hardware and assembled all of them. 

We incorporated his love for tennis in the artwork.

 He scoured the Internet for pieces that spoke to him, and I did the 'tennis match' abstract

 below by swirling some paint from a spoon onto a piece of card stock.
The colors in the art were our inspiration for the fabric, pillows and bedding.
He was on board for mixing metals and including gold to warm up the cool brushed nickel
 hardware, frames and fan.

The upholstered headboard and box springs are easy diy projects created from

a favorite glen plaid fabric I found on clearance for $5. If you missed it you can

read about the headboard here and the box spring here.

We used Ikea's Ribba frames and large white mats for all the pieces to keep

a clean, consistent look.

After a shopping trip we noticed our cool bag from the Nike store

and thought it would be a fun addition for the gallery wall.

He chose the Mellby chair from Ikea, our bay window makes a perfect reading nook.

We carted home this tree stump to use as a unique side table.
The floor lamp was a steal we saw at Lowes one day for $9, I recovered the shade.
They both added interest to all the straight lines in the room.
  

While I was painting the room I couldn't help but notice how well the weathered wood
 on our old ladder looked against the charcoal walls, so what's a girl to do...cut it up
 and diy a full length mirror. The rustic texture was just what this room was lacking.
You can get the scoop here.
We added some sturdy hooks from Hobby Lobby to keep essentials organized, we hope!

One last diy project was a tweed covered valance, I'll share the details next week,
it's super simple!

He loves it and that makes me a HAPPY mom!

Joining these friends with their fabulous projects:

Emily A. Clark 

At The Picket Fence here

Kids Bedrooms @ Remodelaholic here

 Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's Tuesday Treasures here
Home Stories A to Z Tutorials & Tips here

Southern Savvy Wow us Wednesdays here
DIY Showoff here

Thrifty Decor Chick here

                      Stop by and get some inspiration at my friend Lisa's blog, Shine Your Light.

                                                       

the BEST salsa and a gift...

Chips and Salsa are staples at our house,

 and Detail Boy has perfected his favorite recipe...

Original Rotel Diced Tomatoes, Onion, Cilantro, Oregano 

Time: 3 minutes! 

Place all ingredients into blender or food processor.

If you'd rather cut your onion up

  because you'd never want to follow your mom's suggestion to just plop it in

that works. 

He prefers no stems. (Detail Boy is so fitting!) Either way is fine.

Add oregano to taste,  1/2 - 1 tablespoon.

We like it a little thick but not too chunky, blend to your liking.

Enjoy!

Here's a fun gift idea if you have a salsa lover in your family, we included:

Homemade Salsa, Chips, Hot Tamales, Tabasco, and a

Chipotle Gift Card  

Detail Boy wanted me to be sure and disclose the recipe was handed down

 courtesy of his friends, salsa connoisseurs, John and Ty.

Simplicity at it's BEST!

latest dumpster dive

 This could be my favorite 'free' find yet!

Don't you think it's screaming for some amazing hardware?
Tilt your head to the left, it has nine drawers but each drawer appears divided
into two, thus an opportunity for a pretty statement to be repeated 18 times!!
 I can't wait to start looking for something interesting to customize it,
 and then the decision of what color to paint it...

The possibilities are endless...

Erin from 110 + 2 here

etsy.com

thelennox.com

Jenny @ Little Green Notebook here

Jenny @ Little Green Notebook here

amandarae.com

centsationalgirl.com

centsationalgirl.com

Thank you Mr. Simple for hauling it through the neighborhood streets for me!

Would you stop and pick up a 'free' find?

best source for hooks & knobs

Functional and Stylish = Perfection in my book!

I was looking to purchase a couple of heavy duty hooks recently and feel in love

with these rustic over sized pieces from Restoration Hardware:

Grand Coat Hook

Grand Hat Hook

But I wanted two and $84 wasn't in my budget for hooks!

I came upon these at my favorite source, Hobby Lobby, for a crazy $2 each!

Although smaller than RH's they're still a generous size (5" x 7")

 and have a great sturdy feel.

And, if we wanted hooks that color we know how to dab some gold and brown paint on

them, add a little rub 'n buff and wipe it around, right? 

What I don't do for you guys, lining these up on the floor at Hobby Lobby and taking photos

of them! I tried to get the price tags for you - hooks, pulls, handles and knobs

 are ALWAYS 50% off, every single day!

Just a small preview of what is available.

Mind-boggling selection...

 

I couldn't bring myself to make you endure another photo of detail boy's room

 (you're welcome!) before the final reveal,

 but they're on the wall in there and I'd highly recommend them if you need heavy duty hooks.

  Tomorrow I'll show you the pretty disgusting dumpster dive I talked Mr. Simple into

wheeling home for me.

 Hint...it will be requiring 18 knobs, pulls or handles of some sort... :)

diy upholstered box spring

Surprise! I usually give you all a clue if I'm up to diy, at least an inspiration photo
or sneak peek of fabric...well you've seen the fabric.
Remember the glen plaid suiting I used for the upholstered headboard in detail boy's room,
I had enough left to cover the box spring.

Here's the inspiration...

housebeautiful.com

and ours...

...and a few others I found throughout the blogosphere.


Daniela @ Aesthetic Oiseau here

Marissa @ Momma Rake here

Heidi Schatze here

Big Box Detox here

Gina @ Lady Goats here

Kristy @ Libbie Grove Design here

Super simple tutorial to come.