ORC Pre-Party...

Here's a little One Room Challenge Recap:
If you aren't familiar, the One Room Challenge is a blogging event that takes place biannually. Within a five week  period those participating completely transform a space and give weekly updates on the progress. The sixth Thursday is the Big Reveal!! 

My first ORC was also my most recent ORC.

Wait, what?

I really had no idea what I was jumping in to when I did my first ORC- our Guest Bedroom. I never quite "finished" it so I went back last Spring and crossed the T's and dotted the I's.

Spring 2017 One Room Challenge:

Here it was after the first time it was an ORC room:

I definitely "punched things up" the second time around. It just needed a little more attention!

My Fall 2016 One Room Challenge was our Master Bathroom:

It was all about the coral faux bamboo china cabinet.

(You have a china cabinet in a bathroom?  Yep!)

And before the Master Bathroom I redid our Library.

 It was formerly the Dining Room

 but turning the room in to a Library several years ago made the room more useful for us.

Spring 2016

It's all moody and glossy black with lots of bamboo and blue and white touches.

The only room in our house that doesn't have white walls!

Before the Library ORC, Mollie and I did a Mother-Daughter ORC project and gave her bathroom the bohemian chic look she loves.

So this is from Fall 2015 One Room Challenge:





And Spring of 2015 the One Room Challenge was the Guest Bedroom which was the most recent ORC as well. 



The One Room Challenge is a great motivator.
 Jump in if you are thinking about it- You'll have a fresh new room for the holidays.
Most of the time there is a lot of support via positive comments on your posts
 (last time was sadly not the case but I'm back anyway!!)

I'll see you on Thursday with the "reveal" of what room I've chosen for my 6th ORC!!

Spring 2017 ORC "Half The Time" Project ~ Week 6

"Running the last man home..."

That should be the title of my reveal! I'm last.

 My daughter ran Cross Country in high school. When a teammate was late coming in because he/she was injured or sick or had fallen and lost their spot in the pack the first one or two teammates who had crossed the finish line early would run back and run in beside the struggling runner offering encouragement the whole time. The first time I saw this I almost cried. Not every team did this. They were doing this after a hard, fast 5K they had already run. It was so kind and they were teenagers in that stage that so many older people label as thoughtless and self absorbed. Mollie's team won most of their meets and championships so these were runners who had just set records going back to run the last guy home.

So I hope you will come to the back of the ORC pack (so many great rooms already posted) and hang with me in last place :)

I'm happy to have this room completed and I thank Linda of Calling It Home blog

for sponsoring this motivating experience. 

Whenever I cross the Finish Line!

Now enough sports metaphors - let's look/talk decor!

This was my "Half the Time" ORC. 

I was in and out of town during this challenge and busy working on a #secretproject as well.

(Please be sure to read about my #secretproject!!)

Let's see how I did!

Here is my Olio Board from the beginning of the process.

You can see the "befores" of the room here and here.

I think I stayed pretty true to the vision with a few fun additions 

that I squeezed in after I finally got the ball rolling around here!

The bamboo chair and its wine colored cushion was behind the color shift in this room.

The other motivator was to put the finishing layers and touches on this room that was improved greatly in the first ORC I ever did but I never went back 
and really pulled it all together.

So, no more chit chat. 

Here is where we ended up with a couple of weeks work time 

Before:

And, come on in... 

(Hey, look, it's my reveal photo and I forgot to go back and put on the outlet cover !!)

Small disclaimer: I finally finished but it was pouring rain. Not a good photo shoot day.

These are all iphone pics. You gotta do what you gotta do!

Spring 2017 ORC "Half The Time" Project ~ Week 5

This Week 5 post should have lots of close-to-completion shots, right?

Not so much. 

It's time for a Hail Mary pass!

Here is the list from Week 3:

Have I accomplished anything on this ORC and can I possibly pull it together to photograph and post an improved room (never say finished!!!) by next Thursday?

These are the questions that affect my sleep :0

Latest progress in yellow!

1. Paint chair white (almost finished) 

2. Make pillows from fab new fabric

3. Measure and buy bamboo shade - ordered and on its way. (Bonus question: What is the hardest bamboo shade width to find anywhere?? 60 inches is the answer. Aaaaand my funky window is... 60 inches!)

4. Hand block print curtains (Yep, she's crazy!)

5. The floor? Carpet is old/not going anywhere. Decide on rug. Seagrass or Jute? Or what?

6. Decide on additional pillows. 

7. Gather bamboo frames and art. Paint frames if needed. Frame prints.

8. Hang gallery wall

9. Cord covers on sconces - never did it last time around :(

10. Decide about bedside table?  Decision made. Not having one. You'll see why.

11. Mirror over bed - change out or replace with artwork

12. Gather blue and white for dresser

13. Lamp? Using blue and white one I already have #shopthehouse #usewhatyouhave

14. And a new thought here, paint wood dresser?? (Definitely crazy!) Will it make the wood 

       armoire look bigger and darker and lonely in it's big darkness? (Yep, nutso!)  Priming as I type this! Will I finish? Who knows! 

UPDATE: First coat of gorgeous green is on the dresser!!

Cilantro by Sherwin Williams!

Be sure to check out all the other linking participants because they are getting it done!

One Room Challenge. One More Time. Half Time.

This will be my 5th ORC.

One Library. One guest bedroom.  Mollie's bathroom and Master bathroom.

Four rooms greatly improved by this awesome event.

I have plenty of rooms that need ORC caliber attention.

But life is a tad nutty right now
and I'm going to be out of town 3 or so of the 6 weeks of this ORC
 so I'm going to go back and give my first ORC the finishing touches it truly needs.
Is she crazy?? Half the time??
Or maybe you are thinking  I'm lame
 to go back and tweak a room that has all the hard stuff already done.
But I just love the challenge of the ORC and don't want to miss out!


During my first ORC I underestimated my 5 week time frame,
spent too long mucking the junk out and painting the walls white



to really give it the final zhush it needs.
I talked about being an 85%-er when it comes to the final, final details
 and that was so true with this room.
So this is the 'before.'
We are starting where the I left off.



I still love my previous inspiration rooms but I also have a few new images that I'm inspired by.

Maybe I can tweak a few things in my "half the time ORC."

I love this pic from IG which is of the Caspari shop in Charlottesvillle, VA.



So maybe more pillow variety. Looser arrangement?
I love the orange chinoiserie on the bed. 
I love white bedding that I chose previously but this is fun!




And art.
I painted a large blue and white vase with coral in it the night before the reveal



(that's how things go sometimes) and it's the only art in there.
That's bananas!!

I feel like a big fabulous gallery wall around this armoire might be just the thing!
Lots of vintage and thrifted bamboo frames would make my day!



Remember this gallery wall?

I have this fabulous thrifted chair...



I block printed some fabric that became curtains in a #secretproject (still to be revealed)
so I might want to print some to use in this room
 (I must remember I only have 3 weeks to pull this off!)
And as always the game plan is more creativity than cash!



So follow along here and on my Instagram and see what I can pull off in my "half the time ORC!"


Thank you Linda for this event and all the inspiration and motivation it creates.

Move Over Finicky Fiddle Leaf Fig

Here comes the Banana Leaf Palm!!
My dream plant is everywhere in the design world 

and has an easy care personality!

And they go with every decor...

Hello, favorite black and white checked floors.

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This chic room in the NYC apartment of Fawn Galli 

was featured on One Kings Lane recently...

(check out that Banana Palm!)

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(and since Easter is approaching, how cute is that little gold bunny?)

Looks good with animal prints. (I knew it would.)

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And it goes well with our favorite blue and white.

Of course.

We already knew that Banana Palms looked fabulous as wallpaper.

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And as fabric.

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I used it in my first One Room Challenge Guest Room makeover 
and in my previous ORC, the Master Bathroom, as well.


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And Banana palms look great with pink!! Win-win!

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I'm definitely going to have at least one of these beauties
 (the live palm, not the $475.00 roll of Martinique wallpaper!)
 in my life this Summer.
 I wanted one last year and never did it!
In case you want one too:
 Here are some tips on how easy they are to care for.
I'll be posting on my IG whenever I find a great price on them and you can grab one too!!