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Thursday, August 25, 2011

Significant Design

From the time I was a little girl, I have always appreciated those things in life that have significance. When my husband and I got married our wedding ceremony was full of the little things here and there that meant the most to us. I had seven bridesmaids because each one of those women meant the world to me and I had to have them there. This aspect of my life carried well over into our marriage and the birth of our daughter. So I am keeping up with tradition and using significance in my home.
My husband and I went on a cruise for our honeymoon but instead of getting a sunburn in Hawaii, we opted to cruise our way up the north-eastern coastline. There were multiple stops along the way but our favorite was Bar Harbour, Maine. Bar Harbour was the perfect combination of romantic, rocky coastline and the Rocky Mountains sliding into the ocean waves. I had never seen anything so beautiful! Over course I had my first ever fresh lobster at the Bar Harbour Inn restaurant that just happened to sit right in front of the beach. We were surrounded by the sounds of splashing waves, the beautiful sights of flowers hanging from the dock's edge, business fronts and homes that looked like they belonged in a very expensive magazine and the smell of salt water and a lobster boil.
I had to recreate these sweet memories in our home and it was a joy because I have always love the eastern coastal decor. And I had a little inspiration from Sarah Richardson's remodel of their cottage on HGTV's Sarah's Summer House.
Unfortunately (well it is probably fortunate for you) I did not have any before pictures of my master bedroom but it was a mismash of things that just never really worked. But here is what happened with a little significant design!
Ok! I love my bedroom! You should walk into your bedroom at the end of the day (or anytime of the day) and want to take a deep breath of relief. When I walk into my room I go back to happy memories, the joy of seeing the faces I love on the wall and knowing I will rest there.
But just like everything else I do...I want to be surrounded by meaning and significance. I will start explaining and telling you how I pulled off my dream room (with the exception that it is a rental and I did only what I could).
The farmhouse bed we got on sale (of course). The funny part, the bedframe is a full size and our mattress is a queen. Luckily the mattress is memory foam so the queen size mattress is stuffed into a full size frame. That was fun! Just don't look under the covers. :o)
The duvet cover is two separate king size top sheets that I sewed together over our existing comforter. I bought a king size sheet set at Target for $40 that came with a top sheet, a fitted sheet and two pillow cases. Then I bought one extra king size sheet at a thrift store for $4. Easy and cheap! Then I cut down the fitted sheet and turned them into curtains! Because I cannot paint the room, the same color and pattern on the window and bed worked for the pop of color.
All the books in the room are family antiques as well as the trunk at the end of the bed. The folded afghan on the trunk inspired the blue for the room and was made by my husband's grandmother before she passed away. I love that we have that blanket!
I went for simple, elegant flowers for the room that are silk but they do not show as much dust. Woohoo! Oh the rocks in the bottom of the rosebud vase are rocks from the beach in Bar Harbour where we strolled on our honeymoon. :o) I know, getting cheesy!
 I love color, but color that invites not scares away. Blues and yellows go together so well so I chose a soft yellow to compliment the navy blue.
The yellow side tables used to be black and before that they were white. I like the yellow! And the pretty glass lamps are awesome finds from Goodwill. They had gold finishes on the base and towards the top so that was fixed. I paired them with pretty, new lampshades and now they are my favorite lamps in the house!
 We replaced the old knobs and pulls with pretty glass knobs.
I love pearls! I wore pearls on my wedding day and most of my jewelry has pearls on them somewhere. It reminds me of the journey and process it takes for a pearl to become the beautiful perfection it is. There is hope in that. We are always a work in progress! Philippians 1:6
 I never throw away cards and I am glad I did not toss this card. The word PEACE signifies what I want for anyone that enters my room.
This is one of my favorite pieces in this room. This star quilt is over 100 years old and is a family heirloom. My mother-in- love gave in to me not long after my husband and I got married. I never knew what to do with it so I would hang it over a chair or in an odd spot where I know it would be safe from spills or tiny fingers.While dreaming up my master bedroom, I watched an episode of Sarah's Summer House on HGTV and she was buying antique quilts for her guest rooms. Being kinda pouty, I thought " I want a pretty quilt for my bed too". Light bulb! I took the quilt down to my room and it has been a perfect compliment in that room ever since!
We bought this window pane on Route 66 and it sat in our garage for a year and a half until I thought that it would bring the charm I wanted into the room. I simply printed out favorite pictures on printer paper and taped them to the window panes. So pretty!

 Oh another cool story! Of course I was back in Goodwill but on a quest for something completely different when I run into this gorgeous white (of course king size) quilt. I had wanted one more quilt to cover the brown bedsheets when I folded back the duvet. The brown was just not working with the rest of the room. The white quilt was perfect. The kicker...it was $9. It is now adorning our bed!
 I believe that this pillow is one of the most significant pieces in the room. Every other piece in my room is significant in its own way but this pillow is a constant reminder of God's sovereignty in my life and in my family's life.
Matthew 10: 29-31 says "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." 
We knew that, in the hardest days, were taken care of by the One who gave everything for us. The bird on that pillow and the others that decorate my house are pretty accessories but they ultimately remind me to put my hope in the only One who can truly take care of me!
Surround yourself with significance because that is what you are!
Love, 
Sarah