Master Bedroom Sun Porch Makeover - Bohemian Style

Remember this sun porch from our "new" house tour?  It's a small room off the master bedroom and the view makes one feel like you're in a tree house.

I knew the moment I stepped through the doors when viewing this house that this was going to be MY space.  My own little retreat to do my devotions, read books, take naps, hide from everyone.  Oops, did I say that out loud? :D

The first thing I had done was to hire a local window washing company to wash ALL the windows and skylights (there are 7..SEVEN in this house!)  It was actually more reasonable that I was expecting but I will say it may only be a once every year or two splurge.  

The carpet is fairly new so I didn't have to replace the flooring in this area.  So I began with selecting a few furniture pieces...mainly, this amazing daybed from World Market and the blue rattan chair and ottoman from Wayfair.

Isn't it cool!?!  With the cedar siding exterior in this space, I felt a boho feel fit best with the wood.  And, my two favorite colors, blue and orange go right along with the boho look.

I found these beautiful blue velvet bolster pillows at Walmart.  They were about $16 each and look like ones that cost much more.  The other pillows I snagged from around the house.

After the furniture and bedding were done, I just had to finish it off with the wall decor.  One inexpensive way to fill a large space is to do a gallery wall.  The wall behind the daybed is a filled with straw hats I purchased at thrift store.  They make a big impact for about $20 total.

The side tables were purchased at a yard sale years ago and the rugs are from a local discount store that sells overstock merchandise from Target and Amazon.  Lots of great deals but you have to visit often before they're sold out. 

So that's a wrap.  Now, I'm off to grab a mug of coffee and my favorite book.  You know where to find me if you need me!

Blessings!
Angie

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Meeting John Gidding of HGTV's Curb Appeal: The Block

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Photo from Nashville Home Show.com

This past Friday, I attended the Nashville Home Show and met HGTV's John Gidding.  We actually had a special blogger/media event with John.

Did you know he graduated from Harvard with an architecture degree? Wow! He had lots to share about adding curb appeal to our homes.

The biggest takeaway from his talk was that he always looks at these five things when approaching a home's curb appeal:

1.  The Front Path - Is that path easily accessible from the driveway or street?  If not, make changes so that your guest have an obvious, welcoming path to your front door.

Consider adding pavers like these!  A few of these stone looking pavers are inexpensive yet create an obvious path to the front door where no sidewalk exists.

2.  The Front Door - Can the front door use a fresh coat of paint or even a color change?  Some colors are traditional to certain styles of houses so the color choice may be fine.  See if it needs freshening up.  If you want to change the color, choose a color that fits with the style but also adds a pop of color to the front facade.  I have used and recommend Modern Master's Front Door paint.  I painted the front door of our former home with their Elegent (Navy Blue).  Loved it!

3.  The Mailbox - Is your mailbox sad, beat-up, or just plain boring?  Add a little pizzazz.  Here you can get a little expressive!  Love this bronze one from Amazon. Even just adding your house numbers in an exciting, eye-catching color helps.  Which brings me to the fourth item.

4.  The House Numbers - Here is another area you can express yourself.  John said adding nice looking numbers to the front of your home gives your guests an idea about you.  Do you have the sad reflective stick on numbers?  I confess, my mailbox is the only place we have our house number and, YES, they are those 96 cents reflective stick ons.  I've added it to my list to change ASAP.  Many online sites have inexpensive numbers in a variety of styles.  Why not choose a fun one?!  I'm considering something like this from Etsy.

5.  The Not So Perfect Items - Are there things that need fixing up?  Is there an item that's broken or just doesn't belong?  Those are the last items John considers when adding curb appeal to a home.  

See, it doesn't take a lot of money to make your home more appealing.  These are great tips if you're considering selling your home.  If you are, just make sure your choice of door color as well as the mailbox adornment would be pleasing to most everyone.  

Hope you learned something.  I sure did!  John was very nice and generous to share his tips with us.

Thanks for stopping by!

Angie

5 Simple Updates to the Family Room

With the laidback, lazy days of summer here, now is your opportunity to freshen up the family room.  Who am I kidding?  Our summer schedules can sometimes be just as busy as the rest of the year.  However, that doesn't mean you can't tackle a little decorating too.  With these 5 simple updates, you can quickly and inexpensively add new life to your family room.

Nashville Symphony Show House 2015

Recently I was invited to a special preview of the Nashville Symphony Show House along with an amazing group of bloggers, the Nashville Influencers.   

Ya'll, this home is gorgeously comfortable.  Ok, that's not a real term from an interior design textbook but I'm declaring it a real term right now.  You read it hear first!

This quintessential Southern Contemporary Folk home was created by top Nashville interior designers that have partnered with the award-winning team of Castle Homes and Wade Weissmann Architecture for Music City's newest signature event, the Nashville Symphony Show House, open for tour June 12-28 in the Forest Hills area of Nashville.

Castle Homes hosted our tour today along with a garden party with garden lifestyle expert and Southern Living Magazine Contributing Garden Editor Carmen Johnston along with the iconic Miss Daisy King and PBS Volunteer Gardener Troy Marden, author of "Southern Gardener's Handbook." 

Well, it'll be easier and less wordy if I just show you this comfortable gorgeousness.  Sit back, grab a cuppa something and enjoy!  I'll catch you after the last photo.

beautiful kitchen

love this beverage center trimmed out in barnwood

um, gorgeous laundry room, yes please!

master bedroom

master bath, the natural light in here is amazing

upstairs bedroom

beautiful and inviting outdoor areas 

Hello again!  See, I told ya, gorgeously comfortable or was it comfortably gorgeous.  Either way, it's a beautiful home.  If you're in the Nashville area, be sure to check it out.  Here's a link to Castle Homes with the details.  Many thanks to them, Forest Home Media, Miss Daisy King, Carmen Johnston Gardens, and Troy Marden for making this a great event.

Oh, are you wondering about the new header and blog name?  Yeah, I'm tinkering with changing The Altered Past to Spain Hill Farm. Since my blog is more about my home decorating and DIY projects instead of my altered art, I felt a change was necessary.  

More on the change soon.  You'll probably notice a few new graphics as I'm still tweaking everything.  I'm too impatient to get it all figured out before uploading so you can experience the decision making process with me.  Thanks friends!!

God bless!

Angie

Love The Home You Have by Melissa Michaels

Do you dream about having the perfect home? I do.  I think mine started back when I was in elementary school and we took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina (one of my favorite cities), to visit Biltmore House.  Talk about an eye-opening moment.  I remember it.  I couldn't believe how big and how beautiful it was.  It had a room for everything.  Literally, everything had its own room...fruits and veggies, own room...meats, own room...gardening, own room...hunting, own room...guests, own WING, hello?!  That was officially the beginning of the house bug for me.  And, I haven't recovered yet.

So, fast forward 30, uh, many years and becoming an actual homeowner.  My husband and I have bought and sold houses over the past 25 years.  Our first as a young married couple, just looking for what we could afford and call our own.  A zero-lot line house with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath and the place we brought home our first daughter.  It became too small, very quickly.  Between that home and our current large home with 8 acres in the country, we've owned many sizes and kinds.  

Each was my dream home even though none of them were the same.  What do I mean?  Well, I wasn't certain myself until I read Melissa Michael's book, Love The Home You Have.   Melissa, of The Inspired Room blog, puts into words how most of us feel about our dream home and how we can actually have that home right where we are now.  
                                       

Some of you are probably like me and struggle with being content with my home when the grass always appears greener on the other side of the fence.  To quote Melissa, "the grass is greener where it's watered."  

"Studying why I love beautiful things challenges me to see them as works of art and not as impossible dreams...it inspires me to recreate it in my own way, in my own four walls, and within my ability and means."  

Yes!  That's it!  Finding inspiration and using it to create our dream home within our means.  

Back to Biltmore House, which I've visited several times since elementary school, what I found as inspiration from it was its ability to host guests, hold parties and events, provide a place to relax.  Ok!  That's manageable in the home I have.  I can't quite throw a bowling party in my basement but we have hosted guests, threw birthday parties, wedding showers, and holidays that were a lot of fun.  

It really is about finding inspiration and then using it to make your current home what you want it to be.  

That's just a taste of Love The Home You Have.  It offers so much more.  It includes a 31-day challenge that would be perfect for a ladies' group to do together!  

If you're interested in purchasing Melissa's book, you can find it here:

Love The Home You Have 

(affiliate link)

Ok, I'm getting back to my copy of the book.  I've got more notes to make.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

I was provided a free copy of the book to help spread the word.  All opinions are mine.  The affiliate link, should you purchase through it, would provide The Altered Past with a few pennies :)  

A Hunt Themed Office Makeover

I've been wanting to makeover my office (aka dining room) for a while now.  It had potential to be a nice space but the busyness of life and my own procrastination had left it unorganized and less than pleasing looking.

Well, fast forward to a few weeks ago when I found an amazing antique table online (for $25 including chairs, crazy, I know!) AND then Edie, my 18 year old daughter, mentioned her interest in interior decorating, more specifically learning staging for real estate.  Hello makeover time!!

So, let's look at the unorganized, no-plan BEFORE photos:

I know!  It's bad!

Map gallery wall that I'd fallen out of love with

We began by removing everything from the walls, putting extra tchotchkes in totes, and patching nail holes.  My favorite pieces that remained all had a similar theme...dogs and horses...so a hunt theme seemed obvious. 

Next, we decided to move the bookcases on a different wall to elongate the room.  I liked them flanking the window but it did make the room seem smaller.  We also added a 6-foot shelf between the two bookcases to create a type of credenza behind my desk.  

Here, it's probably easier to see than explain.  Let's check out the AFTER photos!

Bookcases moved, shelf added between, new table for a desk

My $35 auction find leather chair and thrift store dog pillow

Another thrift store dog pillow (sorry for the yellow photo, haven't mastered editing yet!)

Former map gallery wall now home to antique frame, mirror, and antlers

Beautiful new table - notice the pull ring on the right side.  It releases a leaf that pops up in the middle of the table!  Cool design

Federal mirror found years ago at the thrift store

Copper Scottie dog is a recent thrift store find...LOVE him!

These round brass frames were found at a thrift store many years ago.  I don't know the history of them but they have convex glass in them.  I added a textured paper background and glued vintage toy horses inside each one.

This tole planter has a simple design on one side.  I added my initials using a gold paint pin to the other side.  

The bookends were ordered from Joss & Main. 

I found these prints at Goodwill a couple of years ago and loved them.  They were $7.99 each.  The horse hook in the middle is from Hobby Lobby's clearance section (love their clearance items!) and the old horse bit was picked up at the scrap yard.

This!  This candle is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!  My all time favorite scent that smells good all year round.  I get mine locally but you can find them at Anthropologie or a little cheaper on Amazon.  

  It's the Aspen Bay Capri Blue Volcano Candle (affiliate link).  Try it!  You won't regret it!

I have to clarify here.  This beautiful makeover was done pretty much by Edie.  I think she's got an eye for decorating and a bright future ahead.  

I hope you enjoyed seeing my "new" office.  Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

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THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES
MISS MUSTARD SEED
CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT