"Rec Room" Re-do

 After our son moved out last fall, 

the basement Rec Room was left a bit "unfurnished".  

The couch, the Giant TV and a few other items went with him.

Trust me, they were no loss.  Well, maybe the Giant TV.  

 And then we noticed that our Darling Daughter 

and her friends were rarely seen at our house any more. 

We decided that maybe she needed a place to bring her friends,

maybe not sharing the couch in the Family Room with Mr. Grand and me.   

Imagine that.

A Rec Room Re-do was in order.

 I will post the "Before" pictures later, so I don't scare everyone away....

The first item we purchased was a new sectional sofa from Ikea.  

Well, that's not exactly true.  

The first item I purchased was a sectional sofa from Carsons.

After the big, strong delivery men from Carsons 

(Bless their hearts, they really tried) were unable to squeeze 

the sectional sofa down the basement stairs and around a corner, 

I took Darling Daughter's advice and went to Ikea.  

Their sectional sofas come in three units 

and were no problem at all to get down the stairs.

I bought the sectional in the morning and Ikea delivered it that same evening!

Set up was a breeze and the slipcovers are washable

so I could actually go with a light color.

Here's the new Ikea sectional in the Rec Room:

Next, Darling Daughter and I set off for Home Goods to see what we could find.

 We picked up some fun throw pillows and some colorful art work to hang on the walls.

We also bought this rustic white cabinet to hold DVDs and cards and games.

I love the colors in these prints- they work well with the pillows and sofa.

 

 

  A new rug from Ballard Designs...

I couldn't resist this green lantern and added the white lights for a sparkly effect.

Not that I want to encourage any romance down there, but it is pretty.... 

Any ideas for what else to put in it?  It has so much potential.

 

 As promised, here's the "Before" picture, 

taken before the arrival of the Ikea sectional.

 Here's the new sectional in place,

but before we changed the art work, pillow, area rug and accessories.

 And the After...

Easy, casual and comfortable.

As you can see, I didn't sell the giant birdhouse 

from the family room entertainment unit makeover.  

You can read about that little project here.

Here's a corner in the Rec Room with some of the old sports themed stuff:

 

And the same corner, with the new cabinet and art work:

A new, "smart" TV was added too and we've had a lot of fun with that.

We (meaning our "smart" son) hooked a wireless keyboard up to it 

and we were able to plan our entire trip to Italy, sitting on the new sectional together

and surfing the internet together on the new TV.   

We browsed hotel rooms and tourist sites 

and took votes on what to do and where to go, together.

And I have to say, looking at Google Earth on a big TV is really something.

Amazing.  Gotta love technology.

 (Media console cabinetry made for us by none other than Ed Dolan.  

You can see some of his other masterpieces here and here and here and here.)

I'm happy to report that Darling Daughter and her adorable friends 

spent countless hours in the re-done room, watching movies and playing games.

 I sure miss those sweet girls-

 the laughter, the energy and the pure youthful delight 

that swept into the house with them.

They are all college Freshmen this Fall, 

spread out all over the country,

delighting all new people with their smiles and their charms.

Exactly where they should be.

Alas, for me, a little bittersweet...

Thanks for keeping me company!

Linking to:
My 1929 Charmer Linky Par.tay
DIY Home Sweet Home MMM#76
Make The Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative
Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Under The Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party
Sunday's Best at My 1929 Charmer
DIY Project Parade at DIY Show Off
Uncommonly Yours Link Party at Uncommon Designs
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo
Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors
Weekend Bloggy Reading Party at Serenity Now

Pumpkins Galore!

This way to the best Pumpkin Patch ever!

Dinges Farms in Three Oaks, Michigan

Check out this link to see all the things they offer for all ages!

Mazes and Hayrides, a Haunted House and much more...

My kids would have loved this place when they were small...

Fields of gold along the way...

At the Dinges Farm Pumpkin Patch, there are pumpkins galore.

LeRoy and Elaine Dinges specialize in beautiful, unusual pumpkins.  

Even their traditional orange pumpkins 

are gorgeous, with shades of Fall splashed all over them.

 Love the names....

Fairytale.  I can see it.

A pretty topiary using three colors.  

The middle one is "Porcelain Doll".

Not sure if you can read the name on these pumpkins, but it is "Lunch Lady"! 

Who thinks these things up?  And Why?

 Gorgeous, smooth green gourds.

 And a gaggle of green goose-y gourds...

 Lumina pumpkins, aptly named....

I love this yellow pumpkin...  so subtle and different.

 These are just plain amazing.  Great stems, cool colors and so organic...

At Dinges, you can also cut your own Zinnias and Concord Grapes.

There is no holding me back when I get there.  

I lose all self control and bring home armloads of zinnias and bags of grapes.  

The bounty of Fall.  Miraculous.

 Fields of zinnias, 15 stems for $4.00.  I can't resist. 

Each flower is an intricate blend of unique shapes and sizes and colors.

And the grapes... 

you have never tasted true Concord grape flavor until you try one of these. 

 I bought tons of grapes, fancying myself a "Pioneer Woman", 

making jelly for everyone.

Well, let's just say, I make a delicious grape syrup.  It just didn't "Jell".  

 It still tastes great on pancakes and ice cream and yogurt.

Anyone have a surefire recipe for making jelly?

I would love to know what the secret is....

This blue Dinges farm truck is classic.

The color sure pops.

 

Fall at the Pumpkin Patch.

Just Grand.

Linking to:

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

All Star Block Party at In the Old Road 

Fall Festival at DIY Showoff

Fall Into Fall Party at DIY by Design

Uncommonly Yours Link Party at Uncommon Designs

Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life

Inspiration Friday at the Picket Fence

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Potpourri Party at 2805

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense 

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Beach Glass Bedroom

It's still sunny and hot and summery, darn it, 

and I will not go gentle into that Good Night Fall,

to paraphrase a little Dylan Thomas...

One more Summertime Post before it's all about Fall...

My friend Julie asked me to write a post 

about how to pick a color scheme 

or a theme for a room.

I was puzzled because I guess I just do it naturally 

and she thinks it's very hard.  

But then she's really good at a lot of other things 

that I don't have a clue about...

So I thought I would start with the Master Bedroom at our cottage in Michigan.

"Master" Bedroom seems a little pretentious at the cottage because the room is tiny.

There's room for the essentials and I guess that's enough.

I wanted a watery blue, beach glass soft color palette for the room, 

 to go with the colors in the rest of the cottage.

You can see those rooms here and here and here. 

Lots of pale blue, aqua and soft green, inspired by the beach setting

on a dune overlooking Lake Michigan.

I knew I did not want to have a lot of kitschy beach decor.

No surfboards or palm trees or mermaids.

Just the soft colors of the beach- sky, water, sand 

and beach glass.

 

The colors in this painting that I scored at a resale shop were perfect for the cottage.

 

 And on this blue Hemnes dresser from Ikea-

 

 a few luminous Ball jars...

And Presto!  

A color scheme.  

Beach glass and Ball jars.

I found the blue plaid fabric at "On the Lounge"

and whipped up some really simple window treatments, on a fluted white rod.

Mr. Grand helped me make this upholstered headboard.  

And then he installed it.

I really like it and that's a good thing 

because it is never, I mean ever, coming off that wall.

Not sure what you call those cleats he used, but it is not going anywhere.

A close up of the bedding.  I love quilts and these two work well together. 

I really like the wavy edge of the white quilt.  

You know, subtle beach theme and all...

 We added the matching nightstands from Ikea 

and a little pillow I made from a scrap of a hydrangea tablecloth 

I picked up at the Kane County Flea Market.

The paint color on the wall is Buoyant Blue 

(SW 6483) from Sherwin Williams.

 

Cute little Dedham Pottery Rabbit box that I have had forever.  

 

 And something for Mr.Grand, who loves to fish.

I printed this fish from the Graphics Fairy website and framed it for his nightstand.

So much beautiful artwork at Graphics Fairy, all for free!

 

A string of fish for his closet door.  

Only because the colors match. 

 I picked this mini chest of drawers up at Homegoods and repainted it to go in this room.

You can see the Before and After here.

 A blue rag rug and a scalloped white bed skirt finish the room.

 Beach glass and Ball jars.

 So, enjoy these last days of summer and store up the memories!

And one more thing about colors...

I, for one, intend to keep wearing my favorite white clothes 

right up until the temperatures drop, even if it's after Labor Day. 

I know, that's scandalous.

What do you say we change that stupid rule?  

I think our daughters already have...

 Thanks for visiting with me!

Linking to:

Graphics Fairy Brag Monday

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

September Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick

Cowgirl Up! Link Party at Farmhouse Porch
Get Your Craft On! at Today's Creative Blog
Tutorials and Tips Link Party at Home Stories A 2 Z
Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party at Jennifer Rizzo
Feather Your Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Potpourri Friday at 2805 
Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home 
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now