Tuesday, July 12, 2011

My New Bedroom Makeover

For the first time in my life, my bedroom is cuter than my blog. :) We did a makeover for my 20th birthday, and I sprung for some spectacular fabric from Fabric.com that really created the whole feel. That was the biggest purchase I made for the makeover.

Unfortunately I don't have 'before' pictures to show you because I didn't take any. My room was just kind of an odd mix of odds and ends and different colors... although a feeble attempt had been made to focus on hot pink, and purple. I hadn't done a makeover since I moved into my room nearly 6 years ago.

At that time I had a 'full'-size canopy bed with embroidered pink curtains hanging from it. And that was very cute, but after a few years I got tired of it, and grew up, and tried to change the look without really doing much.

I'm not a 14-year-old anymore, but a 20-year-old young woman, and I wanted my bedroom to reflect that while still keeping it fun and fresh... not to mention functional. ;)


Ok, ok enough interior-designer dialogue. Here are the pictures! :D
The Bedroom. *swoon* Yes, I love it. Before I say anything else, HUUUUGE kudos to my extremely talented mother who helped me measure out and purchase fabric and then sewed my new damask curtains and bedspread! Mom, you are awesome. You helped me put to life the dream I envisioned for my room. Love you. :)

I really wish these pictures did the curtains justice. They are much more dramatic in real life and are a huge fashion statement in the room on the two big windows. (Oh, and please excuse the lighting in these photos. The human eye sees the light as cozy and warm/bright, and the camera sees it as yellow or glaring white.) Not like I'm expecting camera creators to outdo the Lord's fabulous creation of the human eye anytime soon. :D

I have pink painted wooden floors, and a bound piece of tan carpet over top. I also keep the thick, fluffy, plush piece of carpet (that I use as part of the setup when I have a jewelry booth somewhere) in the middle of the room so my feet can enjoy it whenever I walk into my bedroom. :)

The biggest thing in the room is my queen-size bed. We are actually planning to make matching pink and brown decorative pillows with tassels and trim and diferent coordinating prints of pink and brown fabric. I will post more pictures when those are done! :)

The stuff along the wall by the door. I repainted the wooden shelf underneath the mirror from yellow to white, and the black and white collage frame and the 3-piece frame above it are new. You can see a basket on the low table with my current yarn project in it... a purple afghan for a cousin who is getting married in March. :)

This is the view directly across from the door, with my jewelry worktable by the window. The overhead light is off in this picture so the room is 'cozier' but still bright with sunlight streaming through the windows.

The biggest change I made to any piece of furniture in my room was this dresser. My wonderful Daddy repainted it white instead of the yellow and blue it had suffered under for years. Trivia fact: this dresser used to belong to my grandparents on my mother's side - it was part of a bedroom suite that they received as a wedding present. It looks cute and chic (if a bit antique...) now, with a new coat of paint and new pink and brown knobs.


 Here is a close-up of one of the knobs. I got them at Hobby Lobby along with two new lamps, all 50% off! (I do love a bargain.) They were some of the few new things I purchased for the room makeover, along with some new wall decor.



A cute assortment of things adorns this shelf under the mirror... some perfume, lotion, and pretty knicknacks that I got at yard sales. :) Also a couple artificial roses. Not 'too' fake-looking... and they never wilt... :)


Are there any Bath and Body Works fans on the blog? Can I see a show of hands? Me too! :D The Berry Vanilla scent... oh my. So lovely and feminine... I tried the travel size fragrance mist and fell in love with it. Yum.
I really like the new collage picture frame and 3-part frame I found... the collage I filled with black and white pictures which I posted about earlier, and in the 3-part I tucked some photos in the ribbon section, pinned a few cute pieces of paper and a black and white photo on the bulletin board section, and in the middle I put some stamped pieces of paper with scripture on them and a sketch I did of some flowers.
I actually drew the sketch from a skirt I had with the flowers on it... I looked at the flowers and then drew on the paper. But I still think I can't draw that well. (although, maybe I could if I tried hard enough. My dad draws for a living, after all. I should have inherited some artistic genes from that combo!) All I can do now is copy things - much like Rose from Louisa May Alcott's "Eight Cousins". :) But I have other gifts God has blessed me with that I prefer to use over drawing.

A rack of Chandelier earrings is on the right.
The painted surface of the table by the door. (No, I didn't paint it) The clock/radio/cd player I've had since I was 11 years old... the adorable pink-polka-dotted mug I got for a dollar at a thrift store! *score!*

This corner cabinet went through a dramatic change too - I repapered the back of the shelves with pink, white, brown, and tan (with ordinary paper and scotch tape) ;) And I taped polka-dotted ribbon and leftover beaded trim along the edges of the shelves. I also added new flourishy paper shapes that I printed off of the computer.

(You can see one of the top shelves - brown - in this shot)

Close-up of a blown glass hummingbird I got while on vacation in the smoky mountains in Tennessee. I love blown glass, and hummingbirds. :) (note teacups and saucers on either side, and china cats in the background)

Another close-up. I have about five of these little ceramic high heeled shoes that I found a couple years ago at a garage sale... they were kinda pricey for garage sale knicknacks (a dollar apiece...) but I thought they were so adorable. :) The fan in the background was brought back from China by some friends that went there to pick up their adopted baby.

I absolutely love teacups and teapots... even though I'm not much of a tea drinker. I like fruit juice (apple, cran-grape, raspberry lemonade) a lot, but don't really care for other drinks like soda or coffee or tea. ;)

Oh. That LAMP! Mmmmm. *happy sigh* I think the pink and brown lamp with a ribbon and rosette is my favorite object that I bought for the makeover. To update the dresser surface, I relegated an old jewelry box to my closet and replaced it with that cute box covered with roses.

Close-up of the sweet pink rose candles and sconces above the dresser on either side of the lamp. I got both candles at a thrift store for 50 cents. (Again, these are SO much cuter in real life...) sigh.

My jewelry worktable. This is where every single pair of earrings, every necklace, and every bracelet that I sell was made. Daddy made the little stand-alone shelf on the back and stained it a dark chocolate brown. The tall white plastic drawers in the corner hold all my beads in separate compartmented boxes. It's an efficient, inviting workspace.
(and that's my walk-in closet in the back of the photo. It got a complete organize job too.)
 Lastly, I did a bit of organizing. The corner cabinet behind the door (below, left) got a complete re-organize, and all our videos are now sorted by live-action and animated movies. (Oh, and the hot pink gerbera daisies on the top shelf have been replaced with creamy ivory and soft pink artificial flowers that match better. I found those at the Dollar Tree.)


And (above, right) I removed the G.A. Henty books from my bookcase (never fear, they are now happily residing in my brother Mark's room) which freed up enough room to straighten out the whole thing and organize it. It is much improved! :) In earlier pictures, you can see the two stands of earrings on top of it.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this in-depth look at my bedroom! :) I'm so happy with it. Now, when I walk into my bedroom, I get the feeling that a sophisticated young woman lives in it, not a little girl. :D Which is exactly what I was hoping for. :)

Definitely the best birthday present yet. ;)

14 comments:

  1. Your room looks so neat! I like Bath and Body works too. My favorites are the Warm Vanilla Sugar, Country Chic and Black Raspberry Vanilla. Thanks for sharing... I enjoy your blog, even if I rarely comment! :)

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  2. All I can say is, I LOVE it!! The colors, the decor, all the special little touches... so pretty! The fabric you chose for the bedspread and curtains is *beautiful*! Your mom did a great job with the sewing. :) Thanks for sharing all the pictures and details, Julia! I definitely enjoyed seeing everything. :)

    <3,
    Lindsay

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  3. Love, love, love your room!
    You inspired me to do something for my bedroom. Thanks!

    Blessings!

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  4. What a gorgeous bedroom! I love your makeover! Pink is a favorite color of mine. =) Your teacup and china collection is so cute, and I love the little corner shelf it occupies. So nice!
    I share a bedroom with my three younger sisters, and a makeover is pretty much out of the question. I don't think we'd ever settle on something we all liked. ;-) As it is, I'd say our main decoration is books. Hee, hee! Just kidding. We do have lots and lots of books, though.
    Four or five years ago, we did paint our room a beautiful shade of purple paint. It was called "magical" which I think was appropriate - it was one of the prettiest colors I had ever seen!
    Anyway, I love your makeover! It looks classy and sophisticated, but fun, too! =)

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  5. Hi friend!
    Hopefully this will let me comment today. I've tried numerous times the last few weeks and I just can't.

    I LOVE your new room look! You really put a lot of time into it and your attention to detail is amazing! And it makes it extra special that your mom made so much of it.

    I'd love to see it IRL but for now the pictures will have to suffice :)

    Oh, and yes, i love Bath and Body Works new citrus scents....they smell so fresh and fruity.

    Love,
    Vicki K.

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  6. Thanks for the comments, everyone! How funny to have two other "Julia"s commenting on this post! :) I had no idea that my name was so popular... :D I only know one other Julia in real life. :)

    Julia the first - I love those flavors too, esp. Black Raspberry Vanilla. Mmmm. :)

    Lindsay,
    Thanks! I do too... Mama really did do a great job, I couldn't have done it without her.

    Ruth,
    Go for it! :D I'm happy to have been an inspiration.

    Julia M,
    Oooh, the purple bedroom sounds pretty! And so many sisters to share it with... *sigh*. :) Sometimes I wish I had a sister! :)
    (And in my opinion, books are the perfect decoration!) Lol!

    Vicki,
    Hey! Thanks for commenting. I've been having some trouble commenting with blogger lately too... it's been rather capricious. I'm so glad you like the new bedroom look - we will have to arrange a real-life visit *very* soon! :)

    Blessings,
    ~Julia

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  7. I LOVE IT! There must be a bug going around because I just finished re-organizing/decorating my apartment over the last month and moved my bedroom like, two days ago. I love the way you tied everything together, it looks fantastic. Also, I love the new theme and your pretty new laptop <3

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  8. Hi Kierstyn! Thanks for leaving a comment - glad you like the makeover. Did you share pictures anywhere of your apartment? I'll have to look that up :)

    ~Julia

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  9. I did - they're here http://www.flickr.com/photos/americanpatriot/sets/72157602923765331/
    uploaded them to flickr just for you ;)

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  10. I know! Julia is not a very popular name these days... I think we've maybe only met 2 or 3. :)

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  11. I think my little sister would really love to have a pink room like yours.

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  12. Julia,

    Happy birthday again, dear girl! What a beautiful bedroom you and yours have created! I enjoyed streaming through all of the photos ~ you did such a fantastic job! Put a smile on my face. :)

    Blessings,
    Rachelle

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  13. How pretty Julia! You did a wonderful job making an inviting and charming room. You are so creative. Love the teacups! :)

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  14. Your room looks so neat! The colors, the decor, all the special little touches...Thanks! :) I LOVE your new room look!

    Blessings!

    www.victoriasgirlygirlcorner.blogspot.com

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Hi! Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog. I hope you are having an absolutely wonderful day. :)

Please remember to keep your thoughts and remarks kind and pleasing in the sight of our Lord.

I would encourage you to sign your name to your comments... otherwise it might not be published.

If you have a question you would like to ask me, feel free to leave me your email address - it will not be published - and I will try to answer or help as best as I can. :)

Sometimes it takes me a little while to get back to you... but I do try and reply when I get a comment. :D

Love & Blessings!
~ Julia ~