Shhhh....Don't Tell Jared it's Not a Man Room

November 8, 2008

I must be proud of this room re-do, because it took me about forty-million minutes to upload one zillion pictures that only three people in the universe will be interested in seeing--my mom, my dad, and my sister.

So here you go family!

This is a picture of what our den looked like when we saw the house for the very first time. I was like, "Yikes. That La-Z-Boy looks just like the crack of my ass." The real estate agent was all, "Sure does." **Joolee--that was for you**

This room obviously belonged to a man. As it turns out, a man who did a remarkable job masking the deathly odor of cat urine for our walk through. One trip to the dump, three cans of shellac, and one new floor later, the smell is entirely gone.
So those were the before pictures, and these are the afters. Please please please don't tell Jared that it's not a man room. He thinks the walls are blue. I think he's color blind.
If you squint really hard and cock your head to just the right angle, you can see our new floors. They're dark, wide, wood laminate, and I think they look like a million bucks--not the $1.99 per square foot that we paid.
That's my Grandma's desk sporting a new coat of light green paint that was leftover from our kitchen walls. And get this, that's the kitchen chair I grew up throwing tantrums in. Amazing what a $3 can of barn red spray paint'll do, huh?
Oh, and I usually shy away from the cutesy effect with all my might, but I found these buttons in my Grandma's sewing table and really wanted to showcase them. Next thing you know, I'll be snapping pictures of baby cats and tacking them up all over my bathroom. Cute is a slippery slope, my friends--a very slippery slope.
So--I really like the way the curtains turned out. From a distance, they're a greenish/creamish kind of color, but up close they have this cute little swirly pattern that will probably be out of style by the spring. And dude, I totally made those curtains. Feel free to leave excessive, gushing compliments in the comment section.
Here's the rocking chair pad I talked about a few posts ago. I ordered an extra yard of fabric and made the removable foot-rest cover to match. Again, please go heavy on the compliments. And see those flowers? Sometimes Jared's not so bad after all!
I ordered these watercolors from this Etsy shop. This one is the cherry tree, and the $2 WalMart frame really isn't worthy of showcasing it. I get zillions of compliments on these prints, and whenever I do, I say "Thanks, I painted those myself." Then I turn in the other direction and whisper, "I'm such a freaking liar!"
This is the apple tree print. I wasn't lying--those frames really do blow goat.
As you can see, we're running a little low in the furniture department. Eventually I'll put an overstuffed reading chair in that corner, even though I don't read. But in the mean time I've gone with the road bike on a stationary stand. It makes me look hardcore, even though I'm nothing more than a lazy-ass in disguise. And, in true Amy fashion, the exercise equipment is set up right next to a print of a giant chocolate cake.
I like to use that closet door to showcase James's latest piece of artwork--as long as it matches the rooms and isn't totally ugly. See? I really am an excellent mother.
Here is a close up of James's latest creation. It's entitled "Scary Monster Eating a Scary Flower," and according to the artist it depicts a scary monster eating a scary flower.
Here is my cake picture. I bought it at TJ Maxx for $24.99 and consider it my 'big splurge' for the room. I'm totally classy like that.
And here is a picture of our new light fixture. I know it doesn't look like anything fancy, but when you weigh it against the 1964 replica-of-a-breast light that we used to have, it's really very nice.
See?

Hope you like it, Mom! And thanks for painting the trim, Dad! I love you guys!

21 comments:

Mindy said...

Great job! Just be careful on that slippery cutesy slope... you're slipping fast! ;) Gotta love the boob lights.

Heather of the EO said...

joolee! She said "crack" for you!

that IS the most beautiful room I have ever ever seen in my whole whole life ever.

Cheryl said...

Your den looks fagbulous! And you just gave me a great idea for that old desk I have in my basement. Why did I never think to paint it? Excellent work on the curtains and the rocking chair cushions! You are getting so domestic. :-)

Grandma said...

yeah...I love before and after pictures! It came out great!!! That room looks so happy! besides gaining more space, it will be just fun to hang out in!!

Rachel said...

Hey, I have a couple of those boob lights (the modern version) and that's a good thing b/c they should come in pairs!

joolee said...

Thank you Amy. Thank you very much. This honor means more than you'll ever know. And now I'd like to thank the love of my life, for tolerating all the after-hours "crack" talk that brings a smile to my face and makes my soul dance in giddy exuberance. I'd also like to thank Martha Stewart for bringing her magical line of interior paint colors to K-mart, enabling me to paint my bathroom Blue Phlox.....the exact same color of your non-man room. Last, but not least (sob) I would like to thank James....for helping me discover the beauty of scary monster art. My world is a better place because of you.

Wow. That acceptance speech made me sound like a total freak. Gorgeous room, Amy.....totally my style. That red chair screams Cath Kidston......my second favorite and best:)

Oooh, and my birthday is January 12th and I LOVE pink bikes.....just FYI.

Mel said...

I love the dot pictures. That's definitely going on my lists!

Anonymous said...

I love it all!!!! and I have those hideous lights in my house! (we rent )Lol!!!

Vicki Johnson said...

Amy,
This is your fan who loves to laugh, I am not your stalker. I started a blog today, better late than never!!
http://vjjinaz.blogspot.com/
Take Care,
Vicki
P.S. great room!!

Patty said...

Of course that's a Man Room. I mean, how could it not be with the purple-toned walls (seriously, nothing blue about them walls), the pink chair cushions, the vase of flowers, the tree prints on the wall, the cake picture, and the awesome pink bike. Everything about it screams "I Am A Man Room.... created by a woman".

Seriously though, it looks great. And I do love those wall prints. Nice choice!

gina said...

You need to look closer to your son's art. I see someone running very very fast. The head is at the top right of the page. Left arm is by the face and the right arm is behind the runner. He's brilliant!
P.S. I love your re-do room! It's amazing what a little paint can do...

Hurricanehol said...

Great job on the room! You have inspired me to have someone come and paint my den now :-)

Is it just me or did anyone else think the apple picture looks like the color blindness test at the eye doctors? :-D

Mary Poppins said...

domestic goddess indeed. way to go. although it still looks a bit man-ish to me. especially with that cake picture and those two prints from the etsy shop.

Cheryl said...

Oops! Sorry I didn't spell check first. I meant fabulous!

Katy Shamitz said...

Oh my goodness- Amy- it looks incredible! I love it!

Anonymous said...

Amy, I gave you a blog award! Check out my recent post for details.

Bahston Beans said...

I bet Patrick just might consider visiting again.

Minnie said...

It looks awesome. Now onto the issue at hand; where does one go about finding a "cake picture?"

Razz said...

Hey, what's with the chick room?

chattypatra said...

'Fess up, Amy! You chose the swirly pattern on the curtains so you could hypnotize Jared and bend him to your will, didn't you? Very sneaky!

Sarah said...

No, No my friend, only 4 people will be interested in, your mom,dad, sister and Sarah (the queen of loving all before and afters and the person who does not purchase cable TV because she would surely watch TLC and HGTV all day and get fired for not showing up to work!) Looks AWESOME!