Be prepared for a long post....

I can't even believe how busy this summer is and every time I go to my blog, I just sit there and stare, not feeling like doing a post, but feeling guilty about the date at the top of my lost post. Then there is usually a dialog in my head that goes something like this, "no one reads or looks at this blog anyway, so does it really matter? ...But you're not supposed to be doing this blog for anyone else, it's supposed to be for you". I have been learning a lot recently about grace and through that, a lot about guilt. So, I am going to first apologize for my lack of posting to you and to myself, because when I am consistent on this little blog of mine, it means that I am being creative, and focusing on things I enjoy, taking a break from things like potty-training. But, I am not going to feel guilty about it. I am moving on, and if it is another month that goes by without a post, I am ok with that.

So, here I am....

In my last post I mentioned the re-decorating of a room. That room is our bedroom. I have struggled with our bedroom since moving in. A little over a year after moving in, we bought a new bedroom set, the Malm set from Ikea. We wanted something that was modern-feeling, and simple.

I always have all these good ideas which usually include pattern, fabrics, colors. But then when I try and execute it, it's always a disaster.

I painted our bedroom this lovely color blue a little over 2 years ago. I love this color, but am having a hard time making it work. The blue doesn't connect to anything else. Every time I try and make it connect, it never ends up working out, and I get tired of it after a few weeks.

Here are the things I like about our bedroom:

the white- white chair, white comfy bed, white curtains. I want our bedroom to feel calm and clean, a restful place- and I think white can help accomplish that.

the furniture- I love the Malm set from Ikea, and at the time, when we bought it, we didn't (and still don't) have the money to invest in really nice bedroom furniture. I already have my dream bedroom furniture picked out, well the bed anyway, and I do believe someday it will happen, but I am perfectly content with this Ikea set right now. I also was able to score the bookcase from the Pottery Barn outlet- it's West Elm, and the finish matched well with the other furniture.

the reading nook- ok, it's not really much of a nook, but more of a chair, stool and lamp on the one wall. But, I like it. This chair is also from Ikea, but it is from the AS IS room and was $35. It was marked wrong, as a side table- muahahaha. I don't feel guilty that I practically stole this from them- I know that legally, a store cannot mark something and then say that it was marked wrong and try and sell it at a different price, they have to give you the marked price. I really like having a chair in the bedroom, even if at the moment, Bailey uses it more than anyone else.

my dresser- the lamp, the mirror above it, I just like how it looks. It doesn't always look this neat though, there are usually papers, magazines, monitor, etc., thrown all over it.

the curtains- in this picture below, you can see that there is actually a design on the curtains, which I like and makes it feel acceptable to only have one on each window, and to always have them closed because they let light through. We have room darkening shades behind them that we use to sleep and in the summer it hides the air conditioner in the window when it is not in use- you can't even see it in the left window, can you?

Here are the things I dislike about the room:

the rug- I think I've mentioned before how much I dislike this rug. It's old and it is going, once I figure out what I want to replace it.

the wall space- that poster above the bed is coming down. Rob is not too happy about that fact, and it is one thing that we completely disagree on. I hung it there one day because I needed to hang something there, but it is literally from my college dorm room, and it is in a frame with no glass- real classy. Rob thinks it looks cool for some unknown reason that I really don't understand. The wall with Rob's dresser and the reading nook needs something on it. I also want to take down the 3 hooks to the left of the chair.

I would also love to have shelves above the TV, but I am not sure if that wall can handle it. Our walls are weird, and it is difficult to hang heavy things.

organization of the bookcase- I love this bookcase, but it is tricky for storing books, kind of ironic. I actually have no problem with how the books are on the shelves, but I always struggle with the top part, where the magazine boxes currently are, and those 2 random picture frames need to not be there, they look awkward.

the blue- I know I already said why I struggle with it, but just to reiterate. I really do love this color, and I want to make it work, I just don't think I can, so what I want to do, is paint the room white. AHHHH I know! What is wrong with me? I am always painting and changing things. I always love white bedrooms, and painting the room white (or the palest gray you can imagine), will pull everything together. I realize there is a lot I need to do, like get a new rug, but I think painting it white will help with all those other little things. Right now all I see is the blue, and every time I try to do something, I am always trying to make it work with the blue, and I just can't.

My hope is to do the bedroom, then move to the closet, and then to bathroom. I am thinking maybe I could use this blue in the closet or the bathroom somehow because I really do love it.

I am a little scared to paint the room. I think I am embarrassed to be changing another room, and I really hate painting, but it is the most inexpensive way to make a big change, and I really think that by doing this, it will help me in the other areas where I am stuck.

So try not to judge me, and instead, look at these white-walled bedrooms and try and understand where I am coming from.

I am hoping in my next post to explain some of my ideas in the problem areas I expressed above. Also, I have no plans to paint our room in the very near future. We leave for Maine in a week, so at least not until we get home.

(all images from apartmenttherapy)