An impossible project brings a feature, win, AND giveaway!

 Most of you have seen my bedroom a bazillion times by now.

Please bear with me. I had to use this room for what this post is all about. :)

When I first decorated this room, I couldn't believe my nerve.Would I get away with this?!?

 I remember the doubtful yet curious comments when just showing the 'befores' of the components.

But I went ahead and created what was in my head and posted it anyway.

Nerves of steel I tell ya.

The room was a hit. So I continued to add additional unique components to it hoping they would be equally well received.

Which they were. Right down to this torn sheet lampshade I created in 5 minutes which derived from a need to cover up an otherwise dirty one for a Christmas showing of my home.

And where is this 'way out there' bedroom now?

HGTV.com in the 12 Creative Headboards feature

Romantic Homes, a blog spotlight in the Jan 2010 edition.

(yes, that's Miss Mustard Seed below me! And Fiona and Twig is in this feature too!)

(oh my GOSH)

The moral of this story?

If something scares you, try it anyway.

Step slightly out of your comfort zone each day.

Try something you've never done before.

Put together something you NEVER think will work. Then make it work.

Beg, borrow and steal from freebie piles with an open mind.

Choose 'uniquely you' over copycat decorating.

 Create to your heart's content, no matter what others may think.

Try what's in your mind. It's there for a reason.



There aren't many that desire to take these kinds of risks.

Hence, there isn't much competition in the risk category. So, why not be one of them? :)

Oh. And my impossible bedroom has been elsewhere. It won a contest in October.

And since I can't spend the prize in Canada,

some lucky American gets to go shopping.

Click the sponsor store button or  HERE to enter!

And, click HERE to try to win an iPad through BlogHer!


Merry Christmas, friends!

And thanks for your never ending kind support with all of 'my kind of' projects.You make a junker mighty proud. :)

Are you a risk taker with your decorating? 
What's the bravest thing you've tried to date?

Blog Parade of Homes~

Happy Monday everybody! Today, I'm really excited to be partipating in a Bloggy Parade of Homes sponsored by Poppies at Play!

If you've never been to the Shabby Nest...WELCOME! I'm Wendy...a busy mother of four who loves all things home! I aim to make my spaces beautiful and livable and to create those spaces without breaking the bank. I hope you enjoy this little tour of my home, and if you like what you see, I hope you'll stick around!! I always love to meet new bloggy friends!



For those of you who are regular readers of the Shabby Nest, the first three rooms I'm going to share will probably look quite familiar...but, at the end of the post, I've included a sneak peak at our in-process living room that I hope will pique your interest in what is to come for that room!

Boys' Sock Monkey Bedroom

First up, my boys' sock monkey bedroom. I used my collection of vintage sock monkeys as the inspiration for this room's color scheme, and I just love the result. To read more about the process I used to create this room go here.

The Princess' Vintage Cottage Bedroom

Next up, the Princess' bedroom. For the centerpiece of the Princess' room, I used a beautiful old wrought iron bed that I inherited from my sister-in-law. You can read more about the Princess' room here.

White and Gray Master Bedroom Retreat

Ah, my master bedroom. I can honestly say that this is the first time in my married life that I have LOVED my master bedroom. The gray and white palette, the luxurious bedding, the custom headboard. All of it. It is really a retreat!!

You can read more about it here.

A Sneak Peak at our In-Progress Living Room

And here is the sneak peak of our living room that I promised you! It's starting to really take shape and I'm excited!! I put a fresh white slipcover on the sofa and sewed up some pretty throw pillows in a chocolate brown and cream trellis pattern.

We painted the buffet white (which I l0ve!) but are still looking to switch out the accessories and add a colorful lamp. The console under the large charcoal print (by my father-in-law) is still waiting it's coat of paint. I'm currently debating between a dark taupe - a color found in the area rug - or an olive green...you'll have to stay tuned to see which color wins out. The lamp on the console also needs replacing...

Do I spy painter's dropcloth drapes? Why yes!! They're perfect in the space!!

Here's a view of the opposite side of the room. We're hoping to replace the mismatched chairs and add a coffee table. The large black mirror over the mantel is going to receive a fresh coat of cream colored paint so that it matches the trumeau mirror propped in front of it. I'd also love to paper the back of the back of the built-in bookcase to lighten up the color a bit. Because we are renting, we can't paint out the bookshelves nor can we do anything about the discolored stone on the fireplace or the "lovely" brass fireplace grate, so the best I can do is camouflage them. Exactly how I'm going to do that remains to be seen!

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my home! To continue on with the Parade of homes, click the #2 below!

If you weren't able to tune in for my FaveCraftsRadio interview last night, you can click here to listen to an archived version of the broadcast.

Have a great day~

FaveCrafts Radio Segment~

Hi Everyone! Just a reminder that I'll be LIVE on FaveCrafts Blog Radio tomorrow night at 7:00pm EST. I'm super excited and hope you'll all tune in! Here's a link!

Frugal Friday is still going strong...over 100 entries so far...if you haven't had a chance to look through all the Frugal Goodness...scroll down and enjoy!

Happy Saturday~

A Bedroom Fit for a Tween~

My oldest son is about to turn 10 in a couple of short months. And since we've moved into this house, he has his own bedroom for the first time in years. So you can imagine how excited he is to make the space his own. He has been very patient as he's watched me decorate every other bedroom in this house. (Okay, not that patient...he has asked repeatedly when it was going to be his turn...poor kid.) And now, his day has finally come!

His room poses a couple of challenges. First, it's in the basement with only one small window, so it gets very little natural light. And second, his room has no storage at all. (This house is closet- challenged as you may remember from this post.)


Here is my proposed layout for his room...

In addition to the the challenges of the space itself, we are facing a serious furniture drought. Mr. One is going to need some major clothing storage, a new bed, bed side tables, and a desk and chair for homework. That's a tall order, and although you all know how much I love thrifting for furniture and giving new life to the "previously loved", we decided to take a more contemporary approach to the space. So with that in mind, and the fact that I am on very strict budget, I saw only one solution. And it is spelled I...K...E...A.

Here's my wish list...

At first, I considered getting Mr. One a large dresser to hold all of his clothing folded up. But then I decided that a wardrobe or an armoire might be a better solution.

Image from IKEA

Enter the Hemnes wardrobe. With this armoire, Mr. One can hang his shirts, use baskets for his underclothes, socks and miscellaneous items, and use the drawers for his shorts and pants. Not only that, but placed across from the bed, it will visually balance out the high window.



Next up...a homework desk. I love the Expedit workstation. The bookshelves will be perfect for all of Mr. Ones stuff. He is a bit of a packrat, so using storage boxes that fit in the shelves will create a clean/uncluttered look with TONS of storage.

Images from IKEA

I love the idea of using the Jules chair in a contrasting light wood. It looks clean and modern with a touch of whimsy.

Finally, I love the Lillesand bed. It's metal with fairly clean lines and looks both traditional and contemporary at the same time. Perfect.

Image from IKEA

The bedside tables are currently just a vision in my imagination...but I hope that with the Hubby's woodworking skills, we'll be able to make them a reality. So you'll have to wait and see...right along with me.

Now to nail down the color scheme. I have already made the window treatments in deep indigo denim and blue ticking fabrics. And Mr. One has picked out his first piece of "art" for the room. A poster of Percy Jackson : The Lightning Thief. (He's a huge fan.) I actually really love the colors in the poster...primarily dark blues and grays, so I'm going to try to work within those paramaters...adding a touch of something brighter for punch...maybe yellow? That remains to be seen.

Image: Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

I hope you'll come along with me on this decorating journey as I create a room fit for a tween!

My interview on FaveCrafts radio is coming up this Sunday at 7:00 EST on BlogRadio. I'd love it if y'all would tune in!!

Have a great day~