10.15.2012

A Broken Commandment

You know that commandment that says "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house?"  Well, I kind of broke it.


And by broke I mean that I smashed it to little bits.

You see, this weekend I visited my sister-in-law's house and oh my goodness is it ever beautiful (totally worth breaking a commandment for).  In fact, one of these days I'm going to do a full-on John and Sherry style house crashing tour but today you'll just have to settle for a sneak peek of some of my favorite elements.



Element #1 is the giant chalkboard in her kitchen:

(I had a hard time getting a good photo so I'm including two...)


My sister-in-law had the idea and my father-in-law helped her execute it.  He built a frame out of molding and attached it to the wall.  Then they filled in the center with magnetic chalkboard paint. The picture really doesn't capture the fabulousness of it.  It is huge and usually sports the artistic stylings of my three-year-old niece.  (Are you starting to feel a little envy?  I know, right?  A total commandment breaker.)  

Honestly, I would love to have one of my own.  Unfortunately, I have a weird thing about chalk dust.  (It's right up there with pumpkin guts in terms of giving me the heebie-jeebies which is a strange thing for a former teacher to admit....)   I do have a similar idea in mind though, and if I ever execute it I'll let you all know.  

Speaking of similar ideas, I wanted to show you another one of my sister-in-law's projects.  This one is in her dining room:


Again, she made a frame out of molding.  She then proceeded to wallpaper the middle.  The project isn't exactly complete; there will eventually be a console table and a mirror resting against the wallpaper.  I will definitely post a picture when the room is done.  I just know it's going to be fabulous.  
  
Here's a close-up so you can see the frame a little better:

Another room that I love is the kids' bathroom.  I wish there was a good way for me to capture the whole thing in one shot.  For now I'll just show you this:

It's only a tiny corner but this little built-in suggests just how charming and whimsical the whole room is.  Don't you love the striped paint and the punchy green color inside the niche?  I mean, who wouldn't want to be potty trained in there?

The last part of this mini-tour focuses on an adorable craft that I spied in my nephew's room.  It was made by his babysitter who also seems pretty awesome.  (Is there a commandment about coveting thy sister-in-law's babysitter?  Just call me a sinner...)  

She pinned the idea here.  (Original source and tutorial found here.) 

It's a hot air balloon mobile that hangs in the middle of the room.  The top is a painted embroidery hoop...



...and the balloon baskets are made of corks.  (How cute is that?!)

 



And if you're admiring the rest of the room, wondering about the pretty painting or the fun architecture, don't worry.  I really do plan on doing a full house tour some day.   

Until then you'll just have to covet this tiny bit.

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Linking:
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/01/sns-171-link-up-your-charming.html

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21 comments

  1. I demand a full tour. From the peeks I got, I am in love. The big chalkboard is GREAT. The photo ops in front of that are endless. I love how bright and interesting every glimpse we got is. I am definitely coveting her house too :)

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  2. Tell your sister in law she needs to start blogging, and pronto ;-)

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  3. Your sister-in-law has a beautiful home and she is really creative! I cannot stop looking at that framed wall paper! I love wall paper patterns, but refuse to put any in my house. (I've taken off way too much wall paper to ever put any up!) This is a great way to get some without glueing it to the wall!

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    1. It actually *is* glued to the wall. The frame is just built around it.

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  4. Bright and beautiful! I'm sure you'll be forgiven for this transgression! :)

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  5. Beautiful home!!! I love these balloons. They are so cute. And the idea of "framing wallpaper" is fantastic. :)

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  6. Shame on you, for it's so worthwhile. Beautiful home. The balloons are darling. Wonderful ideas here. Love your blog name. I am happily your newest follower.

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  7. Oh my gosh I love love love it!!!! I am very jealous that I don't have that artistic gene. I think you do a fabulous job though too E! I love your home decor!

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  8. Gorgeous idea, love the wall paints of your sister in law dining room. When we used it in home, yellow becomes a welcoming, happy hue that brightens our spirits.

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  9. I love the green shelves.....
    And the mobile...

    I think we're all guilty of breaking the tenth commandment at times as well...
    :)

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  10. Oh those shelves are great!
    And... I love that mobile!

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  11. So many cute ideas here! Thanks for linking to Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do:)

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  12. Love that hot air balloon mobile! I've already decided that if I ever have a boy his room is going to be centered around a huge wall map that I have, so an Around the World in 80 Days theme would be PERFECT. OMG, now I have to have a hot air balloon mobile. Genius!

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  13. Some rules were definatley made to be broken! I love the pops of colour in the bathroom with the painted walls and alcove what a great idea. Those balloons are adorable and a good excuse to drink bubbly right just for those corks :)

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  14. The mobile is so adorable! Thanks for coming to party with us!

    Kelly,
    Smart! School {House}
    www.smartschoolhouse.com

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  15. What a fabulous home she has!! So happy you linked up Monday. I'm featuring you in my chalkboard paint project round up: http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2012/10/ten-chalkboard-paint-projects.html

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  16. What great ideas in this house! I love that pop of green in the bathroom, and well I guess I love it all. Thanks for sharing these fun ideas!

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  17. Oh my goodness, such beautiful inspirations! I'm also looking forward to a full house crashing. :)
    I entered the Pinterest Challenge too (my first time, I'm so excited)!
    http://belleandbeard.blogspot.com/2012/10/maternity-pictures.html

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  18. She made that balloon mobile!?! That's insane, and awesome, and impossible, and totally covet-worthy.

    Jessica

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