A Beautiful Home Tour-Guest Post, Annie from Arlington Mama

I am so so SOOO excited for you to meet my friend Annie---she has an AMAZING blog---Arlington Mama.  Not only is she crafty, she also has some great real life experiences that she shares on her beautifully written blog.  And her home.... don't even let me get started, it is BEAUTIFUL!  I am so excited that she wanted to give us a home tour today!  Notice all of the cute projects in each room and then go and get the DIY at her blog!

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Hi!  I'm Annie over at Arlington Mama.  I’m thrilled to be writing here at Crafty Scrappy Happy.  Jaime's blog inspires me continually, and I’m honored for her to share this space with me! 

I really love to blog about anything and everything - DIY and crafts, parenting, financial responsibility, healthy living, whatever!  Today, I thought I'd share a little about my house and my philosophies on DIY and crafting.  

First of all, my house is itty bitty – 1,330 square feet, to be exact, built in 1955.  So my top priority is always to maximize my space without making it feel cluttered.  I. Hate. Clutter.

Here’s my little 6x6 bathroom.  I adore Saltillo tile, which I recently added, for the main reason that it’s timeless and beautiful (and I had leftovers from the kitchen).  It has been fashionable for hundreds of years and will probably never go out of style (I'll be in denial if it does).  I also recently made the little wooden step stool, which my kids LOVE. Personal hygiene has skyrocketed up in this house!

Speaking of boys, I got three of ‘em.  This is my older boys’ room (5 and 3 years old).  Can you tell that I love color?  Well, I do, all of them!   Also, when something breaks, I repurpose it (lampshade), and innovation is the name of the game (i.e. hooks on bed).  I also like to add personal touches, like a personal painting in each room.   They’re so easy and add great character without spending a lot of money. 

My third boy’s room is the nursery (he's 6 months old).  Since everyone assumes that a nursery has to have a theme, I call this one retro-woodsy.  This might be my favorite room in the house.  I thought that I was finished having kids after #2, so I got rid of ALL of my stuff and had to start fresh when the mister convinced me to have a third.  (Yes, we were cliché and tried for a girl; God knew what we needed, though.)  Since he was definitely going to be my last kid, though, I really didn’t want to spend a lot of money on his nursery, so the whole room cost me probably $130 (furniture included).  I was forced to be really creative with my money and efforts, and I think it paid off.  A large part of my satisfaction in his room is that it didn’t break the bank!

My master bedroom, on the other hand, did.  After 3 years of co-sleeping with the first two kiddos, we were ready for a grown-up room (no more mattress on the floor with ugly bedding that we didn’t mind if it got spit-up on).  So we made our half-bath into a full and re-did everything in the room.  I LOVE the way it turned out, but after that we decided to join the leagues of Dave Ramsey followers and got out of debt (we are now completely debt-free, including the house).  While it was fun to throw all caution to the wind and buy whatever I wanted (within reason), I have found that I actually get more long-term satisfaction when I am more cost-conscious.  I do still love my room, though; it’s truly a sanctuary for the mister and me.  Isn’t it purdy?

And finally, my dining room.  I love my big ol’ farm table.  It’s rustic and full of charm, and rustic is the way to go with three boys!  The more they bang on it, the more character it adds.  The painting was a hack from something I found online with my own colors and touches to it.  Creating your own paintings is so much more cost effective than buying original art (although original art is pretty cool if you can afford it).  The chalkboard was a recent experiment and learning experience.  Chalkboards are way harder than I thought; you really have to get that paint smooooooth! 

Did you notice I didn’t show you my living room?  Well, I’m working on a project to go over my couch.  I’m super excited about it and will definitely blog it when I’m done!  I also didn’t post my kitchen, but that’s a whole other story.  ;)

I hope you enjoyed my home tour!  Stop on by Arlington Mama or like me on Facebook sometime (or both, I don't mind)!  I love unexpected guests.  Thanks for having me here!  See you around!

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Amazing right???  Now please go and check out her beautiful blog and tell her I say HI!!!!