Le Boudoir

I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner to show you our master bedroom this weekend. {The guest room still needs a lot of work.}

There are a lot of things I like about our bedroom. We've got a bit of a coffee shop feel going on in there. Jason painted it a light brown, and we use a lot of calming blue as well. Even Fred's bed is blue! And one of our house rules is no TV in the bedroom, so that helps keep it quiet. Mostly we sleep and relax in there. {Sorry this photo is a bit blurry.}

But there are a few areas for improvement. Mainly, I hate our curtains. We needed something to cover the windows when we moved in, and these matched our stuff. And I don't know why, but I hate them. I haven't been able to find something else I like yet, though, so this is it for now.

We also recently moved out the big bookshelf we had in there, and I have no idea what to do with this wall.

The bedroom feels a bit like being back in my childhood room. When we moved in, my dad brought a truckload of stuff {literally}, so I have my old dresser {above} and vanity {both found at an antique store in Tuscaloosa when I was a kid}.

I'd like to get a little stool to go with the vanity at some point. The plate is from a high school trip to Greece, and I use the little box for some of my jewelry. The idea is to keep fresh flowers in the vase, but that's become more of a special treat! {You can partially see a mirror behind the vanity--it will go in the guest room once we decide what color to paint it.}

This old sewing machine is one of my favorite pieces {my brother-in-law's art on top}. My dad said it should still work but just needs a new belt. Anyone know an expert in sewing machine repair?

I also really like the area where our bed is. {We recently switched the bed to a different wall, so we're still getting used to the placement.} My bookshelf is next to where we sleep, and the coffee prints on the opposite wall are fun.

I'm not crazy about our bedding, though. We had a white down comforter that Fred ruined {that makes twice he's done that!}, so, like the curtains, we had to settle for something quickly. We got this tan one that is thinner than the white one was, and I'm just not crazy about it. The pillows could also use refreshing, so there's a lot on the project/wish list for the bedroom!

And I love our art above the bed, but this is a classic example of why we're not big DIY people. I found the art from this fellow, and I knew I wanted them in one big frame instead of two small ones. We had trouble finding an affordable frame, and then we spotted this one that our neighbor had tossed out. {While I'm not big on DIY, I am all about reclaiming and upcycling someone else's junk. ;) }

Jason painted it white, and I thought a cork board backing would be fun. So I took it to Hobby Lobby and told them what I wanted. The {well-meaning} worker there convinced me that I could put it together myself for a fraction of the price, and I got all inspired.

Six months, many tears, and much frustration later...

Jason said, at one point, that doing stuff like this reminds him of why he'd rather work with digital art. I told him it's why I'd rather "pay the man" to do it for me.

But it's pretty, and we did it ourselves. So there's that.

And, finally, this is my bookshelf/nightstand. On top are the indispensable Kate Spade books, a catch-all basket, my worry dolls, books I'm currently reading {an encyclopedia entry each day}, and a picture of my grandmothers.

Below you'll find the CatherineCam, an elephant ring holder, the bank used to save my pennies, an engagement photo, and, sadly, my to-be-read books. Yep, three shelves worth.

Can't wait to see some of the other bedrooms since I need some inspiration!