Just The Bee's Knees Feature - Unexpected Elegance

I’m so excited to introduce you to Sarah!!!! I met her a few months ago through another blogging friend (you might know her, Heather?). This girl is ubber talented. (Not sure if “ubber” is a REAL word but it means VERY, REALLY. Just in case you were confused. ) Well, I could go on about how she has an incredible eye for design OR that she is thrifty OR that she thinks outside the box, but I will let you find out for yourself…

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Hello everyone! I’m Sarah and I am so thrilled that Angela invited me here today! I was introduced to Angela’s lovely blog after meeting her at a local blogger event a few months ago. Her work is so inspiring and simply gorgeous! It was an honor to meet her and can’t wait to get to know her better.

I blog over at Just The Bee’s Knees and write about anything
and everything related to Interior Design & Decorating. Occasionally I also share a snippet or two of my everyday life, DIY projects & yummy recipes. Currently I stay home to raise my 2 very
energetic little boys, but before I was a full-time mommy, I earned a degree in Interior Design and worked in the field for a few years. I started
this blog about a year and a half ago to reconnect with my passion for design
as well as get my behind in gear to finish decorating my house. It’s a very slooow
process, but I am enjoying making our home more “us” and filling it with the
things we love. Unfortunately, I have a habit of moving on to the next project while the
current one is only half done, so that is why I currently have 3 room makeovers
I am working on! Today I’m going to give you a peak into my current design projects and how they have progressed along the way. The first room makeover I started was my Guest Bedroom makeover that will also double as my craft room. I do have a home office that I work in, but you can read all about why I need another work space with a locking door. *Hint ~ It may have something to do with those energetic little boys!

The room was pretty bare bones when I began, but we had a nice bedroom set and some pretty decent bedding to get the ball rolling. You can see some of the before shots here. Not wanting to break the bank, I decided to work with what I had & created a plan to incorporate more warmth & texture using fabric and paint. I also planned on re-finishing a table to create a work surface along with adding shelving and pretty storage to hide my supplies. I want the space to be bright & inspiring yet inviting and calming at the same time.

The first big project I undertook in this room makeover was to create a stenciled wall inspired by a Thibaut wallpaper I fell in love with. What I didn’t love was the price tag! Stenciling was a great way to get the look without blowing my budget.

I also made some Faux Roman blinds out of a gorgeous Ikat fabric I found. I paired them with a pair of curtain panels I grabbed on clearance at IKEA for $9 each, a great way to cut costs and still create fabulous window treatments at half the price! Because I’m all about great design on a budget!

I needed a work surface, so I re-finished a beat-up old kitchen table we had in the basement using a white-wash paint technique. Now I have a table that is both stylish and functional!

This room is about 85% complete. A few lamps, some art & accessorizing is all it needs to be crossed of my list!

The next big room makeover I have been working on is my 3 year old son’s room. Last spring we decided to get rid of the crib and buy him a big boy bed, so naturally that gave me an opportunity to start another big overhaul! In my mind, I dreamed of a boys room in soft neutral tones with a few pops of color, but my son is a very strong willed little boy who knows what he wants. And he wanted a Cincinnati Reds room with dinosaurs. Huh?! Well after some unsuccessful attempts to steer him in a different direction, I realized that this room makeover is not about me, it’s about him. So I threw together a room plan were baseballs and dinos could live harmoniously together (without compromising style!), and both of us would be happy.

I painted the walls a bright, light grey, then got a great idea to paint the ceiling red. Now, I’m not usually this bold in my decorating, often opting for softer neutrals over bold colors, but after asking for some input from my readers, I decided to go for it!

I’m LOVING the way this came out and can’t wait to show you the finished room! Here are a few more sneak peeks of his room from instagram.

And finally, the last room we are currently working on is our Boys Bathroom which also doubles as our guest bathroom. When I designed this space, I wanted it to be fun for the kids while maintaining a grown up & sophisticated feel to it.

Let me tell ya…we started this project back in March of last year and
just got the bathroom fully operating again this past December! This has been one
of our longest drawn out projects ev-er, but I’m glad to say this one is
almost complete. We completely gutted it, installed new tile, a new tub and new vanity. We just have some more trim work and styling to do and
it will be done. I’ve changed direction from the original plan just a bit, but am super happy with the progress.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this little peek into my home! Thank-you for letting me share my projects with you today. I’d love for you to pop over to my blog and search around a bit. I also write some very fun features; Trendy Tuesday which is all about the latest and greatest trends in the world of decorating, and Everyday Design Dilemmas where I take some of the everyday design challenges we all face and help you solve them.

Thanks again Angela for having me!!