One Room Challenge: Week One

Before: photo taken while I stand in the front doorway. Don’t worry- no rug or table was harmed in this project.

The Why: I had trouble sleeping a few nights ago and landed on the One Room Challenge website… and ended up signing myself up to be a guest participant! This is something I have always wanted to participate in, but have yet to join the fun! In the past, I have had multiple excuses for not signing up: about to move states, living in a rental, moving again, busy with nursing career, etc., the list goes on (as I’m sure you know)! Anyway. Here we are. I am officially signed up, and I am going to do my very best! I’m sure there are plenty of other stressed/nervous/excited/terrified first timers here too, so let’s HAVE FUN!

The Room: To me, the ORC basically means you have eight weeks to transform a space in your home. So, that is precisely what I plan to do! I have had a wild hair to change around the main floor in our home for a little while now (you know, totally switch living and dining rooms-that is normal, right…). That part is done! Yay!

Now that leaves the largest room in the house (our front room) bare and boring. It is the room you walk into from the front door, and I want it to show some of my rug loving, vintage hunting, playful personality! Drab is out, y’all.

The Plan: My dining room-turned-living room will basically be an “elevated” living room. I don’t allow TV on the main floor (sorry Jordan, I don’t want to look at a giant ugly screen), so that is in the basement - which is where it will stay. I intend to create a cozy seating area in this front room as well as an entry “zone”. We live in a relatively small (which makes for quick cleaning) cape cod style home, so our front room will get to serve both purposes.

The Details: I have a sofa ordered and am praying that she arrives on time. I have also been hoarding a gorgeous chandelier since we lived in the rental house- more to come on that soon! A few fun extras for the wall are on order, as well as paint swatches from an innovative paint company that I am dying to share! Obviously I will find the most fabulous rug to compliment the space, and I am looking forward to hunting for the perfect accent pieces.

The Schedule: Next week we will have the electrician out for lighting and the paint swatches will (hopefully) arrive. Over the following weeks, there will be lots of exciting things happening! Shopping, painting, shopping, styling, shopping, installing… you get the picture. I will be completing weekly blog updates so all of you can follow along!

The Reveal: Reveals happen the week of November 18th. Don’t miss it!

Thanks for being here, reading this, and following along. I hope you enjoy! And to all of my fellow ORC Participants… LET’S GO HAVE SOME FUN!

xo,

Gretchen

Oh, and make sure to check out all of the other lovely spaces being transformed over on https://www.oneroomchallenge.com/

Shopping Small: Gift Ideas for the 2020 Holiday Season

WOWZA. It is already nearly Christmas?!?!? Thank goodness, am I right?

This year has been hard on small businesses, and I have seen too many shut down. Jordan and I are making a serious effort to shop small this holiday season in order to help support small businesses! I find that shopping small allows you to gift unique items that come with a story - who doesn’t love that? I wanted to feature a few local and non-local businesses that offer online shopping options so you can shop safely from home AND support small business owners! Who knows- maybe you’ll get a few new gift ideas from this list (for your friends, family, or even yourself)! Thank you for stopping by, and we wish you and your family the happiest & healthiest holiday season!

Deeann’s art makes me feel like I am at the beach! The prettiest, most tranquil beach at sunset.

If the colorful work of Jenny Gremillion doesn’t bring a smile to your face this crazy year…. can we be friends? :)

Mackenzie makes gorgeous custom art, and her husband builds the frames for them! Also she is the rug mom for lots of Kentucky Rose Designs rugs :)

ART: Art makes such a wonderful, unique and personal gift! Whether you love bold pinks, neutrals, or shades of blue, here are a few artists that I enjoy following on social media! These ladies are insanely talented - and they’re incredibly sweet!

My favorites:

Deeann Rieves (instagram here, website here)

Jenny Gremillion (Instagram here, shop here) Running a 20% sale! CODE: LOVE20

Mackenzie Spicer Georges (instagrams here)

These clay earrings are seriously the sweetest!

JEWELRY: I recently met Cicero Waters Jewelry (shop her Etsy store here, see instagram here) at a local fall market. Samantha makes these lovely pieces by hand, and who doesn’t want to wear adorable earrings with their jammies?!?! OH and she makes ornaments too, so hurry over before they’re gone!

Kentucky: Horses and Bourbon (candles). Shop Kentucky Hug Candle Co today!

I had a winter pine scented one last year, and the small size was perfect for our powder room!

CANDLES: At the same local market where I was blessed enough to meet Samantha, I found this super fun local candle maker! They use old bourbon bottles. Perfect for the bourbon lover in your life! And they are huge candles- so they should last a while! We also used to live in Oklahoma City, where I first learned about OKCollective Candle Co., a women owned soy candle company!

Kentucky Hug Candle Co (instagram here, website here) They are running small business Saturday (SMALL20 for 20% off) and Cyber Monday (HOLIDAY for 25% off) deals, so go check them out!

OK Collective Candle Co (Instagram here, website here)

Finish your shelfie game off with one of these vintage hands from Wicker and Wonder!

FOUND ITEMS: If you’re looking for the perfect vintage item to finish your #shelfie, look no further than Mary of Wicker and Wonder. She finds the coolest vintage glassware, art, brass, and baskets! Plus she can throw together an amazing basket wall for you like a pro.

Wicker and Wonder instagram here, Etsy shop here.

One of my favorite places to shop pillows, blankets, wooden bowls, and other items to complete your home is ILI Be Home, a curated goods shop by Kari Arendson.

HOME DECOR: If you love neutrals and natural materials, go check out ILI Be Home!

ILI Be Home instagram here, website here.

For a rotating, online shopping experience, make sure to check out Thunder Moon Collective!

ONLINE POP-UP STYLE: For a variety of gifting options, make sure to check out my girl Nina’s shop! She curates items from small businesses and hosts them on her website- think of it like an online Pop-Up! Currently she has handmade cards, notepads, candles, and more! You never know what you might find!

Thunder Moon Collective instagram here, website here

Wall tapestries are such a fun way to add texture to your space! Work by Lauren of Le Lo Boho

FIBER ART: Each and every strand is hand-dyed, making every piece one of a kind! Hang over your bed, sofa, in the dining room, or up the staircase wall to add dimension and texture to your home.

Leloboho instagram here, website here

Posh Home is my go-to for hostess, birthday, & baby gifts, as well as thoughtfully curated holiday decor!

ALL OCCASION GIFTS: If you’re local, Posh Home Louisville on Frankfort Ave is an absolute MUST VISIT! My friend Brittany owns and operates the shop, and she is truly a boss lady! Her store is always stocked and she constantly brings in new inventory, so every time you visit you’ll find something new!

Posh Home instagram here, website here.

Katie of Loops and Petals is a macrame artist AND a new momma!

MACRAME: I snagged a macrame snowflake ornament for our tree last year, and it is still my favorite ornament! Katie makes all kinds of macrame items, including wall hangings, key rings, jewelry, wedding backdrops, dog leashes, and ornaments! Make sure to browse her incredible selection this holiday season!

Loops and Petals instagram here, Etsy shop here.

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I truly hope you enjoy browsing these small business shops for Black Friday, small business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and all holiday season long! I cannot begin to show my appreciation for our customers, and I know these creative humans will love your support as well.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

XO,

Gretchen Rose

Painting Our Kitchen Cabinets

During our first walk-through of this home with our realtor, I knew it was the house for us.  It was just down the street from the neighborhood we rented in for just over 2 years, which meant we were familiar with the area.  Keeping most of the same running routes was a major bonus! 

Although there were several key features that made this house a “YES” (exposed beams in living room, 2 full baths- one attached to master, and a partially finished, large basement), there was an equally long list of “must change asap” items.  

One of the must change items was the kitchen- particularly the color of the cabinets.  They started off a dark wood stain with a very red tone- which could be great in the right space.  Just not this kitchen!  Combined with the dark faux granite countertops and black appliances, the kitchen felt small and extremely dark.  I love a good natural wood cabinet, but these were not that.  At least they were ceiling height!  Within a few weeks of moving in, my mind was made up and the cabinets were getting a refresh- I figured the risk was worth it.  After all, I wasn’t going to like the kitchen any less!  With a vacation week at home (thanks to a COVID-19 postponed Boston marathon), I had time to paint so I got started! 

Here are the only “befores” I could find:

Of course, my apologies for my real-life, not-picture-ready kitchen!

I absolutely adore my vintage items from Wicker and Wonder shop! Linked here.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional painter by any means.  This process worked for me for the most part, and I will include some of my mistakes so that you won’t make the same!

SUPPLIES:

·      Paint rollers (4-inch wide rollers, I used 3 for priming process, 3 for painting process)

·      Paint brushes (2 inch, angled, I used 2 for priming process, 2 for painting process)

·      Paint trays

·      Paint + Primer (I used 1.5 gallons of KILZ brand primer, 1 gallon of the paint)

·      Sand paper (150 and 180 grit, I used both paper and sanding blocks)

·      Tools for hardware removal

·      Plastic sheeting to protect surfaces

·      Old washcloths/rags (for wiping sanding dust off)

·      Degreasing dish soap or TSP

·      Painters tape (Luckily chose the same cabinet color as wall color, so I didn’t have to tape around walls). 

Day 1:

Removed all hardware, laid plastic sheeting down on floors (don’t have a garage), with 150 grit sandpaper I sanded cabinet doors front and back, as well as the cabinet bases/wall units. Basically sanded everything I planned on painting with 150 grit!  This isn’t a heavy sanding, rather just enough to give texture so that the paint will adhere better.  If you have a garage or nice weather, I recommend doing the cabinet doors outside for easier clean up!  I also used the degreasing dish soap to scrub off grease/grime from cabinets that were around the oven/stove.  If you skip this step, your paint may not stick (you could also use TSP from your local hardware store- I purchased some but the dish soap ended up working fine).

NOTE: I kept the hardware for each section in individual plastic baggies, labeled, so that I wouldn’t lose anything. 

The point of no return!

dining room-turned-painting workshop!

Day 2: 

Morning: 1st coat of primer on back sides of everything, including cabinet bases

Afternoon: 2nd coat of primer (same side), including bases. 

I am likely thinking “NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN” at this point.

You can see it start to brighten the space up! (insert squeal)

This takes up a lot of space, and Maker was able to avoid stepping on the wet paint. Lincoln avoided the room completely. If we had kids…this would have been quite hazardous.

bases primed!

Day 3:

Morning: 1st coat primer on front side. 

Afternoon: 2nd coat of primer on front side, then sanded with 180 grit to smooth front sides of doors to prep for paint. 

NOTE: We caulked around ceiling so that the finish was seamless and looked more “built-in”.  I 100% recommend this step, but make sure to purchase the right caulk. The right caulk is acrylic caulk. DO NOT BUY SILICONE- paint doesn’t stick to it.  That was a nightmare, so just don’t make the same mistake we did. YOU WILL REGRET THAT. 

Still need to get an outlet cover for this guy but I have to also cut the edge way down so it will fit.

Day 5:

Morning: 1st coat of real paint on the fronts of the cabinets (I recommend doing the front side last so it dries the smoothest and won’t be face down on plastic for 24 hours). 

Afternoon: sanded the fronts lightly with 180 grit and did touch-ups (didn’t really need a full second coat of the real paint since my base coat was super full coverage).  

Day 6:

Morning: picked up the mess and put our kitchen back together! Vacuumed the dust from floor, wiped down cabinets with a damp washcloth, and did a few more touch-ups (sometimes the edges are easier to do when a cabinet door is hanging versus lying flat on the floor). 

Hardware from Top Knobs via Wayfair (great selection here)

 There you have it! It wasn’t difficult, it just took time. Go slowly to avoid messy mistakes, prep correctly (plastic on floor, tape off walls etc., and use the right caulking!!!!).  It cost less than $500 in materials and hardware, so we felt it was totally worth it. Future plans? Removing that wall and creating a peninsula rather than a pass-through!

FINISHED PRODUCT! So thrilled with the final outcome.

It feels 100% brighter in our kitchen now!

Almost Christmas...

Rose Home Holiday Tour

It has been a while… Time to give this blogging thing another shot. I enjoy writing, so why not? What is holding me back? Time? Commitment? Priorities? Likely all of the above, but the truth is I have the time. I certainly have more time than the average blogger has to write- mad respect for those ladies and gents who write blogs almost daily. That is an insane amount of work. For now, I will attempt to do a few a month. Starting now! We are well into December, my Christmas spirit is in full swing, and I want to share my holiday décor tips and some photos! Consider it a ‘mini holiday home tour’ of our ‘not officially mini because it is around 1k square foot but still feels super tiny’ home. 

Christmas Tree

Team real? Team fake? I am team real but fake is easier so I bought a fake tree. Yep. This is actually Jordan and I’s first tree together! We have always traveled for the holidays and just didn’t ‘bother’ with it. I was determined to spread Christmas cheer around the house this year, so I had to have a tree! Since our house is pretty small, and we have a small living room + entry combo, I had to find a skinny tree. I lucked out at TJMaxx with a three foot diameter by seven foot tall, pre-lit (epitome of lazy) tree for $100, find similar HERE. 

Yes, our tree is our own version of the leaning tower of Rose. Tree skirt is actually a vintage Turkish rug that had damage, so I repurposed!

Ornaments

I wanted to go mostly neutral with the tree décor, so I stuck with golds and creams and a few gray ornaments in different textures (most from HomeGoods, Target, or TjMaxx). Some glass, some faux fur, some glittery gold faux pinecones, and a few ‘meaningful’ pieces. One of the most meaningful ornaments is the heart ornament. It was handmade by a patient for me- I will keep this treasure forever! The macramé snowflake is also a lovely addition, handmade by Katie of Loops&Petals (shop her Etsy store here)! She is the sweetest and can whip up anything you want out of macramé. Anything. The little wooden and yarn sheep (from Target- similar here) is for my niece, I plan on wood-burning her name into the backside of it. The wooden bead garland is sold out at Target, but find similar here.

Greenery

Obviously I would love and prefer real greenery, but I will admit I went with fake on this too. Found some beautiful flocked garland with pinecones and twinkle lights at TjMaxx (similar here). I also snagged some beautiful eucalyptus style garland at TjMaxx (similar here and here). The rest of the garland is vintage- from my grandmother. She decided she wasn’t going to do as much decorating this year and let me have some of her extra garland! 

DIY Wreath

The macramé dream catcher (by Bonfire Heart Co- shop her Etsy here) in the guest bedroom that I added greenery to may be my favorite. I love the texture, and it fills the space beside the bed nicely (in my opinion). 

Vintage floral art from Wicker and Wonder- if you’re hunting for any vintage objects or brass candlesticks she is your girl (Etsy shop here)!

Candles

To add the scent of Christmas and all things wonderful and jolly, I found several candles- my favorites is the Winter Pine scent by OkCollective! Check out their shop here. The rest are from TjMaxx as well! 

How cute is this candle by OkCollective? Damn cute. Mini persian rug coasters are from my girl Katie at Loops and Petals, sourced from World Market (find here)!

That wraps up my quick holiday tour, I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by! 

Let me know what your favorite holiday décor item is for your own home! 

Sincerely, 

Gretchen Rose

Vintage Bridal Shoot with DeerStoneDesigns

Have you ever looked for a reason to put your wedding dress back on?  Be honest.  We spend lots of dollars on a gorgeous dress that we only get to wear once… so they say. I decided to do something about that! First I had to try it on to make sure it still fit (thank goodness for my career field, I’m too busy to eat when I am at work and too tired to eat when I’m not)! Okay, back to the point. Last week we went home to stay a few nights at my parent’s house out in the country and enjoy some pool time away from the ‘hustle and bustle’ of the big city (LOL- we live in Louisville). But seriously, getting away from our house was very relaxing! We didn’t feel obligated to do a darn thing productive. So it was basically a vacation- especially when you have an entire house and pool to yourselves while the parents are away at work! 

Thank you, pool, for fixing my hair for me. 

My mother recently has gotten into vintage furniture rentals for events. She has always collected vintage and antique furniture, and now she has so much that she has decided to share! I am so excited to announce that she will be offering vintage furniture and décor rentals for events in the Central Kentucky area- so if you, or anyone you know, is planning a bohemian vibe or vintage themed wedding anytime soon, shoot me an email and I will hook you up! 

Sometimes a clear crystal lamp is all you need. 

While I was relaxing by the pool, I had an idea.  This idea involved a lot of manpower, and convincing my husband, brother, and father to help… so it was a long shot.  I called my mom and she was totally in love with the idea… so a few hours later (golden hour) I convinced the boys with food and drink that it would be so easy and quick if we all pitched in! 

The idea was to move some of mom’s colorful vintage furniture out to the flat (we call the flat-ish field outside of our house this) and set it up like a wedding ceremony, complete with a vintage rug runner down the ‘aisle’.  It took us all about 45 minutes to get it out there and spaced right, dispersing the color so that we had a bit of pink/blue/gold/cream/green in each row! Then I went inside and put on the dress. I actually wore my older sister’s dress first, the beautiful beaded princess style dress! We took a few photos with that one and then I put my dress on (the mermaid-style lace one).  My dad took the photos on his fancy camera, and then I changed back into work clothes and we put all the furniture back in the house! 

The photos turned out pretty amazing, if you ask me (even though Jordan thought it was a silly idea). Mom and I wanted to share how brides could add vintage furniture at their wedding ceremony and/or reception for a unique look!  Additional comfy seating areas at receptions are always a good idea, plus vintage shapely furniture photographs well!  

Let me know what you think! Do you like the idea of vintage furniture at an event? We would love to hear from you! 

Thanks for reading,

Xoxo 

Gretchen Rose

My Eccentric Self

with General Eccentric Boutique

If you have ever visited Louisville Kentucky, you may remember hearing about Bardstown Road. It’s a long stretch of road, packed full on either side with boutiques (General Eccentric, Pitaya), record shops, micro-breweries (my personal favorite is Great Flood, I meet there Monday nights for running group) restaurants (we love Sapporo sushi) coffee shops (my personal favorite is Quills) and other small businesses. If you are planning a trip here, you absolutely must walk down Bardstown Rd. You could easily spend a day (and a couple hundred dollars!) here! There is something for everyone!

The Kaye rug

Okay so back to the General Eccentric boutique. My friend turned me onto them when she was shopping for a wedding guest and bachelorette party dress when I first moved back to Louisville. So I have her to thank and blame with my new found obsession...

Why yes, that is a massive horse fly on my leg... if you have horses, you understand.

You can’t go in there without coming out with something. They have the cutest dresses, rompers, jumpsuits, separates, and accessories (for super affordable prices). They also sell delicious smelling, locally made candles! I have been hunting for a red dress for months, but wasn’t having the best luck until I visited GE boutique recently. They get new shipments on Wednesday, so I recommend visiting soon after that! That’s when I found this adorable red floral sleeveless number with a slight frill hem (here). I paired it with a double buckle black and gold studded belt to give the look a little edge (similar here and here). I feel like this dress + belt combo, paired with black western style booties would make the perfect festival outfit. You could switch out the black accessories for brown tones too, and it would be equally beautiful!

The Azelea rug

I chose rugs with wear (the Azelea rug, shop here) or with pinks/red tones (the Kaye, shop here). But I’m pretty sure this dress would look adorable with any rug!
What’s your favorite summer dress style? Do you prefer sleeveless? Girly? Edgy? How do you like to accessorize?! I want to know! Leave a comment below!

As always, thank you for reading!

XO, Gretchen Rose
 

Check out our selection of Current Rugs!

Dress Up on the Farm

with Dress and Dwell 

I have always been a fan of supporting local and/or small businesses, so when I discovered Dress and Dwell I couldn’t wait to check out their shop in person! They carry fashion (hence the Dress part of the name) as well as home decor accents (for all of your Dwelling needs). Every one of their posts on Instagram feature such cute pieces, ranging from classic to more trendy, plus they sell some of the most beautiful accessories (shop here). I was able to select two looks from their boutique, so keep reading to see what I picked!

First, I chose a blue and white vertical stripe button front dress with pockets (sold out, similar here, here, here and here), and paired it with rattan statement earrings (similar here and here). Everyone knows by now that buttons are literally everywhere in the stores! Button down dresses, skirts, tops, even pants come with buttons down the side! I love the extra oomph it gives a look, and I’m so happy I finally found the perfect button-down piece for summer! To coordinate the dress with the rugs, I chose rugs with blues in them (shop rugs here).

I borrowed one of my mother's belts for the linen Julia dress, and I loved how it turned out! Mixing old and new is my favorite way to style myself and our home! 

The second dress I found was this gorgeous, bohemian style off-white long sleeve dress with embroidery details (shop here for the Hansel faded rose dress). I paired some golden-brass toned drop earrings with cream-colored tassels to add texture to the look without overpowering the star of the show (shop tassel earrings here). The rose-colored rug was the final touch, and I think the final look turned out beautiful!

It was so much fun working with the girls at Dress and Dwell, I hope to have the opportunity again in the future! I’ll definitely be stopping back by their shop to see what’s new!
Where do you live, and what’s your favorite local go-to boutique? Let me know below!

Thanks for reading,
XO Gretchen Rose

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"I'm going to start a blog."

What am I doing?

“I’m going to start a blog”.  

How many times have you told yourself that, or some version of it? It seems easy enough, just write a few paragraphs about something relevant and then all the sudden you will have more followers, companies reaching out, etc., right?  Maybe.  Who knows? I sure don’t have the answers. However, I have been thinking about attempting this whole blogging thing for a while now.  I told myself I would start it when things ‘settled down’ in life (mainly, when I finished nursing school, because that took up a huge amount of time and energy).  Turns out, I am just as busy now that I am finished with school.  Working as an RN is exhausting (rewarding, yes, most days, but always exhausting).  Sure, we have 4 days off a week if we work the standard 3 12 hour shifts.  You can pretty much write off that first day off after 3 in a row, since all I seem to do that fourth day is sleep and try to recuperate.  Add running a business on the side of that and you pretty much stay tired!  However, this little voice in my head has been repeating the words ‘other people do it, and some of said other people have full time jobs, are full time moms, run their own business, and find time to blog often’ like a broken record.  So, what are we waiting for, really?  I don’t have the answer to that, so here I am, giving it a whole-hearted attempt! 

I plan to use this blogging outlet to discuss just about anything and everything I feel is interesting enough to write about.  Most posts will be rug-related (shocker, right?), but I want to really start incorporating interior design and fashion.  At first I worried that maybe that would confuse my followers on what my ‘brand’ is.  Recently I have decided that worrying about what others expect of me really isn’t the most honest way to go about life.  Do I love all things rugs? Absolutely.  However, I also love interior styling and fashion, and I have some ideas on how to combine all of these things that I am passionate about!  

So what am I saying?  Who really knows.  I am basically putting thoughts down on paper, and sharing them with you in the hopes to inspire your home, wardrobe, and life.  If you have been contemplating starting your own business or blog, DO IT! Then comment below with your blog and/or business name so that I can follow your journey along!  Thanks for reading this mess of thoughts, and I hope you hang around! 

XO, Gretchen Rose

Check out our selection of Current Rugs!