DIY Chevron Pinboard

This is one project I can finally cross off my list!



Several years ago, I bought a corkboard at Wal-Mart for about $7 to put in my son's room to display his artwork. He never used it, so I decided to put it in our home office. I've been meaning to revamp it for a while, but I'm not really a crafty person. I was secretly hoping I'd come across the perfect pinboard I could just buy and make my life easier. After almost a year of looking and refusing to pay $300 for a damn corkboard (sorry, but that's just criminal), I finally decided to DIY it. I found a gray and white chevron fabric that was only $13 a yard so there were no more excuses.

After my husband took off the frame, it took me about ten minutes to cut and staple gun the fabric on the corkboard. It's not so pretty from the back, but no one will see that.




Then, I used decorative nailhead trim around the edges. My husband picked these up at the fabric/craft store for me. Now, that's love!




I started off measuring the left side with perfect 2.5 inch spacing. That was really annoying so I just eyeballed the rest and it turned out fine with a little adjusting.




Here it is in the office.



I'm not sure if that is really where I want it to go since I'm still tweaking the furniture and artwork. I was worried about making holes in the wall and then having to touch-up the paint if I decide to move it later on. Luckily, I had some Command picture hanging strips around that I never used.



I was not convinced these would hold the pinboard even though it isn't particularly heavy. I held it in place for thirty seconds per the instructions half expecting it to come crashing down when I let go, but it's still on the wall. Amazing!



This is hanging right above the kids' backpacks so it's a perfect spot to pin up papers and birthday invitations that I need to address right away. I have a tray for each of the kids in the office, but once it gets filed away I have a tendency to forget about it. I really need to have something visible to jog my scrambled/stressed out mom brain. It goes perfectly with the office and it took less than half an hour. Now, I'm kind of mad at myself for putting it off for so long!

Why I Didn't Choose a Loveseat

My second armchair is finally here!



I didn't realize not getting a loveseat was going to be such a topic of conversation with friends and family. Buying new sofas does seem to be an ingrained process. You go to the furniture store and buy a matching sofa and loveseat, maybe a side chair or recliner too. I rocked the boat and opted not to buy a loveseat for several reasons.

The first, is that I didn't like looking at the back of my loveseat from the kitchen and breakfast room. Most people can put a sofa table behind the loveseat to solve this problem, but it didn't look right since I have that weird half wall thing going on. A sofa table next to the half wall just looked weird. The side benefit of having chairs is that I have a better view into the living room. Before, it felt completely blocked off by the loveseat. In this small space, that wasn't a good thing.




A second reason, is that I can eventually move these chairs around. I'm still considering moving them to face the sofa, which is my favorite combination. Moving the tv over the fireplace would be necessary with this layout, but installing the tv turned there turned out to be a lot more complicated than I first thought. We're going to stick to this arrangement for now.

I mentioned it before, but I really don't like sharing a loveseat with someone. I prefer to have my own chair and I'm sure my guests feel the same way. Don't you always feel like you're going to accidentally kick or elbow the person next to you?

Since you last saw this room. I moved my sea green Windsor Riad pillow back in and rearranged the mantel a bit. I finally found a spot between the chairs for my little side table I bought on sale at Target. I thought it was so cute and picked it up months ago even though I had no place to put it.




Is the ceiling fan driving you crazy? I curse it every single day. My husband and I have a disagreement about it. He thinks we will die this summer without a fan in here. I think we'll be fine without it. I'm going to wait a few months and see how necessary it really is before making a change. I'm sure I'll be right!

Bigger Isn't Always Better

I'm reminded of how easy and relaxing it can be to live in a small space every time we go on vacation. Before we left on vacation I was trying to decide whether to continue to remodel our home or to move to something larger. I realized after spending a week in a two bedroom condo that I definitely do not want a bigger home. I loved being a few steps from every room and every item I needed. There are so many times I hear my phone ring in the office, but let it go to voicemail because I know there's no way I can make it down the stairs and to the front of the house without breaking my neck. If I moved at all it would be to something smaller and without stairs! It would also be nice to concentrate on making each room extra special with more attention to detail. I do love my home and neighborhood so we've decided to stay put (again) and continue to make our home, our home.

Here are some beautiful smaller homes with details usually reserved for estate homes. Just imagine what we could be living in if we put our money into amazing details instead of square footage.

Traditional Exterior by Weston Architect Oak Hill Architects


 

Modern Living Room by Beverly Architect Siemasko + Verbridge


 

Traditional Family Room by Sausalito Architect Heydt Designs


 

Traditional Exterior by Greer General Contractor Gabriel Builders Inc.


 

Traditional Exterior by Beaufort Architect Allison Ramsey Architects


 

Traditional Landscape by Chicago Landscape Architect Van Zelst Inc


 

Traditional Exterior by Lindon Building Supplies Trestlewood


 

Traditional Porch by Buffalo Architect Murphy & Co. Design

 

Traditional Exterior by Minneapolis Architect TEA2 Architects


 

Traditional Exterior by Saratoga Springs Design-build Witt Construction


 

Traditional Exterior by Other Metro Architect a+b kasha designs


 

Traditional Garage And Shed by Seattle Architect David Vandervort Architects


 

Contemporary Living Room by Blue Hill Architect Knight Associates

 

Traditional Exterior by Bethesda Design-build Case Design/Remodeling, Inc.


 

Traditional Exterior by Silver Spring Architect Bennett Frank McCarthy Architects, Inc.


 

Contemporary Family Room by Charlotte Interior Designer Lucy and Company

 

 

 

 

I absolutely adore the first image of the English stone cottage and the French style home with the gravel driveway. I would feel like I was on vacation every single day if I lived there. Which is your favorite?

 

 

 

Friday Favorites

Here are a few things I've had on my mind this week...


Yoga_girl on Instagram



I'm the type of girl more likely to laugh through yoga class, but I love yoga girl's poses. They look extremely difficult, but I'm determined to try some of the easier ones. If that doesn't work out, I'll just live vicariously through her images.


On the subject of yoga, I'm living in this tank top from Lululemon lately.



It's a great tank by itself or as a layering piece. I'm wearing it under cardigans, jackets, long sleeved tops, etc. The best part is you don't need a bra. Just make sure you ask for the free bra inserts.


Ballard Designs Indoor/Outdoor Rugs



I just ordered this one for my front entryway. It's a great design and great price. The 5'3 x 7'7 is only $99.

I've seen this one in quite a few bloggers' homes, too. This might be perfect for my stairs.




Speaking of stairs, I'm finally getting around to painting them. It's going slow because of work, housework (especially after vacation), and an out of town husband. I'm so excited to be off this weekend so I can make some progress. I just hope no one accidentally steps on them while they're drying!

Cool Wallpaper

I stumbled upon Urban Outfitters "apartment" section while looking for the source of a rug I saw on Pinterest. They have some very cool things! One of my favorites is their wallpaper, but this isn't your Grandma's wallpaper.

















Cute, right? The best part is it's easy to remove and reapply elsewhere. I love that!

They also have wall murals.



How cute would this look in a tween/teen girl's room?




Love this faux headboard!




Rustic and Modern

I didn't expect such a good find in an unlikely place. I have all sorts of ideas running around my head now of where I could use a bit of wallpaper-closet, kids rooms, accent walls, etc.

Also, I'm finally on Twitter and Instagram now. You can find me on Twitter @cstylehome and on Instagram as classicstylehome.