business

The lucky winner of the Shade giveaway is:

Congratulations Kalli Ko! Send your info to barefootstephanie@gmail.com and I will forward it on to the good people at Shade.

Thank you all for your comments! They were so so fun to read. I feel like we're friends, now.

I mean it.

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Some of you have asked about our paneling and my source for Oliver's matching beds. Here you go.

a bit of the paneling in our family room

I have long been an admirer of the craftsman style. When we moved into our very 70's ranch style house four years ago, I knew I wanted to install some sort of paneling based on that simple look. Our family room was the perfect candidate. It is in the basement and doesn't get any natural light. It was like a cave (oh, it was awful!). Just as in Oliver's room, I wanted to brighten the walls with more than just paint. I knew what I wanted, but I wasn't sure how to put it all together. So Mike and I headed to the Home Depot to see what was available.

Here is what we found and used, broken down into layers:

Layer 1: 7 inch mdf for a baseboard

Layer 2: 4x8 foot sheets of luan (a really thin plywood-type material that has a nice finished side), placed on its side. This layer can be skipped, depending on your preference and the amount of texture on your walls. We used it because our walls are pretty textured and we wanted a smooth finish for the paneling. If you skip it, your walls will be the background for the paneling.

Layer 3: 4 foot pieces of poplar for the vertical lines. This material comes pre-cut to this length, and is 31/2 inches wide and about 1/4 inch thick. It is placed where two pieces of luan meet, to cover up the seam. Then two more pieces are placed on the luan, each about 24 inches apart.

Layer 4: 53/8 inch mdf

Layer 5: 11/2 inch mdf placed on its side to act as a ledge

We used a miter saw, a nail gun, lots of caulking and white paint, and Mike's general handiness and know-how to complete our project. He was the brains and brawn behind the installation and I couldn't have done it without him.

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I found Oliver's vintage jenny lind beds in Utah. I was totally willing to drive across state lines to get them (and also to visit my parents for Christmas :) Honestly, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world when I found them. Matching beds like these are hard to come by. This little company (and the source of my luck) finds old furniture and gives it new life. The beds were originally brown, but I had them painted a very dark navy blue. If you are in their area (near Provo/Orem), it looks like they are planning a big spring yard sale soon. You might want to check it out.

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I hope you had a nice weekend. We had full blown spring/summer weather. It was delightful, and our yard hasn't looked this good in months.