Carolyn Braden: Exposed Beams, Pinterest

I like this idea....exposed ceiling beams. With every ceiling in our house having to be re-done (we still have 4 more rooms to complete) I like the idea of keeping one exposed. I'd do it in our sitting room. Love it!

This idea was one I pinned from Kelly Wearstler.
http://www.kellywearstler.com/

Carolyn Braden's Retro Christmas

Why have one tree when you can have a menagerie? Here's my solution to the no fuss Christmas decor I wanted this year.

New, New, New, Tommy and Carolyn Braden: Sept. '12 House Update

Our second floor bathroom is complete! We've added a new door to the 1st floor bathroom and will begin construction on it soon.
Today we are having a new roof put on and will have some gutter work done soon.
We've really come a long way on this major home renovation project!

Carolyn Braden's Curtain Dilemma Solved With Pinterest

Our bathroom is functional after gutting and renovating it. Since we replaced a traditional tub with a claw foot tub, I had to choose a way to hang a shower curtain. After consulting a Google search and pinning all the ideas to Pinterest, I easily came to a resolution. I decided on buying two curtains and will hang them above the tub, splitting them open like regular curtains to display the tub. I chose a curtain from Amazon that has many colors. The photo is below. It is by Waverly. It gives me many options for towel colors and for artwork for the walls.
Follow me on Pinterest (carolynjbraden) to see the websites for the other photos. I especially love the ocean colored ruffle curtain. Believe it or not, it's a DIY curtain!

Our Upcoming Future: The Penny Floor

Our upstairs bathroom is almost complete. Following that project will be our downstairs bathroom. We will be installing a penny floor. It is a small space so it's not as ambitious of a project as it seems. This project photo is from http://www.designtrawler.com/2011/04/tread-softly-you-tread-on-my-dreams.html

My Pinterest: A Dream Staircase

I love this staircase!
http://www.houzz.com/photos/staircase/p/8#
Follow me on Pinterest: carolynjbraden

Our Latest Project: 2nd Floor Bathroom

With a some ideas and a little IKEA, we have almost completed our bathroom project. After gutting it completely, we have constructed something modern, minimalistic and marvelous. We are now getting ready to install our claw foot tub from Architectural Salvage. We added some new and some old to this room like we are doing to the rest of the house.
Next up, the 1st floor bathroom. We will be hand laying a "penny floor" in that bathroom. Yes, a floor made out of pennies. Stay tuned!

Karastan Rug For My Foyer Thanks To @tjmaxx

Great deals are being found everyday at TJ Maxx. I wanted a circular rug for my foyer and finally found one! It was a Karastan for only $135.00. When looking for a rug, check out what fiber it is made from. I like all wool rugs that are handmade. My grandmother is the queen of beautiful home style and she said wool rugs are the best.

Seize the Deal or Seize Your Money and Run?

I will never buy anything from Seize The Deal again and I encourage others to do the same. In a recent purchase of 4 Christmas gifts, my recipients mysteriously were unable to use their gifts. As it turns out, unknowingly to me prior to purchase, Seize The Deal hired Digital Doorstep to deliver the gifts. DD just went bankrupt. When you call DD, their phone is disconnected. When you talk to Seize The Deal, they say to call DD because it's their fault. Even their CEO will not speak up. No where on ANY paperwork does it say Seize The Deal would be hiring another company to deliver the goods, therefore Seize The Deal should refund the money. But, even after talking to them non-stop, they will not take responsibility. It is STD's (oh wow.... not a good abbreviation!) problem and they are to refund the money of the 6000+ people who purchased this gift and then they are the ones that are supposed to sue Seize The Deal. Our bank is going to help us out and I am contacting the Better Business Bureau and as many news stations as possible to spread the word of this horrible company. They need to ask themselves what I ask my students. "What is the right thing to do?" If I don't get anywhere with my ideas soon, I am contacting my "higher-ups" to take the steps necessary to get my money back because this is wrong. Never have I had a problem with a company not taking ownership of a serious wrong doing. It's really really really really crappy of STD.