Good morning sunshine.
Top of the morning to you.
I’m in the beautiful football loving state of Alabama today working on a historic show house and DIYing it all day today. We are building a kitchen island and making a headboard out of a door and picture frames out of molding and I’m picking out furniture and incorporating it with a selection of antiques from the original owners and measuring and dreaming and planning and decorating.
And drinking coffee.
Lots and lots of coffee.
If you want to follow along with my adventures today, you can find me on Instagram and Periscope (it’s an app for your phone and my name is @ThistlewoodFarm).
But before I left, we began the big room change-up of 2015.
It is exhilarating and exciting and thrilling and a little sad all at the same time.
The twins are getting their own rooms.
And the flowers met several coats of a gray.
And now it looks like this.
The end of a pink flowered era and the beginning of a new one.
And I may or may not have cried a little when we said goodbye to the first flower.
One of their brothers is moving downstairs to the gray room and they are moving upstairs.
The guest room is getting a complete make-over.
And somewhere along the way, the flower room residents found Pinterest and decided they had a big opinion on room decorating.
Be still my heart.
Here’s a design board for the room requests.
We are going with turquoise and coral and gray and white with neutral furniture and walls to let all that color pop.
But that’s for tomorrow and tomorrow’s tomorrow.
Today is all about a beautiful southern day in Alabama and kitchen islands and head boards and picture frames and room design.
And coffee. 🙂
So sad when you change a little girl's room into a terrific teen one. Hugs to you! Make some time to rest though Sweet pea!:))
Wow! So many changes. I love it! Looking forward to seeing everything!
Cannot wait to see the finished rooms. I just know they will "rock". In the meantime enjoy your adventure in Alabama. How very fortunate and exciting :)
So excited!!! Can not wait to see end result!! Colors are awesome!!!!
I might have teared a little when I saw the pink painted over, that room is one of my favorite things you've done :) The new ones sound great though, can't wait to see~
Oh, KariAnne, I LOVED the Mini Thistles' pretty pink bedroom--I may or may not have cried with you. I felt the same way when my son's Hundred Acre toddler room gave way to dinosaurs, then yielded to a tie-dye phase, then the late high school I'm-a-man-and-everything-must-be-black-and-gray-and-manly era...and now empty, except for the things he didn't want for his apartment. *insert muffled sob* I am excited to see the twins' individual decorating flair! Have a wonderful day in Alabama! P.S. I enjoyed the nod to David Bowie. :-)
Oh it is a little bittersweet to see the beautiful wall of flowers go away...I so remember being in love with that gorgeous pink and brown room with the flowers dancing on the wall...but life goes on....children grow up....too fast I say. I can just imagine the beautiful rooms that they are planning to create...rooms of their own...a little bittersweet. Have fun in Alabama...
Exciting changes, Kari! Hope you're doing well! xo Heidi
Always bittersweet...but it's wonderful when you can share an interest in re-doing their spaces! Have fun! Looking forward to seeing the rooms come together!
You have more energy and more ideas than one lil gal should have! Whew... I have to sit and rest reading this. *grin* "Happy Everything Wonderful" to you and yours! Go get 'em!
I want to bottle your energy, and sell it.... I want to commandeer your talent and lock it inside myself! Can't wait to see what you do for those girls now....I bet if you look in the dictionary by the word INSPIRE, your picture would be front and center....ya think? Have fun in 'Bama
ummmmm... separate rooms?? they are ummm ... dare I say it??? Growing Up??? :) :( :) ... lolol... can't wait to see the changes!!!! and alllll the blame is on you for that "Pinterest Discovery" thing!! Have a blessed day... working hard for others..... :) ....
Oh, Karianne, this post couldn't have come at a better time. Our daughter has graduated with a doctorate degree, after all her hard work, started her first job last week, and started apartment hunting this week! Wow! The changes are happening at our house too. Soon I will be making her childhood bedroom over as a guest room and will be helping her decorate her first grownup apartment. I'm looking forward to seeing all your new rooms too.
I remember when my twin sis and I got separate rooms! It was so exciting to have my own space finally and not have to clean up my sister's mess. Lol. (I think we were in 7th grade...my oldest sister got married and I got her room!) Still as a mom, it's sort of sad when your daughter moves from little girl room to a more grown up one. Sigh. Oh well, you get to decorate! Hugs my friend, Cecilia
I would cry saying goodbye to those flowers, too! Especially if you hand painted them!! I can't wait for the reveal of the new era. The "little Thistles" appear to have great taste, just like their mom! : )
Welcome to Alabama! We love knowing you're here and I hope your visit is wonderful and profitable. When the time is right, I know you'll tell us where you've been working in our state.
I love the color gray! Sounds so exciting! I know it will be beautiful!! Kathy
Exciting changes for the twins! Can't wait...I'll put on more coffee! ;)
Welcome to our beautiful State! So glad you're here! I just know you'll leave a beautiful and lasting imprint!
And the color grey (which, by the way I love in the picture) you chose is ???? In case you did not already know, those of us whose DIY skills and energy levels are rather sadly quite limited often live vicariously through you, KariAnne!
Hi Karianne! If you cried a little, I am with you, because i love those pink flowers!! :) But everything you do is exquisite, so I am looking forward to see the whole makeover! That blue and yellow room is stunning!!!!!! xo
I thought I was busy! Yikes! You're going to need more than coffee! Enjoy!, Barbara
It's so sad to see them growing up so soon. I painted a darling mural on my granddaughter's wall a number of years ago. They moved to Texas a year ago and she wanted a big girls room. She's growing up too fast for her grandma.
I am looking for the perfect gray to paint the open living room dining room of my new condo. Everything right now is oak oak oak and a buttery yellow cream. Baseboards, trim, cabinets, book shelves, doors, closets.... all North Dakota contractor oak (I swear, that's a thing!). I love the gray and white look as a backdrop of my new home and life, and looking for that perfect shade of gray. Love the color you used. What is it?
Helloooo, my friend, I'm back from my travels and had a great time, but I so missed my Thistlewood-fix! I know it's a little sad to see an era end and a new one begin, but it's also a little invigorating too, right? That creativity in you must thrive on the adventure of change! Yeah, for the twins' embracing their creativity. I can just imagine that made your heart sing a little. Can't wait to see the finished results, you red-lipstick-wearing creative genius, you!
While I'm way beyond your age probably, I may or may not have joined you with a tiny lump in my throat at the goodbye to little girl's room. And then there's the " this is what I want" factor instead of mom's living out our own dream room fantasies. I'm sure it's all going to be beautiful. And this is a fabulous phase in life, watching your children mature. Ahem. Happy decorating!
What a great new adventure for you and your girls. The first of many great design projects (some home...some fashion) you will embark on together. I'm sure it will be stunning. Love the color combo. Hope you're having fun in Alabama. I'm watching my Instagram.
Sad to see the guest room go, it was one of my favorites! I'm sure the new rooms will be gorgeous too, of course. Would you ever consider doing a post on how to make a thistlewood farm bed? All your bedding is always so pretty and my Mama didn't teach me things like what duvets, coverlets, or euro shams are and or how to use them. :(
My daughter and I love the picture over the bed! Was it a project or did you buy it? Would love a how to if it was a project. Also, love all the different fabrics in the room. Would have been scared to do that myself, but they look beautiful together!
my twin boys decided they needed their own rooms when they turned 14. we spent an entire day taking down one set of bunkbeds (we had two sets of them) and put one in the new room and left the other in the old room. we moved things from around the house (and we had a big old 24-room house at the time) so that there was furniture for each of them, we moved clothes, hung pictures and by the end of the night, they each had a clean, new room. it worked for one day. when i went into one of the rooms the next morning, both of them were wedged in one bottom bunk sound asleep. when i asked them later why the one didn't sleep in his room, he said, "i got miss-you's and we had a sleep-over." two days later, we moved everything back. they stayed in the same room together until they left home.
What a CUTE loving story!!
Love the colors. I had all boys so I never got to do a girls room. Feel lucky. How wonderful to watch them grow year by year.
It's all good! Growing up is hard for Mom and Dad :)
I have a small, alright... HUGE, crush on the "rise and shine and give God the glory" sign! Perfect for over a bed! Any chance you know where I can get one, or did you use your creative juices and make it yourself?
How do you do an inspiration board like that? I'd love to make one for rooms in my house but don't know how! Looks like a good sense of style to me-- must take after their mother!
Karianne, I must say how much I loved the little thistles pretty-in-pink flower room! That said, how exciting it must be for you to partner together with your twin-tweens to decorate their new rooms and feel their expressive little decorator selves emerge! After all ...you're not painting over your memories of the cute pink room, and you have a well chronicled record of every nook and cranny to revisit it at anytime! I can't wait to see what y'all come up with for the new rooms! (BTW, I also loved the blue and yellow guest room! It looked so crisp and warm and inviting! You are a fabulous decorator my friend!) Have a great time on your current adventure in Alabama!
Great changes…love the grey color. Totally looks like a different room.
They're going to be beautiful! When my daughter's left home for their new lives, it was time to redo their bedroom. I found wads of gum on each side of their dresser. As we had a, CHAT, about that, they giggled, and told me they were having a contest to see which side could collect the most, uh, gum. Sister's! But I'm sure your's wouldn't do that.
I always thought grey was booooooring. That is until I met Miz KariAnne! You make grey exciting, You make me want to go out and purchase gallons and gallons of paint and then slather every room a shade of grey. I want white dishes and a gorgeous pantry filled with dishes that match. And then I want to go cut down a tree and get wood circles to put on my door. After that I have to go find the pops of color to make the chorus of angels sing in my new grey house. Thank you for changing my mind about grey :-) Big Hugs to you!!
Ooh ... what fun ... for you AND the girls. And of course, the guy moving downstairs is probably happy too! Sounds like your week is going to be wild. It'll be amazing, but try to sneak a little rest in, here and there too.
Well, obviously the girls are taking after their mama with their own amazing design talent!! Can't wait to see what you do in the space....and can I come stay in that beautiful guest room? :) Debbie
I feel your pain. Life here has been too busy to address the 12-year-old boy's room, but I sense that the cowboy theme is on its way out. (the cowboys are macho, not cartoon-ey, so I have a little wiggle room time-wise, but still ...). A friend told me years ago "I have enjoyed each and every stage my children have gone through"--sometimes I repeat that as a mantra. :)
Oh Kari........This is nothing compared to when they leave for college or get married! Having raised THREE girls I can tell you our home saw every color in the rainbow! But the saddest and happiest was when the only thing left in the room was her wedding gown hanging on the closet door waiting to be worn. Within that year we had one get married, one accept a new job in Florida and the youngest leave for college! Talk about an empty nest! So for now enjoy the new colors and remembering who's up and who's down! Have a blast in Alabama..... Lois
I wish I was at the show house helping you and being your gopher, sounds like so much fun (and work, I know). Congrats on the milestone in your house. My mom would always say to embrace the children growing. especially when they were growing healthy and happy!
Transitions are always so bittersweet! My younger two boys share a room and have bunk beds. They won't be able to have their own rooms until their older brother goes to college in a few years. The younger guys' room is overdue for a makeover - thanks for inspiring me to get it done!
Each transition leads to something more wonderful! Love the gray? Can you share name and brand please?
We are so very happy to have you here in Alabama! But where in Alabama? I bet it's not Birmingham or I would have heard about your arrival. We would have you as a guest on the Morning Show and we might have had a parade. No, I think it must be Mobile? No matter, we are just glad you are here. And, guess what? This weekend is the first college football weekend in the state. You've been here before. Are you gonna stay for all the football excitement?
I would have cried crocodile tears over those flowers but time marches on!!
Can't wait to see what you will do with the girls' rooms. Question: where did you get the blue and white fabric in the photo above?
Well ROLL TIDE ROLL!
Everything is going to look beautiful---I love the color combinations. Can you tell me the name and brand of the gray paint---looks perfect for what I want. Have fun in Alabama! Jane x
Oh KariAnne, what lovely colours the mini-Thistles have chosen....they have your design savvy! As physically exhausting as it must be to take all of this on all at once along with the house in Alabama, having to redo your daughters' bedroom must also be very emotionally exhausting. It's never easy to admit to ourselves that our babies are really no longer babies. But, along with the sadness, there is also an excitement...you are helping your babies grow up into beautiful young ladies...working alongside them and bonding like never before! I just know your daughters are going to love their new rooms...I hope they know how fortunate they are to have the benefit of their Mommy's awe-inspiring talent on their side! I can't wait to see how it all turns out...I'm rooting for all of you! :)
I can imagine a little tear over the flowers...the girls are growing up! I must say that their pink and brown bedroom decor was my most favorite girl's bedroom design EVER...a truly gorgeous living space. I know you will all come up with something AMAZING!
Awwww, the little Thistles are growing up. Such a bittersweet time. Hugs from CT!!! :)
I have a wash of sadness over me now...
KariAnne, I know this will sound crazy but I knew you were redecorating the twins room. It just popped into my head, not that they would have separate rooms though, but I had this feeling for no reason whatsoever that you were doing this big change, a few days ago. Strange I know! I love the colors already!
We are getting ready to redo my 13 (soon to be 14) year old's room. She has picked silver for the wall with turquoise accents. And she wants to ditch her day bed for a loft bed that daddy says he is going to build, one day! Good luck with the rearranging and decorating! Can't wait to see pictures!
I love that the Mini-Thistles chose the same chevron duvet as my daughter chose when it was time for her to transition from her pretty, pink ballerina toddler room to her pre-teen slice of heaven. It was hard for me, too. Why do they grow up so fast??? On the other hand, it is fun when they start watching HGTV and looking at decor magazines! :) Hugs, Michelle from simplysantabarbara.blogspot.com