Rare and Beautiful Treasures: May 2010

Wynn is 2 Months Old!

And as you can see, this is shocking news! :)

But he is still so tiny, which mommy loves.

and quite snuggly

and easy on the eyes :)

Speaking of eyes-check out those peepers! :)

I have shared, here on this blog, many rooms in our home. Today I am sharing something different. Today I am sharing a space that says “people who truly love each other live in this house.”

I am going to tell you about a closet.

But first, I must first tell you about a room.

This is A and B’s bedroom. If you are a new reader, A and B are my 6 and 4 year old nephews who we helped to raise until they moved 700 miles away last year. You can read more about my relationship with A and B, here.

When they lived nearby, A and B spent the night frequently and when we built this house we wanted them to have their own spot in it. I had so much fun picking out and buying their beds and mattresses and my mom made their blue ticking stripe bedding.

But then the boys moved. Far enough away that visits would be few and far between and there really was no longer a need to keep that room as "A and B’s room." Mr. Marvelous was looking forward to making lemonade out of lemons, and turning that room into a home office. Not because he didn’t miss the boys but because men just process emotions differently than women and he is a “make lemons out of lemonade” kind of guy.

My husband has two main interests: history/genealogy and North Carolina State University sports. Our old house had a home office that was more or less a hodge podge museum of Henry the VIII/ his progeny and Jimmy Valvano. A lot of his things stayed in storage after we moved so that A and B could have their room.

But after the boys were gone, I just couldn't pack that room and put the things into the basement to store. I wanted A and B to be able to come back and visit, and even if only one time and ten years out, have their room still be here. My marvelous husband understood.

He left the room as it was.

And he made a home office out of A and B’s closet.

Yes, the closet.

He left that room for A and B, but most of all he left it for me.

So ya, our master bedroom was featured on HGTV.com but that closet says more about this home and our family than all of our other rooms combined.

So here it is. The space in our house wherein love abides. Long-suffering and forever devoted. The one space that truly deserves to be featured anywhere.

Beautiful, huh?

Frequently Asked Questions

Hi Friends! I have been receiving a lot of questions by email that I thought I would answer by way of a post for all to read. Thanks for stopping by today!

Question: What are the paint colors in your master bedroom?

Answer: Most of the paint colors in our house are by Porter Paints. Our master bedroom is painted in Porter Paints' Cream Coverings. This color is very similar to Sherwin Williams Softer Tan if Porter Paints is not available in your area. The trim work is Porter Paints' French Cloth.

Question: Tell me more about your kitchen-what is the paint color, countertop material, etc.?

Answer: Details on the kitchen are as follows! :)

Paint color is Ralph Lauren River Rapids, available through Home Depot. If Home Depot has pulled Ralph Lauren paint colors already (they are being discontinued), ask at the paint counter as they still have the formula to mix the colors. It is my go-to paint color, I love it. It's the perfect barely-there blue. It looks grey as all get-out on the paint chip, don't be fooled. :)

Our kitchen countertops are black pearl granite. I get questions as to whether the black shows a lot of fingerprints, scratches, etc. and can honestly say I've been very happy with it. We haven't had any scratching or staining. It might show smudges/fingerprints more than a lighter granite would, but this is the only granite I have had so I can't really compare. :)

Question: What type of hardwood floors do you have?

Answer: Our hardwood is Brazilian walnut by Bellawood, purchased through Lumber Liquidators. I shopped all over for the best deal I could find on hardwood and Lumber Liquidators was the winner. They were great to answer questions and their staff do not work on commission. As for the walnut itself, we LOVE LOVE LOVE this floor. It is a very hard hardwood-harder than oak. Be careful not to confuse it with American Walnut which is softer. It has been very resistant to scratches. It's only downfall is that it is rather dark and shows everything and must be cleaned often! (I use a METHOD brand dry mop.)

Question: Where did you get your kitchen table?

Answer: We sort of built it. It started out as the Martha Stewart Farmhouse Table for Kmart. Love this table, wish it was still available so I could link for you. We had the table for a year and I thought the plain white looked too plain, so I convinced Mr. Marvelous to take the top off the table and build a new table top with planks of wood we purchased from Lowes, stained a blue grey. We aren't much of a DIY team like other bloggers out there, which is why there wasn't a post or tutorial on this project when we did it last summer. We are more of a "stumble through, pray hard, hope it doesn't fall apart" kind of team. So far our prayers have worked regarding the kitchen table.

Question: What is the color of the exterior of your house?

Answer: Porter Paints' Belville Grey

Question: When is your crib bedding line going to be ready for me to see/purchase?

Answer: Thank you so much for your interest!! I am working, slowly and as time permits, on getting things designed and sewn and a website up and running. My number one job right now is being a mommy to Wynn and wife to Mr. Marvelous and everything else is secondary... that said, I hope that God opens doors for me in this endeavor and that I am excited to see what I can do as time permits!

Design File: Bedrooms

This is the second installment of "the Design Files." Today's Design File is a collection of all the beautiful bedrooms featured on Rare & Beautiful Treasures over the past two years. All Design Files are linked in the top navigation bar for ease of use and inspiration! If you feel a source is incorrect, please leave a comment so that I can make the correction. :)