In-law suite master bedroom to family room

This has been our biggest transformation yet!  We turned the in-law suite master bedroom into a cozy family room.  Here is a before shot of the bedroom when we first moved in:

I still have to paint the back of the fireplace opening black, but can you believe it?  Notice the archway to the right of the mantle.  That wasn't there before and J knocked that wall out to open it into the main living area.  Man my hubby is crafty!!!  He built the fireplace and bookshelf from some pictures I drew and I did the mantle myself.  It was very therapeutic beating the crap out of that wood to get the old distressed look I was going for.

These trees are all made out of old boxes and cardboard and paper I had laying around the house.

Here's a close up of my decor and the mantle.

Below is a pillow I made out of a pretty place mat.  I just painted a "Q" on it because I can never find things monogrammed with our last name.

I have the shelves decorated with Christmas frames and pictures with Santa right now.

I made this "noel" out of scraps of paper and cardboard as well after an inspiring post I saw on Pinterest.

The pillows in the background I made out of some old curtains.  They are simply easy slip covers for my existing pillows and acrylic paint lettered on to say "merry christmas".

To dress up my french doors, I hung red curtains and wrapped garland and candy canes around the top.

Meanwhile......

While I was busy redoing the play room, J was busy finishing the wainscoting in the family room.  He also finished his arch where we knocked out a wall.  It's beautiful!!!  Don't mind the mess....

 

I also talked J into installing a chair rail in the half bath.  I have no clue how I want to redo this area and can't decide on a color at all!

I keep my man busy too.  You see, last week I begged J to drag home an old railroad tie for another project.  Here is my inspiration for why I needed and had to have that "heavy ass piece of junk wood" as he calls it....



But I also really really liked the look of these two fireplaces too...






Well, after a heavy debate over breakfast, here is a teaser of what J built for me a few hours later in my semi-formal living room!  I seriously CAN NOT wait for this project to be complete!  It had dramatically changed the living space already so stay tuned.