And then tonight, my grandmother was featured on My Parents Were Awesome! Isn’t she beautiful? She’s back home in Iowa and will be tickled when I tell her how many people have “liked” her photo on Google Reader! Here are a few more photos of her and my ridiculously handsome grandpa, who passed away when I was in elementary school and is very much missed…

On Thanksgiving Ben and I painted our bedroom (well, three of the four walls) with black chalkboard paint. It’s obviously not for everyone, but I am absolutely in love with it. LOVE.

(See what the bedroom used to look like here.) The chalkboard paint was inspired by Jenna Lyons’s Brooklyn Brownstone, which has been featured in both Domino and LivingEtc and coveted by millions. If I could live in any house in the world, it just might be hers. (Or maybe this one — Steventon House, on the property where Jane Austen lived!)

The rug and grey roller shades are from IKEA and — guess what, Mom? That’s what you got me for Christmas! Thanks! There are still a lot of other things in transition in the bedroom — like the bedding, for example. For now I just got rid of the old duvet cover, replaced the old sheets with the ones from our guest bed, and dug the blanket out of the back of a closet. I actually like the look, but we are badly in need of a new feather comforter! I’d also like to replace the nightstand with a gold table I’ve got my eye on, and I’ve got a new bedside lamp in my sights too — both from my absolute favorite store, Jayson Home & Garden. It’s almost enough to make me pack up and move to Chicago!

Over here I painted my old green dresser black as well, and the lamp — which was a steal from a Weatherford antiques store — got a coat of black paint too.  The Bertoia chair is shortly to be replaced by a gorgeous rust-colored velvet armchair — I can’t wait! And the antique Belgian painting on the dresser is my Christmas present from Ben! (Yes, I obviously have a problem waiting for Christmas…)

On the wall over here is a vintage UK bus roll from Economica’s etsy shop. I’d been wanting one for a long time and this one is just beautiful.

I cannot keep the cats out of this bedroom. They love it almost as much as I do. And have I mentioned that I love it? Love love love it.

Okay, on to the next project: A month or so ago we wallpapered one wall of the dining room with the Cole & Son woods wallpaper you see everywhere.

(See what the dining room used to look like here.) As soon as we started hanging it, I kept saying “omigosh, I love this even more than I thought I would!” We also took out the area rug in here to expose the wood floors and replaced the dark red curtains with some light, airy panels from IKEA to brighten the whole room up a bit. That part of the makeover at least was cheap!

As soon as I got over my fear of putting holes in the wallpaper, we hung a couple sets of antlers — which I somehow find simultaneously repulsive and awesome.

The mercury glass is usually the centerpiece in here, but we add the red for the holidays.

And over on the other side of the wallpapered wall is this fantastic mailbox — another score from the Weatherford antiques store!

These were definitely the two most dramatic changes around the house recently, but I’ve got some other stuff to show you too, so check back soon. You know, we’ll probably never be able to move now, since there aren’t too many people who’d be into black walls and wallpaper — but that’s okay by me! I’ll guess I’ll just have to stay here forever!

. . . I wanted to pass along these fabulous FREE gift tags, from Inside a Black Apple:

They’re adorable!  Download them here, then just print ‘em out and stick ‘em on your packages for an extra special touch!

Happy wrapping!

This is my favorite ornament: my husband’s childhood handiwork . . .

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season!