Monday, April 30, 2012

Those Wing Chairs...

Remember those wing chairs I started forever ago...Well. I sort of gone 3/4 of the way done, lost my mind (those wings!) and threw them in the garage. Today I decided it was time to get started again and see if I can at least finish one by the end of the month. There are 2. Punch me now. 

Here is what one of them looks like right now. 


The fabric is just canvas from Harbor Freight (washed with bleach to soften). The legs are painted Annie Sloan Duck Egg, but they will be getting a white or French Linen coat over the top, because I'm not really liking the blue.  From this angle, she isn't looking so bad. From this angle. Did I tell you I broke one of those tiles working on this chair. Seriously. (It is currently hot glued down because the baby likes to pull it up and use it as a weapon).

This is the front living room. The chairs will be replacing those white ones on the right (by the way, in the interest of full disclosure, the matching leather loveseat is directly behind those white chairs. Because I have no idea what to do with it.)

Details my friends, minor details. I think those wing chairs will look really great in here. Someday. When I can finish them. In the meantime...

...I decided that I didn't want the SW Oyster bay on the columns of the dining room anymore. The front living room is SW Comfort Gray, and the dining room is Oyster Bay (one shade darker). But I think the columns should be BM Grant Beige now so I don't have a weird line of demarcation next to my kitchen where one ends and the other begins.That explains the Grant Beige splotches all over the place, right?



All in a day's work friends. The baby will wake soon - I better get back to tearing my house apart.

xo-Chris

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Shut the Front Door!

Because you can only read about a nursery project for so long before you abandon ship...I am going to mix it up a little bit today and talk about my obsession love of unexpected color on a front door. 


Who wouldn't smile walking up to one of these doors?

Yellow is cheerful and welcoming...Who hasn't seen this picture a million times and thought "I'm going to go paint my front door yellow right this very minute". Me...that's who. (Still contemplating it).


Blue is calming...I adore this combination.


And of course there are always what I like to refer to as the old standby's...red, brown, black. Most of the houses in my neighborhood have cranberry, dark brown and black. Never being one to "fit in"...I like to repaint my door about once a year. Why not orange...or coral...or....TURQUOISE (be still my heart)!

I've been working on getting the front entry area spring-i-fied. Currently, my door color is BM Wythe Blue (turquoise). Wanna see? The siding color is a Sherwin Williams gray that I can't quite remember off the top of my head. But it gives me a lot of leeway with door colors. 




I made the wreath out of coffee filters...The urns were from Goodwill. $8 ea. Ferns are fake from Hobby Lobby (the urns are not good at drying up). The rug is from Grocery Outlet...$5. The little bell on the side of the house was from a garage sale for $2. Adirondack chair is from Harbor Freight. $30. You do NOT have to spend a ton of money to make it beautiful.

 The bench (with her fancy new yellow coat of paint) was a hand-me-down from my sister. And those super awesome flower boxes? Habitat Re-Store. $3 each. They are old vintage, and exactly what the front of my house needed...


I still love coming home to this color. Go get crazy with a paint brush. Want some more inspiration for Wythe Blue? Love lovity love this color!




So. What are you waiting for? Go get crazy with your bad selves!

xo-Chris

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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Nursery...still???

There is something in my DNA that makes me start one project...not finish it...and be super inspired to start another one. I'm pretty sure, after browsing blogland, that I share this trait with others. So, in true me style, I couldn't stand the board and batten job I had done in the nursery. I saw an inspiring nursery (check it out below) and decided it was TIME! So that very next day, I ripped out all the wood/caulk/bits of drywall, and had a pretty scarred wall. But I had an idea. An idea that I could tackle by myself (because when you are married to someone who isn't as obsessed with home as you are, that is important).

See?

 See the bead board in the picture up there? AMAZING - that's the Martha Stewart bead board wallpaper. It's thick and foam like. It isn't pre-pasted so there is no putting it in the bath tub, dripping all the way back to the room, sticky puddle messes. Nope. You slap your glue on the wall with a roller, and you put your paper on it. That's it. It was great. AND it covered up my terrible no good very bad board and batten job. (Again, never let me do that again while pregnant...seriously). 


In the meantime, I stenciled the wall...the top still isn't done. And then I got inspired to repaint the crib. Because this is how all good room re-do's go. Right?


Yep - that's a stencil stuck to the wall up there...that part isn't the most fun. And yep. The bead board is in the process of being painted...along with the dresser. On the other side of the room. With the buckets of paint sitting on it. Ahem. I am waiting for Target to restock those mirrors up there. Apparently they carry one at a time. 

Progress is still progress...however you get there. It's looking super cute, what do you think?

xo-Chris

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Friday, April 20, 2012

Nursery. Almost there! (again)

I've been working on the nursery (nevermind that miss girl is 15 months...she needed a redo) a little bit at a time while she has been awake. It's been difficult because hanging wallpaper/painting/stenciling etc is VERY difficult with a toddler wrapping herself around your arms/legs/painted projects. Sheesh. The good news is, the wallpaper is up! WHOO HOO. It turned out great. I still have to paint it, and trim the sides out I think, but it looks so much better than that mess I did while pregnant.  Here's a sneak peak...
Martha Stewart Beadboard Wallpaper
I have used (and created a horrid mess) the prepasted stuff from Lowes - everyone said it was so easy...it must have been me. Martha's is not prepasted and is a heavy foam type paper - I rolled the glue up and everything was easy breezy from there...except for the toddler. It looks so pretty - now I'm repainting the crib and thinking about some fabric I need to go pick up to make it all work. I have stenciled the wall (not quite finished) and repainted her rocking chair and dresser. Whew! It's been busy around here. Can't wait to show you the finished product!

Oh oh. She's awake. Guess that means I better get busy. 

xo-Chris

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Note to Self

Dear Self
Never, EVER again are you allowed to work with wood and caulk while you are pregnant. Now you have a big nasty wall mess that you have to deal with when all you wanted to do was do a little project in the nursery and it ain't pretty. NEVER again. You make me crazy.

Love,
Self

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Coral, Pink and Turquoise Nursery

I haven't shown pics of my girly little's nursery - I had gone with a pink and turquoise scheme and then let it go. It didn't quite meet my expectations, it was cute, and I had made my own bedding using the Shabby Chic Hydrangea line at Target - but as usual...I got decorating a.d.d. I found the bedding I wanted before I knew I was having a girl on Craigslist for SUPER cheap - the Pottery Barn Penelope line...so I switched over to that. It's so sweet. (I'd show a picture, but miss girl is taking a snooze, and I don't dare interfere with that snoozy goodness). 
But, the turquoise and pink still calls my name. And then, last night I accidentally found this picture while looking for inspiration.

via

I think what my room was missing was the coral - which adds depth I think. I ADORE this room. My wall color is Pink Moire by BM. And I already have a little can of Cloudburst by Behr that I added an inch or two of white to make it softer and creamier. So all I need is the Hopeful by SW for that burst of coral. Totally rational, right???
 
So, the a.d.d. continues. I'm not the only one, right? 

xo-Chris

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Where have I been?

I certainly did not intend to take a gi-hugic sabbatical from my little blog...but things got hectic and at the end of the day, I didn't feel like doing anything but becoming a puddle on the couch. So, I'm still here. I have done a few projects...(painted a few kitchen cabinets, which REALLY got me in the mood to do the whole entire thing!) and some gardening...Now the kids are home for spring break and my oldest son turns 8 tomorrow, then baptisms Saturday and Easter Sunday. Whew! So I will be back Monday, paintbrush in hand, to show you what I've been up to. Assuming I survive the weekend.

Hope  you are still here :)

Chris