Making An Entry

Gorgeous weather over the weekend inspired me to add some coastal flare to the entry table. 

I've  had this table for about 10+ years. I love the design but it need refreshed with a punch of color.
I wanted something that had a weathered look, so chalk paint was the best option for layering color.
I started by painting the entire table with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Duck Egg

I painted it with 2 coats so none of the black was showing through. Then I dry brushed a little bit of ivory chalk paint over it. (Annie Sloan Old White)
Remember when dry brushing, you are just putting a tiny bit of paint on the end of the paint brush.

This is an awesome color combo for that coastal look. However, I wanted to take it to the next step, and antique it to look aged.

I used Annie Sloan's Dark wax

You can do 1 or 2 layers of the wax, just buff each layer in between coats. I only used one coat and lightly buffed it.

Total this project took about an hour and a half...Amazeballs!!!

Love chalk paint!

Master Bedroom~ work in progress

This is not a very pretty post...but it usually looks worse before it looks better. This is the current state of our bedroom (not quite the "retreat" yet) but the master bedroom project is coming along!  Demo is complete and the "rebuild" has begun. 

"With Destruction Comes Renovation"     -Wally Lamb

The walls are now a creamy ivory (first coat at least) and the trim detail is going up...starting with new baseboards.

We removed our old 3" baseboards and replaced them with 5 1/4" ones (when it comes to baseboards...bigger is better in my opinion)

Next we go from bottom straight to the top....Crown Molding.

 We kept the existing crown and added a piece of trim molding about an inch below it and then painted the entire area. It gives the look of larger crown without the expense...gotta love that. This is just a primer coat, so we could see what it would look like, but you get the idea.

I have always loved older homes, even the window and door trim is more detailed than the typical "builder basic" style you see in most new homes today. One day I will own a hundred year old house that has all its original character, but until then I will just have to give my newer home a little old house style.

Out with the new and in with the Old ;)

The nail holes still need filled and sanded and painted but look I am loving the look already!!!

Next is chair rail and wainscoting

I wanted the look of larger wainscoting boxes at the top and smaller at the bottom so I didn't want the chair rail too high.  We put it about 3ft from the bottom of the baseboards. Once the chair rail is in place, we sketched out our measurements on the wall. When planing the size and layout of your boxes, make sure if you have specific pictures or prints that you want to hang on the wall, remember to incorporate that into your layout. 

For example: we have 2 prints that I want to keep on the wall with the tv so we planned our layout to fit around those. Also, it is easier if you cut a piece of wood (we used a large level) as the guide for the spacing between boxes.

Still need to fill in, sand and paint (as much as I love to paint, I am not looking forward to painting all this trim and then a final coat on the walls in between the trim...ugh!!  Y'all are welcome to come help!! :)

Next up is the wood accent wall in the sitting area...we started it just to see the color of the wood...here is a sneak peek. 

Stay tuned for a DIY on creating your own distressed wood planks and building a wood wall. 

Greetings of Love~ Valentines Wreath

Valentines is right around the corner and I'm so excited!
 A whole day dedicated to showing Love to others...seriously that's awesome!

 In preparation for Valentines, I really wanted to make a new wreath for my front door. (What's better than greeting family and friends with Love at the front door of your home?)
 
There are so many cute wreath ideas. You can make them with mesh, with ribbon, you can even make them with candy hearts.

I went into Hobby Lobby this weekend to get some ideas for the wreath and found the cutest stuff.
*glitter hearts, heart ribbon, pink/red/white chevron burlap--love it all!

 My front door is the first thing people see when they enter my home, it sets the tone, so I always make sure to stay true to my personal style when I decorate so that I will love it for a very long time.

Once I saw the chevron burlap, I knew that was the direction I wanted to go in.
The look of burlap is one of my favorites. It has become extremely popular recently, but it has been used in design and decorating for years. Not only for its durability but for it's natural appearance. "Understated elegance" is what I call it! 

There are a lot of different ways to make a burlap wreath, but this has been the easiest for me, and I love the look of the loops that it makes.

I start out by weaving a piece of floral wire thru the end of the burlap ribbon

 

Twist it at the end and secure it to the wire wreath.

 

Now you're ready to start making your loops. Take the opposite end of the ribbon and start weaving it in and out of the wire wreath.

Tip: always go over the wire when you start weaving. That way the loops always cover the wreath form.

 

Once you weave it thru, pull out the ribbon to the size of loop you want and then repeat

Getting started is the hardest part, after that it will go fast.

I scrunch the loops so that the wreath is really full

 

I used two rolls of burlap, so once you use the last of the first roll just use the floral wire to secure the end, and start the new roll the same way as in step 1.

 

 

 Once the burlap is complete, you are ready to start layering your decorations. There are so many different options from flowers, to ribbon, to ornaments. I am starting by adding some open weave burlap.  You simply secure the end using floral wire to the wire form in between your loops (so it is hidden)

   I love this  burlap cause you can weave ribbon thru it for an extra  layer of "pretty"!

 

 

Using floral wire secure the ribbon and burlap to the wire wreath between the loops.

 

At the top I used the extra open weave burlap to make a basic bow. Which will add a little texture under another bow (we are about to make)

 

 Hobby Lobby actually had bows already made with this chevron ribbon.  However, I took the bow apart to show you how to make one. (seriously, isn't this the cutest ribbon??) Love it!

 

First thing to do is get the tail length that you want, then fold the ribbon to make your first bow loop

 

Fold the ribbon in the back so that the right side of the tail of the bow is facing the front

Then fold your ribbon from side to side to make the remaining loops (determine the size of bow you want, the bigger the loops the bigger the bow, you can also do as many loops as you want)

 

Once you have the loops folded, fold the ribbon in the back (same as when you started) so the second tail is facing the front.

 

Scrunch the ribbon together in the center and wrap and secure with floral wire

 

To make a center loop, just take a small piece of ribbon and loop and secure it and then attach to the center of your bow

 

I wanted to hang this cute glitter heart from the bow, so I just attached it on the back

 

Now you can attach the chevron bow over the ivory one

(I love layering! It adds dimension and looks so cute)

 

The last decoration I'm using are some glitter heart ornaments

 

I attached one at each place that I secured the ribbon and then a few additional ones in between the burlap loops.

 

The best thing about these burlap wreaths, is once you make it you can just change out the décor for each season. Hobby Lobby had some of their Easter stuff out when I was there and I already have so many ideas for an Easter one.

 

 

Happy Valentines!