Projects among Projects...dealing with chaos

Good Morning!!!

Well, here is the state of things around my house this week...(today is day 3)

Day 1: brought a wonderful feeling of relaxation.  For the first time ever, someone else was painting my house other than me. I curled up with some magazines and a cup of tea after work and enjoyed my house becoming beautiful without lifting a finger.

Day 2: 6am-3pm- Still enjoying the sounds of the Latin music that has filled my home this week. The plastic that blocks each area of chaos makes it easier to ignore the mess, and I am loving the results of the paint!!

3:01pm on Day 2: I'm done with work, I can't cook cause my kitchen is off limits, its freezing outside so I don't want to take a walk...so what does a "hiper,  decorating obsessed women do while someone else is doing a project for her in her home??....she moves on to the next project! :)

           Painting picture frames for my gallery wall!

One day after I tell my wonderful painter Felix that it's so nice to not have to paint...he walks around the corner of the foyer and there I am painting frames and dancing to this Latin mix like Salma Hayek in "Fools Rush In"   

Before- (I have another gallery wall on the adjacent wall with all black frames, so I needed to lighten it up a bit)

After: Love!

Day 3: (Today)...I have eaten out for 2 days straight, my dogs have been in their crates for 2 days straight,  my kids have been playing and sleeping in the media room (which now has a "boy" smell..anyone with boys knows this smell..."toots, dirt and feet") for 2 days straight.

  

  As much as I love my new found friend Felix the painter...I will be...in the words of Duck Dynasty..." happy, happy, happy" when I get my home put back together!

Lamps where are you?

 For months I have been casually looking at accent tables for the wall behind my couch.  (The one we had was kinda small-see pic below)

I had commented on a few but never really picked one out. 

Well, my wonderful husband found and bought me the most perfect accent table ever and a bigger clock for the wall!! They're so pretty! I love everything about them from the size, to the design to the finish...gorgeous!!

The table could not fit this wall any better!! Perfection!

I am in love with the colors and patina on this clock!

He captured my style to a "T" even down to the french crown and words "Dream Country, Paris"

(the family tree vase is my favorite decor piece on this table- perfect for the living room where we all gather and spend the most time)

When the table was delivered my husband said "Now you can get two of those lamps you see everywhere and love- cause now you have enough room on this table!" (Love that man!!) But the lamps that I see everywhere are gone.  :(

Why is it that whenever Im not looking for something particular I see it everywhere.... and when I am looking for it, it's no where to be found?? (story of my life!) 

I am very much a "buy in store" kind of person. I like to see it and touch it before I buy it, so online shopping is scary for me.  However, I am willing to give it a try.

 So far this these are the lamps I have found that I like...what do y'all think? 

                         ( I love the ivory distressed candlestick look and the burlap shade)

The distressing on this one is so pretty but Im not crazy about the shade

The colors on this lamp are so pretty, I love the touch of green trim on the shade.

Thoughts?

One brush...3 colors...no cleaning

A few weeks ago I painted my accent clock and mirror.   I absolutely love the results of this finish!

Both the clock and the mirror had a black finish to start with.  Since they were more of a wood/plastic composite material and not actual wood, I used chalk paint so that I would not need to sand them. But, if you are painting wood and want to use regular paint then start by prepping the surface with liquid sand paper.

I did not take pictures of the clock as I was painting, so the tutorial will show the mirror but they were the same color to start.

The paint technique I used is called Dry Brushing.  Basically, you just layer different paint colors by only putting a little bit of paint on the tips of your brush and then lightly brushing it on. You want each layer of color to be visible thru the other.  (I had a paper plate that I would blot my brush on to remove any excess before applying.) 

Since I used chalk paint I did not need to use a primer, but if you are not using chalk paint then I suggest applying a light primer.

The first color I used was Gray Mist

(1st coat)

One light coat all over the surface

2nd coat was - French Vanilla, followed by washing lightly over the top with a little mint hue of some wall paint I had "Benjamin Moore Gray Owl OC-52" (I didn't wash my brush between colors, it added to the layers and made cleaning easy)

and lastly I sealed it with rubbing a little bit of walnut wax polish over the entire surface.

**If you are painting furniture or a surface that will be used a lot, I suggest using a glaze instead  of the wax or sealing it with a lacquer or polyacyrilic. **

(2nd coat)

(3rd coat)

Love the farmhouse feel it has!

Hello Spring!!

  I love to wake up...go outside and spring just hits you bang in the face...from the warmth of the sun to the sound of birds chirping! It's so refreshing...and this refreshed spirit gives me the urge to "spruce" things up.  Although projects never stop at my house, the urge is always deeper in Spring.

Our spruce started in December, with the beginning of the kitchen reno. Now that the cabinets are done, we are on to the next phase: painting the entire downstairs. Our color scheme is always very neutral, I love subtle colors that can be found in the outdoors. Our style is a mix of french farmhouse, and coastal chic with southern flare. The downstairs currently has creamy shades of ivory, with burlap accents and touches of lime green hydrangeas in every room. I want the walls to still be neutral, but with a hint of color. 

Inspiration began with these pictures...

          

I have painted many times in my life, but finding the perfect green is one of the toughest colors I have had to work with.

After many cans of samples and  color spots on every wall  in the downstairs, I have finally found the perfect paint colors for the downstairs.  Benjamin Moore Morning Dew OC 140 and Gray Owl OC 52  (of  which I colored matched in a Home Depot paint...of course!...the joys of being married to a Home Depot man!)

Paint is a very easy and inexpensive way to "spruce" up a room, but picking the perfect color can be the exact opposite, so here are a few tips that I took away from this experience.

Tip 1: paint a sample on every wall that you are putting the paint. Look at the sample over a few days. Every wall can look different with the same color on it, and the color changes throughout the day as different light hits it. 

Tip 2: if you are looking for a hint of color, look at the off white colors. (Benjamin Moore paint has it numbered with an OC before each number)

Tip 3: When you buy paint samples, buy them with a primer in them, so that you get the true color that you want instead of what it appears to be when it is painted over your existing wall color.

Tip 4: When looking at paint swatch cards, all the colors can start to look the same. So focus on the darkest color on the card. It has the most pigment in it which will show you a better example of the tones in the colors for that paint card.

Tip 5: when picking out a paint color for your ceiling that is a color other than white, always go one shade lighter. Ceilings cast shadows and will appear darker. 



Happy Painting Y'all!

***I would love to here about any projects that y'all are doing this spring***