Looking For Inspiration....

Hello friends, I have been surfing the internet lately and looking for rooms that inspire me. As you know I have been trying to brighten up my decor and take it from dull and dowdy to light and fabulous. 

Here are some beauties that make my heart race...

Love the cottage roses on the pillows and the pale green bedside table.  

 The pretty blue rug really acts like a lovely frame for the beautiful table and chairs

 A cottage bedroom even a man would love

 Always room for beadboard! What says 'clean bathroom' than all white!

 Loving the POP of red in this living room

 What guest would ever want to leave this inviting guest room...on second thought, maybe that's not such a good idea. You know the old saying "fish and relatives stink after 3 days".

 OK....my heart stopped at the sight of these awesome vintage tablecloth chair covers!!!!

Keep your mouth closed while you sleep or you might find yourself chewing on paint chips in the morning  ;-)

I adore the curtain under the farm house sink. I might have to unscrew my doors beneath my sink and copy this look.

So that is what has been inspiring me lately...how about you?

Many thanks to the Better Homes and Gardens website

Until next time...be kind and stay creative.

What I Did Inside Instead Of Being In The 100 Degree Heat Outside

Hello friends...hope all of you had a wonderful weekend. Mine was ....how do I say it...HOT! I'm not talking Brad Pitt in 'Legends of the Fall' hot. 

So Dreamy.....

I'm talking 97-100 degrees and humid Hot! 

So to amuse myself, I decided to keep it all indoors this weekend and paint the television table I bought a few weeks ago. We finally joined the rest of the world and became proud owners of an HD flat screen TV.  

I am soooo not up with all the new technology. 

First of all, I have to say that I don't know if I like seeing everyones pores and wrinkles...way too much information for me and very distracting. Bet the plastic surgeons in LA had a boom in their practices when HD was introduced.

Back to my painting...bye Brad..........please wait for me in the other room.

The local unfinished furniture store was closing it's local location and having a 25% off sale. I had been meaning to pop in to look for a TV stand..perfect timing!

This is what I decided on. Perfect height and width. Love the two cupboards, which I think I might install some shelves in. The open middle area for something decorative and fun. Perfect! Now to decide on a color.

I went with Behr Premium Plus with the primer included. I love this paint...no odor, dries fast and beautiful color choices. I wanted something light, but not white. I chose very pale blue called Offshore Mist...don't you love that name. I want that job... naming paints.

I started on the inside because it is the hardest to reach. That way I am not reaching in and getting paint on my arms from the outside areas. I used one of those 7 inch skinny rollers (not foam!) and a small brush for smoothing. Worked great and was extremely fast.

Looking good so far. This is a good photo of the roller and brush I used. Of course I sanded after each coat to give it a really smooth finish. I had this table painted in less than 2 hours. It helped to have a ceiling fan directly above me...sped up the drying process. I am loving this color! I'll let the paint 'cure' a good two days before I place the TV on it.

It was time for a break while the paint dried.

My man braved the thorns and picked me some lovely wild blackberries from our property. They made a  yummy blackberry,banana and strawberry smoothie with vanilla almond milk. Can you believe they make milk from almonds!! What will they think of next?

OK...I'm keeping it real here. This is the old TV entertainment center. That term always cracked me up...Entertainment Center.....makes the TV stand sound like an amusement park. I bought this baby back in 1987 and I was the envy of my neighbors...kinda. VCR's were being introduced...yes I'm THAT old! Until then we only needed a table big enough for the TV..now we need a CENTER!

So out with the OLD............

and in with the NEW!

I simply love it...sleek, but not too contemporary. Great finish with a hint of color which looks beautiful against the pale grey walls. Have not decided what to do about knobs...paint the wooden ones or purchase two metal ones...what do you think?

One more thing....My man is the ultimate perfectionist when it comes to renovations or anything to do with putty, caulking or repairing tiny flaws. Me...I could care less..as The Nester says " it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful"

We fought over this teeny..tiny nick in the wood. He wanted to fill it in and I wanted to leave it. I had to fend him off with a stick every time he came at it with some putty. I won, but I will forever hesitate to leave him in the house alone...ever! If I ever hear him downstairs in the middle of the night I know what he will be up to.

I'm watching you Mr. Federal Agent man!!!!!!!!!

Until next time..be kind and stay creative.

Joining in with Jennifer at Hope Studios for Tutorial Tuesday!

Billy Idol Is Escorting Her Down The Aisle

Hello friends..... well after many hours of searching for the right materials and playing with design and placement, she is finished.

May I introduce my newest and most labor intensive Couture Apron.

It's a great day for a White Wedding!

White Wedding
The inspiration for this beauty was the 1982 hit song White Wedding by rocker Billy Idol.

This art apron has all the features of a bridal gown. Pearl buttons, faux diamonds, lace, embroidery, ruching, ruffles and gathers and layers upon layers of lushness. 

 She even has a bridal veil!

Feminine ruching and pearls. 

 Very unique vintage rhinestone flower pin.

Layers of lace, embroidery and loveliness...all thrifted of course. Who says you can't get married on a budget! 

 Detachable handmade lace rose Brooch with faux diamond center.

Of course she has to have a hidden pocket...hey a gal has to have a place for her secrets.

Well there she is and she is already on display in my Etsy shop.

Until next time...be kind and stay creative.

I'm joining in with Kathleen at White Wednesday and Everything Etsy's "I Made It" Thursday and 'Follow Friday' with Java and Never Growing Old. Come meet more great bloggers.

Dining Room Makeover Reveal!

Hello friends.  Lately I have been going through a 'Out With The Dark..In With The Light' mood when it comes to home decor. I have been restyling my home these last few months and am excited to show you some results so far. I have more work to do and will be showing you photos as I progress. But this is what I have completed so far....... 

Ten years ago I painted and papered my dining room in a green and gold pallette. I loved it then and for many years after.

Lots of crocheted doilies and runners and assorted picture frames..some wood..some not.

Dark floral valance...dust collecting berries on the chandelier. I needed a major change and I was tired of all the dark.

 First to go was the border

After admiring the many design blogs (is there a seat on the bandwagon Nester?) and all the other post about board and batten wall trim, we decided that was what we wanted for this room. Note: these are not the boards we ended up using..you'll see why.

I went with Behr Ultra paint & primer in one. My colors were Silvered Sage and Bleached Linen. This stuff was wonderful! Went on smoothly, no lingering odor, dried fast and it covered beautifully!

I used a satin finish for the top and semi-gloss for below the rail. Already I was loving the change

We went to our local Home Depot, followed Nester's advice and bought a sheet of MDF and had them cut all our boards for us. How is that for easy! Hint: insist on a new blade for a clean cut. We asked nice and they we happy to oblige. Hey all they could say was 'NO'...it is worth asking.

 My hubby cut the slats to the correct height and I sanded them. I applied one coat of paint before I adhered them to the wall. I used Liquid Nails Paneling Adhesive to glue the boards to the wall. Let me tell you...this stuff grabs and holds like an iron grip and was so easy to work with..lots of play time if needed. Leaving it set overnight, I then caulked around the boards and painted the whole bottom wall with more Bleached Linen.

I bought this gold frame years ago from a ritzy shop going out of business. I never knew what to do with it. The giant M was picked up at Hobby Lobby on sale. It was a creepy gold and I spray painted it black and mounted it inside the gold frame..perfect!

 I also spray painted all my outdated and old wood frames black. Much cleaner and I think the photos are presented better.

All the plates on the walls were found at my local Salvation Macy's (Army). They ranged from $1 to $6 and are all vintage or antiques. Such an inexpensive and beautiful way to decorate. 

The window treatments are my favorite feature of this makeover. I wanted a clean and simple white panel look. I searched for drapes and was not happy with anything in the stores. On one of my thrifting trips, I spotted a large white Ikea heavy cotton bed sheet for $1.99. It was Wednesday and you all know everything is 25% off at the Salvation Macy's on Wednesdays. So for $1.50 I was the happy owner. I cut the sheet in half and used the hem for the header pocket...No sewing!!!!!!!!! Does it get any easier than that?

PS...I am sooooooo tempted to paint my dining room set! Not sure if I have the nerve ;-(

This is exactly the look I was going for..I am so happy with the end result.

This sweet thrift store tier table got the spray paint treatment also...can you tell I becoming addicted to spray paint? 

Gone are the many doilies and table runners (I'll use them for my aprons!) Gone is the heavy, dark area rug. Now when I come into this room I get a feeling of serenity and simplicity. I'm sure the whole makeover was done for less than $100.00...paint (2 gal), wood, plates and bed sheet. I can handle that.

I still have a few more things to change. I will be spray painting the chandelier and recovering the chair seats. I'll keep you posted on those jobs.

Next I will be revealing the living and sitting room and kitchen. I liked the color 'Bleached Linen' so much, I decided to paint my kitchen cabinets. I'm such a glutton for punishment.

Until next time...be kind and stay creative.

Against All Odds

Image by Janet

Sometimes I feel like this little clover plant. Determined to take root and thrive against all odds. Do you ever feel like that?

Until next time...be kind and stay creative...and THRIVE!

Sneak Peak In My Studio

  Hello friends, to begin I would like to thank all of you who posted the many happy comments about baby Liam. I get to meet him this weekend and I'm so very excited. I adore babies!

Ok...so what have I been up to ...well you know my sister Joanne and my Mom came for a visit. We had such a great time and I miss them already. My sister Jo always makes me laugh and she and my hubby together are hilarious. They have the same sarcastic sense of humor and they seem to feed off of each other. It is a joy to witness ;-) 

We had a wonderful time and Joanne got to experience my Salvation Macy's, where she scored a lovely pair of crystal candlesticks for a couple of bucks. She is now an official Thriftress!

Now on to creative stuff. I have finally and officially jumped on the spray paint band wagon. I LOVE this stuff!! I have been reading about the great results all you gals have been getting and the cool furniture makeovers on the many design blogs. I drove myself over to my local Home Depot, which I am happy to say is 5 minutes away and was in awe of the many gorgeous colors and types of spray paint. I choose Rustoleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover 2x in Heirloom White Satin. I took a hint and also purchased the nozzle adapter...so worth the couple of bucks....no finger fatigue! You can read more about this great product here.

The first item I tackled was an occasional table I had purchased at a thrift store ages ago. Always wanted to do something with it, but wasn't sure what. Spray paint here I come! First I washed it really well and dried it. I then primed it with Rustoleum spray primer in white. Sprayed about three coats of the Heirloom color and left it to dry.

This is a little plant stand that I decided to paint also. I did the same...wash, prime and paint. 

I think they turned out beautifully! It is hard to tell in the photo, but I aged the edges with fine grit sandpaper and I might rub some stain here and there. 

This photo shows the soft creaminess of this color. It is not a stark white, it has a hint of cream in it. I'm thinking of maybe doing a chipped china inlay on the piecrust top. What do you think??

I have also been in the studio working on something I have been planning for a while. I have been searching and hunting for just the right materials for her. 

She is not ready for her debut, but I will give you a little sneak peak.....

Lovely doilies and handmade Yo-Yo's....

 Beautiful lace and embroidery work...

 Delicate gossamer linens...

With just a hint of color.......

Ok...that's enough, you will have to wait to see her in all her glory. She is still all needles and pins.

I will be headed to New York this weekend while the man keeps track of things on the home front. I have a wedding shower for my nephew's bride to be. Sara, if you are reading this, turn your head away NOW!!!!   The above photo is the spot where my nephew proposed to his lady. It is a lovely spot in the beautiful oriental gardens at Innisfree in Millbrook, NY. Take a minute to click on the link, it is a spectacular Asian inspired garden and I know you will not be disappointed.

Here is my take on that pretty proposal spot. I painted it on a small 6 x6 in wrap around canvas with the painting continued all around the sides. If you look close you can see a little bench to the left of the tree and under the bridge. Maybe that's where he got on one knee and proposed. I have named it "She Said Yes" and will give it to her at the shower. I hope she likes it. 

So my friends...that's what I have been up to. I hope you have all been enjoying your summer.

Until next time...be kind and stay creative.