Sunday, October 13, 2013

Sandy's Cabinet Makeover


Last June, I joined Curves. I've been going 5 days a week and love it. These are my own thoughts and, believe me, no one would pay me for them!

When I first started at Curves, I noticed a darling old cabinet that needed some paint!

Of course, I volunteered to rescue it.

Some might think "refinish it", but I always think paint. In this case, Annie Sloan's Paris Gray to be exact.

It turned out too sweet for my taste.

But the owner, Sandy, liked it in the pictures, so I took it back to her to let her see it in person and decide if she wanted me to add some dark wax.


The before was sad. Some of the trim pieces were in the drawer, some pieces were missing, and the drawer itself was wonky.


I used some clamps and Elmer's wood glue to attach the thin pieces of trim back on. Sadly, I felt really crafty when it actually worked!



The wood was dried out and really brittle. I don't think anyone would want to use sandpaper on wood that's so brittle and thin.


Sandy has red at home, in her bedroom, where she plans to put the cabinet.

The more we looked at it... and thought about it... the more we thought it should be black.




So, soon little cabinet will get a coat of black paint to toughen her up a little. Not all of us can be prim and proper, right?

Hope your weekend was cool enough to enjoy it!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Pottery Barn Pillow


Are you like me? I often regret buying things.

That's not the case with this pillow I purchased at Pottery Barn last week.


I put it on the couch, across from my favorite chair, so I can see it all the time.

Wild Bill is so tired of hearing me tell him how much I love that pillow!

I'm not an "orange" person normally, but the soft oranges of the pillow have me dreaming of painting the walls a spicey color.


The pillow has lots of texture, something the living room really needs. I tend toward the bland and have recently been painting everything white.

This pillow made me realize I really need some color in my life.


The pillow also inspired me to get out my Fall and Halloween decorations.

This scarecrow is from Cracker Barrel, a chain restaurant here in the South.

I bought him 3 years ago. Cracker Barrel doesn't carry him anymore, but he could be easily made.


I put him on a chair in the living room with some lighted pumpkins I bought a few years ago at Walmart.

Love those pumpkins. They were only a few dollars and they're still burning after so long a time.




Getting a good picture is almost impossible for me since my photo skills are so low.

My Christmas request from Santa is a good camera that I vow I will read the directions and learn to use properly!


I'm joining the following parties:

http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com

http://homedecorbyeva.blogspot.com/


Sunday, September 29, 2013

House Tour Favorite Part 2


Here's part 2 of my favorite house on our local tour of homes.

Judging by the comments, most people love that dining room light as much as I do! 

We left off in the kitchen...


The kitchen had a great walk-in pantry.




Everything was organized and labeled.
Love the baskets with chalkboard tags
of course.
 

And the decorator obviously shares my
love of free-standing plate racks!
 



That's Wild Bill's hand ready to do
a "Vanna White" presentation of
the built-in ice maker.
 

The man taunted me by pointing out the
ice maker. He knows I want one badly!
 

The master bathroom had a walk-in shower with no doors. Another thing high on my "perfect house" list. Have I mentioned how I hate
cleaning glass shower doors?
 



Outside the master bedroom was a built-in shelving/storage unit.


Here's a peak at what everyone in the living room was going out the door to see...the patio.
 
The house is newly built and for sale,
so no trees or landscaping yet
except for grass.


This is just a small part of the patio. That's a flat-screen TV over the fireplace. The floor is stamped and stained concrete.

I'm glad you stopped by and want you to know I love reading your comments! Hope your Sunday was cooler like ours today. Yay Fall!

I'm sharing at the following:

http://missmustardseed.com

http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com

http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com




Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Tour Of Homes Favorite House


We did a tour of new homes last week. This was my favorite house and here's the reason why...




 It was love at first sight for me and that dining room!

 


 
Really love those lights and the blue/green in the kitchen too.



Love all the different colored cabinets...white, blue/green, natural wood, tan. I could've moved in right there and then.



That's my 90 year old father-in-law feeling up the granite. He's my partner when it comes to touring houses. He loves to see the "high-dollar" ones as much as I do!


I'll be back with part two soon as there are too many pictures for one post. Here's a sneak peek at the stairway going up to the bonus room.

 
 
 
Sharing at the following parties:
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Boatmen


There were many stories of bravery and determination on 9/11/2001. Here's one that touches my heart and makes me proud to be a fellow American to these "Boatmen" of New York.


I hope you will take a moment to view this short video narrated by Tom Hanks. I discovered it on another blog, so to give that blog the credit, I've just linked to their post:


http://pigtown-design.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-911-story.html






Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Vintage Plate Rack Up-Grade


Let's talk plate racks. Yeah, I love them!

I've found it's cheaper to buy vintage ones
and fix them up. This one was just $12.
I bought it at a junk shop in town.
 

It was gold when I bought it.

I didn't care how bad the finish looked
because I planned to paint it with some
leftover ASCP in Paris Gray.



 
Ummm, I didn't care for it in gray...

 
It seemed too pale, especially
for the Fall season coming up.
 
Then I thought about the Amy Howard
One-Step Paint, which I had
purchased recently.


I purchased it in black to paint a piece of
furniture. I really loved the finish on the
sample I saw in the shop selling the paint.


So I painted the plate rack,
and a few other things, to test it out.


The finish seems smoother and more
chalky than the other chalk paints.
 
While I was at it, I painted the little
chalkboard that the pig holds. 


I went back to the store recently and
bought some more of Amy Howard's
paint in both a creamy white and a gray.
 
The shop owner told me Amy Howard's
paint has been around for decades.
The paint formulas were based on the
paint found on old European furniture.
 
The opinions expressed here are my own.
I received no compensation...not even
free paint! I just really love this paint.
 

Joining the following...
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Livvie Lu And The 75-Cent Dress


 
Remember the 75-cent dress I bought at a 
yard sale for little Livvie Lu to wear?
 
 
Her mama finally posted pictures
of her wearing it.

 
Livvie turned 6 months old yesterday.
 
Even at that age, she likes feeling
the tulle on her dress and being
"dressed up"



Funny how a dress makes even the
youngest little lady perk right up.