Old Blue, Oh How I Love You!

I love old! I love turning old into "old new!" That's why when my brother-in-law offered me this tattered and useless dresser, I took it home with me.

 

 

(The dresser came to me stained. I forgot to take a picture of it before it was painted white. Also excuse the mess in the background. The studio needs to be regrouped and renewed itself, but for the time, designing a new living room takes priority!)

 

While brainstorming on redecorating my living room, I knew that I wanted a table of sorts for the foyer. I did not want to spend a lot of money because, well, that's just me! I was out in my studio one day (probably hunting for something) when my eyes found focus on the old dresser stashed away. Then I had a thought, this dresser could have potential. It could serve the purpose and it would fit my new (old new) decor!

 

Since I had already chosen my color palette for the room, I decided to paint the dresser in an accent color that would offer that "pop" of color. Here are the fabrics that I will be using in the living room. These fabrics are Waverly prints that I found our local Joann's store. The paint color I chose (with the help of the Valspar Rep.) is  5006-8B Tidal Teal by Valspar. I love it! I want to paint more, more...you know because sometimes "we just want more!". (Sorry, I could not resist!)

 

Here's the finished product, Oh Blue!

 

 

 

Follow me as I will be posting details on how to achieve this aged look on any piece of wood very soon! There may even be a workshop in the near future, yeah!

 

 

 

The Wall Art Dilemma: Part 1

One of the most difficult decorating dilemmas for me in every room seems to be wall art, more specifically incorporating prints into the decor of the room. Do you select prints that have the similar theme? What about color? How do I know it's not over kill? Too much repetition? What if I don't want a theme? Pair this with large walls and high ceilings and you get a complete meltdown!

So in the final stages of creating my perfect living room, I have been searching for the right prints. One of the first purchases I knew had to be a very large print. Why? Because over my fireplace I needed something to hide a bunch of holes and outlets (compliments of the previous owners) where a television once hung. My purchase was an extremely large oil painting from Hobby Lobby. (Picture not so good because I took the lazy way of snapping with my phone, sorry.)While the wall still looks empty, it's a start!

While scouting for decor, art, and accents in every possible nook and corner including Cr..list, I became disappointed at the end of my shop when my buggy fell empty!

Determined to find the perfect prints, I began spending hours on hours online trying to find art that would work in my room. Then it hit me! If you can't find it, make it...and so I did!

Here is a quick peek at some of the new prints for the living room. Read the "Create Your Own Prints" in our daily posts to see how I was able to create these prints with products that I already had at home. Then maybe you will be inspired to do the same...have fun!

Creating Your Own Prints

Have you ever been shopping for the perfect artwork to be displayed on your walls only to discover that nothing suits your taste or budget for that matter? I've been there many of times!

Well have no fear, I am going to show you how to take an idea you have and create it into the perfect artwork!

Here's what you need:

• computer with photo editing software
• printer with either black ink for a black and white look or color ink for colored prints
• heavy quality paper such as a brochure paper or a photo paper (sheen of your choice)
• frames

Now follow these easy steps...

1. Complete an image search online of what you would like in your prints. For example: seashells, peacocks, botanicals, vintage automobiles, fruit, flowers, prints of fabrics, scrolls...I think you get the idea.
   
2. Save image or images that are relative to your theme or style of room and save them onto your computer.
3. In your photo editing software, you will crop any unwanted areas out of the image and then resize to a common size for framing such as 5x7 or 8x10.
4. If you would like to add a matte without having to pay for one, you can do that too! My frames had mattes, but I wanted to add a little bit of color to my vintage prints. In my case, I resized the image to a 5x7 and matted it into an 8x10.
   
5. Run a test print. Many of the images will be slightly distorted. This really does not matter because the work will be on the walls and looked at from a distance. (Since some of you are doubting me, run a test print, tack it on the wall in place and then step back for normal viewing.)
6. Print Final Print. If you want you can print from home. You can also elect to have your images printed at a local photo kiosk. ( You may want to do this if your prints are larger than 8x10.
7.  Frame.
   
8. You are done, viola!

 

One Man's Junk can truly be one man's treasure!

My family and neighbors think that I am a complete loon for stopping off on the side of the road or driving by a dumpster to pick up a piece of furniture. They also think I've completely lost my mind because I shop a very well-known classified website (...the list) and will go to a stranger's home to shop!

 

Personally, I just don't see the problem. 

 

Grant you, visiting a stranger's place or having them come to your home can be unsafe, but I like to believe I use caution like trying to always bring someone with me (I'm thinking my 95 lb. friend might not be able to strong arm an assailant, but her little fingers sure can dial 911!). I also like to believe that there are good people in the world AND they do sell on Cr...list!

 

Take a look at the little end tables that I found online for $20 each. I was able to snag a pair of them! These tables are Tell City solid Maple tables. I am quite sure that had the seller known what little gems she had hiding in the rough, she would have opted to keep them!

 





 

This just goes to show you that when you re-imagine you can take something old and recreate into something new that you will enjoy!  These tables will have a new home in my living room and will be much appreciated!

 

Be sure to visit our "How To Page" for instructions on how you can achieve this same look! You can also find instructions on Pinterest.

The Castle house and dungan...

So, my house is a Victorian style home with three steeples (yes, you read correctly). When we first purchased the house in 2009, the kids said that the house was a castle and soon the house was referred to as "the Castle house." (Here's a secret, I own a publishing company and the name is "Castle House." The kids named the business after our house!)

 

Neutral colors of grey embrace the home both end and out. Don't get excited; we're not talking about the beautiful trending greys we see now! Greys and camaflouage greens. Grey walls, grey siding, grey brick, grey floors, grey grout...you get the picture. Well, in a large home mixed with dark colors and drapes you can start to feel like you are living in a dungan.

 

I really was not too concerned with the wall color because if any of you have every played around with color, you know that you can make a color change when paired with other contrasting or coordinating hues and this was my plan!

 

I thought that by bringing in warm golds, oranges and reds I could offset the cold feeling and create a warm environment. Well, I managed to pull it off for some time but still the feeling of living in a dungan still passes through my mind and prohibits a calming and relaxing feel to consume my body.

 

So now that I have made it pass my 3 year promise (prison term) of not painting or knocking out walls, or re-doing/re-buying new things, I have decided to move forward in my quest to reimagine my house into my dream home!

 

(I thought I had some before pictures to share, but cannot find them. The troll must have come out from the bridge and taken them!) Hopefully, I will be able to find them and post soon!

 

What's a girl to do?

As I pass through the rooms of my house, I realize that while I love my home the rooms do not represent me. They are filled with things for convenience or necessity. This may ...be mainly due to the fact that I love to paint and when we purchased our home nearly 4 years ago, I had to make a promise to my husband that I WOULD NOT paint for at least 3 years. The other had to do with some of the changes that I wanted to see in my home were major renovations and quit frankly, my pocket book could not afford them.

 

So what's a girl to do?

 

I decided that I would move forward and create a home that was appealing to me...you know makes you smile and warms your heart when you enter the room! Most of the people who know me will tell you that I am the crafty sort. If I don't know how to do something or have not done it, I don't have a problem figuring out how to do it and can usually do it successfully. So, I've decided to share with you some of transformations that will occur as I reimagine my home into our family's dream home (okay, maybe MY dream home) and offer inspiration and tutorials on how you can achieve the same thing while keeping to a small budget. You know the saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" Well, I'm going to prove that you can achieve a beautiful home without spending a fortune! Hope you enjoy and I would love for you to follow my blog and find us on Facebook.

 

Sweet dreaming!

Sherri