Color Options

So the other day my landlord calls up and says he just bought a new property.  He wanted me to go over and take a look at it to help him pick out some colors for the outside of the house.  It's that hardiplank siding I believe, and it is kind of a drab, yucky gray right now.  It's a cute house, small, nestled in the trees, with a large front porch and a front door with lots of windows. 

So I went to Lowes and picked out some colors for him - I gave him 2 options.  I hope he picks one so that I can see my choices in real life! 

The colors I picked were a creamy yellow for the house, with a lighter yellow on the window trim and a pretty royal blue color for the front door.

The second option was a kind of sea green color, with a lighter version for the window trim.  And a dark cranberry for the front door. 

For the porch, I recommended that he power wash the whole thing - living in the woods causes all that mildewy stuff to grow on things.  And then I think he should stain and seal the porch.  It looked pretty  new and in good shape.

What colors would you have picked out?  I like the green/cranberry color best.  I hope he goes with that one.  :)

Has It Been 14 Years Already?

Good Monday Morning!
Yesterday the husband and I had our 14 year anniversary.  What did we do you ask?  We stayed home with the kids and watched movies.  :)  We both worked ALL weekend and we had planned to go and do something Sunday night, but we were so tired, all I wanted to do was put my jammies on and watch a movie.  So that's what we did.  We are going to go to one of my favorite places for breakfast though (cracker barrel) this morning before we have to go to work later on.

Anyway, I still have several projects in the works, and I hate that I don't have the time right now to get to them.  I work at a camp and retreat center, http://allasoranch.com/ and we are hitting our very busy period right now, gearing up for summer staff training and summer camp all summer long.  So it may be awhile before I actually get a finished project posted.  But I hope you will still keep checking in.  I am going to try and post on a regular basis still.

UPDATE on my kitchen chairs.  So I think I am going to start them over.  I like the red, and I am going to keep them red, but the paint I used on them is really not very good paint.  So I am going to find some valspar spray paint in a pretty red - sand them all down and start over.  So I promise - my finished table and chairs are coming - soon...

If you're new to my blog, take a look at past projects.  You can check out my kitchen table here, and a dresser that I just re-finished here - which is one of my favorites.  So much in fact, that I am going to do the dressers in our master bedroom the same way.  Our bedroom has been in need of a makeover for about 14 years, so the dressers will be a nice touch.  Just one more thing to add to my growing list.  :)

So stick around for a minute, and follow along!

Anyway, I need to get ready for breakfast.  Happy Monday Everyone!

The Big 100

Yay for me!  I hit 100 blog views in one day!  I know some of you are thinking, what's the big deal I have that many hits in the first 10 minutes of publishing a new post. Well, it's big news for me.  I started blogging back in January I think, and I would just post here and there and whenever.  But I am trying to be more consistent and post about things that I love and enjoy.  So to hit 100 views in one day made me smile.  

Now if I could just get up to 30 followers I'd be so happy.  Maybe I should do a giveaway once I hit 50 followers.  hmmm I'll think on that one for a bit.

Have a great night everyone!

And I would just love it if ya'll would follow me.  :)

Dresser Reveal

Ok, here it is... I am loving the way this turned out.  It is a completely different dresser!  I sanded and cleaned the whole thing.  Then I applied a dark walnut stain to the top only.  I love a dark top with a contrasting lighter bottom.  Looks so sleek and elegant to me.  Anyway, then I painted the dresser and drawers a light grey - 3 coats.  After it was dry I sanded just the drawers to distress them a little.  Then I applied a light coat of the dark walnut stain to the whole thing in small sections so I could brush and wipe, brush and wipe.  And of course, new drawer knobs.

So here are the before pics again, and afters below them.  It is for sale, so if you are local to east texas or in the vicinity and need a new dresser feel free to email me.

Whoever the new owner is of this piece needs to own a smoking jacket.  It just seems like a piece that a person who wears a smoking jacket would own.  :)

Cleaned and Sanded

Now for the afters...

I will be linking this up with http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/
http://www.houseofhepworths.com/
http://sassysites.blogspot.com/
http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/
http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/2011/05/features-simply-creations-link-party-8.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20SimpleHomeLife%20(Simple%20Home%20Life)
http://www.pollywantacrafter.com/

Dresser Re-Do

So we've had this dresser for a very long time.  It was mine when I was a kid, and it somehow ended back up with me now that I'm a grown-up.  It's been in a guest room, in our kid's play room, and now it sits in a lonely corner of my garage.  We just don't have the space for it anymore, so I've decided to give it a makeover and sell  it.  I mean, who doesn't want a solid wood 3 drawer dresser, right?

Anyway, here are a few before pics for ya to enjoy.  I'm so excited about how it's turning out!  It looks so good!  I can't wait to share the after pics.

Anyway, happy wednesday.  Check back in a few days, I should have her finished.

This was after I cleaned and sanded the whole thing.  Palm sanders rock.

The drawers after they'd been sanded.

Tote Bag Giveaway

Who doesn't love a great giveaway.  Stop by sassy sites for a chance to win a great summer tote bag by http://kirstikoo.blogspot.com/.  AND she has the tutorial on there too, so you can make your own!  The best part is that they are made out of placemats.  How fun...

Stop on over and enter!  Good luck

Little Of This And A Little Of That

It's been a few days since I've posted and I feel like I have so much to do.  I have multiple projects in the works that I'm not entirely sure when I will have time to actually get them finished.  LOL... oops.  The most pressing are my dining room chairs.  I started those with every intention of having them done by now.  But chairs are a pain to paint, so I keep putting them off.  I really only have one more to do.  Maybe today..

And I have a fabulous cabinet in my dining room that I am painting as well.  I plan on having both done in the next week or so.  So check back for before and after pics.

I also have a dresser that I will be re-doing.  It's been in our garage for the last 9 months.  It was in a guest room previously, but since we don't have a guest room anymore, I am going to fix it up and sell it.  (i think)

I know what I want to do to it, it's just a matter of digging it out of my garage and getting it done.  That project will have to wait however until my chairs and cabinet are finished.  I tend to start multiple projects all at once, and then procrastinate on getting any one of them completely finished.  My husband will attest to this.  

So with that being said, I hope you have a fun, relaxing Sunday afternoon.  We are headed to the pool in a little while for some down time before Monday hits.  

See you all next week!  But until then here is a peak at one of my chairs.  It's not finished yet, it still needs some glaze and a clear coat... but you get the idea.  :)

It's The Little Things

So I just redid (is that a real word?) a mirror I had.  Just an easy change, but it makes such a difference don't you think?

I am still working on kitchen chairs.  They are a real pain to finish up.  And I don't like the paint I used on them.  Which stinks because I paid $35 for a gallon of paint.  It was just off brand paint from a paint shop out here, but I'll never buy it again.

Anyway, here are the mirror before and afters.  Chairs are coming soon I promise.  I have one almost done, but I don't want to post any pics until I have them all finished.  They do look good with my table though!

BEFORE

All I did for this mirror was paint it a cream color.  Then I distressed it lightly and applied a minwax early american stain over the whole thing.  It definitely brightens up my brick wall which is the backside of my fireplace.

AFTER

In this first picture you can see a little of the frame wall that I put in my dining room area.  I need to fix it just a little, but as soon as I do I will post real pictures of that too.

Revisiting An Older Re-design

Happy Monday Everyone,

So do you remember this end table before and after?  Well, I added a design to the top and distressed it a little more.  Then I brushed a minwax stain over the whole thing in early american and wiped it off.  I love how stain settles into the distressed spots and really gives it that old tea stained look.  Anyway, the diamonds on the top are done in a pale yellow.  Nothing very drastic, but I just felt like it needed a little something more.
What do you think?

And if you would like to follow my blog, I would like it too!  :)  I have lots of projects in the works that I will be posting before and afters of.

PS.  I should have my kitchen table chairs done this week.  I can't wait to post the table and chairs together!

Thanks everyone!

Linking this up with http://www.notjustahousewife.net/

Happy Mother's Day

Hey There,
Did everyone have a good weekend?  I know it's not officially over yet, I just wanted to stop by just for a minute and wish all the moms a Happy Mother's Day!  I woke up to some pretty flowers in a pretty vase and 2 cards picked out by each of my kids.  Very sweet.  I don't like a big fuss for Mother's Day.  But I am going to take some time for myself this afternoon and do some painting.  :)  As long as the rain holds off, so I can go outside.

Happy Day everyone.

Thanks To My New Followers

Just a quick shout out to my brand new followers.. Yes, I know I am way behind on gathering followers, but I'm working on it.  So thanks to my new peeps!  Spread the word, I love getting new followers - it makes me do the happy dance.  Seriously, you can ask my husband.

It's All About The Shoes

So if you know me even a little, you know that I have a serious shoe problem.  I. love. shoes.

I am currently in the middle of packing for my weekend trip to Grapevine, TX for our annual ladies conference. http://www.flavourconference.com/

Anyway, I thought I would share with ya'll the shoes that I have picked out for this weekend.  I seriously considered bringing an additional suitcase for shoes - you never know if you'll need to change your shoes.  But I decided against it.  I actually managed to keep what I'm bringing to a minimum this time.  Shocker...

I will be offline for the next couple of days, but hopefully will have some fun before and afters to share with everyone once I get back in town.

Happy weekend!

Yes, I love wedges

Kitchen Table Reveal Part 2

So here are all the details of exactly what I did and what I used to re-do my table. 

I used valspar gloss spray paint in mediterranean.  Which is a much prettier color than I thought it was going to be.

I cleaned the table good, then I sanded the top only.  I had previously painted the top black and stained it so I wanted to make sure to rough it up a little bit.  Then I applied a primer.  I didn't cover every nook and cranny, because well, I hate priming.

Then I painted it.  After it was all dry, I gave the whole thing another good sanding with a medium grit sandpaper.  I wanted it to look really scuffed up and old.  Mission accomplished. 

Then I used a black glaze over the whole thing.  The glaze settles into cracks and distressed spots and gives it an antique look/feel.  I used valspar antiquing glaze in asphaltum - which is black in case you're wondering, and I got it at Lowes.  I am loving valspar products right about now. 

Anywho - I will be adding a clear sealant (not a spray, I don't like the way they cover).  I will be brushing it on.  It's a clear gloss.  I want to add a layer of protection, but I also want to give it some shine. 

Then my chairs I will be painting red and distressing and glazing as well.  Hopefully will have time to get to those next week.  Don't you love turquoise/teal and red together?  I think it's my new favorite color combo.

See table makeover pics here

And I would love it if ya'll would follow me.  :) 

Kitchen Table Reveal

So here is my kitchen table before, during and afters.  I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.  I still need to put a coat of sealer on it, but that won't happen until next week probably.  But here she is in all her glory!  I sanded, primed, painted, distressed the crap out of it, and glazed.

BEFORE

This was after I had sanded the top a little bit

AFTER

 I am a horrible picture taker and these pictures were really giving me trouble.  But I hope you get the idea.  It's very scuffed up, which is how I like my furniture.  With 2 kids and 2 dogs, it's bound to happen sooner or later anyway, so why not beat them to the punch.  Then the black glaze adds that antique look which I love even more.

Anyway, chairs will be coming soon.  I'm out of town this weekend, so I won't get much accomplished on the home front.  Hopefully can start them sometime next week.

More More More

I keep adding blogs to my list of favorites and they are all so great with so many neat ideas that I keep coming up with projects... uh oh.  At least I'll have lots and lots to share with ya'll!

So here is my current list of home projects that I am either working on or will be working on very soon:

1.  Kitchen table and chairs re-do... table is almost done still have to do chairs.  But let me tell you, I think the table came out even better than I had pictured!

2.  New floor lamp made from scrap wood - I know you're terribly curious about this one.  And ooo it's a good one.  Not my own idea so I can't take credit for it. 

3.  We live in a very small lake house, so I currently have zero storage for extra sheets and pillows.  You might be wondering where they all are.  That's a very good question - they are currently in the garage, my kids closets and on top of my dresser in my bedroom.  Soooo, I have a 3 drawer dresser in my garage that I have decided I am going to re-do and turn it into our TV stand.  So that it has multiple uses.  It has 3 very deep drawers, so I will have plenty of space for extra sheets.  :)  Smart thinking right? 

4.  The antique desk that my TV is currently on I think I am going to refinish and try to sell on craigslist.  I just don't have the space, and I love the piece, but maybe someone else can enjoy it as much as I have.

5.  Still need to finish painting inside doors and trim - yuck - absolutely no fun at all.  I'm hoping while I'm out of town this weekend, that my darling hubby will finish all that up and maybe even paint our bedroom.  I dropped the whole "but it's mother's day" on him, so we'll see.  haha

6.  I have an antique hutch/buffett kind of cabinet in my dining room that I want to refinish to match my kitchen chairs.  It is currently black, but I want to paint it red and take the sander to it to really ding it up and glaze it with my  new favorite product - Valspar antiquing glaze in asphaltum (black). 

So you can see I have quite alot on my plate, I think I need about 4 more days in the week just to finish house stuff.

Oh and by the way, it would be great if you'd follow my blog!

Have a great Monday everyone

One Of Those Days

So my darling 8 year old decides she is going to wear soccer cleats to school today.  Which most days she comes out of her bedroom dressed like she is a circus performer and I let it go, because is it really that big of a deal if she wants to wear flowers on top and stripes on the bottom??  But this morning I told her she'd have to change her shoes because the cleats were probably 2 sizes too small - at least.  So she decides to wait until about 5 minutes AFTER she should be outside waiting for the bus to start looking for other shoes to wear.  Of course she picks the ones that have like 50 knots in each shoelace.  I throw her shoes on her feet grab her bag and a sweater and tell her to get outside for the bus.  She's yelling that she is going to trip over her laces.  I'm yelling back that she shouldn't have waited so long to find new shoes and she's gonna have to tie her shoes on the bus... Holy Cow, that kid is going to give me a run for my money.  She loves to argue with me - over EVERYTHING!  I'm constantly reminding her that I don't need her commentary, a simple Yes Ma'am will do.  

I forsee troublesome teen years with Rylie.  On one hand she is sweet as can be, and on the other hand she can throw a fit like nobody's business.

Pray for me