Monday, June 27, 2011

Here We Go Again!

A few months back I told you about how many paint samples it took to choose a paint color for the dining room. This project is going to be even tougher!
The past week I've been back and forth to several paint stores trying to find the perfect shade for our Family Room, Kitchen, 2 Hallways and Foyer. All of these rooms open up to each other. OY!


So far, I spent $22+ on these....and didn't like any of them. I think this is going to get costly!

Here are the rooms that we'll be painting or having painted:
The Foyer:

Hallway to the right...

The Family Room, which opens to the upstairs hallway...

Which also opens to the Kitchen.

Oh, the pressure! 
I would love to do a shade of gray as I LOVE the three spaces we have painted gray in our home: My youngest daughter's room(in certain light it looks purple), in the Dining Room (on the bluer side) and in our garage(which is a beachy light gray).
The two things that are keeping me from choosing a bluish gray are the Kitchen cabinetry  and my new gray sofa. Can't chuck all of that just to get a bluish gray paint on the walls. So, I think I'm leaning toward a beigy gray...I guess they call it greige. Looks gray in some light and beige in another. I just hope it isn't too boring!
It's so much easier to help someone else pick paint out for their house!
Any suggestions?

Have a great week!

Pam


Sunday, June 26, 2011

Something New For Nothing...

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend and were able to get some projects done. Mr. Fanatic and I were supposed to paint our youngest daughter's bookcases this weekend, but got to talkin' about paint sprayers. We decided which one we wanted and found out where we could get it the cheapest and it turned out to be Lowe's. Then, since it was going to be a big purchase along with a big chain saw, we looked to see if we could get a coupon. We were able to get one, but it was going to take several days to get it, even via email.
Do things like this happen to you, or is is just us!

Well, here's what I did instead of the bookcases... And it did cost me $0, but I do need to go buy another bottle of craft paint, so maybe 50 cents.

Here's what I started with:

This is what I used... I also used Apple Barrels Pewter Grey.

First thing I did was brush and sponge on some of the Country Grey.

The outside wasn't so bad, but I also painted the inside, as well.

I left some of the stain underneath showing.



This shows difference between the gray and the old finish. The top of this birdcage comes off, which makes it easier to paint the inside. At about this time, I noticed something was missing...do you see it?

See the arched piece of wood on the left side? I hadn't ever noticed, but there was once missing on the top right... More on that later.
Once it was all finished, it was a little to light, so I sanded the outside of the birdcage down.





Then I did a light washing with the Pewter Grey. See the missing piece on the top right?

For the missing piece, I just took a piece of cardstock, glued it onto a thicker piece of packaging I had in my craft room and painted it. Here's the after...

The birdcage is going up on a high shelf over the front door in the foyer and I thought it would be fun if it had lights in it. The lights will be wired in to a switch so I can turn them on easily.






I love getting a new look for next to nothing, don't you?


Pam



Saturday, June 25, 2011

... How Does Your Garden Grow...

Happy Saturday everyone!
Thought I'd show you how my vegetable garden is doing. All of you garden pros out there who plant a garden every year~ you'd better not laugh!!! This is my first year at gardening and we got a late start, not to mention how busy we were with my daughter moving to California...
Ok, here goes... We finally have tomatoes! Yay!



Remember how our newly built beds looked in March?



Now we have 8 tomato plants growing in various stages. I think Romas, which are my favorite, are the easiest to grow and the plants are much prettier and compact.

The carrots have finally taken off. I never did get a chance to  plant a second row of them :(

Next year  I will plant things earlier and closer together.

I read that Marigolds keep some bugs away. So far, knock on wood, I haven't seen any!

I planted potatoes in the only little strip of sun in our backyard. This is a photo of them awhile back. They aren't looking so pretty right now, which means they are almost ready to harvest!!!
I've learned a lot about growing vegetables this year. I know a lot of you are practically pros at it! 
Do you have any words of wisdom for me???
Have a great weekend!
Pam

Thursday, June 23, 2011

A Touch Of Vintage

Hasn't this week been fun with all the blog parties??? It's so inspiring to see all the great projects everyone has done. It's amazing how creative you all can be with a little paint and a drop cloth and a few accessories to remake your outdoor spaces!

If you haven't heard, I'm all about getting out the pretty things I have and using them more often. I encourage  you ladies to do the same! Enjoy what you have. If you have kids, teach them to enjoy and take care of them too!

A few days ago my favorite place to sit and enjoy the outdoors looked like this after sprucing it up with a drop cloth curtain, new candle chandelier and some painted pots with new seasonal flowers. I love sitting in this shady spot on these warm southern summer evenings or in the morning before it gets too warm.

 

Since there's going to be A Vintage Summer party tonight over at Common Ground   and A Shabby Cottage Summer party at French Country Cottage, I was inspired to bring out a few of my pretty vintage things.





 

This glass pitcher was my grandmothers, probably from the 1940's, but I'm just guessing.






















The glass is vintage, too... many of you know it's called "Boopie" and was made by Anchor Hocking and was popular in the 1950's and 60's.  The white napkin was a Goodwill find.


Now, I know the handmade throw/tablecloth was my grandmother's, but I'm not sure if she made it. She made some pretty amazing things, which I've shared with you before. You can see them HERE if you missed the post. I'm going to have to ask my sister if she knows who made this beauty. She has a good memory for remembering all the details of our family history. The pillow isn't vintage...it's from HomeGoods.








The large embroidered doily that covers the table was given to me by my mother in law.

Here's how the patio looks with a few vintage touches.






Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed seeing my vintage touches on my patio. 
If you don't already follow along, click on the Google Friend Connect on my sidebar or "like" me on Facebook.  That way, your sure to never miss a post!

I hope everyone has a blast at the parties tonight!

Pam







Transformation Thursday
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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A Simple Summer Tablescape

Hey everyone! Hope you are having a good week and staying cool wherever you might be! So glad you stopped by!

It's just the two of us this week, as our youngest daughter is spending the week in Florida with a friend. Most evenings it's just the two of us anyway these days, so setting a pretty table is so easy.



I've made it a goal this year to use the pretty things I own more often, instead of just bringing them out for special occasions. I encourage you to do so, as well. Why have pretty things if you aren't going to use them???

I set a vase of Alstromerias in the footed silver bowl I found at the Goodwill. I added some glass rocks you use in vases.

The place setting consists of my Gorham Breckinride china, mid-century Boopie glasses, Wallace Continental Bead Flatware, Napkin, placemat and tablecloth are from HomeGoods, charger from Hobby Lobby and antique silver napkin rings, which were a gift from my mother in law.

I found this beautiful silverplate pitcher on ebay for a great price last year. The white napkin was another Goodwill find.


I'm going to encourage you to get out your good stuff and set a pretty table. Look around your home and use some of your pretty things to set a nice table! Get your kids involved and have them do it! When my girls were little I would give them a photo of a table setting and have them set the table. The photo made is so easy.

Hope you have a great day!

Pam