Day 8 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays....The Ghastly Green

Okay...Okay...Okay!!!!

It is okay you can be

frank 

with me especially since that 

GHASTLY GREEN IS

Gone,Gone,Gone!!

What did it look like to you?

Tell me the truth!!

How much did you all hate that green????

The room is 80% done.....and still too messy for pictures

 We also had to make a slight change in the color because the new color I had picked and started painting with had the slightest icky green undertone and you can be sure I am done with 

green for a while....

heck for a 

LONG WHILE!!!!!

I will post pictures tomorrow.  The new color changes the kitchen into something 

Dreamy!!

Day 7 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - Painting in Progress

Oh Geez!!!!!

All day long I painted....

Surveyed my work....

Questioned my choices....

Found the resolve to continue.....

Contemplated  taking a video of the work in progress.....

Looked in the Mirror and came to my senses!!!

Contemplated taking photos of the progress.....

But ugh.......what if you see my messy house????

SO there are no photos.....no video.....

But I continue to paint.....

Maybe I will have

CLEANED

up my work area enough tomorrow so that I can photograph the progress.

I mean who really wants to see the 

MESS

right??

Day 6 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - A new color scheme

So today my husband and I had to do a lot of running around for supplies.  As I said it is a

MASSIVE

PROJECT.

The list was long and since we are now in a rural area it was almost an hour drive to the town that had the supplies we need.   The thing is I realized I don't mind driving (riding shotgun...hee..hee)  a while to get supplies or groceries if that is the sacrifice that I need to make in order to live in the mountains.

This morning was beautiful.  It was raining and the fog weaving its way in and out of the trees.

Fall was in the air.....heck winter was in the air.  The temp was 37 degrees.   And all I could think was 

YIPPEE!!!!

Fall means cashmere sweaters, hats, gloves, boots, warm jackets, fires crackling in the fireplace

brandy and wine

soups and stews

homemade bread

apples and pumpkins!!

YIPPEE!!!!

It was a great day because I really love to shop for 

SUPPLIES!

Paint, tape, plastic sheeting, primer, rollers, brushes, trays and so much more

I AM IN HEAVEN!!!

It was a great day!

Ok so I digress......geez how does that happen?

Back to to subject....oh yeah  A New Color Scheme

So these are the
TRIAL
colors I placed strategically around the living room and kitchen:

Some of these worked......some didn't.

The light...The Shadows...The lack of light

is what made the difference.

 And so here is the color scheme:

TOMORROW THE PAINTING BEGINS!!

       

Day 5 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - Choosing Color

After a little visit with my parents I have returned home ready to tackle the tasks ahead.    In case I forgot to mention it is a long list and of course first on the list is painting the kitchen and living room.   And in case you have forgotten what they look like here they are in there current 

VIBRANT

color scheme!

The actual furnishings are different now since we are living here permanently but this gives you a sense of what a

MASSIVE

project this entails.

When we first contemplated painting the wood paneling I received a lot of raised eyebrows.  

There are all you wood lovers out there that are shaking your head....but this house is 

challenging

to say the least.

It is clear that the builder LOVED wood.   And don't get me wrong I love wood too or I wouldn't have put cherry cabinets in my kitchen......but almost 2600 sq ft of this home is finished in wood.

Maybe the builder was allergic to sheet rock or something.......

but one thing is clear there is no way in heck that this builder worked with an

Interior Designer.

The kitchen is the only place in the home that has sheetrock and that is because we remodeled it over 6 years ago.    I like the kitchen but at the time I remodeled it I was a newbie designer but certainly a

Passionate Designer

so I went to the local big box store with measurements and a plan in hand.   Of course now that I know a little more than I did 6 years ago I would definitely have done things different.....but that is a different story.

So for now I need to work with what I have and need to come up with a color scheme that speaks to me and ties the two spaces together.

So today I spent the day painting different samples of paints onto different areas in both rooms.  I don't care how many times I have done this but I am always 

SURPRISED 

by how colors change within a room.   

So to put it mildly it was a long day of test painting and contemplation of colors.

I LOVE COLOR 

but sometimes what you have envisioned just does not translate in the real world.

Today was one of those days that I continue to learn lessons of

COLOR!!

Tomorrow I will reveal the color scheme my husband and I have chosen.

It definitely speaks to me!!!!!

Weekly Wowzer - Mirrors

It is Wednesday and that means it is Weekly Wowzer time!   

What is Weekly Wowzer about you ask?

Weekly Wowzers are tips on how to make small changes that have

BIG IMPACT!!

This weeks tip is all about Mirrors!!

I just love using Mirrors to make a WOWZER statement.

Check out these different ways to use Mirrors. 

Using mirrors in an entry way is a no brainer for me.  It really sets the tone in the entry way and helps make the entry way seem fresh and sparkling.

Image credit

Image credit

The use of mirrors on the mantel definitely makes a WOWZER statement.   I love using mirrors on a mantel for holidays.  

But you can use them for an everyday mantel vignette like below.

Image credit

Another way to use mirrors is grouped together on a wall. 

If I walked into a room and saw this grouping of mirrors I really would say

 "WOWZERS!!!!"

 image credit

Thanks for checking out this weeks WOWZERS.

Next week will be about my favorite places to find amazing WOWZER pieces for your home

Consignment Centers. 

Day 4 of 31 days of Prepping for the Holidays- Inspiration found

I had a great visit with my Mom and Dad.   And as always their home was welcoming and adorable.  My Mom has more energy than anyone I have ever known.  Her level of energy always surprises me

and

INSPIRES

me.

I can't believe I didn't take a picture of her new headboard in progress 

but 

I guess I will take one when it is completed.  

What she has done is put two antique windows on the wall behind her bed.  They are on both sides of an original oil botanical artwork on canvas.  

It is like you are looking into a garden window.

She then shared with me her surprise element and she will be stenciling little blackbirds onto the glass.

Of course I think it is going to be adorable and it definitely has me thinking of ways to use these little blackbirds somewhere in my house.

Here is the link for the birds she is going to use

Click below for:

Bird theme decals

Aren't they cute??

Day 3 of 31 days of Prepping for the Holidays - SEEKING INSPIRATION

Well I worked so hard for the last two days that I thought I needed a little break.  

I am kidding of course but I have discovered that I seem to accomplish more under two scenarios:   

1.   When I am under the gun.  

I sometimes wonder how it is that I can accomplish so much in so little time. 

In those last 48 hours before I am having a party I swear I get into some crazy zone and things just get done...done..done!!. 

the other scenario in which I get so much done is

2. When I have returned from a visit with my Mom

So I am visiting my Mom to get inspired......plus I just missed her!!!!

  She is an amazing woman that is so crazy talented. 

She isn't a professional designer but certainly could have been.  She always has great ideas.  

Our styles are different but she still inspires me. 

So on the way to visit my Mom today I stopped along the way and took these photos.   

 

I love that radio flyer.....it is a little on the large side...but oh so fun!!!

Where do you go to seek out inspiration?

Day 2 of 31 Days of Prepping for the Holidays

Today I continued working on that little dresser.   I primed it, put a base coat on it, taped it,

changed my mind, re- taped it, made a mistake, corrected it and

........ahhhhhhh success.

Primed

Base coat

Some of my friends

Use a foam roller to get a nice clean finish

My newest friend..... A Dewalt Sander

ADDING SOME STRIPES....WITH THE NECESSARY TOOLS

Having second thoughts.....it might be too much to stripe the front.

Patience is a virtue....ugh....I taped the front too soon and when I changed my mind it pulled some paint off.....I spent the next half hour correcting my mistake

But it turns out that was a good thing because I rethought my design and tweeked it

I really like the stripes!!

The surprise element is the BLUE LEGS.....when I am finished those BLUE LEGS are going to make this dresser.