Chalk It Up!

FED UP......

I have been wanting to paint our coffee table for a year now...had the paint since summer...but never had a good time.  Well you know when you get in that mood and you are just sooooo sick of it?  

Yeah I had that in the midst of vacuuming the family room on Sunday.  

I whipped out the paint and got to it.  

Hubby came in from mowing the lawn and was like "ummm what are you doing right now?" LOL!

I LOVE that response because it means I'm keeping things crazy...off kilter...much more fun that way ;)

I only got the top done hahahaha but I wanted to share with you how much I love it! I have to do the bottom this week but I ran out of steam and time....the rest of the wood will be left alone for a 2-tone look.  Although the top took only 1 hour with 2 coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.  One coat of dark wax then sanded it a bit and then 1 coat of clear wax.  I love the weathered white look...definitely an improvement and lightens things up.  See the bottom of the table?  Yeah that's what the top looked like!  My one dog Casey likes to sleep under the table especially during thunder storms..oy!  And the top got banged up well in the past 10 years by kids and feet and electronics. So it needed a repair job badly!

Now that I've gotten started and saw how easy it was to do I'm eyeing my media center.  I'd really love a new one but with us moving in another year or so I don't want to commit to anything yet.  So I think I'm going to paint it to match and build a center bridge for the new TV to sit on (I hate the temp black/glass thing we have ughhhh) and get new knobs.  I think I can do it easily in a weekend...right? hahahahaha!  PS: the green blankie stays on the chair during day for kitty naps...easy to clean up kitty fur KWIM?

I really am in love with how it turned out and how freaking easy it was...seeing that I just went at it with no planning really!

Big improvement yes????

Best thing about chalk paint is you don't have to prime or sand beforehand UNLESS you are covering up a super dark color and want to minimize coats of paint. This took 2 coats of paint and it dried super quick.

See that glass monstrosity that the TV is sitting on...yeah..I hate it. So its going as soon as I draw out plans for a simple bridge with 2 shelves and build it with the help of Lowes.  They will cut all your wood for you if you have no big saws like meeeee and are afraid of them (don't ask but it has to do with 7th grade shop class). Well we will see how it goes because I will honest about how I do.

Like how I'm showing you how awful it is right now...oy vey!

Have you used Chalk Paint yet?  Do you love it like me???

Mini Powder Room Update!

This is our powder room on the first floor...nothing special or too large..but it serves its purpose well.

I still love the dark grayish-green paint that's been there for 7 years.  However I AM considering putting beadboard on the lower halves of the walls this Spring (hmmmm). To make it more cottage-y looking me thinks and a window treatment.  So I just did a tiny update to the bathroom wall to step it up a bit for right now.  An easy and quick project!

I had an extra shelf in the garage from Alexa's bedroom project at our LAST house LOL..yup I kept it knowing I'd eventually use it.  That day has come!  Its just a simple unfinished shelf I got years ago for about $6.

And this is the mess I had a few weeks ago on my kitchen table.  It was FREEZING outside and in the garage so the projects got moved inside for the day...well at least some of them. I had multiples going on all at once LOL.  It was messy for a bit but that's ok as I got a lot gone!

And this is the final product all done & hung and styled with some of my favorite objects.  I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Old White)...two coats...easy peasy!  Then I sanded it a bit to distress it and added some dark watered down paint (choc brown) to rub over the sanded areas.  I wanted to match the distressed look on the architectural pieces that are hung on the wall...the darker distressing is almost black.

Two of my fave lil' birdies that I've had forever...they travel from house to house with me!

One of my fave old copies of "The Bobbsey Twins"...part of a larger collection of old books I have collected.  My mom read "The Bobbsey Twins" to me when I was little so I have the whole collection along with all the old Nancy Drew books too..vintage style!  And that's a "Riesling" wine candle that I got in Charleston, SC...I've got two...one I burn and one I save. I love that they are poured into cut-off wine bottles...adds to the lovely charm of the candle.

So here's the BEFORE!

And here's the AFTER!

Small update but it makes me smile to see some of my fave objects in there on that shelf!

This is the whole powder room, its actually a good sized room but I think it needs some more

cottage style via beadboard right?  Or maybe some fab wallpaper..hmmm thinking on that one.  That's me encouraging the hubster :)

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I'm entering this into these fabby Linky Parties:

Savvy Southern Style

Room Makeovers!

First Floor Overhaul

After 7 years in this house I'm feeling the need for some change.  I've been so busy the past few years with my work and travel and just life in general that I got lackadaisical with what I did when we first moved in.  But now I'm ready for CHANGE (cue hubby groaning lol)!

First rooms to be hit are the Dining Room and Laundry Room!

Then next are the Study and Powder Room and maybe Living Room.

DINING ROOM

Red is my favorite color and I've almost always had a red dining room, it appeals to me and its elegant.  But now I feel at this phase of my life I need to lighten things up a bit, I already got rid of the dark rug in this room.  This is one of the first rooms you see when you come in my house and it gets great light so it was ok to be darker but now I need even more light.  My table and buffet were an anniversary present from Ethan Allen over 14 years ago from my hubby and its in great shape as we seriously don't eat in this room much.  Its a shame I know but it at least needs to be a pretty room.

Coastal elegance and lighter neutrals are appealing to me right now.

So I'm thinking about this kind of look for my dining room:

So I've already picked the paint color from Benjamin Moore and bought a few new accessories and will be hitting up Habitat Restore for some shutters that I want to add to the room.  A longer buffet may be coming in that is a painted piece and current buffet will be getting some shelves over it and moved to the shorter wall.  Lots of ideas slowly coming together.  Can't wait to share the final view with you all soon!

 scored from Kirklands for $20 each

Pottery Barn Jug

Lamp from Stein Mart for $20 along with some Annie Sloan chalk paint

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LAUNDRY MUD ROOM

ACK!!! RIGHT? Please don't judge me by this mess heehee it is NOT representative of most rooms in my house.  This room has never really been "done" like the other rooms.  Its totally utilitarian and not pretty in the least and its a dumping ground for EVERYTHING.  It sits directly behind my kitchen and in front of garage entrance.  I spend a lot of time in here and I'm SICK OF IT LOL!  Time for it to be pretty now :)

Step 1 was to clear it out and clean it up and organize it!

I have a ton of cabinets in here that weren't being used to the best of their ability so I focused on that first.  Then a good scrub down was in order so that it now looks like this:

That long wall on the left will be getting a batten-board treatment and hooks about 3/4s of the way up.  I have bought all the boards and my nail gun so as soon as I paint the upper halves of the wall and the other walls I can get that started.  I have no issue handling tools much to hubby's chagrin and I'm a total DIY girl, I like getting my hands dirty :) 

 Behind the sink the walls will be getting a fun treatment as well

and hubby is installing a deeper sink for me...I groom the doggies in this sink

and its just not deep enough for baths right now.  I'm also getting a new faucet with a higher bend and spray nozzle.  Those lower cabinets are getting painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint as well to lighten it up more.

I can't really have a countertop on top of my washer/dryers but I have 

bought a few cute baskets that will be used.

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Inspiration Pics:

My batten board will resemble this...3/4s of the way up with a slim ledge and hooks

Similar color on the walls...I wanted the color of a pale sky.

Completely pretty & organized.

So that's what I will be working on over the next couple of weeks!  Still searching for a few things and trying not to rush it...I want to enjoy the process and find the perfect accessories that agree with the image in my head :)  

So stay tuned!

Mess BeGone!!!

PANTRY MAKEOVER

I KNOW RIGHT?? UGH this is called pantry OUT OF CONTROL LOL!  We've done lil' clean ups over the year but it needed some major help!  I'm lucky to be blessed with a large pantry and more cabinets than I know what to do with in my kitchen (and this coming from someone who collects dishes and kitchen contraptions like they are goin' out of style lol)!  It was almost painful to have to look for anything and we had sooooo much stuff that was just BAD, STALE and ready to be pitched ick!

TO THIS...soooo much BETTER!  I know it may NOT look as changed to you as it does to me but lemme tell ya its a BIG difference!  It makes me soooo happy to just open the doors and see the organization and cleanliness!  I would like to cut foam board to fit each shelf because those wire shelves can cause havoc at times but will do that another time.  

We drink a lot of hot cocoa in this family in the fall and winter...A LOT LOL!  So I used one of these bins (from IKEA) to create a hot cocoa bin for us.  We have a few selections of hot cocoa, chocolate stirring sticks and mini marshmallows.  The round chalkboard tags I created myself on Photoshop and printed out (die cut with a scalloped die) and attached with two sided tape (Scor-Tape).  The other shaped chalkboard tags are from Martha Stewart for Staples.

I'm slightly anal...have I mentioned that...and the garbage bag box was bugging me.  I didn't want to get rid of it because we get the same bags from Costco all the time and they fit perfectly inside.  Solution:  Cover that baby to match the tags :)  So out came my black cardstock and my chalkboard marker in white.  Problem Solved!  Another white bin on the floor keeps my potatoes neat.  And then I have a few storage containers with cereal and chocolate chips (bought in bulk) and a basket of chips.  I have teens that have teen friends that are here ALL the time so we go thru bags of chips like crazy, so I try to get extras at all time.

This little container is from the $1 bin at Target...I got a few because they are great for organizing small things and economical which I like :)  This one holds our matches, easily seen and reachable with a chalkboard tag to match (Martha Stewart tag)

Another $1 bin bargain from Target are the little pails I've used to sort sweetners and drink mixes. Once football starts for my son the pail of drink mixes for water will decrease fast..so the pail is a nice place to keep them and easy to grab.

Another schooltime bin for breakfast fixin's...I've loaded it up with oatmeal and PopTarts.  I'm not a PopTart eater myself but some mornings if I can get ANYTHING into my teens before school its a good thing trust me.  So they both like PopTarts and they usually grab one and eat it on the walk to the bus stop.  This is better looking than a bunch of boxes and I labeled them by tearing off the "flavor label" from the box and placing it in the bin.

We eat a lot of crackers and cheese...its a fave snack for the Deans.  The top shelf was a DISASTER of half empty boxes, boxes that were past expiration date and just junk.  So I corraled some more bins to hold the boxes and a few cracker containers for crackers that are currently open.  The spray cheese is NOT mine..icky...Riley likes it for some reason so I buy one every few months...nasty LOL.

On the far left top shelf I have boxed up the numerous paper/cutlery items we have.  We used to throw a lot of parties but now that the kids are older we don't have as many home parties.   We do use these when the teens have friends over though so paper napkins and cheap cutlery are the way to go.  This is NOT all my supplies...I have two shelves in my laundry room with more ;)  But these bins contained them nicely and easy to grab when needed.

 What I Used Bins For In My Pantry:
I buy a lot of the $1 shoe bins from Walmart...clear, cheap and great to corral things
Dollar Store & Target $1 Bin are great resources for inexpensive organizational things too

-rice packs
-soup & dip packs
-Asian cooking products
-Salad Fixins
-Desserts
-Vitamins
-Crackers
-Hot Cocoa Supplies
-Paper Supplies
-Honeys & Jams

Now after I've done this I seriously want to clear the shelves and paint the back wall a bright happy color...hmmmmm!  Might do that this fall and put the foam board on shelves too!  Also have a long pantry rack that hubby is putting on the left inside door for smaller items as well ;)  For the most part I'm pleased...still a few tweaks to go but all-in-all a job well done for me!!

I'm entering this into the foloowing Linky Parties at a few of my Fave Blogs:

A Bowl Full of Lemons
Savvy Southern Style
Not Just a Housewife 
I Heart Organizing