Living Room Projects

So since 2013 I've been working as a designer in a furniture store and not home much and not blogging much.

During that time all my projects got put on hold around the house except for HAVE TO

projects. 

Now that I'm once again between full time gigs...it's time to confront all that needs to be done here.

I bought that little chest above two years ago because it was just the right size to go by the front door.

I wanted something not very deep but wide enough to fill that wall.

Oh...I could've bought this in a creamy white finish that would have gone very well with my decor but it was three times the price in that finish. So I bought the version on sale for $130 planning on painting it myself. Here it is still waiting to be painted two years later. 

 

I am thinking of painting it similar in style to this. I don't know where this image came from I've had saved on my phone a long time.

A year ago Kirklands had this version of the same cabinet in a natural wood finish. I would have been happy with this finish but it was around $400 and that's not in the budget and now they don't have it any more. I'd rather an antique piece in this spot but antique pieces are always deeper. This one is only 12 inches deep.

It's just the right size by the door. Oh...that burgundy color looks so bad. When Mom saw it she loved it and said I should not paint it. But I hate it so it's getting painted.

I started to strip and paint the wood work in this room and never got back to it.

That is a priority project that needs to happen. Then I need drapes after that.

Oh and the room desperately needs a bigger rug.

Seems like I should be getting lots done right now but between working on two design projects for clients and searching for a full time job and....I have a part time job I am doing that is keeping me solvent.

There is not much time for decorating in my own house these days.

 I love alabaster lamps. This one I found out shopping with my friend Leslie at a country antique show.

 I am WAY over that lamp. But have not found one that speaks to me yet to replace it. One day I'll run across one I can't live without. I have bought two different ones that I thought would go in this spot but neither looked as good as this one. So they ended up in other places in the house.

 Soon the fall stuff will come out. Won't be long now at all.

I bought chalk paint the other day to paint this.

Aiming for it to look somewhat like this. I am a little worried that it will fight the fireplace a little.

I once had a table in this spot that was given to me. It was painted a pale yellow green.

The color looked actually fine in the room. But I didn't like the color so I painted it periwinkle instead. The table looked great in periwinkle but it looked too bold for the room. 

I ended up moving the table to another spot in the house. It was the wrong size anyway.

I could go the safe route and paint this a creamy white but I have a lot of creamy white in the living room.

Any opinions?

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Newsworthy

I was included in a great article written by my friend and fellow blogger...

Valorie Hart.

She always has a fresh perspective on design.

Read the article in the latest issue of House of Fifty, here.

I was thrilled to be included.

Plus...Valorie herself was spotlighted in the latest issue of RUE.

That's spunky Valori and her dog, Cholo lounging in her fabulous bedroom.

Included are gorgeous photos of her home in the latest issue of RUE.

Go to RUE here and read now.

Also....

My silver tray spice rack was chosen as a top contender in the WhisperWood Cottage 

Talent Scouting Party!

What? What? 

How about that for validation?

I was so honored to be included with the other bloggers who are finalists.

Lots of good stuff to see there.

Go check it all out now - here.

More to come on my kitchen soon.

It's a work in progress, always.

That's my news for the day.

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The Huffington Post - article

Big Day!

My little house and I got interviewed and shown off at 

Very exciting. They contacted me a few days ago and interviewed me yesterday and today I'm 

in print on The Huffington Post.

You can read the article and see the slide show

HERE

I was afraid they would ask me political questions. Thank goodness they didn't.

Because I have strong political opinions that I can rarely verbally backup.

I just get a feeling about things and vote with my gut.

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My Cottage

A Whimsical Interpretation

As drawn by my friend Amy over at

The other day I told Amy how much I enjoyed her sketches. 

You can view several on her blog.

A few days later, she surprised me with a drawing of my own cottage.

She worked from this photo.

Her whimsical interpretation of my home.

A-dor-able.

I can't wait to get this and frame and hang on my wall.

Now here is the really good part....

She's having a giveaway right now. 

You can win a drawing of your home done by Amy.

Isn't that the best?

Click on the her blog name below to go to her blog and register.

Good Luck!

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Edgemere Park / House Makeovers

Home Sweet Home

My House and My Street

After

Here is my house with its new paint color. 

Now the yard looks very shabby and not in a good way. 

I couldn't even show a photo of it till now because the grass looked so bad from 

the super hot and dry summer we had. 

But its finally greening up.

I tried to get a photo where the porch was not all dark but to no avail. 

I'll keep trying. 

Now I need to overhaul my landscaping to make it look better with the paint colors. 

I need more blue green in the landscape. 

That cedar in front by the arch on the left has to go. It's all yellow and dying. 

So I'll plant something new there soon. 

But so many of you have been asking to see how the paint and roof turned out that 

I thought I'd show before I fix the landscaping which might have to wait till next spring.

Here was the before:

The house desperately needs the landscaping fixed and some flowers planted 

and flower boxes for next year. 

Why is it...you fix one thing up and it makes everything else look so bad?

I thought it looked pretty nice...till I got the new roof and paint and then....

everything else looked awful.

Here's a few shots of my neighbor's houses.

To the East of me. This photo was shot when my grass was so yellow...a few weeks ago. 

(see the edge of it in this photo) 

This was why I decided to wait to show a photo of my home. 

My neighbor has a sprinkler system so his yard stays looking good even in the hottest weather.

Neighbor to the West of me. 

They have a sprinkler system too, plus lots of shade. 

I envy their shade. I have several trees planted in hopes of one day having a shady yard. 

Right now most of the shade I have comes from their trees. 

Today they were out redoing their landscaping. I'll show that when it's done.

Harold's house. He lives directly across the street from me to the south. 

Harold is the neighbor that put up with me for a week, standing under his bedroom window every morning trying to decide on paint colors. 

He provided moral support when I kept trying different colors of blue/green.

He was pretty proud of himself for picking his paint colors all by himself. 

This house used to have a brown roof and brown trim. 

It's much fresher looking with the gray roof and gray trim.

Just up from Harold...to the West. Their yard looked nice all summer. 

Here's a great makeover.

After

This house is on the other side of the park. 

I don't know the owner but they are doing a wonderful job of fixing it up. 

The inside of this home is really unusual. When I saw it, it needed lots of tlc. 

But seeing what they are doing on the outside...I'm sure they are doing just as well on the inside.

This is what the outside looked like before:

and at one time it was even worse than that -

I knew this house had great potential.

I'm so happy to see its reaching it.

It used to be the ugliest house on the street. 

Well not any more.

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The Perfect Paint Color

Crisis Averted

I'm now living the perfect seafoamie green life. 

Last night and this morning, I made a plea for help and many of you chimed in with suggestions and support on my dilemma of picking the perfect paint color.

After sleeping on the paint that was already up, the one I  thought was too dark but was trying to embrace, I went outside at 7am to look at it again and see if I liked it more in the morning light.

I knew I was going to change it when Harold my doctor/bachelor, across the street neighbor leaned out his bedroom upper deck and said....."Is that it?"

You might think this is pretty nosey of him. But I was standing in his yard under his window...gazing over intently at my house. He has awoken to this the last three days.

"Yes", I said

"I'll be right down", he said.

"Well", he says as he stands next to me.

Me with my hair all stuck up on one side from sleeping on it and no makeup. Normally, I'd never let myself be seen like this....but I've given up. In my neighborhood, neighbors are like family and they see you at your worst.

"Well", he says..."It's too dark. It does nothing for your house. Let's just say it does not enhance it like the nice gray I chose for mine".
Rub it in Harold.
He has discovered his inner designer. He's been watching the progress at my house all week and critiquing.

"I know, I know" I say, "I'm trying to like it because it will take too long to get another color mixed so that we have paint to paint this morning".

Harold says, "Just get straight over to the paint store. They will help a pretty girl like you and mix while you wait".

Really....did he look at me? I hadn't even brushed my teeth. And to get the paint immediately, I was going to have to go as is.

But it was a nice thing to say and spurred me into action.

So I selected another Benjamin Moore paint immediately and he was right, the guys at the paint store were super nice and got it done for me while I waited. I did brush my teeth, comb my hair and throw a little makeup on.
And that paint?

It was still not right.
Ugh.

This is when Jose, the painter said...he'd see me tomorrow. That I was to call him when I had the paint in hand. So.....I drove over to Sherwin Williams and tried again. This time I focused on the green sections, instead of the blue and or gray sections and there it was. It was like the clouds parted and a ray from heaven fell upon that paint chip. I should have known it was the perfect color by it's name.
Underseas

I quickly bought a quart and headed home. 

I painted on the front windows and it was perfection. Why couldn't I have found this color twelve paint samples ago?

Tomorrow morning Jose, the painter, will be here bright and early and so will begin the end of this ordeal.

My painters are moving to across the street when they finish here so I'll still see them. They've become like part of the family. The dogs don't even bark at them when they see them at the windows any more. Newman wags his tail. 

House will look like I planned now. See below...

I browsed tonight for other sea foam inspirations and found plenty.

source: flickr.com

source:kissthedesign.ch

source: homeatsea.com

source: anthropologie.com

I should have looked for color inspiration in my own house for my paint color

for as Glinda the Good Witch said, "What you are looking for was there all the time".

She and a couple of my followers pointed out that the color I was looking for was right here all along.

The paint color is in those field tiles of my fireplace!
I should have taken a field tile with me to the paint store.
Oh....well....
All's Well that Ends Well
as my Mom always says

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