New Powder Room with Tin Ceiling

It sure is hard to get a good picture in a dimly lit powder room, so bear with me!

My powder room was painted baby blue years ago. It was supposed to be a calm blue grey color, but was more of a nursery blue. I've lived with it, until now!

I first pulled down my copper brown mirror and painted it Annie Sloan cream and added a little dark wax in the details. 

Next came the small cabinet over the toilet, I also painted it cream and added dark wax with a tiny little paintbrush. I really love how this cabinet turned out!

Next, it was time for a wall color. I spent lots of time on Pinterest looking at "greige" colors. Since my last color went badly, I knew I needed to get it right this time! I used Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige. After I painted a little on the walls, I took it back and had them add the color in a second time making it 200% color. I wanted a chocolate milk shade of brown. Really creamy and warm, but not really dark.

Next was the ceiling tin project! Since we painted first, we were able to be sloppy in the ceiling. Let me tell you what a blessing that was. Painting a tiny powder room is the worst. I had to sit in funky positions, put my head behind my toilet while straddling it, try and get behind the pedestal sink without getting the sink or pipes coming out of it. It was work! 

But oh the work was worth it! Here is the same ceiling as above with the tin up and the vent cover back on. The tin I had used before on a backsplash in our old house and knew it was easy. It cuts with scissors and applies with heavy duty spray adhesive. It really doesn't get much easier! This time around, it was given to us from a friend with leftovers, but can be found at Lowe's. Our powder room used 9 sheets.

Now it was the fun time to add a few accessories. The crate and twig ball are from Home Goods and the greenery and chicken wire bottle are from Hobby Lobby.

I added a vintage wire basket from Decor Steals to make getting a new roll easier on our guests. Housing it in the cabinet above the toilet was tricky when new paper was needed. 

Finally, I added a preserved cotton wreath above the toilet. It is also from Decor Steals, the newest most dangerous flash sale site I know!

So, what do you think? Want to add tin to a room in your house? 

Table of Many Colors

 Check out my bright and sunny new kitchen table and chairs! The chairs were my birthday present and were such a tough choice! I looked everywhere online. Ordered silver ones from Target and returned them because they were so short they went under the table when pushed in. They I ordered aged yellow chairs online and canceled that order before it shipped. Finally, I found orange ones on Amazon and have loved them since I hit submit! My table was another story...

 We first bought this table and chairs in 2012 and I loved it. But, the black tabletop became a nightmare. It showed EVERYTHING. Every crumb in the fold down cracks. Every smudge of food not cleaned off. And, eventually, every fork poke and scratch. I couldn't get it clean to save my life. 

So, two years ago, I used some chalk paint and made it a clean and crisp ivory. It was good for a few months and then with a scratch or fork poke (seriously, I should figure out how to make my child stop poking the table!) the paint came off and the black came through. Once again, it looked dirty all the time. No matter what I did.

So, I grabbed a sander, some coarse sanding sheets and went to town on the tabletop. I had no idea what the wood would look like underneath. I had no idea how long it would take or if I could break the seal of the black paint it came with. I also had no idea it was red underneath the black. Holy moly I sanded for days.

And I discovered this gem. Real wood in good condition. This is the wood after being wiped down with a wet paper towel. When dry, it was pretty dull. I knew I wanted low maintenance and sealing it was going to be necessary. I asked my Instagram followers what I should do next and a grey stain with white wash with the overall vote. Back to Lowe's I went!

I selected a Minwax Weathered Grey stain and applied it and wiped it with a lint-free cloth. They sell bags of them for cheap.

After it dried, I went back over that with a 50/50 mixture of Annie Sloan Cream chalk paint and water. Again, using my rags I rubbed it on and wiped it off. 

Finally, to keep it looking the same after lots of wear and tear, I used a satin polycrylic by Minwax and applied 6 coats with a paintbrush. This provided a even minimal shine, seals everything in to prevent drink rings and give it the professional finish I was after. I kept the base black as originally purchased.

It is a fun new spot for dinner conversation with my family. Speaking of, we've added Jesus Calling for Kids to the supper table. It is a simple kid-friendly devotional that we do over dinner. I love reading it with Abby and then processing it with her. Last night we talked about how God is always good, but no one else is ALWAYS good. It allowed us to talk about needing Jesus when we aren't good and sin and giving grace to others when they aren't good. I highly recommend it at the dinner table. 

Two other things I am loving right now- silicone muffin cups for my Mix and Match Egg Muffins. Cleaning the muffin pan before these cups was a pain. So easy now!

Finally, I'm loving my new Blue Jean candle. It is springy with citrus and greens and clean with musk and patchouli. Loving it!

Happy Spring!

New Blue Dining Room

Over the New Years holiday, my husband and I tackled a little home improvement- we updated our dining room. I honestly love it more than I should. It is just a room and a room we don't use often, but it sure does make me smile to walk past it. 

This is a recent picture of the room before we painted it blue. When we bought the house, this room was beige along with all the others. We had it painted Crushed Seed by Dutch Boy 4 years ago, added hardwood floors three years ago, and had updated the chandelier earlier this fall. I had a red dining room in my old house and loved it for a long time. However, this room is open to my living room, kitchen and hall way and the red just didn't match the other rooms as they have evolved. 

The paint color we selected this time around is Smoked Turquoise by Glidden. We had the color mixed into Behr Marquee which is a one coat paint and primer in one. A little piece of advice, P&P in one is meant for only one coat. Doing touch up here in there paints on like a second coat and doesn't match up. It added darker spots that looked greasy since it was gloss on gloss. So, two full coats have to be pained. Lesson learned the hard way!

Another little tip, cleaning baseboards as you paint is genius! Everything wipes really clean. Cleaning wall outlets with baby wipes is not genius. I electrocuted my finger when the baby wipe got the outlet wet. I felt the current run through my hand before I jumped and screamed. It was quite scary!

I love that this room is lighter and brighter. I didn't realize how much the red brought down the light level in this area. It matches the blue drapes in the living room really well and creates the cohesive look I was wanting.

The light fixture was installed earlier this year and is 16 lit mason jars from Pottery Barn. I've loved it for years and used a little extra bonus money to splurge on it. If we ever move, I feel certain it will move with me. The map on the wall is Texas territories from long ago. It was in my husband's office, but matched this room better. ;) We bought the drapes at Target. I came really close to buying orange drapes, but am glad I went with a pop of orange instead.

I bought the mirrors at Ballard Designs when they were having a big sale pre-Christmas. I love the light they reflect and they remind me of leaded glass or stained glass. I love me some vintage leaded glass! The fun little buffet table accessories I have collected over the years from various places.

Finally, my dough bowl is filled with river rocks, straw balls and my new gold antlers. My family works on a deer lease and they find antlers on the property regularly. I snagged a couple of them and spray painted them gold. I love them and love that they were practically free!

I need to find a new runner for the table and we are installing crown molding later this month, but I just couldn't wait to share my new dining room!

I promise to blog again this month.... we have another big home improvement project coming up in our living room! 

Newest Home Improvement Projects- Paint and Lighting

We have had a busy month making some home improvements I've wanted for years! This was the month to get it done!

First, remember my Annie Sloan red kitchen island? Well it isn't red anymore....

I painted it Annie Sloan cream and used a little bit of dark wax on it. I love it! The red was fun, but it didn't stand out like the cream does in comparison to the other cabinets. Most people never even noticed it was different. It is high contrast now! 

We also finally painted an accent wall in the master bedroom. We went with Antiquity by Sherwin Williams at 75%. It is a great apple green color with a hint of gold and matches the bedding perfect.

I love the warm green against the old rustic star above my bed.

Finally, it was time to upgrade our lighting. My black french country chandelier received a big upgrade and it now matches the pendant light above my sink....

I bought the mason jar chandelier from Pottery Barn and my sweet husband installed it!

It is so me and provides a lot of light in that room which was needed! The up lighting of the chandelier just wasn't bright enough especially when crafting or sewing at night on this table.

I'm happy with these changes and feel like my house really represents my style. But, I'm not done. I have two more paint projects, another kitchen cabinet upgrade and a major foyer project coming! Stay tuned!

Fall Mantle Before and After

I love my fall mantle this year! Believe it or not, I thought I was done with it took photos for the blog and then I saw this pin on Pinterest and ran to Hobby Lobby!

This is my done for real 2013 mantle. Let's look at the couple of things I added, for under $15, that made a big impact!

This was my mantle... garland, ribbon, berry picks, pumpkins in various colors, and a nice family photo. I just knew something was missing. It was all so dark with the wood mantle and the dark fall colors of the garland. Then, that made the clean white family photo just look out of place. Plus, it is an 8x10, but it looked so small with the J and stacked pumpkins on the left side.

Close up, it was beautiful with lots of color and texture. But, from my couch it was missing something!

I made two simple additions for a big impact! The leaves in the pitcher were 40% off of $6.99 which was just my price. I only needed one packet which had 2 stems. They were super full once you fluffed them out. So much cheaper than the leaves at Pottery Barn. Goodness- who can pay $24.50 per stem? I placed them in a pitcher I have had for years from Ballard Designs. It gave the bright color and height that I wanted.

My other addition was the fabric squares. I'll be honest, I didn't sew them, iron them, or even cut them perfect because I was so excited to get them on the mantle! I bought 1/2 yard of each piece of fabric for under $5 each. I folded each piece in half to make an 18" by 18" square and cut diagonally to make two triangles. I set aside for my scrap bin the triangle not cut on the fold. Using the triangle cut on the fold, I opened up the orange triangle to make a really big triangle and placed it in the center. Leaving the two chevron prints folded, I placed them on each side of the orange center and then layered the other items on the mantle.

I am so happy with how it turned out!

Fall Decor 2013

It is finally fall and I can't tell you how excited I am. My favorite season- football, candles, crockpot meals, scarves, I love it all! Here is my home all decked out for the season this year!

Aren't mantles fun to decorate? I don't think I could buy a house without a mantle! I bought a few new things this year including these bright orange leaves! They were $24.50 at Pottery Barn of 40% off of $6.99 at Hobby Lobby. Score! I also bought some fabric to decorate the mantle this year. I'll share more on this easy project later in the week.

Along with my new fabric and leaves, I used an old garland, some berry picks, a little silky rust ribbon and an assortment of pumpkins, gourds, and acorns. I own a giant trunk full of various pumpkins, gourds, and acorns!

Under the TV I added acorns and pinecones inside the dough bowl and kept the candles the same as they are year round. I added a think burlap runner (sold with ribbon) and more pumpkins in a variety of colors. Most of my pumpkins come from Hobby Lobby, but last year I bought a handful of new ones with metallics in them. I like the rustic and sparkle mixed together!

On my blue side table, I added two more pumpkins, both older from Hobby Lobby. I am loving the blue with all the orange, brown, and green this year!

A big part of a fall home for me is the candles! This year I bought Autumn, Pumpkin Hayride, and Blueberry Pumpkin Patch from Bath & Body Works. I love them all. Next time you are in there, smell Autumn. It is my favorite this time of year.

I added the fun little EEEEK spider pumpkin from Home Goods this year. A little bit of Halloween mixed in with fall is my preferred. I will pull out a few more spiders and witches in October and then replace those with a few turkeys in November. It is fun to change it up, but also have pumpkins out for 2 full months.

I added two simple printables I found on Pinterest to my entry table. I love all the "Keep Calm" options out there!

Another simple way to decorate, change out your family photos with the seasons. I framed out Abby as a 2 year old in her pumpkin pie dress from Thanksgiving 2010.

This little ledge makes me smile! I owned almost all of these and had them scattered about in years part. As a grouping, they make such an impact on my entryway ledge.

This little girl is new this year. Abby and I found her at Home Goods and we had to have her. I love shopping Home Goods for seasonal decor. They always have unique pieces for very little. I think she was $9.99.

In my formal dining room, I layered an old Pottery Barn runner with some burlap and then my ragamuffin garland I made 4 years ago. I then placed a tray in the center and a large footed bowl inside the tray and filled it with my tiny pumpkins, gourds and acorns.

Finally, I added a little display on the ledge inside my breakfast nook. I found the printable on Pinterest and owned everything else from past years.

Thanks for visiting my fall home. I hope you found an idea or two that you can implement in your house this season.

To see all things fall including decor from past years, click here.