Bedroom Mini Makeover (Again!)

It's been a while since I tackled a bedroom makeover.

 I must admit I have a short decorating span when it comes to my bedroom.

Because I spent so much recuperative time in said room this summer,

I felt it was time to brighten up the place!

 I am not sure if you remember what the "before" was because there have been so many "befores"...

 but most of my "makeovers" are just small ones, as is this one.

Before:

This is the bedroom before...quite adequate...but in need of a perking up.
Before blog:
http://amcinnisartworks.blogspot.com/2011/01/master-bedroom-makeover.html
Further Before drama blog:
http://amcinnisartworks.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-wrestle-alligator.html
                                                

                                                       

Here was my "jumping off " point...a Waverly comforter set.
I LOVE the color apple green and paired with several shades of
 clear blue...I am doubly happy!



You see it coming, don't you?

Blue Willow as an accent is a must!



This heavy green herringbone fabric would be used as
a small pillow for my chair and shams positioned behind
the Waverly shams. See below.



The blue and white fabric was edged with dark and light blue and yellow

trim. I loved the way the blue brought out the blues in the comforter. 



I found this fabric at Hancock's...it was pricey (because it is reversible),

but it was 50% off and

I only needed 1/2 a yard.

This would be a pillow and cover

a small stool.



The bedskirt that came with the set was striped...I had had quite enough of stripes.
So after much internet searching...the Coach took me to Bed, Bath and Beyond
and HE found this sage matelasse skirt! I think he might have a future in decorating!



I "shopped" my house and came up with lots

of  blue and white. I shopped my

shop and found this lovely pair

of glass birds.

I went slightly overboard on the Blue Willow, so I backed up
and  began swapping out the "too much blue" and added
more green and neutrals.
In the above two pictures you see the "too much".
Below you will see the pared down version.

A little blue and white goes a loooong way.
The extra pottery tones down the "in your face" look.

I found this great old bird print at the Flea Market Saturday.
Not only was is a great price, but all I had to do was
clean it and add a very thin navy mat and it was done.

Here's the finished look.

I added a vintage button for detail on my linen chair pillow.
(and of course, a furry throw.)

I like this look for spring.
It's fresh and happy!
I am delighted but not surprised at  how well the paint color, August Dried Grass,
once again is such a neutral backdrop for new colors.
This is my "go to " color when I want  versatility.
(BTW: right in the middle of this blog we had a horrible hailstorm!)
I have been waiting on insurance adjusters and contractors all day! :( 

Hope you have a happy Spring!
Angela









Annie Sloan Coco Paint: Before and After

My love of Annie Sloan paint is no secret.
It began two years ago with this
small stool project.

and bloomed...

to this beautiful Duck Egg and Old White mirror..

(I wish I had NEVER sold it!)

On to the side table in Duck Egg...

and the old fixer upper chair again in Old White...

the gray birthday chair for Susan..

.then came knee surgery and a break...

but this weekend...the urge to paint with AS returned.



I found this lantern at a yard sale for $3.

It was marked at $11.99 originally.

It was very heavy and had great

glass panels.

 







This is what she became!

Here's a quick  step by step.

 

 

Carefully remove all glass panels.



Step 1: Using Annie Sloan CoCo, paint all sections of lantern (no small feat!)

In reality, this color looks like light chocolate milk.




2. Using a sanding sponge, distress around edges and sides.
Distressing should be done wherever an item might
receive normal wear and tear.
If you remove too much paint,
go back and paint over the area and let dry before
distressing.
 Use a light or heavy hand depending on the desired look.

#3. Using Annie's wonderful waxing brush and her clear wax,
cover all areas. Let this "dry" for a few minutes.
Chalk paint is very porous. The wax seeps into the holes
and grabs the paint for a very durable finish.







The lantern has now been painted, distressed and clear waxed.



#4. Using a brush just for dark wax, repeat the waxing procedure
except this time, use AS's Dark wax.



 Leave excess wax in areas that you want to appear darker.

Carefully wax in small sections at a time.

The wax dries quickly. If too much dark wax is applied,

use a small amount of clear wax on a rag to wipe away the excess.

Do NOT cover the entire project with dark wax and then try to wipe it off.

Work in small sections ONLY!

One other pointer: I always wax with clear wax before I use the dark.

The dark wax grabs onto the paint and seeps into the pores

and is usually too dark for my taste.

(This is, of course, a matter of preference.)

#5. After the wax dries 30 minutes to overnight,
buff with a soft cloth.



I love this, so very much....



What have you done with Annie Sloan paint lately?



Angela

Re-models That Pay!

As I was reading through October 2012 Money magazine, something caught my eye. I'd like to share it with you. It was one of those expanded advertisements by Chase Credit Cards. In it, a graph (I love graphs!) showed the investment return on certain re-modeling projects around the home.

Let me preface this post with saying that the graph comes from Remodeling Magazine. So the source may have a vested interest in these statements. Also, I read Money magazine with very open eyes...they are the ones who when giving advice to people who are looking for jobs give such advice as "You should dress as well as your superiors and better than your peers if you want to stand out." (Kathi Burns, author of 18 Essential Elements for Women and The Effortless Guide to Men's Style.) Then she lets the hammer down and suggests a handbag by Kenneth Cole for $150, pumps for $200, and a sheath dress suit for $250. The total of those three items is more than the total of half the clothes in my closet. I assume she is speaking to upper level management in the corporate world and not those of us who slug it out in the real world.

Those are my disclaimers.

 However, I did find the graph below rather sensible and interesting.

Several years ago, I requested that our bathroom be remodeled. It was enshrined in Hunter green "marble"...full shower, whirlpool tub with surround, and double vanity. Horrors! I had lived with it for 13 years and thought "enough was enough". The hubster gave me X dollars to spend (" and not one cent over").

 I began the treasure hunt of my life. (That's what living on two teachers' salaries does to you.)

Back to the above graph, do you see a bathroom remodel's return? 

62.2%!

Almost as much as a major kitchen remodel.

I say all that to say this...even in tough economic times, it can be done.

 I went to the high end bath shops and really looked at what I "wanted"...

NOT what I could pay for in that particular store.

Then I went online...I shopped other stores and considered shipping and freight.

THEN I went straight to Ebay and found exactly what I had seen in the store and only searched for

Buy It Now options with NO shipping.

 (Make sure the seller has excellent ratings.)

Long story short...we did our own painting, we bought undermount porcelain sinks (which saved us a lot)

and did not reconfigure the plumbing.

We got skilled but reasonably priced plumbers, etc. and I ended up several hundred dollars UNDER budget. Enough to buy nice lighting, towels, cabinet hardware and fixtures. 

It can be done.

 It's much easier to have lots of money, but it's not nearly as satisfying.

Sometimes Old is Better

Every once in awhile, something about decorating just clicks with me. It's like the light bulbs you see go off over someone's head in a cartoon.

While straightening up in my guest bathroom the other day, I had one of those moments. To the right of the double vanity in the room is a small wall. It needed some art and I had bought two inexpensive prints several years ago. They filled in the void but they were never exactly what I wanted.

Recently, I was given two very old oriental prints and promptly cleaned the glass and the frames and popped on a price tag. While I was cleaning the bathroom, it occurred to me that the colors in the two oriental prints were perfect for this  area!

Home they came and settled into their new space quite nicely.

I like to mix new and old.

Updating certain elements of a room

and then introducing something with some wear and tear

always makes a room feel homey.

This rather new apothecary jar is filled with sea glass that catches the light and matches the colors in the oriental prints.

Notice, how the jar is set on a lacy vintage glass square.

Again, using the old with the new.

In another bath, I use brushed nickel fixtures, new pottery and have added new "spa" towels.

 A very old picture with wavy glass tops off the tub area, thus adding something "old".

I won these beautiful needlepoint pictures (dated 1943 on back) on Ebay.

These are also in the same bath. You can see the nickel outlet below them.

On the flip side of this coin, sometimes I take very new frames and mats and make them look "older".

In the picture above, I painted the frame with spray automotive paint (dark bronze), popped out the picture and the mat. I covered the mat with tissue paper and painted the white scrolls.

I found a free vintage print online and put it in.

This toned down the gold frame and the very new looking mat.

I say, sometimes, old IS better!

"Talk To You Soon!"

Before signing off for a few days (due to knee surgery) I wanted to touch base. Sitting here listening to the rain I thought how ironic is it that 7 years ago today another hurricane just about took out the coast of our little state and today...well, here we go again. We were without power for 5 days..and it was awful. I can't imagine how terrible it was for those who were without power for weeks, without food and water and who lost everything they had. Please, add Mississippi and Louisiana to your prayers. While Isaac wasn't nearly as devastating as Katrina to most, it is still devastating to many.

Just a few more odds and ends until we chat again...
I have worked on my collection of pine needle baskets this summer. I found these two miniature ones this year and have enjoyed them so much. You don't just find these baskets around any corner and I felt like I struck gold with them! I wonder if anyone else collects pine needle baskets?

I recently saw an advertisement for covered match boxes. The price? Try $16 per box!

Couldn't believe my eyes! So I sat down and covered about 15 boxes for almost free.

I bought a bunch of the little boxes at Dollar Tree for $1 and I had all the trimmings.

These would be cute as place cards or accompanying a pretty gift candle.

Last but certainly not least. I "ran into" a flower weaving thingy at Hob Lob

a few weeks ago and couldn't resist. I found the pillow reduced awhile

back. Gathering purple yarns and beads, I dolled up the little gray

tucked pillow!

Why do you begin liking the color purple when you get older?

Until next time,