Happy Fall

This fall has been amazing! One of the most beautiful falls that I can remember while living  in Utah. The colors, the weather, everything! I haven't even given up my sandals and flip flops yet :-)

I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. I updated my mantel to reflect my favorite colors and textures of the season. I did this with red and orange leaves and pumpkins made out of twigs.

The burlap swag added fun texture to the mantel, and I like it more this year than last year.  To me fall is more about leaves, reds and yellows, and textures, than scary Halloween accessories. I leave the Halloween decor for other areas of the house. 

This is as spooky as I get. Spiders are pretty creepy in my book. And candy corn, love it or hate it,  screams  Halloween.  Pun intended.  Well, we survived Halloween and next up are the turkey inspired decorations. Where is time going?! It's flying!!

It Finally Arrived!! THE Couch!

For four long months I have awaited this very moment!  My new couch has arrived.  The color works with my headboard (I was really worried because it is so hard to match fabrics on a computer) and the size is perfect.  

It is going to take some getting used to.  Having furniture at the end of the bed is different at first glance.  I hope my husband doesn't run into it during the night. The down bench seat is my favorite part of it, and even though I was going for a totally different look with my first couch order, this one seems to fit my house.  

And my pillows are finally off of the floor and where they should be.  It's been a long four months.  I'm not sure I am made for custom ordered furniture.... :)

 

The shape is scrumptious.  It almost makes me want a tea room with fancy English parlour furniture and china.  Hmmmm....Downton Abbey season 5 seating?!

 

The wood finish has just enough antiquing and scroll work for my room.  I hope it's not too fancy for my husband.  

Take a look at what it looked like before....

And the after...

My downstairs may suffer for the next little while, and my kids may have to deal with life's crisis' in my room, I don't want to leave it.  Now....how do I convince my husband to finish the rest of the room....

Homemade Chalk Painting Some Chairs

Painting is therapeutic to me and I enjoy the process.  I love changing up a piece of furniture in moments with a new paint color.  Painting has worked for me, but when I first discovered chalk paint I wanted to paint everything in sight.  Chalk paint is so easy to use and it gave me quick results.  I'm not the most patient person in the world.  I admit I have little patience and I also have to admit I love a good deal. Some might call me frugal :)

When I learned how much chalk paint cost, I didn't want to fork over the dough for it.  Then I discovered a great "recipe" for homemade chalk paint.  Homemade chalk paint is simple and cheap.

Plaster of paris (or p.a.p as I call it, plaster-a-paris) is sold right in the hardware store and comes in a milk carton type box.  Make sure to cover it well when you are done or it will get moisture in it and not work anymore.   I bought a plastic measuring cup that I use just for chalk paint projects and I can measure, stir, and paint right from it.  All of this was under $20 and I am still using the plaster of Paris and wax 2 years later. 

I found the perfect set of chairs at a local consignment store (frugal, remember)  and got right to work painting them with my homemade chalk paint.

 I loved the shape of the chairs but the brown finish wasn't doing anything for me.  I added two coats of homemade chalk paint, let dry for about an hour, sanded the edges, and applied a light coat of minwax with a rag.

 

What a difference!  I love the color and how fresh and bright they look now.  

 

I didn't distress them too much, just enough to give them some texture.  Then into the living room they went.

 

I found the pillows at Target and they pulled in all the colors of my room.  I didn't even care they cost $25 each.  Not very frugal at all, but I love them!!  The paint on these chairs is going on year 2 and I haven't had ANY issues with chipping.  And with 5 kids that passes the durability test, for sure!! 

THE Couch!!!

Sofa drama!  Who knew I would have such an issue trying to order a couch!  I am over my Pottery Barn rant and found a beautiful sofa for my master bedroom.

I am so excited for it to arrive....in 2-3 weeks!  I found it at Ballard Designs and it looks so comfy.  

 It will fit perfectly at the end of my bed.  At 29 1/2" deep we will have plenty of room to walk around it.  We have planned on having a couch at the end of the bed from the beginning of the design plan.  To save money I bought a bed skirt that was a full size and cut it to fit my bed.  I have a funky craftmatic adjustable bed and so there are big metal bars at the end of the mattress'. It doesn't allow a bed skirt to lay flat.   The amazing sofa will cover all of my imperfections.  I can't wait for it to arrive!!

The Sink That Broke My Heart

Once upon a time I remodeled my house.....and loved it....then I had to move.  Ahhhh..the things we do for our kids.  At the time I had no idea that I was remodeling my old house for a new owner.  My new house is bigger and I love it, but it has someone else's kitchen design in it.  The other day I found some pictures on my computer of my old kitchen, and I am missing it. Come reminisce with me.

My old kitchen had oak cabinets and brass hardware.  Neither were to my taste.  When we started we had no idea what we were doing and bought all new appliances, then did the floor, then did the cabinets and countertops.  My flooring guy rolled his eyes at us because the appliances were all installed and he needed to get under them to finish the floor.  Live and learn :)

We hired a cabinet guy to faux finish the cabinets.  I LOVED the way they turned out.  It still amazes me how dramatic the change was!!

Not a day goes by in my new house that I don't want to paint my cabinets just like my old ones!!!

Soon after the cabinets were done I got my dream come true sink.....the farm house sink.  AKA the apron front sink. I was in love and couldn't believe that I got to do dishes in such an amazing sink.  I know, it doesn't take much and I'm a design dork, but I LOVED that sink!!  Then my heart was broken...I had to leave my sink behind when we moved. If I could've I would've taken it with me!!

 

I miss that sink everyday!  

This is what I deal with on a daily basis in my new home.

 

What is with this design?!?!  I am positive that whomever designed this either never did dishes, or was mad at the person in their lives who did do the dishes! Plus it doesn't have a sprayer to rinse the sink out with. I end up with water all over me, trying to scoop water all over the sink to rinse it out.  And what! is with that little bowl with the disposal in it....it's ridiculous!  The little platform in front of the bowl is a mystery to me, what is that for!?  I've had kids come over to my house and tell me how weird my sink is.  I want to cry, not because of the comment, but because I miss my old farm sink.  

Some day I WILL have another farm house sink in my house.  Someday......

Frustration!! A Rant!

Remodeling a house is stressful....been there, done that!  So when I moved to a new house, that really only needed decorating, I was beyond excited.  BUT I should have expected a sna-foo here and there.  I posted before about my master bedroom and the transformation that I hope to complete in the near future.  These pillows....

...were suppose to be sitting on a brand new gorgeous couch in my master bedroom....right now.  I ordered a new couch, for the end of my bed, in March.  I knew it would take 10 weeks for the order and I was perfectly fine with the wait.  The ten weeks were up and on June 9th I checked my order status online and it said the estimated date for delivery was August 23rd?!?!?!?!?  Say.What?!?!  I couldn't believe that!  And...I wasn't even notified of the delay, or why it was delayed!! I cancelled my order.

 I have waited several days to write this post because of how angry I was over the lack of communication.  And I wasn't even going to write it, but I am still so disappointed that I was going to have to wait so long for my couch order.  I ordered the couch from Pottery Barn and I have never had any problems before.  A few days later, as I was on Instagram, I noticed this picture.... A wall of fabric that was suppose to already be on my couch...in my bedroom!

And as I read through the comments from others, there was more than one person mentioning a cancelled order because of a fabric delay.  One commentor even said they had waited for 8 months and finally cancelled their order.  I wasn't the only victim here. When I called customer service I was told there was a fabric delay and that they were sorry.  That was it!  Pottery Barn....you messed up BIG time!!  It will be a long while before I can shop with you again!  I kind of felt like this episode of Friends!!!

I'm on the hunt now for a new couch!!!  Something local and not from a foreign company that delays their fabrics!!!

Rethunk Junk Clock

After finishing my high chair project, I had a little leftover Rethunk Junk Paint and I had finally got to another project on my to-do list.  I bought this clock on clearance at Homegoods about a year ago, and always had it in mind to paint it. 

I keep forgetting to take the before pic so this was just after I started painting.  The clock was originally all black and it totally blended into the office desk.  But, not a problem, because using the Rethunk Junk paint system is really easy, and changed it into a stand out piece in no time.  Spray on the Prep Spray, wait 30 seconds, wipe off.  This clears off whatever finish is on the wood so the new paint will stick.  Next, paint one or two layers, wait to dry for about 30 minutes, then seal with the Rethunk Junk sealer. It was dry and ready to go back in the office within a half hour.  I love this stuff!!!!

Before the black finish faded into the desk and the computer, now it stands out.   The formal living room, I call it the library, is just off the office and I have a few turquoise accents in it, and now the clock pulls in the blue color to the office.

Turquoise accents in the library. 

 I am really loving red and turquoise right now.  I know it is a fad in decorating, but I don't mind painting everything that I made blue to a new color in a few years.

 I love completing fast projects. I can get it all painted and cleaned up before dinner.  Now, if only getting dinner on the table was this easy!!

Local Antiquing

Buying vintage items for my home makes me happy!  I love stuff with a story.  Knowing the history of an object is really fascinating to me.  I am so lucky to live in a small town that loves it's history. There are a few antique shops in town on Main Street that attract the tourists, but I love to shop at one in particular.  It's called Nest Egg Vintage.

 

Karen (pronounced Car-in) is the owner and has only lived in Midway for about the same amount of time that I have.  She has retired here and is using her nest egg to sell antiques.  It's a fun shop full of many different items.  She has baskets, marque letters, farm equipment, saddles, enamelware, mason jars, dishes, vintage furniture, etc.  There is always something different and it is so fun to look around.  Today I found two things, old milk bottles in a crate, and an old chippy chair.  I shop for what I love and then find a home for it.  And I loved both of these items and snatched them up!

The chair was only $15!!!  I love chippy painted wood and this would be hard to replicate.  

It's so chippy!!

The milk bottles have red writing that will fit in with the other red vintage kitchen items that I already have.  

 

I love everything about this chair!! And my neighbors horses were so nice to pose for me in the background :)

Once I got the chair back in the house, I think I found a place for it, in our home office.  It's holding posters and maps all rolled up in a group. I didn't want kids sitting in the chippy chair because some of the paint is really peeling and I don't want to lose anymore of it then I have to.  Hopefully the bucket will deter kids from taking a seat. 

If you are ever in the Heber/Midway area and want a fun vintage store to visit, check out Nest Egg Vintage:

93 West Main Street Unit B
Midway, Utah
Find them on facebook under nesteggvintage

Rethinking The Moss R

 A few  years ago I put together a moss covered R (for my last name) and hung it on my front door.  I feel I must warn you all.....birds LOVE moss and will have no qualms in stealing moss off of your front door! I even hot glued more moss onto the sparse areas and the birds were thanking me for their comfy moss nests.  After a year of fighting with the birds, I decided a change was in order.

 I had started peeling off the moss in the picture, but you can see the patches of missing moss.  I have a flock of very brave birds in my neighborhood.  I decided to put an end to the fight with the birds and go with an easier finish on my R.

Chalkboard paint to the rescue!  I am pretty sure birds don't like paint.  After painfully pulling and scraping off the moss, not easy to do, I put on a coat of chalkboard paint.  It dries really quickly but you need to let it cure for a few days before you can write on it with chalk.

I added a ribbon to hang it from and then hung it up to cure.

 I think I am going to hang it by my fireplace, but I'm not positive yet.  I like the black finish against the stone of the fireplace.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to write on it or not but doodled on it to see.

I wrote all of our names and doodled some chalk art but I'm not totally sold on the look of it.  

Then I added a dot border but I think I might go back to the all black R.  I see so many chalk artists on Pinterest and think, "How hard can it be?", yeah, harder than I thought.  I used a chalk pen that wasn't very consistent in the amount of ink coming out.  I would get blobs of white ink and have to wipe off and start over.  Maybe I should practice or find some stencils. But I'll live with it for awhile before switching it up.  It was a fun, quick project and I love that!