Thank You, Thank You!!

Wow, today has been an Exciting and Fantastic day!!! Not only was I FEATURED on Remodelaholic (http://www.remodelaholic.com/) but I also received the Versatile blogger award from One Life Many Journeys ( http://onelifemanyjourneys.blogspot.com/). I was SOOOOO overjoyed I called my husband at work screaming in excitement...!! I am very honored and flattered to be recognized because this blog is still very new. I also greatly appreciate the many wonderful comments from all of you lovely ladies...they sure do help to make ones day :).
Well, from what I understand, I am to tell 7 things about myself and then pass it along to 15 other Versatile bloggers. Here goes...

1. I am a 34 year old wife to my husband and a mother to 4 fantastic little boys!
2. My oldest son is just 2 months older than my little sister!!! My parents had an oops baby in their 40's. Therefore, there is a 23 year gap between my two sister's...CRAZY!!
3. I was born and raised in Ohio but now reside in Utah.
4. I twirled baton from 1st - 12th grade and competitively most of those years.
5. I never finished college and I am kind of glad I didn't because I would have hated my career.
6. I am not very social...I actually like being alone.
7. I like things to be very neat, clean and organized but, I hate to clean!!

Now, I am passing this along to the 15 that I follow and enjoy...(no particular order)

1. http://showandtell-sausha.blogspot.com/
2. http://houseofsmiths.blogspot.com/
3. http://www.inthefunlane.com/
4. http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/
5. http://poppiesatplay.blogspot.com/
6. http://shanty2chic.blogspot.com/
7. http://thecreativecrate.blogspot.com/
8. http://www.theletteredcottage.net/
9. http://beneathmyheart.blogspot.com/
10. http://brownpaper--packages.blogspot.com/
11. http://tancamjenksfam.blogspot.com/
12. http://www.theidearoom.net/
13. http://www.misscraftypants.com/
14. http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/
15. http://aplaceforusfour.blogspot.com/

Please make sure to visit these inspiring ladies...they have so much talent!

Snow!!!

Seriously??? It's the end of May...

~random pics~

I am not quite finished with my latest project so...I thought I would share some of the things I have refinished for my own home. Unfortunately I didn't take any before pictures over the years because when I started re-doing furniture nearly 10 years ago I was usually in a hurry to begin a piece and then of course I didn't even know what a blog was back then -Oh well!!

So, here is my home...as much as I love all the beautiful "white's" that many people are decorating their homes with all over blog land... I am really drawn to color. Well, muted color that is. I decorate my home in a mixture of Farmhouse, Colonial and Early American Style. So, I love barn reds, creams, black, blues and mustard's. I also love anything that is "chippy" and looks to be over 1oo years old!

Enjoy...

~this holds some of my favorite crocks~

~I love fireplaces~


~cabinet~

~cookbooks~

~grandfather clock~

~child's bench~

~nightstand~

~end table~

~Kiddo's step stool~

~sign~

~message board~

~door~

~peg rack~

~update~

It is in and let me tell you...this thing was HEAVY!!! There was no way I could possibly wait for my husband to get home from work to help me so...I did it all by myself!!! Which is what I normally do anyway :) (I can't even begin to tell you the things I have carried and lifted while being pregnant - I know pretty stupid)! Well, although it nearly KILLED me going up a flight of stairs, I made it and I love it. And the best part is that it looks exactly how I had pictured it would and I am so thrilled. I do need to finish accessorizing it (project and pictures coming soon) and I need to paint the room but that is going to have to wait because there are a few more projects in line first...

Finished!!!

Yes, it is finally finished...I can hardly believe it myself!!! And I must be CRAZY for showing these awful pictures but, here is a sneak peak anyway...These pictures were taken in my garage with terrible lighting so it is really hard to see the true paint color ( more of a taupe/khaki) and finish. As soon as it is moved into the master bedroom, I will take and re post new ones.

As far as the finish goes...I love it! As I stated in an earlier post, I was trying a new technique and was a little worried about it and although, it isn't exactly like the Caromal Colours finish, I am very pleased.

So, how did I do it??

1. I sanded, cleaned and prepped it.
2. I cut to size Luan (very thin wood) and wood glued it to cover the more ornate details along the front sides - it was a little too fancy for me.
3. I then wiped Minwax Paste Wax over the areas where I wanted the wood to show through after the final sanding ( it helps to make the paint look like it is "chipping" off).
4. I "smooshed", "glopped" on or whatever you want to call it, the first coat or base coat of paint. I used Linen milk paint by General Finishes. You can find it on the Internet or Four Chairs in Lindon, Utah. *It actually looked like I had let my kids paint it!
5. I then brushed 2 more coats of the same Linen paint to make sure I had even coverage.
6. I applied another round of paste wax to the areas where I wanted the base coat to peak through from under the topcoat.
7. I then put 2 coats of the topcoat Rittenhouse Ivory by Old Village Paints, again from Four Chairs.
8. After it had dried and "cured" for a day or 2, I sanded and distressed it using a hammer and nail to make "worm holes" and "nicks and dings" paying particular attention to where normal wear would occur. I really wanted this to look like it had been around for a long time and had several layers of paint underneath.
9. I applied Old Dad's Old World Stain like a glaze...leaving it in all the "nooks and crannies" to make it look old and aged.
10. Finally, I put 3 coats of General Finishes polyurethane on for added protection.

Before:

After:





















I'm linking to:
http://www.poppiesatplay.blogspot.com/
http://www.missmustardseed.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/
http://lifeaslori.blogspot.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://toolsareforwomentoo.blogspot.com/

http://thecsiproject.com/

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

http://beneathmyheart.blogspot.com/

http://shanty2chic.blogspot.com/

http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/

http://blog.kuzakscloset.com/

Update..

It was a GORGEOUS day here in Utah - FINALLY :) and I had the opportunity to work on several projects. The fireplace is near completion - yeah! I have struggled quite a bit with it because I am trying a new technique. I love EVERYTHING "chippy and old" so when I came across a product called Caromal Colours (www.caromalcolours.com - sorry, I can't figure out how to make this a link?) I knew I had to try it. Although, it is quite pricey and since I like to do things on the ol'cheapo side, it for sure was a no go! Instead I improvised with paint from Four Chairs here in Lindon, Utah. I did however try to replicate the same look and that is where I ran into trouble....the perfectionist side of me wanted to apply the paint very carefully making sure their were no drips, runs, or brush marks. In fact it was killing me not to use my paint sprayer (LOVE IT!). The Caromal Colours technique is to slap it on, smoosh it and basically make a mess of it in order to make the piece look like it has years of old paint on it. I told myself to just finish it and then decide if I like it or not....I can always strip it and start over - UGH!! I should have pictures in the next day or so :)

I was also working on several picture frames today. My neighbor took our family pictures last July (tell me about it!) and I am FINALLY getting around to framing them! Tate, my baby doesn't even look the same! Oh well, better late than never :) I had the frames made at the Wood Connection here in Utah. It is located off 7200S (go east off the exit and turn left on 300W - it's just a little ways down on the left hand side) and if you haven't been there you are missing out! The have tons of wood cutouts, frames, etc. They even custom cut just about anything you could want just as long as you have a pattern. I then went to Home Depot to pick up a few pieces of moulding to "BEEF" them up a little. I still need to paint them black and distress and stain them but I should have those pictures in a day or so too...Well, I sure am happy it was a sucessful day!!!

Snow!

Unfortunately the lovely state of Utah, which I live in, has been experiencing a little bit of Swinter this past week (spring + winter - I love Phineas and Ferb :)!!). Soooo, I have not started painting the fireplace yet because I HATE snow and being COLD!!! Next weeks weather looks to be a bit more promising....fingers crossed :). Until then...have a great week!