Living room painted, Green with shelf envy and Before and After Fireplace pics

Well if anyone is listening, or reading, I deleted 2 blogs which I had just posted. Ha, the most technologically challenged person (me) is trying to be a blogger. Working on it...This is a bit of a repeat, but here are some photos of my new shelves:

Old yellow shelves, brown walls

White shelves...After the yellow I love the fresh look!

Still want to get some new things to add on to my shelves.  Love typography mixed with old books and some sort of a collection, like starfish, coral, shells or butterflies (see below). Here are some inspiring shelves:

Pottery Barn

Better homes and Gardens

Pottery Barn

Better Homes and Gardens

Yes, so I am inspired to re-arrange...Plan on working on some new floor cloths this weekend so I can get them out in the world. Starting local, at the farmers market here, and then hoping to get a website. 

Also, in my last post (which I late night deleted, whoops) I spoke about painting my ceiling blue. My husband is not on board with this idea; however, if I ever listened to him we would be living in a 2 bedroom apartment on campus, with tapestries for curtains held up with duct-tape, and posters of Jerry Garcia on the wall as our fine art decor. We probably would not have a mortgage, pets, or even kids for that matter. Ha ha. My point is that, well, I just go with my instinct and like to change things up...He takes a bit longer on these decisions, but I am going to paint our ceiling blue...Quiet moments by Benjamin Moore.  Here is an idea of my new color scheme:




Quiet moments on ceiling, Wheeling Neutal on walls, my living room



Look at the blue ceiling...

From TheNewlyWed Diaries

House Beautiful

From YoungHouseLove

New Brown couch that started it all...My living room with its new paint.Working on fabric for pillows, curtains and new floor cloth design for Lv room...

And then, much to his chagrin, I plan on brightening up our stone fireplace. It is such a dark grey/smoke stained color. We also have a brick fireplace in the basement which I plan on painting off-white.  Check out the before and after in these photos:




Plain old dark brick looks dated



Better, right?

O


Old stone fireplace looks dirty and dated



Better..This is what I am thinking for ours

Ok, thats it for today. My awesome sister reccomended I look at Hawaiian quilts for floor cloth inspiration. I think I will, check out these pillows.

Cool Blog to share, Lamp DIY, Entryway Lust...

Oh the living room. Still trying to get my shelves painted and at least one wall completed. Two kids home and almost impossible to get to it. They are fighting, playing, eating, messing up our house constantly. And we had another mini virus the last few days; we have been pummeled this year. I think I am trying a wheat free diet after having so many issues...Going to a homeopathic Dr. next week. If anyone is ever reading this (sigh) let me know if you have any thoughts. I have many friends who have gone wheat free.

The goal is to have one wall painted and shelves started by tonight...I am going to photograph my progress...

Here is an awesome blog/website called Young House Love. younghouselove.com.  I love their ideas and successful blog, and am completely inspired by them! Check out this light fixture they made:

Clothespins (their idea) and homeade lamp kit from Ikea!
You can make a lamp from anything...Good to know when the ones I like always cost $300.00! Full directions on their website

And some more entryways that are so organized; someday I would like to build a mudroom on my house and try to keep the mud in one area. People so often ignore their entryway, but what an important place to welcome people to your home!



Pinterest





I would paint directly on a wooden stairway, the stripes look so fresh

Pinterest

Here are some more blue/brown themed rooms; I am suprised how much I like the orange! Really trying to figure my palette out:



House Beautiful, am really liking blue and orange!



Brown and Orange look so modern

Would love to paint this as a flr cloth

so bright, and unlike anything I have done before
House Beautiful

Off to work out, get the house cleaned, go to the bank, grocery store, paint store then whoa, it will be time for dinner. Must stay up tonight painting...Next blog I will have some progress photos for sure. Wish me luck....

DIY Projects, Fabrics, and room inspirations



Ah, finally the weekend. And spring break to boot! 60 degrees outside and sunny. But and all I want to do is paint my walls and order fabric. I'll go for a walk later....After I paint my living room shelves white. Here are some lusty images for the day:


cool mirror, great for entryway



Great color combo for pillows from House Beautiful

 

Better homes and Gardens - love the blue walls, oh and a brown couch too

Here are some fabrics I love:






favorite for my new lv.room!
Robert Allen

 

House of fabric



yummy aqua



house of fabric

House of Fabric

Robert Allen






 

Easy DIY cheap and fun:

casasugar.com

http://savedbylovecreations.com/2012/02/50-mason-jar-decor-ideas.html

weddingwindow.com

http://savedbylovecreations.com/2012/02/50-mason-jar-decor-ideas.html

Okay, must clean my house and pay attention to my family...finally picked out the paint color for my living room walls, I think it is going to be wheeling neutral for the walls from Benjamin Moore, and Quiet moments on the ceiling. Now just fabric picks, could take me the whole year. Kids are home for spring break this week and I am already losing it. Must look into some playdates so I can paint and work on my floor cloths. Here are the colors I chose for the lv room, the light in our living room is so...precarious, every color looks so much different then the store. A lesson many of us must learn, and I have learned the hard way to always buy a pint/sample size to try in different spots of the room to make sure we like it - the whole family agrees on these colors (well my husband doesn't really a). notice, b). care, c) and also thinks I should leave it the brown color it is). But that has never stopped me before. It will all come together for him when it is done...It takes him time.


Quiet moments (on left corner) And wheeling neutral. Looks so different in our house than in this picture!



 





 
  






 
 



 




 





                                   
  


  

                               

 





 







More Inspiring rooms and some DIY ideas

Have I mentioned I am totally clueless when it comes to blogging? 

love the pillows, Better Homes and Gardens

I feel like I am talking to myself which is why I am just going for it. (and sounding like I'm talking to myself). Although if anyone reads this (my friends on FB have been forced) thank you for listening. I will stop posting it so much on everyones page, I promise. Just wanted to get the word out. I am hoping to laugh one day at myself in my early blogging days (or cry, or cringe?).
But I am determined to keep a log of my house/projects, progress, and my sewing and painting adventures. Hoping my 3 year old will agree today on this point; yesterday he was yelling "MOMMY, get OFF the computer!". Yikes. I then made up for it making some homeade chocolate chip cookies, and let him eat some batter. Just a little...Yes, of course I had a bite. Cookie dough is my best frienemy. I have never used that word but it is incredibly appropriate in this situation.  We have been in a long term relationship and I am trying to break it off....Takes time.


  


Iron on transfer from BHG website

  

DIY Projects from Better home and Gardens (check it out for full directions and photos)

       Iron on transfer:

1.  First, find your image. This duck one is cool, but I am going to look for something else for my pillows. I found this project at Better Homes and Gardens website.

2.  Print it onto Iron-on transfer paper
3.  You may need to tile the photo (cut it smaller if it is too big).
4.  Trim the printout to size, and lie it face down onto a cotton pillowcase. 

  5.  Press hard, constantly moving the iron and do not use steam.

  6. Lift the corner and check to see if the transfer has worked; then you can peel off the backing.  If you have to use the tiling method, you may need to use another piece of transfer paper to protect the finished portions from heat. You can use a used piece of transfer paper. I am going to attempt this next week, so I will photograph my progress...Next week is spring break, so as I will be surrounded by children, I plan on DIY'ing as they watch netflix.  What in the hell did our parents do in the 70's? Oh, thats why they drank so much.

Dwell studio, love their stuff...Could I try to make this with a block print?

Just found an awesome link http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-make-a-b-138526 For some great DIY projects. (among other things) I am going to try the block print idea for a pillow (like above) or for a canvas floorcloths...We shall see how it goes...I will document, when I can get to it...So little time!

Above pillow is at:

http://www.dwellstudio.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/577x542/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/a/base1832.jpg

Some of my painted floor cloth canvas', And Some Other Beautiful Things...



 


 

Oh don't you love these pillows, BHG

Ok. So my very first blog went okay.... Although I am quite green as to how all of this works, I thought I would just do it. Wow, looks like I had alot to say...I have been thinking about this for a while, but whoa. Now I have to organize everything...And I really need a new camera, sorry. On the horizon.

And reading over my very first post I realized I did not put up the photos of my floor cloths, (or classic historical floor cloths) which I will do now. I published before I was through inserting images, whoops. Probably one of many mistakes; I should probably get a book on blogging or something, but damn, it just feels good to have a project; something which requires a grown-up mind and has nothing to do with being 3 years old (going on 4) or 7 (going on 13). Yes, my two children whom I adore are not going to be in my head while I type away at the wee hours of the night.

Ok, so here are my floor cloths, thus far (painted rugs):



 

Moroccan tile Star rug

 

Curves - saw this in House Beautiful, Madeline Weinrib. I wanted it, so I painted it!



Sand Dollar and stars





Riverbend, just the beginning of this one



    

 

I would check out Canvasworks if you want to see historical examples of floor cloths. They are amazing and beautifully done. She is based in Vermont and they are more commonly known in New England than out here in MT.


 I am also going to attempt my first Inspiration/room design idea. I have decided to tackle our living room. This is how our living room looks now:

Way too much brown now; I need something fresh and modern...I like the paint on the right, Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore. Looks great with choc. brown and white.





Blue and brown



Solitude by Benjamin Moore on left,
Quiet moments by Bmoore on right. I think I like the right?

 

So my to do list is:

Pick the final lv. room paint color.

Then, browse fabrics for my living room....get some swatches.

At this point I am looking at this palette:

Chocolate brown, (my new cozy couch)

blue-ish grey (maybe for the walls?)

a very rich off-white, (thinking some nice slipcovered chairs)

and some type of fabric for: curtains, pillows, accesories...

Maybe in white, blue, grass green and brown?

Floor cloth will be some sort of brown and off white stripe combination, or perhaps an attempt (to make a painted floor cloth) out fat one of these rugs:

But in Choc. Brown and White?

Dwell Studio rugs



Madeline Weinreb rugs, she is an incredible Atelier and designer, always featured in House Beautiful