Shopping at Marshalls

Yesterday I was picking up a few things and decided to stop into Marshalls to see what they had, and boy was I glad I did! Marshalls can be a hit or miss - yesterday I found lots of goodies!

chrysanthemum mirror $59.99, yes please! It is big and gorgeous - all it needs is a little rub and buff in the center to get rid of the silver (red is the packaging)

coral accent rug for the guest room $16.99 - not sure if I have the right place for this so it might be going back ... but I love the fun pattern

Walking down the aisle I spotted this one on top of the stocking bin as it was being wheeled out, once put out for display - I promptly stuffed it in my cart - 6' x 4' for $39.99 - I love the color and pattern :)

Basket $16.99  - love those handles and it is perfect for storing blankets!

Not sure if I will be keeping the rugs ... hopefully, I can find a place for them :)

Maybe your Marshalls got a great truck load in too!! Let me know if you found anything amazing!

Today I started painting the dresser/nightstand for the guest room with annie sloan chalk paint - I love it, looking forward to sharing the finished piece and my take on the paint!

Fabric for the Guest Room and Tips for Ordering Fabric Online

The fabric arrived yesterday so I can get started on the guest room!

fabric 1. 2. 3. 4.

We are building a headboard and the 54" fabric width is tricky with the way I want the pattern to run (solid fabrics are more diy friendly!) I think I have found a solution without it looking pieced together ...

Whenever I open fabrics that I've ordered online I hold my breath - hoping that they look like the photo ... luckily all of these did!

but that hasn't always been the case - I fell in love with a richloom print, waited for it to get off of back order and when it arrived it didn't look quite like the photo :(

via

The photo from the website (top photo) looks vibrant with rich colors while the photo that I took looks washed out - still pretty, but not what I wanted - so I thought I would share some tips on what have helped me order online ...

1. Google the fabric and check out images of scale and color: many fabrics have photos of pillows, chairs, etc. that have been taken in a variety of lighting - a great way to get a feel for what the fabric will look like

2. For photos that include a ruler: make sure to check the scale - sometimes photos can be deceiving - the pattern can look larger or smaller than it actually is

3. Take note of the material: Becoming familiar with fabric types gives you a better idea of the weight and texture of the fabric. i.e. duck cotton will have a tight stiffer weave and medium weight  - while a cotton sateen will be a finer weave, lighter weight, and smoother touch

Finally when possible, I would recommend ordering from fabric.com - they offer free shipping for orders over $35, great prices, and FREE RETURN shipping!

Stay tuned to see my solution for 54" fabric for a wider headboard (fingers crossed it works!)

Print Giveaway from My Etsy Shop at: At Home When I'm With You

Today the fantastic Katie from At Home When I'm With You is hosting a give away for one print from my etsy shop - make sure to stop by her blog today or later this week at this post for a chance to win one!

Katie is a girl after my own heart who has a love for turning thrift store/craigslist finds into beautiful pieces. Here are some favorite posts! Giving thrift store chairs a coat of spray paint and selling for a profit, yes please! Who doesn't love adding to future projects budget! I'm inspired to take a furniture re upholstery class after reading about her fabulous chair makeover!

Make sure to stop by and check out some of her projects and to enter to win one of my prints!

Ombre Mirror for the Landing

The ombre landing theme continues! 

Yesterday I finished painting the mirror and it really has come a long way!

I also refinished the shoe cabinet recently, click here to read more.

I started with this maroon technicolor mirror purchased on clearance at TJ Maxx for $20 - I originally painted it white, but decided that our bland rental wall needed some color!

I got a color sample from Benjamin Moore - mixed some white to make two samples lighter and airbrushed a subtle ombre with the bottom darker and top lighter

Airbrushing is very similar to spray painting, but less paint comes out so you have more control over where the paint goes. However, the paint must be the correct thickness to go through correctly - too thin and it will come out watery and too thick - it won't spray or spray very slow.

This mirror has three shades - the original color and two lighter shades - I overlap the colors and blend the transition by spraying less paint

I'm loving the ombre theme on the landings! (click here and here to read more about the other ombre landings)

I also love the cheeriness that it adds to a dark corner!

Can you spot Annabelle? She says hi!

Peonies are my favorite flower and are in season now - so I had to pick up a bunch!

I've got big plans for the rest of the landings too ... but first I need to work on the guest bedroom! 

Have you added any colorful spots to your home recently?

Weekend in Photos: Big Sur, Baseball Fields, and BBQ

This weekend we traveled up the coast to Big Sur and Monterey ...

lunch at coast art gallery/cafe in big sur

julia pfeiffer burns state park

bixby creek bridge

and we played fetch at the baseball field ...

fast sprints and

high jumps 

 makes for one tired puppy!

and off course we had yummy food on our new grill!

I hope that you had a fun and relaxing weekend as well!

Mirror Update / My Etsy Shop

I'm painting this mirror today ... fingers crossed that it turns out like I want it to!

While you wait to see finished photos - check out my etsy shop - I've added some new prints!

Interested, but don't see what you are looking for? Contact me and I'll make a customized version!

Also, if you would like a chance to win one of my prints, stop by Katie's blog: At Home When I'm With You next Tuesday for details!

Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend!

diy painted morrocan rug finished!!

Yesterday I finished painting the rug for the living room!!

click here to read about the ottoman!

first I added the dimensions of the rug and a quick sketch of the pattern to my sketch up model

gathered supplies ...

sw loyal blue, fabric medium, plywood for the stencil, and a rug (5'11" x 8'2") from Ikea

 then I created a design in illustrator - printed on several pieces of 8.5 x 11 which were taped together

traced the pattern on a piece of 3/8 plywood - David then cut it out with a jigsaw (he is much better at precision cutting than me!)

We printed out our plan and wrote down some measurements - since the edges of the rug aren't square we ran tape down the middle of the points of the medallion so that they would line up

Prior to painting we took the tape off of the area to be painted - pressing on the board so it wouldn't slip! We also attached some paper bags on the outside of the stencil to prevent over spray

lined the points up on the center of the tape line

we were originally going to airbrush the whole thing ... but it took WAY too long - so we airbrushed the sides to get a clean line (pressing firmly on the board)

and brushed the interior - first coat looking very smurfy ...

Once dry we applied a second coat - yes! loyal blue - but when it dried it had way too much sheen (some are wet in the photo)


So I applied a final coat of loyal blue in matte

Once dry, it cut the sheen down enough - and there you have it a custom Moroccan rug!

Still a lot to do in this room - but I love the instant character that the rug gives the seating area and how it grounds the ottoman

If you saw my post on the ottoman - you may notice that the sofa is different 

I originally wanted a new sofa, but since I wanted a bigger one and this barely fit up the stairs ... I settled on a new sofa cover from Ikea. It was recently discontinued, so we got $50 off making it $99

Don't mind the desk in the background ... it will be getting a major overhaul soon!

Even though it took a little longer than expected - I am in love with the end result!!

Notes:

1. Use flat paint (higher quality paints will go on easier and save some headaches too!)

2. I would recommend trying Simple Spray, upholstery fabric paint or using a paint sprayer (I haven't tried these so I can't comment on the edges or durability, but would imagine that as long as the stencil is held tight it would work well)

3. A lighter paint color will require fewer coats - which will work best with this method, once dry the medallion will shrink slightly making it more difficult to line up for additional coats.

Guest Room Mood Board

fabric 1. 2. 3. 4. | rug | chair

Earlier this week I ordered the fabric for the guest room! My concept started with the frames in the upper right corner - I made them while living in Knoxville, and wanted to incorporate them into the room

I then found the coral and turquoise fabric and used that as a jumping off point

No furniture has been selected yet - so these are just for inspiration, but I am sure some diy projects will be in the works!

Accent colors for furniture and rugs: SW Drizzle and SW Gladiola

I have a tight schedule before our first guests arrive, June 8th - but as long as I move the boxes out and the bed in, I will be a happy camper! 

Make sure to stop back later today to see the finished photos of the diy painted rug - I am super excited to share with you once I take some photos!!

diy rug process - third times the charm!

I just finished the second coat on the last medallions (some are still wet in pic) BUT the second coat dried with way more of a sheen then the first .... so I think it is going to get a third coat with a different paint - I'll be sure to share my tips on what to do and what not to do when I am finished (tomorrow)!

It is nice to see it all laid out - motivation to finish!!

diy painted rug preview / almost there!

Almost there! Painting the rug this weekend took longer than expected - but so far it is turning out exactly how I imagined!

Only 4 more medallions left to paint - we painted the outer and middle rows first, then waited for the paint to dry because the stencil would overlap when painting the other rows.

We got two of those done and then ran out of paint - the rug absorbs so much paint! 

I'll share our process when I post finished pictures!

I am off to buy more paint! 

Its going to be a painting weekend!

The design for the rug has been finalized ...

color has been chosen - SW Loyal Blue - with a name like that, who can't trust it, right?

supplies purchased - yes plywood is a part of that, any guesses how?

all that is left is to paint! 

and it is going to be a painting weekend ...

the other painting project?

let me introduce you to my mirror - and yes I say my because we have had quite the journey together...

I first spotted a few in tj  maxx in TN complete with technicolor maroon coloring for $59.99 since all of them were scratched, I figured that it would go on clearance and then I would pull the trigger - going back I found one left for $20 - grabbed it - ran to the register and promptly brought it home to paint it - I then noticed the texture on the outer circles, which I wasn't crazy about but couldn't think of a good way to fix so I decided to leave it - so there it hung above the bed - white probably wasn't the best choice with the rental walls but it was much better than its technicolor past!

Headboard was made in TN and sold before we moved - fabric is a drop cloth that I tinted slightly gray

After we moved to CA I decided that I wanted to fix the texture in the outer circles - so I applied bondo - once dry, it was SO hard to sand on the curved surface (I would not recommend using bondo unless you can easily access the area to be sanded!) -  after some sanding - I decided to take a break ...  but I am determined to finish it this weekend!

It will be going on the landing above the shoe cabinet - I've decided to keep the ombre theme going for the landings - check back next week to see what I do!

Also, I was asked to do a tutorial on how I airbrush - so I will also be posting that in conjunction with the mirror!!