Monday, June 30, 2014

Mantle Update with Paint and Stain

With all I've had going on lately, I have not been able to do much painting:(  most of you know I am  a huge painter, it's therapeutic for me, so today I was very much in my element when I got to re-do a clients mantle.  Not that it was all that bad before, but we changed the wall color a few weeks ago from a warmer brown to a  cooler greige color so the yellowish mantle was sticking out like a sore thumb.  So what to do- hmmmm let's paint it!

Before:


I should have been better about taking pictures during the process, but I was having so much fun I just kept on moving.  Here is the final result…

 
I know….Cute Puppy!

To achieve this look, I simply painted 2 coats of basic white paint all over the mantle ( I just used an eggshell ultra white).  After it dries, rough it up a little with some sandpaper - everywhere there is some detail- these are the areas the stain will stick to.  Then I do a coat of stain (I used Minwax Dk. Walnut). I use very very little.  Put a small amount on an old rag and then tap on a piece of paper towel to get off excess, then you apply sparingly and always have another cloth to soak up the extra.  In a few areas I had to go back with a dry paint brush with just a tad of the white paint to lighten up some areas.  Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.  I can't wait for the furniture to come in so we can pull the room together!



Everyone have a great short week and stay safe on the 4th!!!






















Monday, June 9, 2014

Coral Crush!

Every once in a while I work on a client project and start crushing on the color pallet we've chosen.  This month it happens to be the color Coral.  It's one of those colors that just makes me happy and complements lots of other colors to create beautiful spaces.
Here are a few items I'm crushing on now…






Some pretty decor, art and linens from West Elm










                                                                 


Love this coral tucker chair from Serena and Lily


and a few pretty rooms with pops of coral via Pinterest:


and everyone knows I'm a sucker for a white sofa, fresh colors, and striped rugs!...


A few great items available through Simplicity Interiors:

Pretty rugs…

and lamps...


All available through Simplicity Interiors!



and last but not least, my cutie patootie Piper in her new coral striped dress


Hope everyone has a great week!