Woven Home

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Hot Pink Front Door: Valspar Berry Blush

We were so excited to get our new doors put in last year. They completely updated the house and let in tons more light. It was just in a "we do things half a$$ around here and then leave it" type way... Yes. That is right. We opted to order the doors unstained because it saved significant cash AND because we think we can do everything ourselves.

FRONT DOOR BEFORE

FRONT DOOR AFTER

FRONT DOOR AFTER AFTER

No biggie right. Just stain these fiberglass doors. How hard could it be? Truthfully. Not that hard. Anyone could do it. JUST GET THE RIGHT KIND OF STAIN! You know how you just walk into a store, ask an associate a question, and then go with his answer without even considering he may be wrong. Don't do that! We just went with the can of stain the sales guy pointed us to without even so much as a second thought. That is, until we started staining!

What we needed was gel stain.... what we were using was regular stain. Big difference here people... huge! For whatever reason we still didn't really question this product selection (at least not enough to start over) until about a week later, when it was finally dry to the touch, but if you touched it it peeled right off.

Not exactly the look we were going for.

At this point we had already paid our contractor to hang the doors and even though they looked terrible up close we decided to just ignore it.... for a little over a year! In a "we do things half a$$ around here and then leave it" type way.

Finally this spring we decided to remedy the problem. Will stripped the doors and I painted them.

This picture is completely inappropriate but I think sums up his feeling about this quite nicely.... if you can read through the pixelation.

Just to complicate things further. It is sad when your two year old stops taking naps for many reasons, but this is a huge one!

I think we only brought home 5 samples to choose from. We are making strides in over coming our color choosing issues. We had a couple blues, green, another stain, coral, and hot pink. Would you believe the hot pink won?!? Valspar Berry Blush to be exact.

I LOVE it! It makes the house so very happy to me. This place has come a long way from when we bought it. It was one of those places that everyone insisted was haunted (more on that another day!). But now, I think it is apparent that people live here. Happy people. Hot pink front door type people! It couldn't suit us any better!

In the same group of pictures on my camera was this beauty.

Blessed beyond measure!

Kandi

Find me at: DIY Dreamer My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tatertots and Jello, A Stroll Through Life, French Country Cottage, No Minimalist Here, The36th Avenue, It's Overflowing, Shine on Fridays, DIY Show Off, House of Hepworth, 52 Mantels, I Heart Nap Time, The Frugal Girls,Six Sisters Stuff, One Project Closer, Jennifer Rizzo, Le Chateau des Fleurs, Common Ground, Liz Marie Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Miss Mustard Seed, Sugar Bee Crafts, Elizabeth and Co, Rain on a Tin Roof, Coastal Charm Chic On A Shoes String

Monday, May 13, 2013

Family Photos

I have always had the dream of being one of those skinny pregnant women. You know the type, the ones that have a little basketball in their belly and that is it....the rest of their body's show no signs of bloating or pudge...yep well I guess I am going to have to let that dream go.....with all three of my pregnancies I blew up! In fact I am so pregnant all over this time that when my sweet and very talented cousin who owns Krista Joy Photography asked to take family photos this spring I said no! Absolutely not! I am way too big to be photographed. So we compromised, and I have to say I am so happy she won. Here are a few of my favorite pregnancy photos.

And my baby boys....

I am so happy we went ahead and had Krista take family photos this spring. If you are local here in Lynchburg, she will be scheduling a day to take newborn pictures in a couple weeks. (Yay!) So message me at Woven Home on Facebook and I will keep you posted on the date. She charges $150 for an hour session, and a disk of edited photos.

Rebekah

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Harper Kate's Big Girl Bed

What.... you act like I haven't blogged in like 5 months or something....

I have no excuse except that blogging was taking up a little bit too much of my time... so I took a break. I love this blog but it's not worth ignoring my kids and house for! Balance, it's elusive here! Please share with me if you have got it all figured out!

In the meantime, I've been cranking out projects like crazy. It's amazing how much more you can get done by cutting out blogging about it!

Onto the real topic at hand. Harper Kate's big girl room is underway! She will be three in June (WHAT!?!?!?!) so it is out with the crib and in with a pink bed. Yes, pink. Saying that pink is her favorite color would be an understatement. I would say it's more of an obsession. She actually thinks her eyes are pink.... enough said, right!

We were so very lucky to get to trade her crib for this amazing solid wood Jenny Lind style bed. It came from our good friends in town who run Camp Ton-A-Wandah and for me inspired a vintagey glam style for my little pink obsessed baby girl {side note... if you are looking for an amazing and truly magical girls summer camp that has been around since 1933 you must check them out!}.

Here is a before. It was gorgeous as is but she was serious about wanting a pink bed!

This is how I felt about painting the bed pink....

My face is much happier now! It was just a little shocking at first!

Same spot... Before/After

Did you notice this blog post only has her bed. Yeah... that's because the rest of the room isn't finished yet! Not even close. We make no big promises here on timeline but I'll post it all as it gets completed!

Source list:
Wall color: Benjamin Moore Light French Gray (lightened 50%)
Bed color: Valspar Watermelon Slice
Curtains: Woven Home
Duvet: Pottery Barn Ruffle Rings Duvet Cover
Quilt and Shams: Pottery Barn (no longer available)
Sheets: Target Jersey Tile Sheet Set - Teal
Dust Ruffle: Goodwill ($4 and handmade!)
Throw Pillows: Woven Home
Side Table: TJ Maxx
Monogram: Woven Home

Ahhhh.... It feels good to be back! At least for today :-)

Kandi

P.S. Send up prayers for Baby Girl Moody to make her debut TONIGHT!!!! (Before Rebekah completely loses it :-) She has an amazingly beautiful nursery awaiting her arrival!

Find me at: DIY Dreamer My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tatertots and Jello, A Stroll Through Life, French Country Cottage, No Minimalist Here, The36th Avenue, It's Overflowing, Shine on Fridays, DIY Show Off, House of Hepworth, 52 Mantels, I Heart Nap Time, The Frugal Girls,Six Sisters Stuff, One Project Closer, Jennifer Rizzo, Le Chateau des Fleurs, Common Ground, Liz Marie Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Miss Mustard Seed, Sugar Bee Crafts, Elizabeth and Co, Rain on a Tin Roof, Coastal Charm Chic On A Shoes String

Monday, March 25, 2013

Touching Up Paint

I think I am nesting....I have the sudden urge to fix all of the problems and neglected areas in my house, much to my husband's dismay! Every weekend I have a new project planned for us to tackle. Some get finished, but most get put back on the list for another weekend. Somehow, two boys, two dogs, a husband, and a freak winter storm at the end of March have a way of detouring my plans....so I have learned to get creative with my time management.

The closet in the nursery needed to be repainted. (Along with several other rooms in my house that are this same "builder beige." ) I just don't have time before the baby comes to paint my entire house, I decided to touch up the paint, instead of repainting. The closet took me less than one hour. (The rest of my house took me 4 hours, and it looks like I repainted every room!) I am not crazy about the beige, so someday I will repaint, but for now, this will do :)

Step 1:

If you are smart/lucky you have a record of the paint used....I was not lucky....my home is about 10 years old, and I do not have a record of the beige my builder used. Don't try to match the paint with swatches! It does not give you a perfect match. Instead cut a piece of drywall from behind an electrical switch plate and take it to the paint store to be matched.

Step 2:

Prepare the area...I am a messy painter, so for me this step aways includes a drop cloth. I like to use a small roller with a short nap. Often I will need a brush to get in the corners. Use a paint tray...as you can see I did not... For a small closet, only a little bit of paint is needed. (I used less than one quart for my entire home.) Lastly, make sure to fill in and repair any holes before painting.

Step:3

Use a dry brush technique. In other words, do not saturate the bush/roller with paint. Very little paint is needed. Dip the roller in the pant, and then roll off as much paint as possible in the pan before painting the wall. (Very similar technique as stenciling).

Step: 4

Lightly roll over the wall's blemish. Do not saturate the wall with paint, but lightly cover the blemish. If too much paint is used sometimes one can see the patch. If blemish is not covered with the first coat of paint, wait for it to dry then paint a second coat. I like to roll all of my paint off the roller before I re dip.

Step:5

Let the paint dry, and clean up tools. If this process seems confusing, don't hesitate to go into your local paint store and ask for advice. My favorite local paint store in Lynchburg is Virginia Paint Company on hwy. 221 they are always happy to answer my questions. They sell Benjamin Moore Paint, and honestly Bonnie is the best color expert in town.

I tackled a few more painting projects to complete the nursery closet including this dresser turned changing table, and whitewashing this old picnic basket. I will try to write a post on whitewashing next week.

Thanks for joining me on this project!

Rebekah

p.s. I had a concerned reader write me about my choice to use Annie Sloan's chalk paint on the crib. I have to say at first I was rather suprised by her email, however I feel like it is my job to make informed decisions about my projects. Not only do I not want to endanger my daughter, I don't want to endager my readers' children either. I have written to the Annie Sloan Co. and received an quick response. Their paints and waxes are completely safe to be used on a crib. (I chose this paint because of it's low VOC levels, but it is always nice to have confirmation from the source). It is very important as with any product, to allow the paint to cure. With the ASCP product to allow the wax to harden. This process usually takes about a month. My baby will not be born for another two months, and she is not expected to pull up on the crib for at least 6 months after that. So I think I am safe...honestly I expected concern over the bumper...which has been linked to SIDS, not the paint. (I will be removing the bumper, I was using it for photo purposes only.)

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

My Little Girl's Nursery

I am so excited to share my latest project with you today. I have been so busy with all of my other projects that I have not shared my big news with y'all. I am expecting a little girl at the end of May. I have had so much fun putting together my little girl's nursery. Now hopefully she does not come out with an extra part! Oh well if she does, I hope he likes pink!

I have to admit that starting this project was a little overwhelming. There are so many beautiful nurseries on Pinterest alone, I did not know what direction I was going to take. In fact I had bought all of the fabric for the nursery and then changed my mind all together when Kandi offered me all of Harper's bedding. I have been so busy I was afraid if I took on one more project this baby might be coming home to a pack-in-play in the closet! Kind of like my first two :)

Once we decided to take Harper's crib bedding, this whole project came together in about one week. The crib bedding can still be purchased at Hoohobbers.

Hoohobbers

If you know me, you know I preach fabric first, then paint. I took one of the pinks from the bedding and chose Pink Hibiscus a Benjamin Moore color for the walls. If my baby is anything like me, she will hate pink until she is in her 30's so this might be my only chance to paint a wall pink in my house!

I also decided to paint the crib. Here is a before picture of the crib. I used this crib for my boys, and loved it, but I wanted to soften all the dark wood for my baby girl.

I used Annie Sloan chalk paint, Old White and a clear wax finish. I like to distress my furniture after I paint. Here is the finished crib.

The swan and Aesop's Fable needlepoint were my last two purchases for the room. I have to admit I did splurge on these two beauties I found at one of my favorite store's in Lynchburg, Enchanted. But I think they were worth every penny they are my two favorite things in the whole room.

I also love this vintage Italian chandelier I found at Black Dog Salvage for $78. What a deal!

I made the curtains long 12 inches longer than floor length so they could be pulled back and still puddle on the floor. I made them out of a white cotton quilted fabric to help soften all the pink in the room.

I have owned this dresser for years, and I think it works perfectly between the windows. This chair has also been reappointed from another space in my house. I think rocking chairs are great, but it was just not in my budget. This is my third baby, and I did not use one for my first two. What I wanted more than anything was a comfy place to stretch out during those late night feedings. Although this chair will not win any design awards, it does win a comfort award in my book. So it stays.

Here are a few more pictures of my favorite things....

A vintage embroidered pillow paired with a velvet Woven Home pillow help soften the enormous chair.

Keeping with the Aesop's Fable theme my hubby put a tortoise in the crib. Now we need to find a Bunny!

A little vintage bear.

Handmade horse (from Black Dog) & Rewired Vintage Lamps

I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Rebekah

p.s.
(Here is a link to Harper's nursery. Baby Girl Nursery Kandi and I clearly share the same style!)

p.p.s.
Here are a few before pictures...

A picture of the room and crib before we painted.

Sarah painting (my ever helpful assistant).

Oh I almost forgot here was my
Budget...

I came in way under my $1000 budget for this room

Crib Bedding...free
Crib...reused, free
Paint for crib... Annie Sloan $40
Paint on Walls...Benjamin Moore 1 gallon $50
Dresser...reused, free
Swan...$250
Aesop's Fable Early 19th Century Embroidery...gift
Chair & Ottoman...reused, free
Curtains...$180
Chandelier...$78
Bear...$12
Mirror over dresser...$40
Vintage lamps on dresser $50 for pair
Horse...$85

Total: $785

Linking up to some of these great places.