Word of the Week

I'm trying to see if I can stump you with this one. It's so much more fun when I really make you work! These four photos have one thing in common. Guess what it is in the comments. You can click on the photos to view the etsy products or click on the shop names to visit the shops. Have fun! I'll post the answer on Wednesday.

themustardseedco

Antiquebasketlady

bluelovebirds

 

HengamehKaghazchi

My Apartment and the Design Inside

I think our apartment is finally good enough to show here. I'm still lost on what to paint. I'm thinking a light gray in the living room, but I like everything as it is so I'm just leaving it for now. Click here to see the photos on my album with it empty and then designed.

The main room. Behind me is the entry and to the right is the kitchen. To my left is a hallway that leads to two bedrooms and the bathroom. Outside the big windows is our balcony. Above this area is the entertainment area and the third bedroom directly above my head. The two chairs with brown plaid...yea...I'm looking forward to changing that fabric to match the rest of the decor. And the wall behind the couch is the one I want to paint gray. I did a tutorial on how I painted the small white table in the bottom left corner.

The reading nook. I'll post tutorials on how I made the floating books and the crates. That's our parakeet, Moe, in the cage. And that chair I found in the trash, it just needed a good cleaning. Awesome, right?

The entertainment area in the loft. The third bedroom is behind me. We were sleeping in there until it got crazy hot this summer. I did a tutorial on the floating DVDs on the back wall back in January.

A closer look at the wall that should be gray.

 My office. I did a tutorial on how I painted the writing on the wall, just click here to see it. As well as a tutorial on how I made the storage boxes in the bookcase.

Let me know what you think, or what I can improve upon. I don't advertise that I'm a designer of any sort, but I love to do it. My apartment is constantly a blank canvas for me to go crazy with.

Word of the Week

Hello! Welcome to a bright and shiny new week. The sun is out to scare away the rainclouds today. Here's how to play: these four photos have one thing in common, guess what it is in the comments. You can click on the photos to view the products or click on the names to visit the shops. I'll post the answer tomorrow, have fun!

EmilyBalivet

seastar1

celentanowoodworks

toybreaker

If you have an etsy shop and would like to have a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in another Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.

Word of the Week - I'm Back!

Hi! I'm back after three weeks of touring around with the family. It was a lot of fun, but man do I need more vacation to recover from the vacation. But I'm in my new office. My parents bought me a desk. It's beautiful. Here's how to play Word of the Week. These four photos have one thing in common. Guess what it is in the comments. You can view the products by clicking on the pictures and visit the shops by clicking on the shop names. Have fun, I'll post the answer tomorrow.

walldecor

sjengraving

annasinspirations

enrouge

If you have an etsy shop and would like to have a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in another Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.

The Writing on the Wall - Home Painting Project

Back in high school my two best friends and I had a painting business. We called it The Writing on the Wall and we even had business cards. We only worked for friends and family, but it was a lot of fun. We designed and painted rooms and typically we wrote a bible verse or some lovely saying in big letters on the focal wall. I've grown to love having words on the wall. And when I saw a rug that was like an old letter, I got my inspiration to paint on the wall again. So in my office I have a big wall that is just over my bookcase. Here is the recipe for painting words on a wall.

Ingredients:

A blank wall.

Paint and a calligraphy brush.

A cup of tea and your favorite quote. Of course my hero is Jane Austen so we're going for some pieces of Pride and Prejudice. It helps to put the quote in a font you like on the computer so you have something to refer to.

Some twine or other way to keep the lines straight and the letters the same size. It's like a big rule book back in kindergarten when you were learning to write.

And voila! You have a lovely, hand-painted letter on your wall. I have Mr. Darcy's proposal, Elizabeth's refusal, her first glimpse of his wonderful house, and the first time they meet after their fight. In this situation I wanted to fill the whole wall so I picked a lot of words. With my friends we usually just did one line at the top of the wall. Although with one room we did one line all the way around the top of four walls. And another we did a long bible verse above someone's bed. Easy weekend project, and simple way to spruce up a boring room.

Make an Old Table Like New

I found an older table through a yard sale website. It was solid oak, and actually quite beautiful. But the spot it was meant for is decorated in white, black, and red. So I painted it. I really wish I had like five of these so I could do different things to it. I wanted for a while to make this my desk, but it's so beautiful I have to leave it out where people can see it. Here is my process...

 The original table and the first coat of Alt Weiss, Old White. I considered stopping after one coat with the wood showing through, and again I wish I had another table just like it. But I stuck with my original idea and kept painting.

 

The second and third coats. On the third coat I went the opposite direction I had been going, just to get everything truly covered.

 

The fourth coat finished it off. I used part of a stencil to paint a design in one corner in red. I still can't decide if simple is better or if I should paint more red. What do you think?

Word of the Week - Give-Away!

Hello. This week is a give-away! Yay! ChinaCherie is giving away one of her beautiful bee wings necklaces.You can choose silver, brass, or gold. So, these four photos have one thing in common, guess correctly what it is in the comments and you'll be entered in a drawing for the necklace. You can click on the images to view the products or click on the shop names to visit the shops. The answer will be posted on Friday along with a winner. Have fun!

chinacherie.etsy.com

toybreaker.etsy.com

RozArt.etsy.com

LazyDayCottage.etsy.com

If you have an etsy shop and would like to have a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in another Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.