Banishing the Brick!

I posted before Halloween about the playroom fireplace.  It was plain brick and boring and it's been on the to do list for awhile now.  I had a dilema though.  The hubs wanted to pain it white and I wanted to paint it a darker shade of the wall color (Chromium by Valspar)

Here is the before:

It was dirty and I googled ways to clean the brick just to make sure there wasn't anything too crazy that I was supposed to do.  Nope.  Some scrubbing bubbles, a brush, and a bucket of water.  I scrubbed it pretty good and the changed the dirty water frequently but I didn't notice a huge difference.  However, I'm sure my paint stuck better to a clean surface.
I'm a huge fan of priming.  I prime everything.  It takes my project longer to be completed, but I think it's a step that is totally worth while.  Plus priming always gives me an idea of what the item would look like white.

Here it is primed.  It was this step that I knew I was not going to like the white.  

The hubs and I compromised on the wall color.  I really thought I was going to like the dark but if it looked awful, I would have had to eat that argument and I didn't feel like doing that.   I also thought the wall color would be "fine".  Why don't they ever see our vision?  SO wall color it was.  I went and got it's own quart ($13) to make sure I didn't run out.

It honestly was the same color and same finish (I touched up the walls!), but looked really baby blue (two coats).  I did not like it but it took me a couple of days to tell Chad.  Who also didn't like it!  Woot!  Back to Lowes.  I found a darker grey in the same family and had them try to match.  They couldn't, but I didn't need anything specific, just a darker tint to that color.  So needless to say the final product does not have a name.  I was worried about it screaming "I'm a fireplace" but it is what it is.  Two coats later, I love it and maybe one day I'll style it.

 I also painted the "hearth" black oil based high heat resistant black matte.

I hope that when brick fireplaces come back, I'm not in this house, because that is going to be impossible to get back!

Run Happy

This weekend my BFF was in town.  It was a quick Halloween visit, but honestly they are all too short.  She is a big runner and needs someplace to hang all her medals.  Usually she likes to "steal" random projects from around my house, but this time we did something just for her.

A wooden plaque from Michaels ($10ish) that the boys painted and some cup hooks ($3ish) from Lowes.

Then I printed out "Run Happy" which is from a quote she likes..traced it on to the board and colored it in with permanent marker.  Added the cup hooks and hanging hardware to the back.  All done!

Easy peasy organizing project!  What's the easiest project you've ever done?

Color in the kitchen

I have one of those amazing recessed sockets in my kitchen.  Great if you need a clock.  But I don't.  So I wanted to cover it up.  I also needed something with some height, but there isn't enough room for another shelf.  

I had a canvas that would fit there perfectly.  I wanted some color but not an actual picture that should really be hung close to eye level to see details.  I pin art whenever I see something I like and this one in particular has been all over pinterest.

Decor Pad

It's actually digitally done, but I LOVE those colors.  I looked around for some tutorials for ideas.  There are a lot out there.  Basically they are all the same. 

Paint your canvas:  I actually really liked this one as is and had a hard time putting the tape on it.  You can't see it in this pic but there is actually some sparkly gold going on!

Find the width of painters tape you like and cut strips to the length you want.  I used edge lock duck tape (just shy of 1" thick) and cut 4" long strips on a measured craft mat.  

The rest you do by "eyeballing" it.  Pretty technical I know.  However, I will admit I had to start over three times until I found a way to start my pattern.  My perfect pattern was started with a triangle (point up) in the exact middle of the canvas.

I laid them all out and then peeled off a few random ones.

Instead of white, I used a really light turquoise.  It's my black.  Every room should have a little in it!  I did two layers:

I then used my exact o knife to pull up the tape that was left on there. VERY CAREFULLY.

And here it is in it's final resting place.  I still haven't hung it.  It's propped up.  I still may raise it up a little bit,but that is low on the list.

It wasn't brain surgery but there was lots of drying time involved & it didn't cost a penny (at some point it did but that was so long ago) but a certain best friend is begging me to make one for her...I'm sure I'll do it..because I love anything that takes me away from housework her!

One Word Wednesday

COLOR

Weekend Wrap Up..Buh Bye Now

Our playroom has a brick fireplace.  We had the room painted when we moved in, but weren't real sure what we wanted to do with the brick.  It's not a pretty brick.  Just regular old red clay brick.  I will say here that we don't use this fireplace.  One days we'd love to put gas longs in there but with three littles, I'm not real keen on the idea of anything hot.  I also have a dream picture of what I would want for a fireplace but until we actually use it, and it's not hidden from toys the room changes function there is no reason to spend all that money.

However, it's almost been three years...and I was recently left alone for the night.  So what's a girl (that can't drive and couldn't go anywhere anyway because I had two sick kids) to do..work on a new project of course!  What I did know is that a white mantle was a definite and the hearth part will be black.  I spent five minutes on pic monkey putting those ideas on paper:

My first thought was white.  That is the easiest.  Also very predictable.  But very clean and fresh.  After priming, I was not sold on the white.  This is what the hubs liked.

Then there is the same color as the walls option.  It would blend in better.

I found lots of painted fireplaces on pinterest, mostly darker.  This is where I was leaning.

But there is also the distressed look that I like but this might be too busy for this already very busy room.

So I sent around an email for some thoughts and opinions...What did I end up doing?  You'll have to come back and see!

Santa is Coming

What to early?  Darn, because I've already said it more than once in the past week to more than one child.

Anyway, Santa is coming more than likely and he is bringing this baby cradle.  I'm not sure I like it as is.  Obviously the "linens" have to go.  I'm hoping to maybe (probably not) make some to match what Little Miss has on her bed.  

Do I leave it alone?  Paint it?  What color?

Two Roads diverged in a wood Part II

This is girly outdoor nursery is DEFINITELY the road less traveled.  I couldn't even find any inspiration on Pinterest?!

My next favorite place to start a project is fabric.  Sometimes I search for some that speaks to me and sometimes I hoard it until I find a use for it..like my living room curtains.  This was a search.  But I loved what I found...I really really love it.  It's called Yay Day by Birch Organics.  I can see I will be spending more time on their site...such fun stuff!

This would be the bedskirt.  I may or may not add a white or pale pink ruffle to it like the one in my nursery, or maybe pom poms to the edge?  However, I really like it as is.  I would leave it as is for covering a glider and I might even use some to cover the changing pad.

My curtains are from the same collection & they would definitely be getting pom poms!  I would also do a crib sheet and a lumbar pillow for the glider.

Here is what I've put together for a little miss that I feel is girly and outdoorsy.  Which I feel her mom has down to a science.  I used a lot of the same elements from the boy room.  Subtle Touch grey walls from Behr, dark crib and dresser/changing table.  I'm sure Pantone will be telling us that pink is the new green any day now...

And because I have to cover her walls (I would leave furniture lay out the same) I did a little work on those too.  Finding artwork was not difficult at all. 

Finding artwork was not nearly as difficult.  I love the animal hooks I found (had to have a dog!)..but thought about these three instead:

On her bookshelf I would add some fun adventure books like Pippi Longstocking, Violet the Pilot, and The Paperbag Princess. This night light would have to go on one of the shelves!

Let's face it:  There is nothing cuter than little girl clothes.  Here is what I would choose to start her closet:

I hope y'all enjoyed this girly outdoor nursery!  Can't wait to work on the actual nursery!  One last thing I thought was funny, besides me working on a "campy themed nursery"..I would have to add it somewhere, so she'd always think about her Auntie Jenn!