Guest Room - Makeover

The makeover is going great, I have about two weeks to get into shape before my guest gets here.  It's kind of her room because she stays in the most.  Maybe in the next post I will talk about who she is.  But, I think the make over will be just as comfortable for any gentleman staying in the room.  

I read on someone's blog last week that if you use candle wax on your furniture before you paint when it is time to sand the painted finish off, it will be tons easier.  So I grabbed one of my Christmas candles, since they were broken, and started to rub the wax on the edge of the bed.  BUT, it seemed like too much work ( I can't even believe I just wrote that).  

Before.

Ooh, a little scary.  

Too late to turn back now.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

I love it!

There's no turning back now.  I am officially a black paint fan.

FYI/BTW, I will never, no never, not use the candle wax again!  When I got to the area that I had rubbed the wax on it was way easier, hello-wa.  

Next.

Turquoise.  

Hmm yummy.

Updated to add:  Beneath My Heart - end of the month party.  This is my first link up craft party.  I'm a little nervous.  

Sweet Sunday Scripture - Lady wisdom Calls Out

Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling?

Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?  

She's taken her stand at First and Main,

at the busiest intersection.

Right in the city square

where the traffic is thickest, she shouts,

"You - I'm talking to all of you,

everyone out here on the streets!

Listen you idiots - learn good sense!

You blockheads - shape up!

don't miss a word of this - I'm telling you how to live well,

I'm telling you how to live at you best.

My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth - 

I can't stand the taste of evil!

You'll only hear true and right words from my mouth;

not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.

You'll recognize this as true - you with open minds;

truth-ready minds will see it at once.

Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,

and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.

For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;

nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

"I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity;

Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.

The Fear-of-God means hating Evil,

whose ways I hate with a passion -

pride and arrogance and crooked talk.

Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics;

I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out.

With my help, leaders rule,

and lawmakers legislate fairly;

With my help, governors govern,

along with all in legitimate authority.

I love those who love me;

those who look for me find me.

Wealth and Glory accompany me - 

also substantial Honor and a Good Name.

My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary;

the returns on my exceed any imaginable bonus.

You can find me on Righteous Road - that's where I walk -

at the intersection of Justice Avenue,

Handing out life to those who love me,

filling their arms with life - armloads of life!

"God sovereignly made me - the first, the basic -

before he did anything else. 

I was brought into being a long time ago,

I arrived on the scene before Ocean,

yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.

Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,

I was already there, newborn;

Long before God stretch out Earth's horizons,

 and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,

And set Sky firmly in place 

I was there.

When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,

built the vast  vault of Heaven,

and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,

When He drew a boundary for Sea,

posted a sign that said NO TRESPASSING,

And then staked out Earth's Foundations,

I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.

Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,

always enjoying his company,

Delighted with the world of things and creatures,

happily celebrating the human family.

"So, my dear friends, listen carefully"

those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.

Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;

don't squander your precious life.

Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,

awake and ready for me each morning,

alert and responsive as I start my day's work.

When you find me, you find life, real life, 

to say nothing of God's good pleasure.

But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;

when you reject me, you're flirting with death."

Proverbs 8

The Message

God's Word perfect for today.

Blessings dearly loved.

Guest room Re-Do

This is in pretty rough shape but these are the bones of the room.  It is located in our barn and my husband and I lived in this room  while we were building the house.  I moved the bed, rug and bedside tables  to the house and left this room looking homeless.  

(Edited to add this picture of the bed frame.)

I have this sleigh headboard and footboard bed that I will be using however I do not think it carries the room.  I am thinking about painting it black but I haven't convinced myself that that is the color to go with.  I would like to do a room with natural colors for the bedding and a lot of texture.

These are the existing curtains, they will be staying and I guess a jumping off place for the colors scheme.

They really are nice curtains and they hang from a twisted iron rod and big rings.  I should have taken a picture of that.  They are also cafe in length and set inside deep window molding.

This handsome piece stays and sits opposite of the bed.

I need to redo this vanity table.  It is made out of alder and was beautiful in the raw, but I have never happy with the finish.  The inspiration for this was made out of pine and was beautiful.  I think I will strip it and see what I can do with stain and sealer.  

I am looking at buying a chair and maybe a small couch to put in here.  

So what do you think?  Should I go with the black paint for the bed?

Accessories - So You think You Can Decorate

I've been working this week on projects to play along with "So You think You Can Decorate".  This week's feature is accessories and the contest includes - 10 designers, 10 projects, 10 weeks.  We vote on our favorite according to what each one does that give you that little zing or maybe the project that inspires you to do something in your own little corner of the world.   They have a tab where, if you are inspired by the assignments for the week, you can link your project to the viewer inspiration link and that is where I come in.  

I didn't explain it quite right, I'm sure, but they will tell you all you need to know.

Please click on the link above the blog button to see the projects that viewers have linked up with.

So you Think You Can Decorate

This table needed a make over and I have been wanting to do it for forever, this seemed like the perfect time to give a face lift and add it back into my decor.   

First I gave it a light sanding and then applied the base coat.

I used chipping creme in between the base coat and the top coat of paint.

And then sanded and chipped and chipped and sanded and added toner/glaze and then sanded some more and finally I quit.

What strikes me is it is such a dainty table and the finish is sooooooo distressed.

Seems like a contrast in style and finish.  What do you think?  

I love paint for all the reasons that everyone knows, it's relatively inexpensive, it's easy and if you don't like it, just paint over it again.  

Decorating freedom, that's what I call it.  Freedom in a can.  

Not really, I just made that up.

Everything in this project are things that I already have or things that I made. 

American Idol

What is it about this year?  Is it me or are they just .......... not?  And while I'm asking, what's up with Kara and Simon and Kara and the blonde guy?  Didn't she just get married?  Seriously, and isn't Simon engaged?  Do you think they have to do something like this to give us something talk about cause so far the competition is, just alright man, I don't know I didn't get it,  for me that was just okay.

  

So instead of going through the contestants one by one I'll just hit the highlights. 

 

Oh yea,  my eldest daughter Danya or D, as we call here here in blogland, is teaming up with me again this year to give you our thoughts about this singing competition.

So my favorite, since back in the Hollywood days, is Lee Dewyze.  He sang last last night and I think he will be someone who would put out interesting music.  Casey James, the pretty blonde guy, will be a commercial success and should end up in the top 10.  And then cute little Alex Lambert, the shy one, who last week was so nervous that I wanted to give him a hug, he has a very nice voice and I would like to see him go to the top 10 as well.  Then, of course, who could look past Big Mike, he did a really good job last night.  I agree, Randy, that was HOT! 

Oh yea, I almost left out Andrew Garcia, I agree with the judges on this one.  When he did Paula Abdul's Straight Up, I though wow, this guys gonna take it this year.  So I am hoping to see some of that come back for him, but I like him and I hope to see him make it to the top 10 as well.

The two that I think will go home are Todrick Hall and John Park.  

That's what I think.  Danya, what do you think?

"Ditto".

Awe, that girl, she's gonna be fun this year.  

Oops, I forgot to link up - check in with  BooMama for more AI thoughts and ramblings.  Great stuff there. 

So You Think You Can Decorate

There is a reality contest going on in blogland.  It's called "So You Think You Can Decorate"  and I want to play along, at home and on the side.  Some of the big girls are working this thing out.  The set-up is they decorate a given theme for the week, we vote for our two favorite based on what moves you decorating wise, and someone leaves the contest the next week.  That's a basic run down of the rules, check out the site and vote on your two top favorites.

This should be fun. 

I must have been reading the author's mind because right after I left a comment asking if I could link up with them working on the side and at least one week behind, they posted a "It's Your Turn" post and wa-la decorating inspiration.  And a fun kick in the butt. 

 

This weeks subject is accessories so I pulled out my trusty handy-dandy paint brush, nothing was safe. 

This is a preview of the accessories that I plan to use, not ready to link with them yet but I've got a plan. 

I worked on this last week.  I just stained the jumbo sized clothes pin and used modge-podge to adhere the paper.

I love this paper.

This is the first burlap flower I made before I saw the tutorial on how to make them.  

Still, I think it turned out pretty good.

There is several styles in this flower.  First I made a rose by folding one of the corners down and rolling it a couple time to form the bud in the center.  Then I just rolled it around folding as I wound the fabric around the center bud.

Then I had some strands that I pulled out and the bottom petals I cut out trying to figure out how to make these cute flowers.  

All the layers are hot glued together, there is a ton of hot glue on this thing.

The next time I sat down with this piece I noticed the the leopard print ribbon looked good with it so, I made a few loops and I burn my fingers several time.  That ribbon was slippery.

These candle sticks were some that I had and I found them hard to decorate with so, they were a candidate for painting.

I have been admiring all the cute things I have seen using black paint so I gave it a shot.

Next, a picture frame.  

It's a good looking all by itself but I could just see it with a great coat of white paint and maybe some bling.

I used my famous chipping creme again and this time I think it worked better.  I used Tim Holz distress crackle paint in picket fence and a wash of brown glaze.

Last but not least or whatever, this is a 5 x 5 canvas I painted it with antique white, added burlap with modge-podge.  Next, I painted a Tim Holz product called grungeboard and applied it with modge-podge as well.  

  

I have a table drying and waiting for it's second coat of paint, I'll show more of that tomorrow.

Also, I am doing a guest bedroom makeover.  I know I haven't gotten to the dining room yet but ..... I will.

I have a guest coming soon and I want it to look put together.  I'm excited to be working on this project.  My plan is to use things I already have.  Except, I have to purchase some seating for this room.  I'm buying that thing.  I don't even want to get started trying to sew.

As Sarah would say - cuuuute!

See ya.

Happy Birthday Mam-ma

Mam-ma's birthday was Saturday the 27th, she turned 99 years old.  They are giving her a party this weekend.  Funny the family didn't start celebrating her birthday until she turned 90 yrs old.  She even made a comment about that.  She's quite the lady.

Mam-ma's favorite passage;

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you .  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going."

John 14:1-4

I love you Mam-ma - we all do.