Wall Stencil

The other day I decided to try my hand at stenciling an accent wall in the living room. Being very bare - and very beige - it left a lot of room for improvement. I'm really liking how it turned out and have received many compliments; this is a great way to spruce up an otherwise lackluster area in your home. 

Before: having traced the stencil with a pencil... didn't mean to rhyme!

Okay, so how did I do it? I visited this blog written by a genius woman. Seriously, did I mention how the wall totally looks like it's been wallpapered, but without the costly price tag and mess it would require to put it on? So, here's the address to the Jones Company: 

http://jonesdesigncompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/painted-wallpaper-template.pdf

After

 Still a work in progress, with my daughter's bean bag and table to contend with.

Clicking on that link above will provide a stencil for making this design. I printed it out and transferred it onto cardboard (my daughter's diaper box, to be exact). Once I had that, I began tracing the pattern onto my wall moving in a downward/vertical direction. For a step-by-step process of what I did - unfortunately, I couldn't document it since I only had two hands! - click below for directions:

http://jonesdesigncompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/painted-wallpaper-template.pdf

TOOLS:

• Cardboard
• Pencil
• Paint (I used leftover white BM paint from our cabinets)
• Paint brush (from Michael's, one of those small, flat craft ones)
• Patience

This is as easy-peasy as it gets, guys! I even did this while my daughter watched T.V.... just be forewarned though, she now thinks its okay to draw on the walls. 

Sconces Makeover

I've had these two sconces for the longest time, a Target purchase years ago. I have never actually used these as candle holders since I'm reluctant to hang anything flammable on my walls, so I went to the next best thing. Spindle holders, of course. 

The black color never sat well with my decor, so I decided to give them a slight makeover. I'm glad I waved my magic wand, or paintbrush, and wondered why I hadn't done it any sooner! The look is shabby chic and now instead of sticking out like blue thumbs they blend in nicely with everything else.

Check it...

Before 

Shabbiness

   

Bleach and Colors

As many well know, I love anything white, neutral, nautical striped or anything vibrant that plays a supporting role to the aforementioned.  This is as natural to me as a button-down shirt, line dried sheets in the summer, fluffy pillows, and a 'come hither' couch that beckons to be sat upon. I also know I'm not the only one who gravitates towards these summer tones. 

With that said, my latest visit to Pottery Barn magnified these very little likings. I couldn't help but think that these rooms were an exact replica of the house in 'Something's Gotta Give'. You all know what I'm talking about... Diane Keaton's retreat on the beach that was perfectly styled and resembled more of a show room than a house! Seriously, my house is too busy being scribbled on with crayons (along with our white furniture) and cluttered by my daughter's toys. 

Well, we can all dream of plunkering down on one of these after a long day. 

Eye Chart Chic

Here's an Anthropologie 'snippet', a scene looking upon a couch and the space behind it. Need I mention how awesome that wall color is, especially against the colorful couch? 

A fabulous way for DIY art and to create something super unique. I was thinking of doing this myself with maybe a piece of Scripture. All you'll need are two clips and a large piece of paper. How easy is that! 

Quirky definitely resides here, care to pull up a seat?

"Darling let's be adventurous"

Frames

If a picture is worth a thousand words then a frame must be worth even more, or at least worth-y of the image it encapsulates.

Here is such a frame. I picked up a set of four at a thrift store a couple years ago and they have been sitting in our garage in desperate need of a makeover. I wasn't sure what I would do with them, but knew I had to pick them up simply because, well, they just don't make 'em quite like this anymore!

So here's a tutorial on how to transform a frame from drabbiness to shabbiness:

I love the intricate detail and how sturdy they are. I wanted to showcase every nook and cranny, so I was careful to be easy-handed with the paint. 

I wanted white (of course), but didn't want it to be too stark, so diluting it with another color and water helped tremendously. 

I took a paint brush and stroked away.. 

I used three parts Wicker White and one part Bleached Sand to create the final color, and thinned it out with a lot of water. 

I was left with this after one coat of paint and wanted to bring out the details.

So, I began scraping the lifted parts and scraping away at some of the paint. 

I used my daughter's spoon handle! 

Then a clothes pin to 'dirty' those spots up, until finally I used a scruff pad. No pics since my hands were super dirty at that point! Scruff pad really did the job..

Some of that original color came through, which made it really nice. 

Then my daughter joined in on helping me!

Last step was taking a black marker and just slightly going over those lifted parts for even more dimension and detail.

The end result actually is pretty great! Between the paint, scruffing, and marking, the frames look like they were born this way. End result: a set of patina frames that scream to be displayed. 

Stay tuned for what I actually do with them... 

Makeover for Plant Holder

I picked this 'wall holder' up years ago at Home Goods. Never quite knew what to do with it or what to put into the potted slots, but had fun with it each season. Starfish in summer and candy canes in winter! 

Last year I threw some chalkboard paint in the middle of each 'pot' to add a bit of interest, but never quite got used to the speckled green since it screamed garage chic.

I then spray painted it white and kept the chalkboard labels. Not too shabby. It fits so well in our kitchen and actually serves to hold towels and other kitchen stuff. Its a great functional AND decorative piece now -- yippie!!! 

In summer

Winter

Now in the kitchen

Holding towels and vintage tools

And of course, sitting pretty