An Awkward Living Space

This is a downstairs family room and it's in a rather odd shape. As you can see the room almost looks as if it has the shape of a triangle. Furniture placement, for the most part, is up against the walls. The focal point in this room is the fireplace of which none of the furniture is addressing. In fact the sofa is actually blocking the view of the fireplace.

The solution here was to move the sofa back and pull it off of the wall onto a slight angle to face the focal point. Then the club chair was placed opposite of the sofa next to the fireplace to balance out the room.

A sofa table was placed behind the sofa to provide a surface for ambient light. Also added to the table was a large wood sculpture for contrast and interest.

Here is a great example of thinking outside of the box...3 old suitcases were stacked to provide a table for the side of the sofa. The dark color of the cases add a wonderful contrast to the bright red of the sofa and is consistent with the dark matting of the picture above the sofa table and the sculpture. A plant was placed on top for color and to add life to this space.

Here the angle of the love seat was adjusted so that it formed a 90 degree angle with the sofa. This opened the walkway to the window. Also a small end table was able to be added along with a lamp which brightened up the side of the room. The antique desk was adorned with another plant and sculpture and a chair was placed in front of it to create a workspace. The picture above the desk was found in a back closet... it turns out tha it is photo of the owner's grandfather. The addition of the picture gives a touch of personal nostalgia to the room.

You can meet some of the most interesting people in the paint department of your local Walmart

Today I went to Walmart for fabric and paint for my next project...the yard sale chairs I bought last month. I wanted to do something fun and funky with them, but sometimes my more practical side just won't give in. I'll wax and wane until I have lost all the vision I had when I first bought the item.

But this morning as I was debating on what color I should paint my chairs, a women walked up to me to take a peek over my shoulder. I had been staring at the piece of material I just had cut in the craft department with about 4 different color spray paint cans leaning against it. I had a dark brown, a cherry red, a reddish brown and boring old Ivory. Once I broke out of my trance, I began to tell her that I was going to redo 4 kitchen chairs and this is the fabric for the seats. Then I reached up and grabbed a yellow color called "Bright Idea" and said, "I also debated on this one." She quickly reacted to the color and said "Oh I like that, it's nice and cheery for a kitchen."  Cheery I thought, remembering the yellow kitchen my parents had in  their home, since then I've always loved that idea of yellow in a kitchen.

Well that was all I needed to hear and I put the other 4 cans back in their respective spots on the shelves. I turned to her and thanked her and asked if there was anything I can do to help her because it appeared as if was trying to decided on a paint color herself. She said no and that she was just trying to decided the technique she was going to use on a kitchen drawer project. We then gabbed a little more about painting and she gave me some wonderful ideas for my chairs.

So thank you lady in the paint section of Walmart this morning...I am totally stoked about starting this new project. I would love to find a table to go with my chairs because the flood gates have just opened with all kinds of ideas! 

Front Porch Before and After...

Our front porch is small and I wanted it to be more bold and welcoming. So I painted the floor in a brick color in a tile pattern and added seating in the way of a wicker rocker I purchased at a yard sale for $5.00. Then I painted black the base of a glass top sofa table I already owned and hung an iron wall decoration that I had lying around. I added a potted flower and a floor plant from my living room and created an entry with lots of warmth and personality!

Before...

 After...

My Inspiration...

From the website Front Porch Ideas and More...

Courtesy of Barb at Gritz and Glamour

Thank you Barb for the inspiration for my front porch!

Adirondack Chairs

The pool place near our home has these beautiful Adirondack chairs displayed across the front of the store. My husband and I love them but the price tag is definitely not in 21 Rosemary Lane's budget...coming in at just under $300.00 each. So about a week ago I called Chris from the Home Depot because I found bare Adirondack chairs that needed to be assembled for only $29.99! The perfect price and I can paint them whatever color we want!!!

The assembly was incredibly easy and I ended up painting them a classic white!

I purchased two seat cushions from TJ Maxx for $12 each to add a little splash of color.

Now they are ready for old ma and pa to take in a comfy summer afternoon under the cool shade of the Chinese maple and wave to the neighbor's as they walk by.

Michael's Room

In Michael's room I decided to infuse with a little bit of Americana.

The head board was a find at Restore for only 8 dollars so I painted it in the burgundy and the letters, which were purchased at a craft store, I painted white.

The cedar chest was a $10 yard sale find that I sanded down and painted for Michael's room. The lamps I already had and just re-shaded with shades bought from Walmart.

 Red is Michael's favorite color but I just couldn't put that on his bedroom walls since there is already another red room in our home, so I made the decision to put it on the furnishings. These French Provincial dressers originally belonged to me and my sister when we were growing up and they were all white. I painted them burgundy but left some of the white for contrast. The stars I also purchased at a craft store and they got a nice coat of white before gluing them on the drawer fronts. The window valance I found at a thrift shop for only 2 dollars per panel.

This biplane border was purchased on-line in individual rolls at $17.00 per roll and I needed only 3 rolls. This saved me a lot of money since the big name home centers were selling the same wall border for 25 dollars for each roll and they were sold in packages of two.

    And finally the pictures above the mirror were actually gold framed picture of flowers. I simply spray painted the frame white and then Michal himself selected the monster truck pictures from the Internet. I downloaded them and glued the new pictures over the old pictures!

(The boat picture Michael thought was cool so I purchased a white frame at a local craft store and gave it a place of honor between the two truck pictures!)

Painted Blanket Chest

Well it took a good week plus to scrape away on this poor cedar chest. I think that there was at least 3 or 4 layers of paint on this thing. Also the fact that it has some detail makes it even more challenging to strip.

 

I was surprised at what I found under the paint where the inlay design is...

After removing the paint to expose the inlay I stopped because I want to try to preserve this part and implement it into the final design.

The front of the piece is a veneer and partially chipped off, so I filled it with wood putty and sanded it until smooth. It's a shame that the veneer was in disrepair, I would have loved to restore this to it's almost original state.

After stripping I wiped the piece down with mineral spirits, this loosens any residual paint. Once dry I do a quick sanding to make sure the surface is smooth. Mineral spirits are available at Lowes, Home Depot or any hardware store. I also sanded the inside to remove the crayon and marker marks and refresh the cedar itself.

So in keeping with the colors of the inlay I used red as an accent color. After painting the feet red I used a glaze with a hint of color to take the brightness down and then I distressed them.

Then I added a little finishing touch. And now it lives upstairs in Michael's room. My sister laughed when she heard where it was going to be placed...she said "I think Michael had his eye on that since the day you brought it home!"

And Michael is thrilled with the new addition to his room!

My Parent's First Home

We lived in this home until I was 8 years old. We only moved one mile across town, but you would have thought by my reaction at the time, that we were moving to Siberia.

About 20 years after my parents moved from this home it was back on the market, and I decided to go to the open house. I hadn't been inside the house for a very long time, but despite any of the changes the succeeding owners may have made, it was still as I remembered. The realtor asked me if I needed her to show me the house...I smiled and politely declined her offer. I just needed some alone time with my childhood home. 

When I came across this song I immediately connected with it because it took me right back to that day of the open house. I remember walking into my old bedroom that I shared with my little sister. The  big oak tree which sat right outside my bedroom window was still there only larger. The recreation room my father had remodeled based on my mother's ideas, brought back so many fond memories of long ago birthday parties and family gatherings. Our backyard, well it was still the same. It has this small bump of a hill, and when I saw it I suddenly recalled being a little girl sledding down it in my mother's arms.

I just love the lyrics and the tune...take a listen...maybe this song will jar some old memories for you...and possibly, put a smile in your heart, as it did mine.

"The House That Built Me"

sung by Miranda Lambert

I know they say you can’t go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma’am I know you don’t know me from Adam
But these hand prints on the front steps are mine
Up those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
Now I bet you didn't know under that live oak
My favorite dog is buried in the yard
I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

Mama cut out pictures of houses for years
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Plans were drawn and concrete poured
Nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama’s dream

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it.

This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could walk around I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me