I'm Not Afraid of Color!!!

As an interior decorator, I can appreciate the many different styles used in homes today. From traditional to contemporary, eclectic to polished, soft color palettes to those bursting with color. In my own home, I guess you could call it " traditional eclectic, with pops of color". Even though I really like "all white" shabby look, I have not been able to envision my home in this style. I've got to have my color fix! I have been wanting to redo several rooms in our house, and now that I have you, I thought it would be fun to bring you along for the journey..... the slow journey! I have so enjoyed watching what others are are doing in thier spaces, so here goes!   I am going to start with our guest bathroom. It's small enough and just needs a little perking up. I love giving powder rooms and guest bathrooms that unexpected pop. We installed a wonderful black and cream toile wallpaper.( Yes,wallpaper is making a comeback!)

Wallpaper by Thibaut

The cabinets were custom made by the previous owners, but I never liked the color stain they used on them. It was way to orange for my liking. The counter tops were a very ugly green Formica ( sorry no picture of that!).We replaced them with "black pearl" granite.

Is that orange or what?

Our next quick fix addition was a light fixture, mirror, and towel racks. These were all spray painted in a satin black. This room was slowly coming together

Getting there

OK, so I still do not like those cabinets. The changes we made in the room made the wood even more orange. What to do.... what to do???? COLOR! It needs a color! Black?.....no to much of a good thing already. Cream?.....no then we have a black and white theme, BORING! Ahhhhh..... Annie Sloan to the rescue!! Provance, it has to be Provance! Just the punch of color I want!!!

WOW!

Yes, it is bright, but that was just what I was looking for... the unexpected! I went ahead and kept the crystal knobs since I actually liked them. I also added a new oriental rug on the floor.



Almost there



Love the green bunnie.

By using a few ironstone platters, two colorful pressed glass containers (love the rabbit), a candlestick  lamp, and a little artwork I completed my "not to cluttered" acessorizing.  







Please overlook the dangling cord!

I really like this batroom now and so do my guests.....What do you think??? 

Put On Your Red Dress Baby...

When I was a little girl, we had several female relatives that always told my mother..."she (meaning me ) is a redhead, you can NEVER dress her in RED!!" Well, thank goodness my mother did not have a problem with breaking that rule! For my first grade picture, she made it a point to buy me a bright red corduroy dress, which I wore proudly. To this day I get a smile on my face when I see that picture and remember my mother saying, "Now who says a redhead can't wear red !!!". I still love to wear the color, and I use it in decorating whenever I can, which brings me to my next little story.  

The boring little table

I spotted this little table piled with junk, in a corner at a fleamarket. She called to me "please take me home and fix me up". ( Don't you just love it when a piece of furniture talks to you?) Well, the dealer wanted to be rid of her for a really good price. I quickly paid him, carried her to the car and away we went. She lived at our house for a couple of weeks until I figured out just what to do with her. Then it hit me!! She needed a RED dress!!! So I dug out my can of Annie Sloan Emperor's Silk paint ( a really yummy red) and gave her that new dress, but I did not stop there. She needed a little jewelry, so with a great stencil and Martha Stewart metallic paint in the color Polished Silver, it gave her just the right bling.  



Ready to dance!



She is now ready to go to the dance!! Actually, she  stands out proudly in my booth, ready to move to a new home! Who wants the next dance??

For the love of footstools!

I have always loved little footstools. I must not be the only one, because every one that I have put in my antiques booth sells within days. I have collected many over the years... needlepoint, tapestry, velvet, and some that had me scratching my head and wondering "what were they thinking when they covered this!" I have even bought a few that are just base and legs, without a cushion.  This brings me to my project for today. I saw a small bench in a vendor booth ( Mary Flanagan Woolens....www.mfwoolens.com ) in Houston, so I will not take full credit for this idea  

Getting started

I started by finding an old footstool that had seen better day. This one was dinged and scratched, with a grimey, faded orange cover. I then gathered a bunch of wool scraps. I used pieces that were purchased, collected from discarded wool clothing, and even thrift store sweaters that have been "felted". Now I probably should have saved this project for cooler weather, considering the heat index today was 105 degrees, but decided to get a head start on Fall anyway!!   I chose Annie Sloan Chalk Paint color ... Olive to paint my stool, then distressed slightly, followed by AS clear and rustic waxes.

Make sure to use a mat!!

Using a rotary cutter with a pinking blade, cut the wool into strips about 3/4" wide and 16"-18" long. You will need a bunch. My stool used 80-90.

Lots and lots of strips

Once you have all your pieces cut it is time to start rolling. Roll them "jellyroll" style". Then with a long needle and thread, secure them all the way through a couple times and tie off.

Use a neutral thread.

Now that you have a gillion little roll, lets get to gluing. I used E6000 glue, it's thick,sticks well, and dries clear for those of us that get a little messy, ( because we want it done NOW)** I forgot to mention that I did recover the yucky cushion with a cotton fabric** Start with one roll at a time. Dab some glue on the bottom of   and place a row on one side. I did the perimiter first, then filled in toward the center, making sure they fit snug. So this is how my little footstool turned out.                                       





To sell or not to sell???



Dear Diary, Day One...the first step!

• Dear Diary,This is my first blog! First post! I'm excited!!! My grandmother always told me, "if you don't at least try new things, you will never know if you are good at something." OK Mom-mom this is for you!! I also have to thank my grandmother, Abbie Jane, for teaching me to appreciate and use the talents God has given me. She had a love for handwork and antiques, cooking from  scratch and reading everything under the sun. I am hoping to share some of the things that this wonderful woman has inspired me to do. One thing that I always wanted to do was have an antiques booth in a beautiful shop. That came true for me in a great little shop called the Rusty Rooster.

Booth in Rusty Rooster

The joy of the hunt for unique and interesting things is a favorite pastime for Mr. Diary and I. This is where the " loves to travel " part of me comes in. We spend entire weekends looking for treasures to fill up our space. 



Love a good selection



Since I recently became a stockist for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint I have been adding painted pieces to our traditional things. I love having a variety for the shoppers to choose from.



Louis Blue chair and Old White and Duck Egg Blue side table



This booth changes on a regular basis so next time I share pictures it will not look like this. Actually the bookcase in the back of this picture is no longer there.  If you ever get to Denham Springs, LA make sure to come by the Antiques Village to see us.    Well Diary, I took the first step and it wasn't so bad. I will definitely will be back soon with a fun project!  Goodnight.         Lucinda