Chalk Paint Growth Chart

I’ve been wanting to make one of these growth charts for quite some time… on a paint run one day, I finally made my way to the lumber aisle and brought home a beautiful piece of pine to transform into this chalk paint growth chart.

I toyed with the idea of staining the wood and painting a black or navy “ruler”, but instead decided to have the ruler measurements be stained wood and painted the ruler with Annie Sloan Old White.  I’m thrilled with the end result, and think it looks perfect on my newly painted living room wall…

I love how the wood grain subtly peeks out from behind the paint, and I love that the board itself has natural nuances that, to me, make it all the more special.

I purposely kept the dark stain on the edges of the board for added dimension.

Now it’s time to start marking the memories as my girls grow… is it wrong that I’m starting this so late in the game?!  My oldest already lined herself up and is over four feet tall!

I will be posting a detailed tutorial for you soon ~ stick around!

 

Linking up with these lovely ladies:

Primitive and Proper

Jennifer Rizzo

Be Different Act Normal

Positively Splendid

Savvy Southern Style

Shabby Creek Cottage

Chicken Coop Coffee Table

I was at my sister’s home this weekend… I love going there because she has really put a special touch on every room in her home, all while remaining true to the time period of the home.  What I love even more is that she had all these great ideas long before blogs and Pinterest and any other social media came along.  Yep, she was pin-worthy before being pin-worthy was cool.

I had to share her coffee table with ya’ll, and please bear with my iPhone pics.  I was a bad blogger and left the real camera at home…

So, long ago my sister found this great old chicken coop, power-washed all the, er, coop poop away, had a metal stand fabricated and a custom piece of glass made to place on top… and this cool conversation piece has been gracing her living area ever since!

She even filled the inside with little chicks and eggs, which have been a source of entertainment for both of my girls.  There’s a certain little chickie (who shall remain nameless) who defeathered one of those little chicks somewhere along the way… not that I know anything about that or anything.

Ahem.

I find the construction of these things fascinating… just good old wood, wire, and nails.  The patina adds so much character, so much history – so much cooler than my “matching set” coffee table.  Hmmm.  Makes me wonder if this’ll fit in the back of my car…

The best part about this piece though is that she took something that was headed for the dumpster and gave it new life by looking at it not for what it was, but for what it could potentially be.  She ended up with a piece of furniture that is fun and functional.

I’m thinking the chicken coop will soon be taking over pallets as the upcycled wood of choice…

Shutters and Curtains... A Look that Works? And, a Curtain Fail!

I mentioned in a previous post that every room in my home has plantation shutters.  While I love the simplicity of the shutters, I can't help but think about the complete look curtains bring to the overall feel of a room.  I am inspired by these ideas I've found on Pinterest:

Source: lh4.ggpht.com via rhonda on Pinterest

That long line of curtains is a beautiful backdrop.

Source: remodelaholic.com via rhonda on Pinterest

The simple pattern of these curtains is a perfect accent.

Source: houzz.com via rhonda on Pinterest

I love how these curtains span the entire width of the wall and how they're situated on the outside of the window frame.

You'll notice that the drapes are hung high above the window in most of these images.  I love the effect that gives to a room, almost the illusion of more ceiling height.  

Here's the part where I confess that I am working on my own combination of shutters and curtains right now... and I've hit a little oopsy.  First off, I have transom windows above my shuttered windows, in which I imagine vintage Mason jars and other finds having a home between my new curtain panels.  Wanting to showcase the transom, I had Mr. home.made. hang my curtain rods high - a little too high, in fact!

Yep, my windows are currently wearing highwaters.

Not one to be discouraged, I quickly replied "I can just add fabric to the bottom!"  This idea appealed to me much more than ripping out drywall anchors, patching holes, and repainting.  *groan*

The problem doesn't end there, however.

Trying to be frugal, I bought cheap-o cafe rods from Target, not realizing that the bracket length would be a problem.  These brackets don't project far enough from the wall for the curtain to clear the shutters.  I know my iPhone pic is not very good, but can you see how the curtain has a bump where it meets the frame of the shutter?

Doh!

Live and learn... and add a couple more things to the ever-growing to-do list!

***I'm still on the tail-end of my respiratory crud, but I'm starting to get my energy back, so hope to have my latest project and tutorial up for you soon!***

Under the Weather

Mr. home.made. and I had a great weekend getaway for our anniversary... and I came home with a little souvenir of  upper respiratory crud so I've been laying low in the evenings, spending time with Google Reader and Pinterest!

Progress on Big Sis' room is at a standstill right now but not for a lack of ideas... I'm waiting for the right amount of time and some room in my budget!  Can you feel my pain here?

I'm also working on a fun little project, complete with a tutorial, so stay tuned.  It has to do a little something with making a memento of my girls growing up.  *sniffle*

Time for me to dose up on cough medicine and hit the hay... see you soon, friends!

Our Tenth

Today I am celebrating ten glorious years of marriage to the most amazing man in the world… it has been a wonderful ride, and I’m so lucky that he chose me to share it with him.

Happy anniversary to the love of my life!  I look forward to many more years with you by my side…

Plantation Shutters–It’s a Love/Hate Relationship

Plantation shutters… those gorgeous wood window adornments that date back to ancient Greek and Roman times, but whose popularity rose in the decadent mansions of the South during the Civil War for not only their ability to filter the amount of light inside the home, but also for their ability to keep the neighbors wondering what you were up to…

There’s no denying it, they’re gorgeous.  To top that off, they’re functional too, and you know those are the two requirements for items in my home, right?

Source: marthastewart.com via rhonda on Pinterest

 

Sigh.

Source: google.com via rhonda on Pinterest

 

Swoon.

Source: stylishshutters.co.uk via rhonda on Pinterest

 

Aren’t they dreamy?

When we first toured our home, my eye was instantly drawn to the plantation shutters that were throughout the home on every window.  I was in shutter love.

And while I must admit that I still love them (quite a bit), I also have to be real about the other side of plantation shutters:

The upkeep.

That, my friends, is the never-ending layer of dust that likes to settle on my beautiful plantation shutters!  Ugh – if you thought you despised dusting the usual horizontal surfaces, just wait until each of your windows has thirty additional surfaces to dust.  Hence, the hate part of this relationship.

According to Martha’s spring cleaning checklist, wood blinds only need to be “washed” one or two times a year.  Baaaahahahahahahaha!  I’d say that’s a tad bit unrealistic, Ms. Stewart.  If I only dusted these bad boys once or twice a year, we’d be swimming in dust bunnies!

Because it is quite the chore, I try to tackle one room at a time when it’s dusting time… which makes it a little less painful, but painful nonetheless.  For instance, I just cleaned my oldest daughter’s shutters while I started a little remodeling project (more on that to come) and it took me a good while (and a few curse words) to get all of the dust gone.  Ick.  But when I was done… there they were again, perfection packaged up in a bunch of pretty wooden slats.

Cue hallelujah chorus here.

Love~Hate~Love~Hate~Love

So what about you?  Do you have plantation shutters?  Do you feel the same as me?  (Please tell me I’m not the only one!)

Nautical Aubusson Blue Desk

Do you ever see an old piece of furniture and it’s almost like you can hear it whisper to you what it wants to be?  That’s what happened with this desk.  I found it in an out-building of a local shop, hiding under a lot of other items and a nice coating of dirt.  The masculine weight of the wood was complemented by the feminine lines of the curved side panels – almost like a beautiful flagship – so I knew I wanted to do something nautical on this piece.

Here’s the before, buried in a virtual tomb of oddities…

And here’s the after: the Admiral!

I would have loved a stained wood top on this, but the elements had taken their toll on the wood over time.  It was dry and cracked and in no shape to be showcased.  So, I brought out the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Aubusson Blue.  This is a beautiful deep grey blue color – not quite navy and not quite royal blue, but rather a nice mix of the two.

I did my usual ASCP painting routine, with one good coat of paint, straight from the can, followed by a second, watered-down coat that leaves a nice, smooth finish.  The technique works every time for me – if you’re interested in a detailed how-to, let me know and maybe I’ll whip up my first instructional video!

Because it’s not nautical until there are stripes, I added a blue stripe to the drawers, painted in ASCP in Old White.  The original brass hardware was a perfect complement, like little portholes…

Then I distressed this piece, sanding along edges and in larger areas on the side.  I’m typically a light distresser, but I made myself be brave and distress a little more than I usually do because I wanted a well-worn look to this desk.  I was also more liberal with the AS Dark Wax, applying with a cloth rather than a brush, which I felt gave me a lot more control over the color of the wax and more uniform coverage.

I’m so happy with the way this desk turned out – exactly like I envisioned the day I found it!

I will be selling this piece, as I’m trying to save enough money to purchase a sleeper sofa for my office area (and finally have a completed room after nearly two years in this house!).  If you’re local to the central Texas area and are interested, email me…

In the meantime, I think I’ll be breaking it in as my new place to blog!

Linking up with these fabulous parties:

Wow Us Wednesdays

Power of Paint Party

Restored It Wednesday

Piece of Work Wednesday

Show Me Extraordinary

Transformation Thursday

Friday Flair

Weekend Wrapup

Show and Tell Saturday