dreaming of green

Dreaming of green.....sprouting fiddleheads, dew on the grass and twinkling in the morning sun.

Winter has me c...o..o..p..e..d- up.   This time of year is just really hard for me.  

It doesn't help that the boys' favorite pass time seems to be wrestling.  

Someone always ends up yelling and crying.  

I long for the days of being able to soak up rays and seeing the boys happily romping outside for hours.

Thus, I am still in obsessive decorating mode.  

It could be that I am on the verge of discovering a new DSM diagnosis...

"enviro-mania" characterized by a hyper-sensitivity and reactivity 

to lack of color in outdoor environment.   

At the same time this condition means that I am just getting all sorts of tasks accomplished 

and the result is a decor fabulosity. (post to come as they are complete!)

Best treatment seems to be simply adding color inside, changing one's environment when it is just stinking colorless and unchanging outside.   

My Mom passed on her vanity to me.  

Here it is before.... (I need to take this photo before I get started!)

And after.....fabulosity!   I love the way it turned out.   

Steps:  primed (2 coats), then painted a county white, sanded edges to distress it, then rubbed an "ebony"(black) stain very lightly and sparingly.  If it got too heavy I would rub off or sand it lightly.  Sanding is our friend in distressing!   Then some new pewter knobs (from ACE hardware).....

and voila! the vanity has a mini face lift.

So, "enviro-mania" continues....the chalkboard was bothering me a little.  I couldn't see the awesome carved details enough on it.  So, I white washed it with watered down country white paint.  Then wiped the excess off the top so that the white accented the details a little more.  love.

before the white wash-

After....see those awesome details in the wood popping now!?  Love it.  

So does JackJack.

And guess what....in one week Andy and I will have a major environmental change for the weekend.  This will definitely help with "enviro-mania".   In one week we are cheering on the Packers at the Super Bowl.  Yep, that's right.  I am not worthy....but that is another post!  For now it is all about dreaming of green!

decor rehab

It is this time of year that I have the uncontrollable urge to decorate, move pictures and furniture around, add color, change up window treatments.  You get the picture.  Right now my art studio is the focus of my obsession.  It is a new space that we built a little over a year ago above our new garage.   It is the kind of space an artist dreams of....and I am incredibly grateful for it.  My own little haven of creativity.  When I walk in I want to feel inspired, at peace, and creative.  I want it to reflect me, my ideas, my passions!

With the current state of the art studio I feel disorganized, cluttered, frustrated and uninspired.

Time to change things up!

I have window treatments on the brain.  I am rearranging furniture.  The pieces of furniture that have been waiting to be rehab'd are finally being completed!  yahoo!  These 2 pieces have been painted, distressed and just made into pure awesomeness and storage.  love.

this piece was found at a garage sale.  $10.  Very 60's, old chipped veneer has been covered with wallpaper, as is the back of the shelves.  The wood primed and then painted with a light teal color....then heavily distressed with sand paper.  It has a real beachy feel.  I just have to get the perfect knobs.

This piece is an old dresser given to me by a friend.  The marble on the top lead the color.  The undercoat is white and then painted over it with a beautiful warm gray....and then distressed to expose that white and show its lines.  loving this piece!

And then here is the mirror that went on top of the antique dresser....it wasn't very stable.  

So, I decided to create this chalk board message center for my kitchen!

(used the same paint technique as the dresser)

The mirror even has little ledges for the chalk, that back in the day held candles!   

Rehabing my environment and old pieces is just plain good for my soul during these winter days....I feel alive when I can create.   In a life that often feels like I am running in circles, being able to complete a project and make something pretty just feels so good!