Re-Thinking the Mom Cave

It all started with this...

Remember this roadblock to my Mom Cave/home office makeover?  Should they stay or should they go was playing in my head.  While the moldings are pretty in some spaces, I'm kinda over them in here and the limitations they place on wall art.

My fear is that should I try to remove them, the damage to the wall could be extensive.  They've been in place for 26 years, caulked and repainted multiple times etc. I have been firmly in the camp of keeping my beloved purple walls (read about that HERE). I had decided to go creamy white below the chair rail, leaving those moldings in place. But repaint the entire room after repairing walls? So frustrating!  Everything else was moving along (slowly).  This could bring it all to a screeching halt.  But the white moldings on the purple walls was just too much going on for me now.  What's a girl to do?

Don't you love it when inspiration/distraction arrives in the mailbox?  Enter October's House Beautiful. 

Hellooooo, Lover!

And these images...

*Sigh.*

Masterful use of the color purple in a decidedly feminine space.  But look at the wall color.

And when you see all the lucious fabrics and throws out now in aubergine and lavendar -- even Target is in on the action with Sabrina Soto's new line!  Rooms with purple walls are not easy to accessorize.  I can't believe I'm actually saying this: Rooms with cool gray walls look lovely accessorized with purple.

So...

Amazing how many different shades of gray there are!!

Yes, I'll have to a little repair work anyway.  Wonder how I'll feel about those pesky white moldings with soft gray walls?  Or maybe I'll just do as Elizabeth at The Mustard Ceilings suggested and paint them the same color so they just blend in (you planted a wonderful seed there, Elizabeth!)?  Maybe the same shade of gray but in a semi-gloss?

And here's how my art for the Mom Cave is coming along--  I'm tempted to hang them and see if I can work around those DMs (darn moldings) after all.

Aren't they awesome?

Ok, so weigh in and let me know your thoughts!  Go gray and have fun with pops of my beloved purple?  Preserve the purple paint? Keep the moldings?  Kick 'em to the curb and deal with the wall repair?  Can't wait to hear what you think. :)

Happy Decorating!

What a Coat of Paint Can Do {Family Room Update}

Hey there, everyone!  Whew, we made it to Friday!  It's been quite a week around here and will wrap up with a high school football scrimmage tonight (yes, Friday night lights around here!).  Tomorrow, we take the boys and friends up to Lake Rabun for a last hurrah on the water before school starts on Monday.  I, for one, can't wait to prop my feet up with a chilled beverage, how 'bout you?

Anyway, on to a fun project update!  Remember this forlorn little guy??

I scored this little wooden desk a loooong time ago for a song and he's done good work for me as a side table in our family room.  I couldn't believe all the stuff I found when I cleaned out the drawers, but that's another post all together!

This is a cool little piece, but had some chips in the wood here and there and the top has a nice long crack in it-- all of which adds character and made me feel fine about painting instead trying to repair/refinish.  I also wanted to get rid of some of the BROWN in my family room.  It was a wood piece on hardwood floors, next to a dark brown suede sofa.  Blah!!  So in my ongoing quest to lighten and brighten the family room I tried some left over paint from the kids bathroom redo two years ago. But I knew right away it was too light-- I wanted lighter, but I also wanted a pop of color. 

One coat of Martha Stewart's Salt Water and I knew I was on to something! No, I didn't prime (bad painter/blogger/diyer).  I usually am diligent about that, but I can also be impatient, and I was on a timetable before we were leaving town, soo... no primer.

I also decided to recycle the hardware.  Turns out it was 2 different sets of knobs!

I didn't care-- nothing a coat of brassy gold spray paint can't disguise!

And here's the new and improved little guy...

Okay, sorry about the lamp cord hanging down... (bad blogger/diyer/photographer) but what do you think? 

I turned it with it's back against the wall instead of against the arm of the sofa and that's opened up the space some, too.  I love the way the room feels so much brighter now!!  I have another painted piece under the window that I will match up to this one so that will help, too.

Ahh, much better. :)

Let me know what you think!  Happy weekend, friends... any projects on your list or will you be chillin' like me?

Linking up at Mrs. Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday
and the Weekend WrapUp at Tatertots and Jello
and at Susan's Metamorphosis Monday {Between Naps on the Porch}
and Beth's Tutes and Tips Tuesday {Home Stories A to Z}!

What I've Been Up To {Home Office Update}

My home office is slowly but surely evolving into the Mom Cave I've always wanted!  Though I'm anxious in a way to get it finished, I have to admit I'm enjoying the process, too.  Of course, having my desk up and running is key to this enjoying-the-process mindset. :)

This week I tackled the lamp on the desk.  Remember this?

It's one of a pair of buffet lamps I bought several years ago... not loving it on my new desk!

So I headed to Target and used a gift card I'd gotten for my birthday to pick up this lamp and a simple drum shade.

The balls are actually acrylic, not glass, but I love the modern clean look and the price was right! On a side note, the desk top photographs a pale yellow, but it's actually a creamy white (Porter Paint Velvet White).  I wasn't sure what I'd do with the lamp shade, so I toyed with some different ideas (cover with fabric? add some trim?) and finally decided to break out my paints and stencils.

TA DAH!!

Hello, Lover!  I'll be sharing the super simple how-to next week. 

 Plus, I got an urge to paint this $15 flea market purchase {from 10 years ago} as part of my on-going lighten and brighten the family room project.

The brown stain wasn't working next to my chocolate suede sofa so it's time for change!

It's been a busy week, but more to come.  Enjoy your weekend, friends!

 

Happy Decorating!

My 200th Post, A Few Thoughts {and Updates}

Well, this one snuck up on me!  This is my 200th post and want to take the time to thank you {my loyal readers} for visiting and commenting and basically for giving this little 'ole blog the time of day!  I continue to refine my vision for this corner of the blogosphere, so you'll be seeing some different types of posts including travel, recipes, living in the South, more DIY, and loads of decor and design inspiration that fuels me.  I hope you'll give me feedback as I continue to learn and grow; I love hearing your thoughts!

El Presidente left town on Wednesday, and I immediately began dismantling our home office to get the long overdue makeover started.  Within an hour, I felt like I'd bitten off more than I could chew (ever feel like that when diving into a new project?).  I've had to take a few breaks over the last couple of days to get my head straight and my process focused.  You see, our home office is OURS (me, hubs, 3 teenagers) and organization --sustainable organization-- is a challenge.  More on that in a later post. :)

Remember this?

Yes, that's "my" desk.

It's actually an old banquet table covered in fabrics (that I never got around to hemming because I really haven't loved them from the get go).  The beauty of using an old banquet table as a desk is that it's an awesome size workspace, has abundant storage underneath, and it's something I already have.

Here's the desk I really WANT:

*Sigh*

But with one teen headed to college this fall, it's just not in the budget.  So... banquet table it is! 

I decided to change out the fabrics to something fresher against my beloved purple walls (read about how I arrived at the wall color - and why I'll never change it-- HERE).  But I'm going to use the fabrics a little differently, too.

I made the crazy decision to PAINT the top of my banquet table and create a tailored skirt around the base to conceal the necessary storage underneath.  Now, I have no idea what I'm doing here, so this completely an "in progress" peek. :-)

Love the size of the workspace but the visual just won't do!  I sanded the top lightly to even out the surface -- there are a few nicks and there was glitter from when we used this as an art table in the playroom.  I also HAD to vacuum underneath. :)

My secret for keeping my brush moist in between coats {this even works overnight}.

Here she is with a nice coat of Kilz.  I ended up doing two coats for good measure.

See that quart of paint (straight out of our paint cabinet in the garage)?  Porter Paint's Velvet White is a creamy white and the trim throughout our house is this color.  I figured, why not?

Crisply painted surface (two coats!). Ahhhh...

Then I decided this little old bookcase from my college days needed some paint, too.

Last night I put a coat of poly on both.  May put another on today, just to be safe. These need to be workhorse surfaces after all!

While this project is turning out to be more daunting than I'd imagined, it's amazing what you can accomplish when you're off work and the hubby is out of town. :)  More next week... in the meantime, what projects are you working on these days?

Happy Decorating!

Color it Spring!

I love seeing fresh new colors for spring... makes me want to break out the rollers and drop cloths!  HGTV.com posted some eye-opening ideas for introducing spring color to your decor.  Here are my favorites...

WOW! Are you awake yet?  Love the pop of tomato red with the turquoise and apple green.

Hot pink, pink, and red... with lots of crisp white. Love, love!

Apple green and white offset the abundance of honeysuckle.

Blue and yellow... again with crisp white.

A softer green-- almost a celery.  Very fresh.

LOTS of vibrant yellow!!  Personally, I would have to stick with fewer accents, but I love the boldness.  Now I KNOW you're awake!!

All images from HGTV.com.

If you haven't already signed up for their e-blast, I highly recommend it.  Packed with great home improvement, decorating, and DIY information.

Which one is your favorite?  Which one is too much for you? Are you painting this spring?

Have a colorful day and Happy Decorating!

Bookcase Backgrounds

I've been contemplating painting the inside of my family room bookcase for the past two months. 

Of course, being the redecorranging fanatic that I am, it looks different today than it does in this pic from a month ago (I know, I know...).  But I still want all my treasures to pop and am thinking color on the inside is the way to achieve this.

realsimple.com

elledecor.com

Real Simple's tips vary from going one shade darker than your wall color to using an accent color instead.  Hmm.

Here's our family room paint color: Porter Paint's Lincoln Beige.  Because my bookcases are tucked into a somewhat dark corner of the room, I would be afraid to put anything darker than this inside them.  I could use this exact color though.

Or, I have some spare Behr Tide Pools left over from repainting the kids' bathroom.

In the kids' bath, it looks a lot bluer than the chip, so I'm thinking it might be a pretty accent color.

Or I have this lovely gray-green, Porter's Ripe Riesling, in my foyer, but I'm afraid it would be too gray.

Ugh.  OK, here's my plan:  Try the Tide Pools.  If I don't like that, try Lincoln Beige.  If neither of them work, head to the paint store for more options.  Here's where you come in, readers...

Would you go with a shade of the wall color, or would you try an accent color? 

Tune in tomorrow-- I'll be posting my Spring mantle and linking up with Beth over at The Stories of A To Z!  And next week I'll be guest posting over at Fancy Little Things. :)  See you then!

Happy Decorating!

Mix It Up

One of my favorite websites, Elle Decor, is partnering with Olympia Paints for a great giveaway.  Win two free gallons of paint -- you pick from over 1200 colors, though I'm mad about the blue pictured here!  Entering is a snap:  click here and fill out the information.  It's that simple.

Which room in your home will you repaint with your freebies?

Cool Shades

As the summer heats up, I find myself conjuring up images of cool ocean waters... and the beautiful blues and greens that soothe the soul.  What if we brought those hues indoors?  Blue is the one of the hot new trends in color this season, I'm finding.  Not only can blue make a warm space feel cooler, but it also has a calming effect that is universal.  Since the most inexpensive way to change a room is a gallon of paint, get your paintbrushes and drop cloths ready.  Benjamin Moore's Caribbean Breeze and Dolphin's Cove are two of my favorites-- check them out on BM's Virtual Fandeck.  But you will also be inspired by these beautiful blue rooms, from Coastal Living, Elle Decor (be sure to check into the LookBook at ElleDecor.com), and House Beautiful.

Coastal Living, photo by J Savage Gibson

This cool green brings a little key lime pie to mind!  Coastal Living, photo by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

Aerin Lauder's kitchen--paint is not just for walls!  Elle Decor, photo by Simon Upton

Georgia beach cottage, designed by Jim Howard in House Beautiful.  Paint color is Benjamin Moore's Shenandoah.