Subject: Living Room Artwork

Hi-eee,

So the other day I mentioned artwork for my living room and, while I'm not sure what I will do, I wanted to show you these frames I saw at a shop in town:

And a close-up:

They're bamboo-looking, right? I kind of like the subtle texture and interest. They would be nice painted a shiny black, I think. Or maybe the natural wood. Who knows. I'm a long way from hanging anything on the wall, but just wanted to share. I saw these around the same time I was painting my mother-in-law's office chair, so I think I was really into the bamboo at the time.

Kara

Subject: Living Room Update

Melissa -

Hi friend! I hope you had a fabulous weekend with all your girlfriends and had a great 4th as well. As you read this, I am at the beach...not submerging my hand in any water! Just as I promised, I would love your input on my living room.

To bring you up to speed, I ordered a rug from Overstock and not only was it a total steal (the rub + shipping was all less than $200), I am totally in love with how it looks:

The drawback: Ina the Cat is also in love with the way it looks...and feels in her claws. So if anyone wants a cat...

I kid, I kid. But seriously. I am going to skin that cat if she ruins this rug. It is hooked, which I think she really enjoys for wrapping her claws around. I know that sometimes ordering from Overstock can be hit-or-miss with the quality and accuracy of the description of the item, but I was really pleased with my purchase. The best part is that I didn't need to get a rug pad because it was soft underneath (I guess because it's a hooked rug?). I really love how the background is black because I feel like it ties in with the black & white tile in the kitchen, but I didn't really think through how it would show every little piece of lint or cat fur. Oh well. The other rug probably hid things too well and hence I did not vacuum enough :)

(Side note: I loved the rug suggestion you sent me in your story board, but it was in more jewel tones and I needed something more primary color-ish. I would love to see that rug used in someone's house though...)

So now that the rug is in place, I feel even more confident with moving forward with blue ticking stripe drapes, so just imagine they are in the room, even though I still need to buy the fabric, sew them and install curtain rods...oh, and buy curtain rods too. The blue in the rug is really nice and I think the ticking stripe will be perfect, plus the rug also gives a nod to the blue leather chair that I cannot stand but Mr. Lass insists we will keep forever.

Prior to acquiring the new TV stand, we had a big armoire thing and then a ladder bookshelf sat next to it and it worked okay. But now that the new TV stand is smaller and shorter, I think the bookshelf looks silly on the wall, so I am ready to get something different. Here is the space as it certainly is, with the new TV stand (staying) and the ladder bookshelf (going):

At the moment I love the idea of putting a bench there because it will round out the seating in the room and give the appearance that the room is not centered around the television (although we all know it's true!). Plus it would provide me an opportunity to inject some color in that area - I'm considering painting the bench green.

After such a great experience with Overstock with my rug, I decided to start my bench search there too and found this one that I really like:

The dimensions of it are right for the space and I really love the back. I could put a few pillows on it and some artwork above (more on that later this week). But the only dilemma I'm facing at this point: what to do with the cable box/DVD player? Right now the cable box is on the bookshelf and the DVD player is on the ground - not really a sustainable option. Right now I'm considering using an L-bracket and somehow mounting a little shelf under the bench to hold those two things, but we'll see. I don't know how hard that would be.

Let me know your thoughts/suggestions. The most ideal option would be if we could alter the TV stand in some way and make one of the drawers have a hinged opening and then drill a hole in the back for the cords, but while that seems like a good idea, it also seems like one of those projects could go horribly, horribly wrong and then ruin the whole piece.

Xoxo,
Kara

Re: Re: Living Room Curtains, Parts 1+2

Melissa,

Thanks for your feedback and your honesty. I think mapping out everything on a board makes a lot of sense and would help with ensuring the entire room is cohesive. I guess I get easily overwhelmed with all the options and decisions, that focusing on one thing at a time is easier for me, mentally. But it doesn't make a lot of sense if I want everything to to work together.

One thing happened over the weekend that kind of changed everything for the better: my father-in-law suggested trying out the living room rug under my new table in the dining area of the kitchen. So we tried it and it fits perfectly (some of the chairs hang over if you're sitting in them, but other than that it's fine) and he pointed out it gives some much-needed color to that area of the kitchen and breaks up all the black and white between the tile, table and chairs. Just to prove it to you, here you go:

Nice, right? I really like it and so far it's worked great. I do think the colors work well without being overly match-y. Plus, I like how the blue in the rug ties in with the blue in the China cabinet. I don't think I told you about that yet... That cabinet used to belong to my mom and then she got a new one and passed this one down to me. It was stained brown - very 80s - and I painted it black and put on new hardware. It was one of my first furniture painting/re-finishing projects ever and it turned out pretty good...considering I had no idea what i was doing! Originally, when the kitchen walls were green, I had the back of the cabinet lined in this wallpaper:

I think it's a really fun scheme and would love to use it again in a powder room or entry/hallway. The colors have a washed-out feel to them so they aren't too shocking, which I like. With painting my kitchen, though, and wanting to work toward a more deliberate use of color, I took down the wallpaper. When I stepped back and objectively looked at the China cabinet with all the dishes and accessories, I realized how much white was in there and decided a nice gray/blue would really make all the white "pop," so to speak. I used a sample container (just the right size) of Covington Blue by Benjamin Moore. (Side note: I used a Home Depot sample container, which is actually a substantial amount of paint for a small project. The actual sample sizes at BM are way too small for a project of this size.) Here is the end result (I especially love how it looks alongside the striped walls):

Okay, so all this means I need a new rug for the living room now! Hooray! If you think back to my last post where I was talking about the Secrets from a Stylist room that inspired my curtain options, you'll remember there is a gray zebra-striped rug. Just to save you time, here it is again (not the best picture of it, but trust me - it's there):

It's from West Elm and is $249 for a 5'x8'. Not terrible, but I always like a bargain. There's something about it that seems unexpected but still refined. In my search for the best deal possible, I found it here on Overstock.com. It's almost identical:

And for the same size, it's only $168! You seriously cannot beat that price. I'm sure there is a difference in the quality or something, but the reviews were all positive and with the couch and coffee table both taking up a large chunk of the rug's area, I don't need something that will hold up to a ton of foot traffic. But then I started thinking about how blah that would look to have a two-tone rug with two-tone curtains (if I ended up going with the ticking stripe curtains). I mean, I do still like color and pattern and texture, even if I'm trying to show some restraint and refinement.

So then I found this little number on Overstock:

It's 6'x9' and costs $182. This piece is both within my space and financial budget. I like that the background is black because it ties in with the tile in the kitchen, but it also is really colorful. Plus, the tone of the colors is more in line with other colors in the living room, whereas the previous rug was not. In some ways it's kind of like the Anthropologie rug you suggested sent me. (I actually really love that rug, but not the $400 price tag!)

At this point, this rug is the front runner. Which, if I did a print with this much color, then the ticking stripe might be a really nice compliment. There is something about the ticking stripe that seems really classic and makes a subtle statement. I also like the fact there's something sort of masculine about it, which would help balance out all the florals in the room. Then I could still do that bird fabric for pillows and I have some yellow buffalo check fabric from a previous project that might be nice for a pillow or two...

Yes, Mr. Lass's recline is wing back and, until you suggested it, the thought of recovering it had never occurred to me! When I take a step back and look at it as a piece that just needs some rehabilitation, I don't hate it as much. It has a nice shape and the nail head trim on the arms is nice. I cannot even imagine what my life would be like if that chair was no longer blue leather! Of course, I wonder if what makes it such a daddy/man chair is the fact that it is leather? I will definitely broach the subject one day when I've made a delicious dinner and just told him I signed a big contract for freelance work :)

What are your thoughts now...with the idea of a new rug coming onto the scene?

Loves,
Kara

P.S. I totally agree with you about hanging the curtain rod high, which is especially crucial in this room because the windows are two different heights. Also, I love how your mom is in my corner with the ticking stripe!

Subject: Living Room Curtains, Part 2

Hi-eee!

Okay, so I'm back. And before I begin, can I just include an editorial comment: there is nothing like seeing pictures of your own house to realize how much you dislike it! Wow. I mean, in looking at the pictures from yesterday, I realize that I really need to condition/moisturize my couch and that the room just looks kind of empty, like I've only lived here a few months instead of four years! I think panels on the windows will really warm the space up and bring in some depth and texture that it's currently lacking. It's not like I'm going to be starring in my own reality show anytime soon (right?) or anything, but still - seeing the way my room looked on film makes me want to make a change. Now that I have that out of the way, on to the curtains!

As I said yesterday, having the "luxury" of time has made me really think through a lot (a lot) about what kind of curtains I want. I definitely want to take down the blinds on those two windows because our house faces south, so we get a lot of indirect natural light that the blinds block. The front blinds don't even have a wand to turn them and the wand on the other is essentially broken, so you have to turn the blinds by hand. Plus they get dusty and cobweb-y and they're an awful off-white. So they have got to go!

You'll notice that the windows are two different heights, so I am planning on hanging the curtain rods at the same height (the height of the taller window, obviously), which will help make the smaller window look larger. Plus, having two separate heights of curtain rods would just look weird. Of course, so far it is causing a problem because the front window needs a much longer rod then the side window and I'm having trouble finding two matching rods that are different lengths. I mean, I haven't look that hard, but so far it has been an unsuccessful search.

My plan is to do panels that reach to the floor - two on the front window (pulled to either side when they're open) and one for the smaller window (pulled to one side). I considered doing two panels for the smaller window, but it will make the window look so much smaller, I think, when the curtains are opened that it just doesn't seem worth it. I am planning to do hooks/clips to attach the curtains to the rods. I will line the curtains with a blackout fabric. I'm estimating I will need about three yards of fabric per window for the panels; the amount of lining might vary if it isn't the same width as the decorative fabric.

When the kitchen was still green, I was thinking about doing a tile print black-and-white fabric to tie in the tile to the living room, but now that the kitchen is nuetral I feel more freedom to venture into some color in the living room. I liked the idea of doing a fabric with a dark background because the walls are so light, I thought the contrast would be nice. I liked the idea of an ink-y blue background, but then I remember the albatross of a blue leather chair and changed my mind. I found this fabric through Joann Fabrics' website and really liked it:



I thought the colors were really nice and I liked the print a lot. I think there were some other things about this fabric that I liked but frankly, I don't remember any of those reasons at this point. Again - time has changed my mind.

So then my friend Holly (yes, the one with the camelias) found this fabric and sent it to me:

It's nice, right? But I almost like it better for a side chair or some throw pillows than the drapes. I know birds are really "in" right now, but in the painting above the mantel there is a blue bird, so I didn't know if this fabric was redundant or matchy-matchy with the painting? But I really like the colors in this one too... a lot.

So basically my love for a print all changed when I watched Secrets from a Stylist on HGTV a few weeks ago. For her second look (have you watched this show? I highly recommend it), she used a blue ticking stripe fabric for the curtains:

Something about it just seemed so crisp and clean and light and airy that I really liked it. I found it online at Joann Fabrics for $7.99/yard, but I'm sure I could find it cheaper if I looked:

This fabric started gaining appeal when I started thinking about the artwook on the walls and the rug and the fabric in the side chair and then whatever else I eventually want to incorporate in the room (new throw pillows, for one) and I wonder if some kind of crazy print would just be too much? Maybe I need something nuetral so you don't feel completely overwhelmed in the room? At first I thought I liked the contrast of dark fabric against my walls, but now I wonder if it will just seem dark. And what about when the curtains are closed at night, on that front window especially? That is a lot of dark fabric, you know?

I think this new line of thinking about the curtains ties in with where my head was at with wanting to paint the kitchen - I love color, but I want to be more deliberate with it instead of just slapping it up on the walls and combining it with other fabrics and accessories without really considering how all of it interacts together. That way the room is more cohesive and looks like I actually thought about what I was doing, instead of having a room with a ton of colors and fabrics...it just looks like I liked everything and couldn't edit or make up my mind :)

Of course, maybe I just really like the room Emily on Secrets from a Stylist put together and I'm just not being realistic about it working for my house? Here is the whole room:

It obviously looks a lot different than my house, but I really like the overall look and feel of the room. My other concern: will it seem too nautical? That is definitely not the direction I am wanting to go in. And will the ticking stripe look good against my walls? I know I also said that I had been hesitant to incorporate certain shades of blue into the room because of the recliner, but this does not bother me for some reason.

Anyway, I would love to know your thoughts on the matter. I'm giving you the weekend to think it over! It will be the end of June before I know it and my six months of concentrating on the downstairs will be over. I hope to have curtains done by then so I can next focus on my upstairs!

Hugs,
Kara

Subject: Living Room Curtains, Part 1

To my lovely friend Peach,

Okay, so now that we've covered your dining room, it's time to talk about my living room. Specifically: curtains. I thought I knew what I wanted and I was just saving up all my spare change to splurge on all the materials I would need to make exactly what I want (because why buy something off-the-shelf when you can go through the trouble/agony/frustration of attempting to DIY something?). The only problem with waiting - new things catch your eye. So then you start wondering if you should go a completely different direction and you start to doubt your already-made decision. (Which, in some ways, I'm grateful that I don't have the resources to do everything I want exactly when I want to do it...I would have made some really wrong decisions - or, worse decisions. But in waiting, you are able to really think something through and it takes into account your constantly evolving tastes to ensure you land on something you will love for a long time. Mostly though, I get frustrated when I can't do what I want when I want to do it!)

So, before we begin, perhaps I should take you on a tour of the living room. It is the first room you come into from the front door - there is no foyer or anything, just a little side entry table that I have showed you in the past when I have various things to improve the lamp situation there. This room then opens into the kitchen, which has black & white tile (the living room is hardwood) and it was formerly green, but now the same khaki-ish/beige color as the living room (Dunmore Cream by Benjamin Moore).

There isn't much furniture-wise in the living room, because it isn't a huge room, and there is a fireplace in one corner. We used to have a big armoire thing in corner opposite the fireplace to hold the television, but we replaced it back a few months ago courtesy of my mother-in-law. Next to the television is a ladder bookshelf that is on its way out, but I'm not sure yet what I will replace it with (a wider ladder bookshelf or a new piece altogether?).

There is a leather couch that is similar to yours in that it isn't formal at all gets better with more wear and age. There is also a coffee table (the Rhys table from Pottery Barn) and then a blue leather recliner that we inherited from Mr. Lass's parents and that I loathe, but that Mr. Lass has sworn we will never get rid of because it is so comfortable. Ahh! I curse that chair every time I want to incorporate a turquoise or inky blue into the living room, but then feel like I can't once I remember the blue chair. Behind the couch is the entry table I mentioned earlier and next to that is a chair I found at an estate sale and covered in a fun color and painted the wood black. There is also a rug under the couch. Here you go:

As for artwork, there is a painting above the fireplace that I loooove and do not plan on moving. It is flanked by blue plates to play up the blue pottery in the painting. Above the entry table is a pasture scene that I have always admired from my MIL's house and one day she brought it over and gave it to us. The last picture is located between the front door and the big picture window and has sentimental value to our family.

The only other colors in the room come from the throw pillows, pictured on the couch above, but I'm ready to switch those out, so don't really take those into account.

Okay, so now that you're familiar with everything in the room...tomorrow we'll talk curtains!

Can't wait,
Kara

Re: Inherited Furniture

Melissa -

I love your new piece and I love inherited furniture. I feel like when we first got married, literally every piece of furniture in our apartment was inherited. Little by little we have been replacing the inherited stuff with items of our choice or re-making the inherited pieces into something new that we prefer. I love all the different uses for your etagere as well. You're right - the details are so sweet and whimsical. I love the idea of using it in a little girl's room to hold dolls or even vintage-looking books and boxes. It would also work really well if you had a big enough bathroom and you could roll towels up and store them in there and keep all your extra toiletries in pretty baskets.

This topic of inherited furniture is so timely because I too came into an inherited piece this weekend! As you know, my mother-in-law got a new dresser that I re-finished for her (and I will send 'after' pictures of that project just as soon as she picks out knobs and puts them on!), which meant she got rid of the dresser thing she was currently using. It was a piece that was in her old house and was used in the dining room to hold linens and she was using it as a dresser so she wouldn't have to buy another new piece of furniture at the time she was moving into her current house.

Anywaaaaay, long story short: she sent me the dimensions and photos on Saturday for me to load the dresser thing onto Craigslist when Mr. Lass got the idea that we should get it from her and use it as a television stand and sell our television armoire on Craigslist. At first I was against this idea for many reasons, but first a picture of our living room as it has been since we moved in:

We inherited the television cabinet from my in-laws and it was formerly used as a computer cabinet and we used it to hold our TV and other media devices. I had dreams of when we one day moved to a new house and painting it to be really cute and using it as a place to store my sewing machine and fabric scraps and I was going to paint the inside doors with chalkboard paint and it was going to be so awesome. So of course Hubby's suggestion we get rid of the armoire now dashed all of those ideas. Plus, we both agreed that our current TV would look stupid sitting on the piece of furniture, which I guess I should go ahead and show you:

Meaning we would need to get a new TV. So, free piece of furniture but buying a new TV, but we could then sell our old TV and armoire on Craiglist. It was like a crazy math problem! With some encouragement, Hubby finally convinced me. At first I was against his idea because I thought I did not even like the new piece. But then, after doing some research, I found that they are actually really nice pieces and really expensive to buy. Even on Overstock the starting price was $400. Yikes! Definitely not something we would be buying anytime soon ourselves. (It's called a Bombay or Bombe Chest, for those of you at home who want to Google it.) And my MIL wasn't really that concerned with making money off the piece. She would just as soon give it to Goodwill (gasp!) and only agreed to sell it because I told her she had to. All that to say - she was more than happy to let us have it. So, once I realized that it was actually a really nice, expensive piece* and got past the fact that I didn't consider it "my taste," I started to like the idea of something new. It actually is a really pretty piece that has similar lines to this Pottery Barn chest (only $599!):

I mean, it doesn't have those legs, but just the curves on the side. It is also hand-painted on the fronts of the drawers and on the top. A closer look:

So, then I embraced the idea of getting it, but what about a new television? Hubby assured me he could find us a deal, and loe and behold - he did! He found a great price on a television through Craigslist, which he picked up Sunday, so by Sunday evening the armoire was out and our new television and chest were in place. I listed the old TV and armoire on Craigslist and a buyer came and paid our full asking price for the armoire on Monday night! The TV has yet to sell, but it's only been posted since Monday, so fingers crossed!

Here is a look at our living room now:

Such an improvement, I think, but still so much more work needs to be done to get it just right. (Also, ignore the fact that my dining chairs are in there. I haven't moved them back into the kitchen after staining the grout because I know I will mop again at the end of this week when I'd have to move them out again...I just didn't have the strength to move them twice just for this picture!)

This post is getting kind of long-ish, so I am going to keep you in suspense until another day and tell you how we think we're going to make this piece work and really, what my overall vision is for this room. (Have I told you I'm only concentrating on decorating the downstairs of my house for the first six months of this year? It's really been so nice to not have to divide my attention between the two floors. I think we have already made so much progress on this first floor, but there is so much still to do, so I need your feedback still!)

'Til next time,

Kara

*This is the second time that I have been indifferent to a piece of my MIL's furniture until I realized it was actually a nice, expensive piece. Does that make me shallow? I mean, I don't know that I would have picked out the dresser if given the option, but given that it was free and led to a nice, new television and an excuse to buy new furniture and a kick-in-the-pants to get curtains hung...you can't beat it!

Subject: Kitchen Table

Hello!

Okay, so you know I have been doing a ton in my kitchen, right? I promise I'm not trying to delay an "after" picture, but I feel like little projects keep coming up so I want to make sure I have as much done as possible when I finally do the big reveal. Today I need your thoughts on my kitchen/dining table. As a refresher, here is the "before":

Now it is the color of my living room (Benjamin Moore's Dunmore Cream) with stripes on the wall behind the table a la:

My chairs are still black, but I re-painted them so they are shiny and lacquered-looking. I am going to put this fabric on them:

At first I was nervous about doing black and white fabric with black and white floors, but I really think it will look nice and neutral and I won't be tied to any one color when it comes to my table linens. At some point I may decide to put a jute rug under the table, but that is a low priority at this point. This is also an indoor/outdoor fabric which I think will hold up really well and the dark color with hide spills and stains.

So, now that you are all caught up, what should I do with my table? The table there now belongs to one of my aunts who is letting us borrow it indefinitely (it's been about 2.5 years so far) because she wasn't using it and we needed something. For awhile now we have been talking to my dad about building us a farmhouse-looking table using these plans. My grandmother has all this old wood in her garage that is weathered-looking and would make for a really interesting table. Then we talked about doing it a dark-ish stain and making it about the same size as our current table.

But now that the walls are light and the whole room has a lighter, brighter feel, I wonder if I want a table that is lighter and brighter too? So now I am daydreaming about a pedestal table painted white. When we first moved into this house I was in love with the idea of a white pedestal table because of a picture I saw in Crate & Barrel of a white table under a white chandelier, and that is why I painted my bright brass chandelier white. But then I got away from that idea and fell in love with the farmhouse style. And now I am back to the white pedestal.

I have been doing some major Craigslist stalking the past few weeks to find something cheap that I could paint and make my own. And finally I struck gold! Of course, it's not in my state but it is right down the street from you, so could you be a dear and fetch it for me and then store until I make it up there again? Thanks. Here it is:

Not much to look at, I know. I talked to the seller today and apparently I am the only one interested...score! So now I just have to make up my mind. In the picture it is round, but it comes with a leaf, which would make it oval. With the leaf it measures 4 feet wide by 5 feet long. My current table is 58" long and 40" wide, so the new table would be slightly bigger than my current table. But my current table isn't great for seating six - the pairs of chairs on either side are kind of squished, plus the table legs get in the way when scooting in and out. I also like the idea of a round table because when we have more than six people over to eat and need to pull up extra chairs, it is easier to scoot in more chairs because there are no table legs to negotiate.

The seller said the table is solid oak and in great shape. He said there is one gouge on the pedestal that is about an inch long. When I mentioned painting it and filling the gouge with wood putt, he offered to do it for me! What a guy! He is asking $100, which seems like a good deal for the size and quality.

So, here is what I have to decide: oval vs. rectangle? Corners vs. rounded edge? What are your thoughts?

Patiently waiting,

Kara

Subject: Kara Ketchup

Well, hello!  Figured this was an opportune time to play catch up on all your posts from last week.  Hope you are not still down in the trenches!!  I actually know exactly how it feels to be sitting on the floor with toothbrush in one hand and grout stain in the other.  Definitely not what I would call a fun project.  However, once it's done, it's ALL worth it.  I have to admit though, I never sealed my grout.  Shame on me, I know.  I have only restained two small areas in my house though.  Maybe this weekend I will seal them??


I cannot wait for the reveal of your kitchen.  The one glimpse you texted me was AMAZING!!  A big, "Ha! Ha!" to the readers who have no idea what I am talking about.  (I mean that in the nicest way though.)  Just wait for Kara's reveal, it will be worth it!


So, there are a few things I didn't write you back on:


1.  Your dinner list.  I'm definitely going to be stealing some of those during the week ideas.  You do a lot of chicken for me though.  I really wished I liked it more, but most of the time it totally grosses me out.  I am dying to try the crab cakes.


2.  The Williams-Sonoma soup looks to die for.  Did I tell you I was going to try to make it on Sunday for the Super Bowl, just as you suggested??  Well, you can't buy alchohol in GA on Sundays and then Hubby offered to grill, so basically my plan went downhill.  I'm thinking it could be a delicious option for this Sunday night though.


3.  The mirror and dresser you picked up while thrifting...WOW!!  Can't wait to see how they turn out.  And I am totally jealous because I never feel like I find anything that cool.


I have SO much to share with you, but I need to get back to work.  I will leave you with this gorgeous image, which I will share more information on tomorrow.

Subject: In the Trenches

Helloooooo friend!

I am coming to you from the trenches found between two tiles. Yes, the grout. As you'll remember from the pictures of my kitchen (which is painted, by the way!), my floor is black and white tile, which I have a love/hate relationship with. I've noticed for a long time how dirty and gross the grout is, but thought I just had to keep scrubbing to get it clean. Um, no. That would be impossible. Instead, I've leared of a technique that involves staining the grout. It's a three-step process that involves letting the grout sit with water on it for one hour to start things off. It is seriously the most time-consuming, labor-intensive, meticulous project I have ever done. Nice, right?

But, behold! The results:


Seriously. You cannot even believe how much better it looks! So I think I might fall in love (for the first time) with my tile once the grout is no longer dis-gust-ing. There is a lot of grout, though, so I'm hopeful that I'll be done by this time next year :) But the 'after' is a motivation of its own and I know that I cannot leave one small area with nasty grout when all the rest is sparkling white. Basically, this is a project where you go all or nothing! As I'm staining a section I go back after it has had 24 hours to dry and seal it. And then seal it again. I can't decide if I'm going to seal it two or three times - I don't want to have to do this again! Seriously, people: SEAL YOUR GROUT! It will save you so many headaches later on!

I was not a Gilmore Girls watcher, but I love the picture of those chairs! Is it bad that I was indifferent to the office chair before realizing it was a 'real' style? I don't love them in black - that green is awesome, and I really liked the blue of my MIL's too. I think with the black it's harder to see the bamboo-ish details on the chair. I did not spray paint but instead used a craft brush to apply the paint. Another plus of the craft brush: no brush strokes! It took three coats plus one touch-up coat. I didn't spray because my MIL wanted a specific color of blue, plus the cushion wouldn't come off, so that would have been tricky to spray (not impossible, just tricky). Plus it's super-cold here still so I wouldn't have been able to spray it for awhile.

I just realized I never responded back about your couch ordeal! So annoying, but I'm so glad that it worked out. Way to go hubby! And yes, a bomber jacket is the perfect way to describe the leather. It makes me think of this:

Ahh, the good old days. So glad you are enjoying it now!

Well, that is all for now. My correspondence may be patchy this week...the Internet connection isn't great in the trenches :) Can't wait to send you pictures of the kitchen once it's put back together again - hopefully next week!

Staining away,
Kara

Image courtesy of Obsessed with Film.

Subject: My Latest Projects

Melissa!!!

So, here are my latest projects: this dresser and chair that I’m painting for my mother-in-law.

The dresser we found out an antique store over the weekend. It was in great shape (except for needing a paint job, obviously) and solid wood. Plus, the price was great – the asking price was $120, and then we were able to talk the seller down to $105…so basically she got the tax for free!

The chair she already had, but she is trying to re-vamp her office and the black lacquer didn’t exactly “go” with the calmer décor she was going for. This orange-y fabric was the original covering, and it most recently had a yellow fabric which she’s already removed. The cushion doesn’t come off, so putting the new fabric on will be interesting, but it’s going to give me my first shot at using upholstery tacks. I ordered them from Amazon here. You can order them by the yard and then you order the nail separately. I’m kind of excited about using them – I’ll let you know how it goes.

And finally, over the weekend I found this:

I’m going to paint it and replace the mirror in my guest bathroom with it. The morning we went I had just measured the mirror in that bathroom and stored it in my phone. That’s what I have been doing lately: keeping specific measurements for pieces that I am on the hunt for in the “notes” section of my phone. It’s so handy…I always have my phone.

I’ve decided to give up my idea of framing the current mirror in my master bath and instead I am on the lookout for a mirror like this. It's a Sarah's House special, which means I'll probably need to look for it in an obscure thrift shop in Canada. Awesome.


I’m not sure where I will find it, but I like that I have something in mind. So be on the lookout!
I can’t wait to send you my ‘after’ pictures. I’m at the mercy of my mother-in-law for the dresser because she still has to pick out the hardware, and I am waiting on the upholstery tacks to come in the mail to get started on the reupholstering the chair. I haven’t decided if I am going to spray paint the mirror or brush paint it…spray painting will delay the project until it’s warmer out. I am SO looking forward to spray painting weather – I have so many projects to do! But next week I am going to start painting the kitchen...I'm going to get as many indoor projects as I can done, so when the weather is nice again, I can concentrate on the exterior. Okay, that's all for now!

Hugs,
Kara

Subject: Catching Up + Something Sweet

You win the prize for blogger of the week!  To get caught up, I figured I would combined your response to the French Onion soup post and your two new posts on painting the kitchen and chairs all in to one post.

Here are all my thoughts on everything:

1.      I don’t know if I 100% knew you didn’t like onions.  I thought you were just way in to hygiene and wanted to ensure your breath was always fresh!  Since they are sautéed though, the onion flavor isn’t ridiculously overpower, but I don’t want to talk you in to anything. 

2.      When it comes to dinner and recipes, we definitely have a rotation going on in this house!  We should swap our favorites and hopefully that will help add to our individual rotations.  Last year, I tried to make one new recipe a week, but I have to say, it didn’t last long.  Once a month is a bit more feasible.  I just bought this adorable Anthropologie recipe book that I’ve been admiring forever.  It got mixed reviews, but it was free shipping, so I figured what the heck?!?  Hopefully I will get it this week and can start organizing my recipes for a swap.  Also, on the subject of new, yumminess (I don’t think that’s a word) my mom recommended this DELISH quesadilla recipe by Pioneer Woman.  I tried it last week and as long as you love shrimp, it’s a winner!!  (Just omit the onions in your case!)  Plus, it cooks up in no time, which I love during the week. 

3.     Okay, so on to your project of the year…painting the kitchen!!  I think the green is such a fun pop, especially against the black and white tiles that I LOVE LOVE LOVE, but I could understand needing a change.  I think you need to plan the entire room out before making any decisions.  I do like the idea of a more neutral wall, but I think you need to decide on your chair fabric and any potential valence fabric before 100% committing to the stripes on the walls.  Have you come across any pictures with the black and white checkered floor and stripped walls?  Just in general?  Maybe that’s something to Google, as I myself definitely like seeing stuff first to confirm the final product is going to be exactly as I imagined.

4.      So, the dining chair re-do is on!  And thanks to you, I remembered I had those extra chairs I picked up in Tallahassee sitting in my attic, so I too spent some of my weekend painting away.  It’s taking SO long.  I have a lot of detail on my chairs and it’s hard getting into those crevices.  But with three different size craft brushes (I knew just what you were referring to in your post), I am making progress.  I would say I’m half way done, and already on two coats.  I chose the lacquered look, too, but in white.  Super glossy, it’s the new trend for Peach and Lass!

5.      The something sweet part of the e-mail…Due to the record amount of snowfall, and on account of everyone being cooped up inside, one of our super sweet neighbors invited Hubby and I along with two other families over for dinner.  She made a HUGE pot of Louisana Gumbo that was to die for!!  Of course, I couldn’t show up empty handed, and with Publix being closed I has only a few options.  I went with what I believe to be a fast, no fail dessert - Brownies.  Here is my recommendation for the number one thing I think everyone should keep in their pantry - a box of Ghiradelli Brownie Mix.  (They should be paying me for this plug!)  They are the most amazing boxed brownies!!  I think they made a nice presentation and one of the neighbor’s kids, adorable 2-year-old Rebecca, saw them and said, “Can I have a snow brownie?!?”  My heart melted and I was ready to let her eat the whole tray.

That’s it for now.  I have so much to write about though.  Here’s my e-mail blog to-do list:  Couch post, tv stand post, bathroom post, laundry room post.  Maybe I can turn everything into one big post called "The House of Peach renovation/furniture updates."

Hope Suz is better and that she’s allowed you to read Brown Bear, Brown Bear in addition to The Very Hungry Caterpillar.     

PS - The TJ Maxx lamp was a great find.  Love how you asked some unsuspecting shopper for their opinion. 

Subject: Two-thirds!

Hi-eee!

Just a quick check-in to let you know that we are 2/3 through the weekend and I am 2/3 of the way through painting my chairs. I ended up doing three coats of a high-gloss black paint. I applied the paint using a craft sponge (I think that's what they're called - it has a wooden handle and a little black sponge thing on the end) because I like that it applies coats in thin layers and allows me to control the amount of paint I am applying. Some proof of my progress (sorry for the picture quality...I took it on my phone):

The one on the left has not been painted, while the one on the right has three coats. I know you can't tell a huge difference from the picture, but trust me - it's good. As I've been painting each chair, I have found drips of paint and spots that barely had any paint on them. I remember the first time I painted them I just wanted them done and clearly did not pay much attention to the quality of my work. That is one thing I am trying to do with each project I am doing these days: I just keep reminding myself to take my time. At some point - when it's not literally freezing outside - I may spray a clear coat on all of them just to protect the paint and give them all the same amount of shine. I am remembering now when I first painted these chairs that I sprayed some and handpainted others, so the paint going on now isn't giving an identical finish because the bases aren't the same. Awesome.

On another note - here is my entry table as it was yesterday morning:


Mostly focus on the boring, blah lamp that I bought when we first got married and I wasn't all that adventurous:


Are you asleep yet? And then here it is yesterday afternoon, after I decided to run into TJ Maxx en route to Publix:


So much better! And another close-up:


Not that this lamp is all that adventurous, but I have known for awhile that table needed a different lamp, but I just hadn't taken the time to look. I got this one for $29.99 at TJ Maxx and it came with the shade. The original shade was a shimmer-y silver - which I hated - so I switched it out for this one on another lamp. I'm not sure if you're allowed to do that, but no one stopped me so oh well! There were three college-y age girls on the lamp aisle too and I got their opinion to see if the proportion was still okay (the silver lamp was a little bit bigger than this white one), and they said yes. Sometimes I love asking - and giving! - advice from/to random strangers! My father-in-law suggested black ribbon around the top and bottom of the shade, so I might pick up some ribbon the next time I am at the craft store.

How is your weekend so far? A three-day weekend isn't all that exciting when you work from home!

Shivers,
Kara

Subject: Do I Paint My Kitchen?

Mel -

Ahh! Okay, here we go. So this is probably going to be the biggest project I do all year, so before I embark on it, let's make sure we've thought it all the way through. (I say 'we' like you're going to help me paint, but really, your input is so valuable! But if you want to grab a paint brush the next time you're in the area, be my guest :D) Also, my apologies for not posting this yesterday - I know you were on the edge of your seat! I finally understand why mommies look so exhausted when they say the words, "[Baby's name here] has been sick." I experienced it for the first time yesterday. It's one of those situations where nothing can make them happy, and then you feel terrible when you start to get annoyed, because you know they are uncomfortable but have no idea why. I guess I should embrace her being so snugly, but at some points during the day all I could think about was what I wanted to get done and what I could be doing, if I wasn't reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar...again. Which is why my dining chairs only have one coat of paint on them so far. Maybe today they will get a second??? We'll see.

Okay, so on to my kitchen.

Some background: The current color is Pressed Leaves by Martha Stewart (back when Martha Stewart was at Sherwinn-Williams) and I really do love it. I tried it out in the apartment we lived in before this house, and it is a color with a lot of depth to it. It's a very vivid green, but still seems sophisticated and changes depending on the amount of sunlight. It also goes with so much and I think wall accessories really "pop" against it. People always comment on it when they come to our house. (I'm assuming it's a genuine compliment and not just, "Wow...look at that green...") Also, it looks really good against the white cabinets and white trim. It looks kind of preppy and just really crisp. The walls have been their current color since we moved in in 2007, so you can understand why, after four years, I might be ready for a change.

Now for a few pictures. The kitchen is basically the entire back half of the house and it's a really long room, with two sections: the dining area and the cooking area where all the appliances are. On the dining area side there are two windows with a door in the middle with access to the backyard and a little covered patio. Here is the cooking area:

Basically I'm just sort of "over" the green, but I'm not sure what color I want. The living room, which connects to the kitchen with a big doorway, is currently Dunsmore Cream by Benjamin Moore, and I'm considering painting the kitchen the same color. I think it's a sophisticated color and it also looks good against white trim. Plus, I envision us moving out of this house in the next 2-3 years and we would probably need to paint the kitchen then anyway, but at least now I have the time and am in need of a change. (I'm not advocating living in a house that's for show only, but it is something I'm considering as our family is growing and we'll need to move a bigger place in a few years, so if I'm going to spend the time and money to paint, why not paint it a color that would aid in helping sell our house?)

Some more pictures, now of the dining area and how it connects to the living room:

You'll notice the black and white floors. I pretty much cannot stand them and in a perfect world we would rip them out and continue the wood from the living room, but that is not going to happen so I need to figure out a way to work with them. At this point I feel like the room is really "loud" with the green on the walls and the tile on the floor. (The phrase "Alice in Wonderland" keeps coming to mind!) So since I can only change one thing, why not change the walls? I've also realized that in the past I have been very heavy-handed with color because I like it a lot, but as my tastes change and evolve, I am finding that I want to be more deliberate with color and part of achieving that may be to paint the walls a neutral color and then bringing in pops of color through wall accessories and fabric, you know? So that's why we can start referring to my new kitchen as having "sophisticated" walls.

I'm considering doing this to the wall behind the table:

I think the stripes would give that wall some interest and keep the neutral color from seeming so dull. My other concern is the countertops. At some point we hope to replace them with black countertops and a new sink too, but until that happens, the countertops and walls will be almost the same color. Will I hate that? Will it motivate me to save up for new countertops?

A major 'pro' of this project is no longer having to consider the green in picking out accessories or fabric, either for the kitchen or the living room. That is the one nice thing about neutral walls. Plus it seems very Sarah's House of me, which is always a good thing!

Okay, tell me what you think!

Kara