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Are you ready to party with the fifth annual Ultimate Blog Party?   This is my first year to participate, but it sure looks like fun.
Twin bloggers Susan and Janice, the masterminds behind 5 Minutes for Mom, are responsible for all the wonderful fun that takes place between April 1-April 8, 2011!
The Ultimate Blog Party is  the ultimate place to party and meet new friends. Any one interested in participating, can put a party post on their site, share a bit of who you are and what your site is about then add the URL to a linky list on the party site. How easy is that?
Check out all the great blogs – there are oodles to choose from and don’t forget to check out the prizes!

For details about me, go to my about Page for more info than you really wanted to know!

Happy Partying!

Yesterday I blogged about changing the look in our bedroom from cream to a wonderfully warm two-tone brown finish. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked it because it was so, so different from what we had before. But it is really starting to grow on me. To recap, here is what the room looked like before: A boatload of cream going on here. And after my grueling day of painting:   Ta Da!      Before vs. after

Which do you like best?

Besides the obvious,  the paint and all new bedding, I changed up some of the other pieces.

I took out our wobbly little night stand and brought in this sweet side table my dad made in his 1949 shop class. He refinished it two years ago and gave it to me. I had it in my office for a while and then it got moved out to the storage shed. He did a great job on the refinishing and you would not believe how sturdy this thing is.

I took down a fake oak shelf that used to take up residence on this wall and added a trendy stamped metal shelf with some fun copper rubbed detailing. The little sign makes me smile. I hope it will serve well as a reminder to Captain Cavedweller since it is on his side of the bed.

I pulled in decor pieces I had in other parts of the house. The beautiful bowl in the center there is as heavy as a quarter ton of bricks and I love it. The base is sculpted glass roses and it is awesome. And yes, it was a gift from Captain Cavedweller. He knows my addictions well.

One of my most favorite new additions was this sign that I found at Hobby Lobby. There is the slightest, most remote possibility that I may perhaps get a little sappy when I read it. Maybe. Just a little.

See the marvelous throw pillow in the middle? Again, found that at Hobby Lobby. It is a perfect match!

Oh, and all that wonderful bedding from Private Quarters that led to the makeover?

It is beyond wonderful. The sheets are amazingly crisp yet soft, the mattress pad is like sinking into sheer bliss and the pillows, oh, my, those pillows are they ever delightful.

Share your thoughts! I’d love to hear what you think of the bedroom makeover.

She Who Is All Done Painting for a While

As I mentioned yesterday, I spent the weekend giving our bedroom a complete makeover. It was a lot of fun and more work than I anticipated. I’ve got five blisters to prove it!

The inspiration for my madness, I mean creativity, came from a Private Quarter’s party I co-hosted with my friend Colleen. Once I received all the beautiful new pieces I ordered I knew I needed, wanted, to update the bedroom before I put them to use.

Today I’ll show you the paint process I went through on the walls and tomorrow check back in to see the finished room.

So this is what the room looked like when I started the project. The walls were sponged a mixture of cream and white with a cream quilt, cream drapes, cream runner on the dresser, and lots of cream accents.

Did I mention the cream? There was quite a bit of it.

Stripped down, here is what the room and walls looked like. Please ignore the dirty window. I generally do.

The walls already had this great knock down texture, which I love. It adds depth and character and goodness knows we need all the character we can get.

These are the colors I decided to use in the bedroom – Cinnamon Spice and Cafe Latte – which is now making me hungry. Quite a change from cream, huh?

Here you can see the colors right in the can.

With the great texture on the walls, I decided to use a method of painting that would really highlight all that wonderful texture.

It is called The Woolie 2 Color Paint Roller System. I used it with success a few years ago when I spent three days stripping hideous wallpaper out of our guest room and painted the walls a rich golden color. I don’t remember where I purchased The Woolie, but you can find it at Amazon.

The way The Woolie works is the roller is big and thick and, get this… wait for it… Woolie,  and is split in two. You pour the two colors of paint of your choice in the split tray and get to work. When you are selecting paint colors, decide what overall color you want to go for and then choose paint both two shades lighter and two shades darker. I know it sounds crazy, but it works!

So here is what the first roll of paint looked like on the wall. Sorry the photo isn’t crisp. It was challenging to take photos, work, and keep the camera out of the paint all at the same time.

This shows the colors starting to blend. The beauty about this system is that you can slap the paint on any ol’ direction and the more random you are, the better it looks. That is totally my way to paint, because I usually slap the paint on going whatever direction strikes my fancy and my walls completely show my inability to paint in a straight uniform manner.

Here is one wall completed. You can see the great blending of colors and all the fantastic texture.

Check out the finished walls in the room. Quite a contrast to cream, cream, cream.

Tomorrow, I’ll share the redecorating portion of the room.

She Who Hates to Paint

I spent the weekend giving our bedroom a much needed makeover. I’ll post some photos later this week.

Today, I wanted to share some quick and savvy tips for updating your home decor.

Bed Linens

Create a whole new look by making a duvet.  Place two flat sheets back to back, and sew around the perimeter, allowing for a half-inch seam. Leave an opening at the bottom. To close, sew twill-tape ties or velcro tape to the inside edges. You can also use the same sheet pattern or a contrasting design for your sheets, add some throw pillows and enjoy the new look.

 

Window Treatments

Lighten up any room by removing heavy drapes or window coverings. Wash the windows then add back breezy curtains or drapings. Flat sheets can also be used for curtains. Look for curtain hooks that clip on to the fabric or use bias tape or ribbon to create tabs on top of the sheets.

 

Lighting

Remove lamp shades from lamps, wipe off light bulbs with a microfiber cloth, dust lamps and then clean the shades. Use a soft brush attachment with your vacuum and run up and down along the shade. If you don’t have a vacuum attachment, a soft brush will do. Remember to wipe down the inside of the shade as well. If the shade was rips or stains, think about investing in a new one.

 

Pops of Color

Nothing chases away the winter blahs and screams spring like bright colors. Three of the most popular this spring are green, orange and bright pink. Add a vase of orange flowers or a throw pillow in hot pink and you have created an instant “welcome spring” message for your guests.

 

Whimsy

Have fun with your spring decor and add unexpected elements. A vase filled with bright kumquats can hold a bouquet of daffodils. Limes and hot pink flowers are so fun together in a centerpiece. Use wall decals to brighten up a wall, cupboard or even a piece of wooden furniture.

Just add a few touches here and there and soon your house will be singing spring!

She Who is More Than Ready for Spring to Stay Sprung