SLEEPING.

If I wasn’t aware that my body is aging, I definitely am now.  I was feeling up to a small project (yep, I’m 32 going on 80) and I thought this little end table would be a great way to ease back into things.  I ended up painting her a nice cheery yellow…Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Arles was exactly what this sweet darlin’ needed.

I was planning on keeping her one solid color, but I couldn’t restrain myself from using my trusty sandpaper to allow that dark stain to peek through.

It is hard to tell in the before pic, but the original stain was atrocious.  It looked very “plasticy”, not to mention, it was completely uneven.  The finish was peeling, chipping and just a plain mess.

The yellow paint took this eyesore and transformed her into a head turner.

Don’t you love that?  Any of you out there have any furniture that is yellow?  This is a first for me!

This may be a bit of a random post.  I watched So You Think You Can Dance last night where this dude said he came up with a new type of dance called “the wiggle” where he literally did just that.  Did you catch it?  Somehow, as strange as it is, I cannot help but feel a little like him right now…just wiggling and shaking all of this random information out.  So, forgive me if this makes no sense, maybe I can blame it on Vegas?  Ok, here I go…

First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who donated to my charity: water campaign.  We raised close to $1400 which will change the lives of 69 different people.  You have provided access to clean water for every single one of them.  That includes women, children, men, families, communities…wow.  I just wanted to take a second to explain to each of you who donated exactly how much this means to me.  I stayed awake at night praying that people would help.  I cried tears of joy and of helplessness over this campaign.  I just cannot imagine what our day to day life would look like without access to clean water.  And to know, that 69 people now don’t have to worry about this one issue fills my heart with hope, happiness and love.  Thank you.  charity: water is already putting our money to good use and they have been in constant contact with me.  It takes about 18 months to get from this stage to the well up and running, so please know I will keep you in the loop when I hear where our money went and who it is helping.  If any of you feel so inclined to put on your own water campaign with charity: water, send me a link.  I will happily put forth $20 to make a difference in someone’s life.  Such a small sacrifice to so many of us and what a huge gift it can be to someone else…providing them with one of the most basic human needs, access to clean water.

On a less serious and completely different note, my hubby and I got to get away to Las Vegas with a few other couples for an extended weekend away.  We stayed at The Cosmopolitan which I highly recommend.  This hotel was beautiful, modern, and felt like it was dripping in diamonds. If you go there, you will know what I am talking about.

Our room had 4 different wallpapers in it…loved it.  Yes, those are the kind of things that I notice when I travel.  Surely, I am not the only one who gets excited about this stuff.  I mean check out what was hiding behind our closet doors.

Isn’t it great!  I love the quirkiness of this wallpaper in the closet.  I freaked when I saw it and for a moment really thought about wallpapering our master closet at home to which Sam Sam the welcome back to reality man quickly shot down.

We did a little bit of everything on our extended weekend away.  Let’s see, we went to the spa, the pool, shopped our little hearts out, had some unbelievable food, drank some lovely drinks, and, of course, managed to get some gambling time in.   And just to prove that we weren’t too old, we hit up a club where Chris Brown just happened to be doing a surprise appearance.  Not necessarily who I would have liked to see, but it was definitely unexpected.

My intention was to get back home after 3 days of relaxing and get after my to do list, but after waking up with a severe kink in my neck, everything has been put on hold.  I’m not talking about a little kink where you are a touch uncomfortable…I’m talking about the type where you cry in bed because you cannot move.  Sam had to help me up and forget about driving in the car.  Any little bump that we hit sent a shooting sensation down my neck and into my arms which caused me to scream a lil bit and laugh because otherwise I would have cried.  Thank the sweet Lord for my dear friends, The Boehmers.  They have saved me on more than one occasion.  If you are in Columbia, I highly recommend them.

So, I wasn’t lying when I warned you about this being one random post.  I’ll end this post with this touching video and hopefully after this Memorial Weekend we will be back to our regular routine.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and that we all can take some time to remember and appreciate what this weekend is all about.

The weather has been GORGEOUS this week…clear blue skies, sun shining high, low 70′s with the most perfect breeze you could ever ask for.  Where do I send in my requests for more days like this?

As I am sitting here, our backdoor is open letting in some natural light  

The boys are napping, it’s so peaceful

the only sound I hear is coming from our wind chime

that is lightly singing in the breeze

 reminding me of being at my grandmother’s.  

 It’s absolute perfection in my book.  But, there are hints that summer is on her way.

Like last weekend, for instance.  High 80′s, mugginess thick in the air.  Mugginess that causes your glasses to fog over with your first step outside.  Mugginess that makes you wonder why in the world you even dried your hair.  Mugginess that has you longing for the pool.  Mugginess that puts everyone a little more on edge until, of course,  you pull out the hero of the day…the water sprinkler.

The mugginess starts to fade away and all you see is happy faces

all you hear are the squeals of delight

the carefree laughter is infectious

registering deep down inside your soul

which causes you to wish and long for more days exactly.like.this.one.

And in this moment in time, you are incredibly present

the worries of tomorrow are gone and you can’t help but feel that

all is right in the world.

Wishing you many of these kinds of days, these kind of moments, where time almost stands still….

xoxo…Jesse

Yes, I’m all caught up in the milk paint magic…it actually enticed me to come out of hiding.  I saw this cute lil desk on Craigslist this week and knew it would be the perfect tester for me and my milk paint.

I had ordered it awhile back from here and just was waiting for that certain “special something” to give it a go on.  Of course, I forgot to snap a full before picture, but I did manage to get a few random shots to show what kind of shape it was in before I started.

But, nothing that a little wood filler couldn’t fix up.

After the wood filler, I gave the top a good sanding

covered it with some wood conditioner, and she was already beginning to look as good as new.

I painted the rest in Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Sea Green and I absolutely loved the way it went on.  When I distressed the finish after two coats, it would crackle in some places, chip off in others and stick like glue everywhere in between.

Do I like it as much as Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint…as of right now, the jury is still out.  I really do love both paints and as I continue to work with the milk paint, I think I will know more in how it ranks next to ASCP.  I will say the MP has definitely made a lasting first impression.  And I say this with the understanding that I am not being an expert here and I understand I may not fully “get” the two types of paint, but I really do feel like there is a need for both.  They are just different enough…

If you are wanting to know more about MP, here are some things I have picked up in my test runs with it and how it may vary from ASCP.  For those of you who are feeling brave and want to take on a furniture painting project, you can see the differences between the two below and, hopefully, have a better feel of which paint is right for you.

What is milk paint?

The brand I used is Old Fashioned Milk paint and is made from milk protein (casein), lime, clay, and earth pigments.  There are no preservatives, fungicides, leads, hydrocarbons or petroleum derivatives in this paint.  So, what does all that mean?  It means that is is non-toxic, environmentally safe, contains no VOCs and is even safe for children’s toys.

What is Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint?

Developed in 1990 by Annie Sloan, it is described as the BEST paint for painting furniture.  It also has low VOCs so it is also good for the environment.

How many colors are there?

OFMP has 20 available colors, but you can create new colors on your own simply by mixing different colors together.  You can most easily change the hues, or make tints of the colors by starting with Snow White and adding in more and more color to get the exact shade you want.  You can also add Pitch Black or Lexington Green to deepen any color, as well.  The big thing with OFMP is the colors will vary slightly from batch to batch due to variations in the natural earth materials, which I think is pretty cool.  Now, since MP comes in a powder form, they suggest the best way to mix your colors is to use a Tablespoon of the major color and add teaspoons or even fractions of teaspoons of another color.  Place the powders together in a paper cup and mix in a little water to have an idea of what you will get.  It will always look darker wet, so make sure to test the color on a piece of scrap wood or cardboard to make sure it is what you are going for.

ASCP has 29 colors, but again, by mixing the colors one could reach as many as 55 different colors. One great way to extend the color range is to simply add in one, two, three or four parts Old White or Pure White to any color you like to get varying shades of that color.  The paints are extremely easy to mix since they already come as liquid.

How is the paint shipped and what is the price comparison?

OFMP comes in a powder form and one package ($12) can be mixed with about 1 & 1/2 cups of water to make about 1 pint of paint.

MP is always best mixed up fresh, so if you have leftover paint, you need to keep it in a sealed container (cup covered with plastic wrap with rubber band around it would work) in the refrigerator.  Since they do not add any unnatural preservatives or extenders to the paint, it may thicken or gel up over time so they recommend only mixing up what you plan to use that day and then storing the unused powder in a airtight container.  The desk only took a small amount of MP.  So, I have a lot left in the fridge and I’m hoping I can find some more things to paint so I don’t have to waste it!  I also used a foam brush to apply it on the wood because the consistency of the paint was so thin.  The foam brush ended up working great and two coats of MP was more than enough to cover the desk.

ASCP is sold around $34.95 for a quart of paint.  It is sold as a liquid in a paint can container that can be sealed between uses which I think is definitely a plus considering my projects readily get interrupted with the kiddos.   The paint does thicken as it’s exposed to air so if you are going for a impasto (thicker) look just leave the can open, but it can also easily be thinned out by adding in a little water back in.   And this paint goes a really long way.  I can usually do 2-3 pieces of furniture with multiple coats with one quart of paint.  I usually use a good quality brush with ASCP.  Most of the time, two coats of ASCP will be all you need and some pieces only really required one coat.

Is primer or sanding necessary?

No, neither CP or MP require you to sand or to use primer.  In fact, the MP recommends that you do not use primer sealers with stain blockers such as Kilz or Zinsser Bin.  MP has a product called Extra Bond ($19) that they recommend using if you are applying on non porous surfaces or close-grained hardwoods such as maple or birch.  I chose not to use the extra bond with the desk because I knew that I wanted a chippy, distressed look, but I did order some for the other projects that I plan on doing.

Can it be used outdoors?

It is not recommended to use MP on exteriors as it will water spot in the rain.  However, multiple coats of a clear exterior finish will seal the paint and prevent water spotting.

ASCP can be used on interior and exterior surfaces.  In fact, Annie Sloan painted the outside of her shop and loves it, which you can see here.

Do these paints need a protective sealer?

The people at OFMP recommend sealing the paint of any surface that is susceptible to spills.  Without a sealer the paint is fine, but it will water spot and readily absorb dirt.  Any sealer will work over the MP.  Penetrating oils such as linseed, tung, or blended oils will deepen the color considerably, but really make for a beautiful finish.  Waxes are fine, too, but as with the oils, may not protect enough against coffee cup rings.  They did develop their own finish called Clear Coat, a non-toxic, water-borne, clear satin acrylic.  This Clear Coat is a low odor hard, non-yellowing acrylic that can be brushed on or sprayed, is fast drying and darkens the paint least of all.  However, it may not protect against kitchen oils and grease splatters.  If you are painting kitchen cabinets, for example, it may be best to use an oil or solvent based sealer.

ASCP can be used for nearly anything…furniture, walls, kitchen cabinets, exteriors, whatever.  She recommends sealing the paint with her Soft Wax in Clear.  Even if you are wanting to use the Annie Sloan’s Dark Wax for more of an aged finish, you will still always want to first apply the Clear Wax to prevent staining your paint.  By applying the clear wax first, it makes the dark wax easier to work with without changing the actual “paint” color.  In all my pieces that I have painted in ASCP and waxed using her wax, I have never had a problem with water spots or oil spots.  However, I did use a technique taught by Annie Sloan in which you highlight the grain of wood on my kitchen table.  With this technique, you don’t really have a painted surface and because of this, some water and oil spots do show even with the application of the wax.  But, in my opinion, I kind of like the look.  It shows that it is a table that gets used.

My own thoughts…

I really do LOVE Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint and I was really happy with the finish of the Old Fashioned Milk Paint.  The only thing that I struggled with this first time using the OFMP was the mixing.  I found that I had a lot of powder lumps in my liquid that didn’t fully dissolve.  They do warn about this and recommend using warm water to mix the paint which I did use.  They also say that it is better to add a little bit of water to the powder to almost form a paste first, much like you would do if you were making gravy, and then slowly add more and more water to the paste.  I tried to do this, but still got the clumps.  It was recommended to strain the mixture through a nylon stocking or a piece of cheesecloth, but I skipped that step thinking it was unnecessary…apparently not.

And, as a side note, as much as I really love this desk, I’m thinking about selling it, if you are interested, click the “email me” button in the right sidebar!  First come, first serve!

If you are wanting to order Old Fashioned Milk Paint, I recommend going here.  And you can go here to find an Annie Sloan stockist near you.

If you are interested in learning more about milk paint, you should check out Miss Mustard Seed.  She is unbelievably talented and full of inspiration and she just announced that she is getting her own line of Milk Paint!  Congratulations, Marian!!!! I, along with so many others, cannot wait to get our hands on it!

I either had a major case of the Mondays today or I was officially overwhelmed.  The boys and I stayed in our pajamas for the better part of the morning and when I put them down for their naps, I had all these things that I needed to do swirling around in my head.  So many things…exciting things…and some not so exciting things…it was literally making my head spin.  Feeling so overwhelmed is not the best feeling…all I wanted to do was climb in my bed and hide out under my covers.  You ever have those days?

After a hour and a half long nap…no shame in my game, kids.  I like a nap.  Not a 20 minute power nap, but a put lines on your face nap where you crash so hard that upon waking, for a second, you are a little confused.  Those are my kind of naps.  Thank the sweet Lord above, that my kiddos take after me and can N-A-P, too.  When I woke up, I jotted down a list of things I needed to get done and I.felt.so.much.better.  I am a list maker at heart and I cannot begin to tell you about the joy I get from being able to cross something off my list.  For some reason seeing it all on paper, calms me.  It instantly allows my poor brain to relax and not worry about forgetting something.

This evening, when I got in bed to go over my list, I realized that Sam had scribbled his thoughts at the top.  It made me laugh, and the fact that he added several bullet points like

• feed the dogs
• clean the house
• shower

to my list made me laugh even harder.  So, tonight, I hope you won’t be offended with my brainless post…it really needs the night off.  ;)

Why, yes, that is a camouflage golf cart…and yep, lots and lots of trash.

Looking back at the chaos in these photos, I wish I could have said there was a method to my madness, but unfortunately, there was none.  It was just a mess, plain and simple.  My painting supplies, sanders, and tools were literally everywhere.  You think I’m joking.  Need a screwdriver?  Good luck.  How about a hammer?  Try the armoire.  Ummm….yes we have an armoire in our garage that holds loads and loads of tools.

Lovely, isn’t it?  And safe, too, right?  We did have a piece of wire wrapped around the door handles so no child could open it…yep, nothing but high tech over here, boy.  Now, I’ve always thought of myself as somewhat organized, so this, this was just throwing me for a loop every time I walked through the garage.  Am I organized or am I a hoarder?  Hmmm…tough call, but by the look of these pictures, one would have to go with the latter.

We all know that time is a precious thing, and I started to feel like I was wasting so much of it when I would have to spend 20 minutes searching for a certain tool to finish a project.  And while I was being super inefficient, I was also losing my mind.  I kept thinking we were losing items, like tape measures, and as many of you know, anytime you lose something and are ransacking an area to find it, it’s easy to explode to a whole new level of frustration.

So, when I spotted these workbenches and storage units at Sam’s, I raced home and made Sam Sam the one who has to put it all together man go back up to the store to check it out.   Now, these were definitely a little more than we had originally wanted to spend in the effort of Operation Garage Organization, but they were so much cheaper than anything we had seen at other stores.  Originally, I had thought I could build  Sam could put some nails into wood and make me a great workbench and then we could reuse some old kitchen cabinets to create some much needed storage.  I had always imagined that we’d set a $200 budget and then come up with something fabulous.  Ahhh…what big dreams I had.

Upon hearing my big dreams, Sam Sam the super smart man quickly threw everything we needed onto our monster cart, told me to pull the truck around to the side pick up lane and sprinted to the check out line.  Just picture him running and imagine the sound of a car peeling out with tons of smoke coming out from behind it.  That’s what my sweet husband looked like.  Apparently, he didn’t think it would be as much fun to repurpose items for the garage.

Several hours later with a few Colada Collisions thrown in, thanks to my trusty Vitamix, everything was put together and we realized that we were owners to not only a new garage organizational unit but to several tape measures, too.  Found them in that dreadful armoire.

And now for the after.

Better, right?  So, I am happy everything now has it’s place in the garage and now I can go back to believing that I am organized…sweet bliss.

Several Goodwill trips ago, I had found some scratched up Pier 1 wood chargers…they still had the original sticker on them and were marked from $12 a charger to one lil buckaroo a piece.  Eight dollars later, they were all mine.  Sure, they were not in the best of shape, but I knew that a quick paint job with some Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint would have them looking good as new in no time.  Of course, I failed to get a before pic of the charger, but you can kind of see it underneath my grandmother’s china in the pic below.

I quickly brought them home and then in the garage they sat…staring at me every time I went in and out of the house…collecting dust day after day.  I was totally having ‘painter’s block’…which is a very serious condition especially in my house because Sam Sam the sometimes anti-project man cannot stand to see my projects piling up.  Yep, nothing is worse for him than to see me stall out.  But, my theory is this…if you are not sure about something, sit on it for a couple of days, then revisit.  If you are still coming up with nothing, then just jump in and try not to over think anything.  It was time for me to jump in on the charger project and go with whatever color popped into my mind first.

I had Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Barcelona Orange & Pure White sitting out from some other projects that I had been working on so I thought, why not mix the two?  I also just might have been slightly inspired by these peach carnations that have been on our table for the past two weeks, too.  Who knows?

I was definitely feeling a little peachy that day…I’m telling you, Spring has really gotten to me this year…I’m completely obsessed with everything Spring!  Plus, I thought the color would be a perfect compliment to the blues, grays, and greens in our eating area.

One of the best things about Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint is you can mix the colors to create your own perfect shade.  The easiest thing you can do to extend the range of colors is to  add in one, two, or three parts Pure White or Old White to whatever color you are wanting.  For example, below, they started with Emperor’s Silk and came up with 4 other shades just by adding in more and more Pure White.

To create my “peach” color, I used about 4 parts Pure White to 1 part Barcelona Orange.

Of course, Cooper, aka “The Ham” sees me taking pictures and has to get in on the action.

This peachy transformation project only took about 20 minutes.  Once I was finished I was giddy because I loved the color and was thrilled with the fact that it went so well with my grandmother’s antique serving pieces.  However, as much as I loved the peach, I started to get nervous.  Peach was definitely out of my comfort zone…I wanted these chargers to be versatile enough to be used all year long.  Could I work in the color peach in the winter months?  Is peach too Spring-ey?

I quickly started playing with color combinations in my head and soon realized that I could make peach work all year long.  But, just to reassure myself even further, (because that is so my personality) I went online to “pin” pictures of just how versatile peach could be.  Check it out…peach is much more versatile than I ever gave her credit for.  After looking at these, you may just want to bring some peach into your own home.

This setting & color scheme would be perfect for Spring, Easter, Mother’s Day or even a wedding or baby shower.

via 

And what about adding in some royal blue and white for summer?  Fabulous.  And speaking of fabulous, how about that monochromatic clothespin banner???  Looooove.

via 

I am all about this crisp, bright, modern look…I realize that peach is not in the picture, but I think it would look fantastic thrown in there.

via

You wondering about Fall?  Incorporate some natural elements like wood or something unexpected like feathers and you’ve got perfection.

via

And, of course, I couldn’t help to think of pairing peach with some silver and gold for a fun cocktail party or New Year’s Eve.

via

Going for glam?  Peach can be glam…

via

Or something a little more classic?

via

 You can even decorate the peach color scheme with actual peaches.  Makes me want a bellini.

via

Just looking at these pictures of color schemes below had me inspired.

via

via

via

So are you sold on peach, yet?  I totally am.

Score #1

I have a thing for owls…I think our whole family does & I am seeing them everywhere so apparently the rest of the world does, too.  As soon as I saw this original owl print, (at Goodwill for $3???!!!) I knew he was coming home with me.  It must have been my lucky day because when I got home and googled the artist, I found out that Charles Schwartz was one of Missouri’s finest and nationally recognized wildlife artists.  I loved reading that he and his wife met while attending University of Missouri (my alma mater).

Score #2

This is the cutest little end table and will serve perfectly as Henry’s new bedside table for his big boy room.  I have some exciting plans for this lil $20 find. Solid wood, too, and in great shape. I couldn’t find a single scratch or blemish on this dude.

Score #3

These were the first thing I noticed when I walked to the back of the store.  A set of 8 hammered grayish amber drinking glasses.  How’s that for a description, huh?  But, they are gorgeous, in my opinion, and for a $1 each?  Ummm….ya, I’ll take them.

Can you tell I’m having a ball with my new PictureShow App?  If you like taking pictures and playing around with effects, I highly recommend it.  It’s less than $2, too!

Stay tuned to see what all I do with these finds.  I know, I know…more projects…well, at least the drinking glasses don’t need any work, right?  Have you found any great steals lately???  What stores are your favorites for thrifting?  That is, if you’ll share your secrets!

Every year around this time, we head out to a nursery to get some pretties for our planters out front.  I love to have little punches of color in our planters and every year we do something a little different while we anxiously await for the hydrangeas, knock out roses, and lilacs to begin blooming in our front garden.  Sam and I are notorious for going out too early and purchasing all of our flowers only to have to protect them from the big bad frost that always creeps in after our flower shopping spree.  But when everything starts greening up, I can’t help myself from taking my planters from blah to bangin.

This year was no different…we went to THE BEST place to get your flurs (as Henry likes to call them)

If you live in or near Columbia, you have to visit this place.  Flowers as far as the eye can see.

They appear to go on forever.  Seriously, it is amazing.  This is one of those places where one wouldn’t even have to pay me to work there…although, I don’t necessarily have the greenest thumb so they may not want me there putting all of their beauties at risk.   I am trying to learn, though, because everyone else in my family was blessed with a gardener’s gene and the last thing I would want to do is tarnish my family’s name…I mean, c’mon, right?

These guys below were eyeing us from the moment we walked in the greenhouse so we got 3 of them even though we were told that they could be a touch fickle…

We rushed home with our goodies and got busy “springifying” our front.  Sam thought that our three boxwoods needed some trimming so he got to work.

Our little angel who sits between the boxwoods got covered…it was as I was taking this picture of her with her little blanket full of trimmings, that I thought why not recycle these into something?  

So take the leftover trimmings, toss in some yellow spray paint, add a wood letter or some fabric and, hot diggety dog, you’ve got yourself a fun Spring wreath with some color that packs a little punch.

If you are wanting to duplicate this for yourself, here is what you will need:

• boxwood trimmings
• wreath (I used the straw wreath ~$4)
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• spray paint in any color that screams Spring to you
• wood letter in a size that fits in the center of your wreath (I had this “B” sitting around forever just asking to be used for something)
• something to tie the letter to the wreath (in my case, I used fishing line because it was sitting in our garage with all my husbands fishing gear)

First, I took all the boxwood trimmings and laid them out on a drop cloth in our garage to dry out for a day or two.  They were such a beautiful green and I really wanted to leave them as they were, but was too nervous that they would start to brown.  So after a couple of days, I sprayed them lightly in some yellow spray paint….Kyrlon’s Sun Yellow in gloss to be exact.  I did the same to the straw wreath.

Once everything is dry grab your hot glue gun and start gluing the trimmings on around your wreath.  

I just kind of lined them up at an angle and filled in spots as I went.  After burning myself one too many times, I ended up using a glue stick to hold the pieces in place while the glue dried.

This part took me about 45 minutes or so…I was only concerned with covering the front and sides of the wreath because I knew it was going to be hanging against the door.  But, you can do as you wish.  There were a few holes that I was easily able to go back and fill in.

You don’t have to limit yourself just to a wreath either, they had some great topiaries at the craft store that would have been so fun to do as well.

Once the wreath was full enough in my eyes, I did a couple more coats of spray paint making sure I got it evenly at all angles.  Then I took my letter B and spray painted it in a fun lavender blue because I had that color on hand.  Once everything was dry to the touch, I tied it around the center and hung it on the front door.

I may have to go back to Strawberry Hill and get a couple more yellow flowers to tie everything together.  You know how I like to coordinate.  I have no idea how long this baby will last, but it has a way of bringing a smile to my face every time I see it so it’s worth it, right?

I will be sharing this over at the fun party that Whitney and Dustin host…they are such a fabulous duo and I dig their blog…