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The Making The Bed Experiment

July 1, 2015 By Linda 14 Comments

I read somewhere that making the bed each morning will make you more productive. The single act of accomplishing a task that, for many (myself included), is less than desirable can get your day off on the right foot. The productive foot.

Which I think may be the right one. 🙂

For the past month-and-a-half or so — I don’t recall the exact date on which I started this exercise in increasing productivity — I’ve been making the bed each morning. After I get dressed. After I brush my teeth. After I put in my contacts so I can see what I’m doing. But before I head downstairs. Before I pass go and collect my 200 dollars.

Unfortunately, this experiment is a complete and utter failure. For me. In fact, it seems to have the opposite effect. Somehow, performing the early morning bed-making task justifies time wasted. Doing things like taking yet another Harry Potter Buzzfeed quiz.

I would be sorted into Griffindor. And Cedric Diggory is the wizard I should “get with.”

Or surfing my Facebook newsfeed. Clicking through to Slate and Mashable stories. Or enticing “before and after” transformations teased by Hometalk.

The other downside of making the bed: I spend more time in the bedroom with my eyes open. And contacts in. Which has me thinking about mixing things up.

Yeah, yeah. Get your head out of the gutter.

I was talking design wise. Perhaps I should paint the bed frame? You know, give the space a lighter, more beachy vibe with white chalk paint.

To compliment (okay, match) my IKEA Tarva dresser makeover.

I’m just not sure what Mike would think about all white furniture.

Then there’s the wall behind the bed.

The leopard stencil is fun. And I do like it, but ….

I can’t help thinking about a faux whitewashed brick wall? Or planked? Or bead board wallpaper?

The one thing I won’t be changing is the wall color. Mostly because I don’t want to paint the vaulted ceiling again.

Ever.

I’ll leave that to the professionals.

I’ll leave you with my final conundrum: Should I continue to make the bed each morning?

If I do, clearly it gives me an excuse to goof off.

If I don’t, I’ll feel supremely lazy. And slug-like … which will lead to more goofing off.

Sigh.

Sharing: | Inspiration Monday |

On the Fence

May 14, 2015 By Linda 30 Comments

This is how my living room has looked for the past few months.

Okay, not exactly like this …

That look is unrealistically neat and organized for everyday life here at Paint.

Sure, there are green accents to celebrate Spring, like these polka dot pillow covers.

And flowers from the grocery store adding in a bit more green.

{The boys wanted to know if I had some chia experiment going on with this one.}

But the major thing missing from this picture is a lanky, long-legged, blonde-haired-blue-eyed teenage girl sprawled across the couch …

typically with phone in hand and wrapped in a fleece blanket.

And let’s not forget the mail that seems to accumulate everywhere. On the ottoman and the radiator cover.

And my laptop and laptop table is missing. I’m typically parked at the chair by the window where I work on this blog. And maybe waste some time taking Buzzfeed quizzes …

😉

But today’s post isn’t about decorating for Spring. I’m ready to close the door on the chartreuse green chapter and look ahead to Summer.

My initial plan was yellow. Sunny and bright and a fun contrast with the navy. But then I walked into Crate & Barrel. And World Market. And Pottery Barn. And did you know what I saw? Can you guess?

Not yellow, my friends.

Everything was blue. And coastal. Sea shells and jute and sailboats. Cooling colors of the sea.

And now I’m reconsidering the yellow. And thinking coastal blues …

So, what do you think? Should I go with the flow and follow the whole coastal blue and sea shell trend this summer? Or should I buck the trends and stick with yellow?

Weigh in in the comments thread. That is, if it’s working!

Arrrgh!

Technology will be the end of me. Okay, not me. But it’s definitely taking its toll on the blog …

🙂

Sharing: | Inspiration Monday | Savvy Southern Style | Between Naps on the Porch |

Teen Girl Room: Sources

May 8, 2015 By Linda 7 Comments

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not a winger.

As in a winging things winger.

I’m a planner. A list maker. A researcher. A ponderer. A debater. A shop around to try and find it cheaper-er. I’ll spend hours thumbing through magazines and catalogs and Google image searches. Searching for just the right paint color/bed frame/rug/couch/mirror/ curtains/fill-in-the-blank …

Ahem.

I can drive myself crazy before making a commitment.

Yet all that changed with my daughter’s room makeover. Sure I planned and made lists and researched and pondered and debated and shopped around. There was the thumbing through of magazines and catalogs and more Google image searches than I care to admit. But in the end? None of that mattered. You see, I forgot to figure in my daughter’s opinions. And choices.

All my obsessive time and energy and manically pinned Pinterest pins went out the window. And, with a blank slate, we winged it.

Or is it wung it? 😉

We started at the beginning.

With white.

Under my daughter’s guidance, I painted the armoire and the radiator cover and Ikea mirror white.

Then I suggested a light gray for the walls.

With an ulterior motive in mind.

When my son goes to college in the fall, my daughter moves into his larger space. And this space will be his new space. So I wanted something gender neutral.

With our white and gray base set, I must admit I was surprised when my daughter added in blue.

That was her requested wall chandelier stencil color …

and Paint-A-Pillow color.

We both agreed the bed frame needed to be gold …

achieved with a few cans of spray paint.

And we both agreed the room needed an oversized wall clock from Magnolia Market.

Now I’m forced to admit, all my planning and list making and endless Google image searching researching may be a bit excessive …

and perhaps I should stick to winging it in the future!

Or is that wunging it?

🙂

Sources:

P.S. You can find links to the tutorials for the projects in my daughter’s room below.

Projects: Painted Armoire | Gold Spray Painted Bed Frame | Ikea Mirror Makeover | Paint-A-Pillow | Chandelier Wall Stencil

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Dirty Little Secrets: Cleaning & Organizing the Entry

March 30, 2015 By Linda 10 Comments

Remember my entry and how I told you it held dirty little secrets? And you all were all like, yeah, right, Linda. It looks just fine to me.

You pointed out how the closet door and storage bench could close fully. And how papers weren’t spilling forth from my mail sort bins. And, fair enough, what I showed you looked perfectly fine. Clean, even.

An acceptable entry to greet guests with my head held high.

On the surface, that is.

But do you know what I see when I look behind closed doors and closed storage benches in inside of storage bins in the entry? I see this …

Ack!

Well, that’s what I saw before tackling my 7-day deep clean last week. My view has changed considerably since then …

changed for the better, that is.

For the much, much better.

I’m going to share some cleaning and organizing ideas for small spaces here. With a caveat. I am in no way the most organized of the organized. Nor am I the cleanest of the clean. I fall short on both counts. All I can do is share what worked for me.

1. Start with a surface clean. I find it much easier to clear out the space first. And run the vacuum. This leaves you with plenty of room to spread out. And a clean surface to put your items.

2. Don’t try to do it all in one day. You’ll just set yourself up for failure. Disappointment. And burnout. Instead, break it out into tasks and tackle one or two each day. You’ll end each day with a serious feeling of accomplishment … and motivation … to dig in again on day two. And three. And four. And more …

I made a checklist to keep me on track. And I created a clean template PDF file for you to you too. To download for free, click here …

3. Set a start and end time. And stick to it. As best you can. Admittedly, I fudged on this one. I wanted to start each day at 9:00 AM. But it seemed I couldn’t get my act in gear until 9:30 Or 9:45. Or 10:00. And some days I spent more time than others.

Like the day I underestimated the time it would take to go through he mail sort bins.

Each piece of mail needed to be opened. And examined. And for the “keep” bin I needed to set up a filing system.

4. Tackle the worst first.

The closet, by far, was the worst area in the space. But it was the best to purge. I was brutal when sorting through the junk and filled two garbage bags full. A few coats were donated to Salvation Army. And a handful of items made their way into my “yard sale bin” in the basement.

3. Don’t purchase storage bins and other organizational pieces until after you clean the space.

Otherwise, you’ll may end up purchasing items that don’t work it the space. And wasting money.

It wasn’t until I had my “keep” pile that I could figure out how it could all fit back into the closet. Neat and tidy.

The cute gray and white chevron fabric bins from Pottery Barn (here) were a perfect top of the closet solution. They hold my flags and winter gloves and mittens and scarves and hats.

This Closetmaid stackable cube storage (here) was the perfect size to hold my shoes, while still leaving room for the mini vac.

And this over the door organizer rack (here) offers easy access to umbrellas and bags.

4. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

This was a lesson learned. I veered from the original plan and decided to paint the interior of the closet. And the back of the closet door. And add much-needed baseboards. Sure, you can’t see it, but it makes me happy!

It feels so great to have a handle on this space. I know exactly what’s in here. And even have extra space (like in the storage bench) for even more stuff! 🙂

I’ll just take care not to over-stuff …

😉

Linda

One dirty little secret down, nine more to go. Or is that ten? I’m not sure. What I do know is this week I’m moving on to the living room …

Be sure to check back next week for the sordid behind-closed-doors befores & afters!

Sharing: * Between Naps on the Porch * The DIY Showoff * Inspiration Monday *

Purple Girl Room: The Before

February 9, 2015 By Linda 15 Comments

Purple and I go way back …

way, way back to the One-Eyed, One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater.

That song brings me way, way back to memories of my sister Janet. And in my memory, Janet played the role of the Purple People Eater. And I the one asking not to be eaten.

And while purple was my go-to color in grammar school, somehow I never had a purple room. Pink and green – with an alternating combo of pink walls followed by green walls – when I shared a room with my sister Carol. That room-sharing situation lasted from birth through high school.

When I graduated from high school and graduated to a room of my own, I painted it (all by myself) a hue of Tiffany blue.

And that is when my love affair with paint rollers and paint brushes and drop cloths began.

At that time, purple was never a room color option. Seems I outgrew that grammar school color fascination …

or so I thought.

Turns out my daughter has outgrown purple too.

Though, to perfectly honest, her purple room was my idea. She was still little when I graduated her from nursery to big girl room. Turns out, I channeled my inner purple-people-eater-loving-grammar-school-girl when I created this room for her.

I had also embraced the flower. Stenciled on the walls. And furniture.

When I first created this space (a space that has been “well worn” over the years) I had draped a sheer white piece of fabric over those hooks. Trying to give it a romantic look …

and create a faux headboard in this tiny little space.

The balloon shade I had made used to have a pretty, sparkly hanging bead edge. But somewhere over the years, the beads have disappeared …

picked away.

I changed out the hardware on the Crate & Barrel armoire with knobs from Restoration Hardware. But I didn’t get enough. Miscounted. So we ended up with a bad mix-and-match mix-up of hardware on the dresser over the years.

As an aside, the armoire will be getting a coat or two of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. And proper, matching hardware.

I also plan to count – and count again (to confirm) — before buying the hardware this time around.

I thought I was so clever when I made this artwork. You know, to match the stencil.

A stencil I made myself. Because my daughter loved Monsters Inc. At one point, I stenciled her bedroom door with Boo’s flowers. It was a a stay-at-home mommy’s burst-of-creative-energy-after-pre-school surprise.

And then I had the genius idea to add rhinestones to the flowers. You know, as seeds. I’m pretty sure I glued them on with Super Glue …

… because prying them off the wall this past weekend was not fun. Or easy.

😉

Yesterday I gave my daughter a very important life lesson. A life lesson in how to paint a room …

and together, with paint brushes and paint rollers in hand, we bid a fond farewell to her One-Eyed, One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater room.

Linda

Sharing: * Between Naps on the Porch *

A New Space in Which to Create

December 18, 2014 By Linda 58 Comments

For as long as we’ve lived in this house, the dining room has been pulling double-duty. No, I take that back. Make it triple-duty.

Or maybe it’s quadruple duty …

or quintuple?

At this point, I’ve lost count.

There’s the dining “duty” part of the room, of course. But all the other “duties” I’ve imposed upon this space have rendered the room’s intended dining purpose challenging: It’s my office; my sewing room; my Etsy work shop; my craft room; and the kid’s homework space.

And with all those duties assigned to this singular space, more often than not the table top is overflowing with glue sticks and mason jars and fabric and graph paper and calculators and colored pencils …

making it near impossible to sit down and eat a family meal.

Not to mention it had become a eyesore. Piled high with stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Smack dab in the middle of our house. In a room you have to pass through to get anywhere else in the house.

A constant reminder of all the things that needed to be done.

It was stressing me out.

So I made it my mission to carve out a new work space. I targeted a nook in our finished basement. I targeted to get it done before the New Year …

and I targeted Cost Plus World Market to help.

I wanted an industrial look after falling in love with with their home office furnishings and accessories. So I sent them an email with my hopes and dreams for this space. And asked if they’d like to partner with me …

and they said yes.

Yes!

I was thrilled. Thrilled!

And that yes provided all the motivation I needed to truly get this new work space set up before ringing in 2015 …

The whole industrial-look idea for the space started with the stool …

this Twist Swivel Stool from World Market.

A swivel stool my teen daughter enjoys swiveling on.

My family thinks I’m so very clever — and original — to create clipboard art. Clearly my family doesn’t read DIY blogs. Or hang around on Pinterest …

… and I’ll share a post about the artwork, complete with links, shortly.

This Wire 3-Tier Glass Drying Rack is also a motivating reason I wanted to partner with World Market. It’s the perfect solution to free up counter space as my Etsy shop painted mason jar orders dry. And wait to be distressed …

And speaking of Etsy orders, sometimes my old eyes need a boost. And this Magnifying Glass on Stand helps me with touch ups and detail work.

Coupled with this Metal Clamp Task Lamp.

My paint brushes and supplies are stylishly corralled in this cute metal “Supplies” storage container.

But I think I might be most excited about the Jayden Metal Shelf Unit.

In the past, my paint supplies were crammed in a cabinet. And digging through that mess to find the right colors had become a giant, annoying hassle.

Not anymore. Now I have plenty of easy-to-access storage for all my paint supplies!

My only concern now: This space is just so pretty, I don’t to mess it up with paint and crafts and bits of fabric …

Linda

P.S. You can see how I painted the walls in this post {click here}

P.P.S. You can find a tutorial on how I made the saw horse desk on the post {click here}

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Chalkboard Wall Calendar (click here)

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While Cost Plus World Market provided me with the furniture and accessories highlighted in this post, all opinions about those furniture and accessories are 100% my own. You can find my disclosure policy here.

2014 Holiday Home Tour

December 14, 2014 By Linda 39 Comments

Did any of you see that Big Lots commercial where the woman is dancing around her house and singing about how she nailed it this Christmas?

I so wanted to be that woman this year.

And my plan was to be the first link up at my friend Jenn Rizzo’s annual Holiday House Walk Link Party …

but I think I might be the last one to link up!

Honestly, I truly tried this year. I got off to a very promising start …

Shortly after Thanksgiving, the front door was decorated.

And waaaaaay back in October, I ordered these adorable red and white striped knit stockings from an Etsy store in Latvia.

You read that right. Latvia!

I loved how much they looked, so my motivation was high to get that entry set up for the holidays.

I was even on top of asking the generous folks at OnlineFabricStore.net for some new fabrics to create a red, white, and burlap-themed Christmas home this year …

Fabrics Sources & Links:

Covington Red Woven Ticking Fabric | Premier Prints Fynn Timberwolf Red Macon Fabric | Natural Color Burlap Fabric | Red Cotton Canvas Fabric

And then …

then …

it all came crashing down around me.

I was no longer singing about how I nailed Christmas. But how Christmas had somehow nailed me.

Between the pillow-making and ornament-making and tree-skirt-making and groupon-gift-giving-making, I came to realize I was racing against the clock.

And the clock was winning.

I started to think I should just rename the blog, It All Ended With Christmas …

… and bid you all a fond farewell!

But I mustered through. And as I was drowning in a sea of mason jar and pillow Etsy shop orders, I managed to finally … finally … put those finishing touches on the house this week.

After a quick vacuum run … and displacing the kids and the dog … I took some pictures to share with you here.

Spoiler alert: There are lots of photos in this post. So take a moment and refill that cup of coffee, or grab a Diet Coke, before you start scrolling …

The Living Room

When I look at these pictures, I see a ton of navy and white.

But in real life, I see a lot of this …

Red and white and canvas …

which I love, love, love …

and red and white stripes.

And red thrift store sweaters wrapped around mason jars.

And vases.

And burlap …

with felt. And a handmade tree skirt that I’ll share the tutorial later in the week. Once I recover from all the picture taking and editing for this post.

And some spindly green.

Which, by the way, I found at IKEA months ago when I was still singing about how I nailed Christmas.

But the long shot still reads navy & white.

Ah well …

The Dining Room

The red and white theme continues.

And wreaths.

Lots and lots of wreaths!

I made that table runner from my new favorite fabric from OnlineFabricStore.net: red ticking.

And another spindly tree from Ikea keeps the table décor simple and easy.

The fantel radiator cover mantel was decorated with mini trees …

covered in felt and burlap and left over scraps of fabric.

The Family Room

The red and white theme continues …

paired with bottle brush trees on toy cars. And a splash of blue …

The kids are thrilled I put out the Department 56 Christmas in the City village this year.

It adds a nice sparkle to the room at night.

Along with lighted garland along the stair bannister.

And the tree, of course.

Decorated with my handmade ornaments from the 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments event.

I brought the OnlineFabricStore.net fabrics into the family room too. With pillow covers …

And finished it all off with candy canes in a mason jar …

and cars with bottle brush trees tied to the top.

Phew. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted!

And while I didn’t exactly “nail it” with getting my holiday home tour up in a timely fashion, I certainly am enjoying how my home is decorated this year!

Happy Holidays!

Linda

You might also like:

Car in Mason Jar Snow Globe (click here)

2014 Holiday Home Tour (click here)

Handmade Christmas Ornaments (click here)

Want to keep up with my projects? It’s easy. Get it all started with paint delivered to your email inbox:

Family Room Makeover

December 5, 2014 By Linda 26 Comments

“I’m awesome.”

That’s the message I left for my husband at work last month after finishing up the family room remodel.

It wasn’t a commentary on the room itself.

Though, I really do think it turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

It was actually a pat on my back for catching the recycling truck at the perfect time in our alley. It was a fluke, actually. I was standing at the kitchen sink, looking out to the back yard when I saw a garbage truck looming large behind my garage.

Okay, I heard it first. The roar of it’s garbage truck engine and hiss of its airbrakes prompted me to look up from the dishes I was washing.

I dropped everything and ran outside — and may have left the water running – to open my garage door to reveal a heaping pile of cardboard.

And heaping doesn’t even begin to describe the massive amounts of cardboard in our garage. Cardboard accumulated as part of the creation of this coastal-look family room remodel …

… a remodel that, by the by, was inspired by one of my favorite movie homes (and movie too), Something’s Gotta Give …

and a remodel in which every single piece of furniture in this room was delivered in cardboard boxes. LARGE cardboard boxes.

I would have to say the hardest task was assembling that Ikea Ektorp sectional sofa. But it wasn’t the assembly that was complicated. It was the massive cardboard boxes it came delivered in. Getting the pieces out of the cardboard, and then fighting with the cardboard to get it to lay flat. And then wresting and wrangling with that cardboard to get it out the door and into the garage.

That was the challenge.

And once we got the IKEA cardboard into the garage, along with the cardboard boxes from the table and the lamps and the unfinished and vintage crates and the oversized clock … well … it completely covered the space where my car was once parked. Too much cardboard to fit in our recycling bin. Too much cardboard to fit in the alley.

The plan was to parcel it out into the recycling bin in small doses.

Well, that was my husband’s plan.

A plan that could have spanned the next six months, given the amount of cardboard our garage now housed.

My plan was to keep and eye and ear out for the recycling truck.

A plan I promptly forgot …

until I was standing at that kitchen sink and heard/saw a garbage truck looming behind my garage.

I wasn’t even sure if it was the recycling truck. It was. And when I asked if they could take the heaping pile of cardboard in my garage. They said yes. And backed the truck up closer to my garage. Together we wrestled and wrangled and hauled that cardboard into the truck.

Phew.

Now, keep in mind this room is still a work in progress.

Like those new, unfinished crates need to be stained and distressed and stenciled to look old …

Update: You can see how I aged those crates by clicking here …

And my World Market side tables need some accessorizing to compliment my Birch Lane lamps …

But I wanted to share the room before I dressed it up for the holidays.

And to be honest with you, I really do think it looks awesome …

… and now my family thinks I’m awesome too!

Linda

Sources:

Lambert Table Lamps from Birch Lane | Sheer Curtain Panels from Curtainworks | Ektorp Sectional with Tygelsjo beige slipcover from Ikea | Storage Ottoman from Walmart | 30” Clock from Wayfair | Premier Prints Fabrics from OnlineFabricStore.net | Brown Houndstooth Fabric from Buyfabrics.com | Side tables from Cost Plus World Market | Laptop Desk from Cost Plus World Market | Industrial Stool from Target | Chevron Rug from RugsUSA | Television Console/Armoire from Pottery Barn (from 14 years ago) | Unfinished Wood Crates from Amazon.com | Vintage Crate from Found In Attic | Regal Select Off-the-Shelf Base White Paint in flat (walls) and semi-gloss (trim) from Benjamin Moore

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Screen Porch

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Industrial Look Table Lamps

October 21, 2014 By Linda 21 Comments

I’m vignette challenged.

I like to pretend I prefer clean lines. Uncluttered table tops. It makes it easier to clean, I tell myself. Over and over again. But the truth is, I just don’t have what it takes to vignette ..

and, yes, I just used the word vignette as a verb.

I admire – okay, envy – those who are gifted with the vignette gene. I drool over their perfect compositions. Marvel at the ease in which whip together a pleasing table top or bookcase. Mixing together colors and textures and shapes. In threes. Or fives. But never, ever an even number.

And then I wonder: Where in the world did they find those cute pieces used in their perfectly appointed vignettes? Pieces in different textures and colors and sizes. Birds and jute-wrapped balls and paper-covered books. And those metal spheres …

where oh where did those vignette mavens find those metal spheres?

And then I have to ask myself: If I did happened to get my hands on some of those amazing, coveted metal spheres, would I even know what to do with them?

Not to mention the resulting never-ending ridicule from my husband and children about the spheres. Asking what purpose they serve. And I’m pretty sure there would be some sphere-related shenanigans.

So when the lovely folks at Birch Lane contacted me and opened up their fall catalogue to pick out some home décor for my home (within reason, of course), I was immediately drawn to these lamps. The Lambert Table Lamp …

with metal spheres …

The answer to my vignette-challenged-sphere-envying dilemma!

This lamp comes with a built-in vignette. All I needed to add was a super cute table to set them upon …

and, unlike vignettes, tables I can do. With confidence.

Linda

Source: Lambert Table Lamp at Birch Lane

Sending out a huge thank you to Birch Lane — a new home furnishings line with fresh and traditional pieces at an attainable price point — for reaching out to me with this fabulous opportunity. And while they did provide me with a pair of those super cool industrial-look-built-in-vignette table lamps, all opinions about how super cool and vignette-y they are, are my own.

The Family/Sun Room

October 12, 2014 By Linda 5 Comments

I’ve been holding out on you …

There’s a space in our home that is, hand’s down, my favorite space of all.

It’s a space we built ourselves. Okay, not with our own hands. Architects and contractors were involved. But I plotted and planned and designed this space.

It’s our saving grace space.

You see, our cozy little home for two became very crowded when we became three. As anyone with kids can attest, that tiny new little person comes with enormously sized accessories. And for three years, we burst at the seams as we moved hideous plastic accessories to and fro.

And we managed.

But when we were on the brink of becoming four, drastic action was called for. In the shape of a new space. And I was determined to make this brand new space as bright and light as possible. Hence the three double hung windows on one side of the room …

And two glass block windows on the other …

And four skylights …

And not one, but two huge French doors that my contractor friend still grumbles about how heavy and impossible they were to install …

Right now I’m in the throes of a redesign of my beloved room. The walls have been painted. The trim is in progress. The new couch arrives next week,

And then there are the diy projects. There will be staining and spray painting and sanding and pillow making. Not to mention a chalkboard paint project that may or may not work out as planned. And a gallery wall.

I’m a bit giddy with excitement.

I can’t wait until it all comes together. And I can’t wait to show it to you all!

Until then, I’m trying to contain it all. And not get frustrated that it isn’t coming together as quickly as planned. I’m trying to take it in stride. One day at a time …

Linda

For more of my room remodels, just click here …

Sharing: * Between Naps on the Porch *

The Screen Porch

June 5, 2014 By Linda 43 Comments

Screen Porch Decorating Ideas in Navy & White.

Summer arrived in Chicago with a vengeance.

There was no save the date card sent out months in advance. There was no phone call announcing it’s arrival. There was no gentle knock on the door asking if it could come in for a visit …

Oh no.

Summer blew in here yelling and screaming. It barged right in the front door and swept through the house.

Its arrival so sudden. So unexpected. So violent that it caught me off guard.

And left me scrambling to get the screen porch up and running …

And then, as quickly as it had us reaching for the thermostat to crank up the AC, it disappeared. Leaving cooler temps and rain in it’s wake.

Oh, wait, that would be Spring. Which is still making an appearance inside our home. With some apple green and blue …

{click here for my blue & apple green living, dining room tour}

Though, I do have some pretty coral colored fabrics and tissue paper waiting in the wings. You know, for when Summer decides to return for good …

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Weather Talk & Touches of Spring

May 29, 2014 By Linda 25 Comments

I really don’t want to talk about the weather.

It’s so boring.

It’s hot in the summer. It’s cold in the winter. Surprise, surprise.

Summer can’t come soon enough. Summer can’t be over soon enough. Winter is too harsh. Winter is too mild. I wish it would snow on Christmas. I wish it would stop snowing …

Blah, blah, blah.

You get it, right?

Weather is fickle. Unpredictable. Yet we think we can change it. Control it. Like that guy you think you shape into Mr. Right. That you, somehow, have some magic Mr. Right-shaping-powers …

Uh huh. That only works in the movies.

In real life, we are what we are. And the weather is what it is.

So why, you ask, am I talking about the weather?

Because I’ve never shared the touches of Spring I added to our home. It wasn’t much. A color change to include apple green.