I won!

Thank you Miss Mustard Seed and Decor Steals for this vintage victorian inspired gift.

A few weeks ago on Miss Mustard Seed's blog she posted this give away over at Decor Steals.  

I had to do a few easy things, like leave a comment on MMS blog, and over at Decor Steals, and like the gift on FB.  No biggie ....  A few weeks later, much to my surprise and delight, I received an email letting me know that I won! the scissors, a tape measure, and the little leather bound journal.  

So the next time you see a give away on one of your favorite blogs, try it, you might win!

my girl likes red

While visiting my California girl last week we painted her bedroom furniture, red.

Nothing but the Emperor's Silk would do

Her bedroom suite is good solid mission style furniture - oak.  The pictures were made with my phone, so will have to trust me when I tell you the color turned out rich, and pretty; however, sadly, these pictures do not reflect that.

 here is the bloody red crime scene with after 2 coats of paint

my girl was happy - which is always a good sign when your this far into a paint project

we took a break and ran to Target for new bedding

  I couldn't resist sneaking this photo of the old guy with dreads

what tha????

she still liked the old hardware well enough with the red, plus that saved a lot money to use them again

we mixed 2 teaspoons of clear wax and 1 teaspoon of dark wax and applied the wax one time

We took turns buffing - most places feel like buttah

I've never mixed my wax before applying it.  That combination looks very dark in the bowl, but does not look too dark on the furniture.  I liked not having to apply clear, then dark, then clear again.

she chose gray and white bedding from Target

I might make her a couple of throw pillow covers with yellow and gray fabric
and she was shopping online for drapes before we left

Jeff found this lamp with the red shade for $8.00 that needed minimal electrical work

Amanda spray painted the frame of it black 

and we found this piano board at a yard sale for a few dollars

I think it will look great painted some day, but for now she is happy with it like this and wanted it hung over her headboard

We had a good time working on this off and on over a couple days

My girl is happy!  So that makes me happy.

check out Masterpiece Monday

another potting bench

the summer got away from us, and I never showed you this cute potting bench Jeff made from scraps around here, an old window pane, and table legs we picked up at a yard sale for a dollar.

His pattern was from a picture out of a Pottery Barn catalog, which I cannot find now.

This is what he created.  It didn't hang around here very long.

I had planned on painting the glass in the window with chalk paint, but never got around to doing it.

  

I know this is a bit late in the year to be that interesting, but here she is, and I'm linking up at the The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday party for kicks.

If I had a house in California ...

I would want to live in any one of these beautiful Craftsman style houses. We just got back from California to visit our girl, and I have to show you a few of my favorite houses in her neighborhood.  This first house has a front yard of mostly succulents and the purple front door to match the purple japanese maple trees.

 these hen and chickens are growing in the walk way!

This was one of the coolest back yards.  I drooled over it every day while walking the grand dog, Max. That is a window pane built into the fence, for people like me to peep into. So I did. And even took the liberty of taking this picture. They had raised beds on one side of yard, stone walkways, and the like.   One night these people had a party . . the back yard had lights hanging in the trees.  It was beautiful.  I wanted to crash the party . . maybe asked to go inside and look around.

I love the old school house porch light on the front porch of 312 North Street

I have always wanted to have a 3-digit address.  

This goes back to my courier days, delivering to the 3-digit estates in Memphis

who doesn't love a red front door?

s w o o n ....  

318 Plaza 

and it just goes on and on . . . 

these folks seem to enjoy every bit of their porch

I think my front door is painted close to that color now.  so, I am getting there, right?

 This one is under a major over haul.  The guys living there had a yard sale while we were there, and we learned that they grew all the pumpkins and gourds around the front.

They had great stuff for sale, and a red door.  I liked them straight away.

do you think the "keep out" was for people like me?

so if you had the good fortune to live in Healdsburg, California, which house would you choose?

I want 318 Plaza. Really bad.

Spanish Pipedream

As folk singer, John Prine, so astutely sang in the song, Spanish Pipedream

"...Blow up your t.v.; throw away your paper;
Go to the country; build you a home.
Plant a little garden; eat a lot of peaches;
Try an find Jesus on your own"

and just in case you are wondering whats going on with the $5 darling ... 

she has had a bath and is getting a facial now

9 months and 1 day

but who's counting....

tick tock -- tick tock

come on little girl .... 

One thing led to another thing

Blame it on the chalk paint

I have had this sidebar for about 10 years.  Bought it off a friend of mine, and have wanted to paint it since I started blogging.   This is 1 coat of DuckEgg. 

check ..

I eventually put on another coat of paint and waxed this, but I never could settle on knobs

Then I decided I would refinish the top of the dining room table.  

Another something else I have wanted to do as long as I've had this table.  

 I think I may have sanded for 3 or 4 nights after work.
I used 2 coats of minwax special walnut stain and 2 coats satin finish minwax polycrylic 

I wanted it dark.  

check check

then I decided I would take on the chairs.  They were on a long list of things I wanted to do

turns out the chairs needed more than a simple facelift 

check check check

I've recovered these chairs a couple of times over the years, but never added padding.

I am so glad that I did this time.  They look and feel much better. 

And the ticking stripe is a nice neutral for me too.  

The color is brownstone  - I have more if anyone wants to purchase a few yards, please email me.

 one morning before I left for work I decided this thing would look better painted Old White

I  found 8 knobs that I like at Hobby Lobby and couldn't wait to see how they looked

I still need to add another coat of Old White, and wax it

  

here it is all together... for now
what do you think I should do?  paint the sidebar blue again or leave it white? or go green?
I have enough of Versalles or even the Chateau grey, which is actually green, to cover it.

linking up to Kim's WOW party here