April 10, 2013
Country living, Dresser, painting, Star Hill bats in the fireplace, Using a hotspot Leave a comment
Wellllll… I now have a mobile hotspot at the lake house. Spending the night here and pretty sure there is a bat in the wood burning stove. Pretty sure because there is no way I am investigating. Sweet Amanda has already had that moment of terror. Hubby comes up this weekend. Please don’t tell him I brought something in the house to paint. It is our secret! The June bugs were attacking outside.
April 8, 2013
The City House Leave a comment
Well until we get moved out of the city house we are staying at the city house every other weekend to work on projects. This weekend was to paint the outside doors. It has only been 14 years since they were last painted…if ever.
The weather was perfect for painting.
I left Hubby working on the house Saturday to go to Baylor University with three amazing young ladies who are looking at colleges to attend. This is my third college visit this year and I have to say that Baylor wins on organization, events and freebies.
All the kids got a free t-shirt, cool stuff and lunch. The help was amazing and the schedule was totally doable.
One of the young ladies has set her sail toward Baylor now and will be filling out her application as soon as possible.
8:00 a.m. arrival was rough. It meant we left at 4:00 a.m. They had been awake all of 5 minutes in this picture.
Picking up the information
Opening ceremony was fun. The girls were right up front.
We met Joy and Lady, but Andrea still likes Mike the Tiger better.
My science girls loved the science building, including the fountain.
We stopped to take pictures in this field of bluebonnets when a train came around the corner. I like the way it turned out.
I love my girls.
April 6, 2013
Decorating, the office, vintage style Dick and Jane, sewing cabinet Leave a comment
The office is getting this awesome sewing cabinet, a vintage school desk that hubby saved from destruction, an old mirror, and an empty frame that has wires running across to hang work. What color should it be?
I sort of like the green.
Excuse the shadows. It was too pretty to go inside to photograph.
April 4, 2013
Decorating, moving, Painted Furniture 2 Comments
I must have been very good. I got two three presents (food is definitely a present) when I got home from work yesterday. My husband got us tickets to Wicked, he cooked supper, and he had gone over to my friend Kandy’s house to pick up this beauty.
Yep, I know what you are thinking… jealous right? I love it. My friend is downsizing and had this sweet little sewing cabinet in storage. It belonged to her mom. The cabinet has three drawers and flip top sides that are pretty deep.
The bonus was that there were crochet books still inside from 1960. They are going to my friend Patricia who can use them.
The bigger bonus is that two of the drawers were full of buttons. Old beautiful buttons. I know exactly where some of them are going to end up, but it is a secret.
At the very bottom of the cabinet I found this sweet old spool of thread.
Back to the sewing cabinet. Guess who has a new office roughly three times the size as her old office? I know exactly where this will go as soon as it gets prettied up. The sewing cabinet is going to be a table between two chairs. I just have to figure out what color she will be.
I cannot wait to get my office fixed up. My old books will finally have a home. My Dick and Jane stuff will be framed and make sense along with my paint chip art and my vintage mirrors.
I need to get some sleep. I keep thinking of projects in the middle of the night.
April 4, 2013
Coldspring, Star Hill Reclaimed wood, restful room, rustic decor 3 Comments
I stared at my bedroom walls all weekend at Star Hill and have decided that the back wall behind the bed is going to be covered in old barn wood, grayed with age. Here is my inspiration: Rustic Wood Walls
Here is the bedroom right now:
I am about to add two side tables that are currently under renovation and an old door headboard where the not so awesome headboard is now. The side tables will provide more storage ans somehow I want my milk glass on this wall.
I visited my Stuff for the Lake Pinterest Board ( I am one of those people who pin things then sometimes forget to look at what I found…so I pin it again.) it struck me that the lake house board is the best reflection of what I want in my weekend home. I really have captured the comfy, weathered vibe I seek on this board. This just reinforced for me that the wood wall and gray paint will work.
I love these lights and the wall behind it. One day my bathroom up there will be gutted and these will be built.
Sooo,now I need to find the wood. Any suggestions? I need a cheap solution in the Houston area.
April 3, 2013
Apartment living, Decorating, glazing, Repurposed Furniture, Valspar Spray paint painted side table 4 Comments
In the process of clearing out the garage to get the house on the market I posted this sweet little ornate side table on Facebook for my friends. I bought this little beauty a year ago with the intention of “doing something” with it. When I find something like this for $5.00 at a garage sale, I must buy it… even if I do not have a home for it.
The first person to jump on the side table was Sweet Amanda’s buddy, Tara. When I asked the color she would like it painted, she replied “Stone Gray”. I knew that the table would need to be painted with spray paint because the last person to paint the table had used some sort of questionable paint on it. The paint was flaking off and was sort of general mess. A quick sanding and liquid sand ensured that no more paint would come off, and she was ready. At Lowe’s I found a dark gray called gun-metal gray. I looks a dark bluish type gray. A quick run over with charcoal glaze and she looks so pretty. I know that Tara will enjoy it in her soon to be Houston location.
April 1, 2013
Lake Livingston, resale finds, rescuing damaged furniture, Star Hill Leave a comment
Well, today was my first day of work in my new district. I feel a little lost, but everyone has been so nice to me. I do not have internet at the lake house so my posts will be after work until I can get something worked out up there. No photos today because while I did remember to bring this post already done ( I love the cut and paste option), I did not bring my SD card to upload my photos. It is all going to be a learning curve. I can tell I am going to be spending more time at Star Hill now that my job has changed just because it is an easier commute until the city house gets on the market and sells. That means more of my stuff is going to end up in our very small lake house bedroom. (Star Hill is 950 square feet, divided into three bedrooms, a family room/kitchen, a laundry room, and a bathroom. The first thing I know I need to do is get rid of stuff I do not need there, then I need to look at storage. ( I seem to be doing that a lot these days.)
Before this whole journey started I bought three 1970’s Ethan Allen pieces that were part of an entertainment center group at one point. They were a resale find and I loved them because they had sort of shutter looking doors that I knew would be fun to paint and give a relaxed vibe to the lake house. I know how old these pieces are because my brother-in-law and sister-in-law had the complete set just like these pieces at one point. Two of the three pieces match in size and will make excellent side tables. I already have a dresser and chest that will stay. The headboard is taking a hike to the guest room and will be replaced by an old door that I am super excited to get up.
I am really stuck when it comes to the room color. I think I want gray walls. I love gray walls. They are soothing. The gray has to work with red and blue because the entire house has red and blue accents. What to do, what to do… I would love to hear from you.
I already selected the color to paint the new night stands and have one painted. Pantone Lunar Rock. I tried a new type paint and I am RUNNING back to Behr. Nothing I have found works as well as Behr Paint, but I will finish the other night stand with this paint then move on. Lunar Rock is a light gray, almost white and will be beautiful on the night stands, especially glazed with a charcoal paint. I sanded and stained the tops a great color called pine cone.
I am not sure what color to paint the new door-headboard. I am thinking a dark red or navy blue. Thoughts?
Hubby put up some wide, rustic, pine boards to trim the windows in all the bedrooms this weekend and hung new mini blinds (Don’t judge me, they are easy to take care of and that is the name of the game in a lake house.) I am definitely going with white-white trim work in the bedroom. I want my milk glass to make sense in there. I think there will be dark rustic shelves to display the collection.
Pictures tomorrow, I promise.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter Weekend. We sure did. It was great to have family and friends over.
