Pretty Painted Bottles

Hey, it’s High Five for Friday time! But this week I am calling it Freakin’ Fun Friday, because I want to share with you this super fun craft project - any one can do this, it’s quick, easy (a little messy) but soooo country pretty!

The Painted Bottle Project

Browsing Pinterest the other night, I came across this project from Work In Progress Kits and literally jumped off the couch and said “I can do this!”. Coach and I have collected quite a number of old bottles, some dug up right in our own backyard,

Antique Bottles

some in more recent estate sales and auctions. Many are old, rusted, scratched and lidless, essentially worthless (don’t worry Coach, I didn’t paint the Old Log Cabin Bourbon bottle in the back-turns out that one is worth something!) so I figured this would be just the trick to spice them up! Here’s the how-to: First, you need some clear glass bottles and jars. Anything will do, doesn’t matter if they’re old or new, but the ones with the embossed labels on the outside look especially cool once they are done.

Bottles Clear

Wash thoroughly- I put mine through the dishwasher to make sure I got all of the grease and dirt off. Choose your paint colors. Home Depot has these awesome Behr paint sample pots- for $2.94 each if you want custom colors-but these were in the Oops! Bin for 50 cents apiece!

Bottles Behr Pots

I also have a number of the little craft paints, and those actually work better for the smaller-necked bottles.

Bottles Paint Jars

So I grabbed a pile of paints, assembled my bottles and got to work. You simply take the paint and bottle of choice, pour the paint inside,

Bottles Navy Pour

turn the bottle until it is completely coated on the inside

Bottles Navy Drip

turn the bottle upside down and allow all of the excess paint to drip back out into its original container

Bottles Navy Pour Out

wipe the edge to give it a nice clean finish (loving this little blue bottle with the mint green inside edge : )

Bottles Mint Green and Blue

allow to dry overnight…add flowers, battery tea lights, whatever you would like to decorate. But remember- this is acrylic paint- you can’t use real candles or put water in them! The paint makes the embossing stand out on the bottle- before the paint I didn’t even know there was a ship on this bottle. Bottles Embossed Detail

You can mix and match the paint colors- like the blue and green one above. Or you can stick to all one color- whatever works for your decor. A couple of simple tips: more is better- pour in enough so you are not standing there trying to swirl around a little bit- takes forever! Remember, you will be pouring most of it back out anyway.

Bottles Navy Bottom

Propping for time’s sake. Watching paint drip is almost as bad as watching paint dry. So set up a propping/dripping area where you can set it and forget it until all of the big globs are gone.

Bottles Blue Drip

Keep a container of wet wipes handy. This project does get messy, as you can see by the pics.

Clorox Wipes

These are essential for getting a clean edge on the top of the bottle, and for cleaning off your hands as you go. You don’t want to transfer fingerprints from one jar to the next. So there you have it- super fun project for a rainy day. Simple enough for kids, pretty cool results. Have a great weekend everyone! We’re off to Brimfield on Saturday- can’t wait to share what we find. Susan

It’s High Time to Shop!

In an early High Five for Friday!, I wanted to give you a sneak peek at all things country being offered in my shop at the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market. After what seems like a year (actually its only been 6 weeks since I agreed to join the market- but boy my arms are tired!) of sanding, staining, waxing, painting, cleaning and hauling loads of great vintage stuff in my poor car-soooo many dings and bumps : ( CRV Hauling Stuff

 I am finally ready to debut my collection!

Country Design Home: A Carefully Curated Collection of  Simply Casual Country Style Furnishings & Accessories.

Market Sign

This was the before:

Market Space Before

And this was during (I really thought I was going to need a bigger booth!)

Market Pre-Staging

And this is now:

Country Design Home Shop

In my shop, you will find hand-crafted items, like these very cute shutter chalkboard signs,

Chalkboard Signs

refurbished beauties like this pink and gray Victorian commode that was featured in a previous blog post: Coming Unhinged

Market Pink Commode

and of course, my newly created wrought iron shutter top patio set! Shutter Patio Set If you get there early, you might find this amazing aqua blue vintage hinged and locking steel box Market Aqua Steel Box presumably from the back of my dream pickup truck

Vintage Pickup Truck

(but I have a feeling that one’s not going to be there long, judging from the oohs and ahs of anyone who saw it…), loads of creamy white stoneware and crocks, mason jars by the barrel, vintage tin milking pails, luscious yellow enamel bowls and these cute tin daisy canisters with cut glass knobs.  If you follow my blog, you know I am all about color. This month is pretty pastels, reflected in the paints and accessories I chose to highlight. I love muted grays and blues as much as the next girl, but for me, color brightens my world and makes me happy : ) market cupboard closeup The cupboard shown here was in my dining room for years. Moved around a bit, but finally landed back in the barn. What was once an old, tired dark brown stained wood was transformed with Annie Sloan French Linen Paint and Soft Wax Finish and Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint on the buffet top.  Or, if you have a hankering for some home-made ice cream, how about this vintage ice cream maker? market aqua ice cream maker If you are getting ready to plant, I suggest this 9 clay pot vintage iron rack. The pots are chalkboard painted, so you can erase my numbers and label them with the various plants and herbs you are nursing along.Clay Pot Planter I had a blast putting my shop together, with special thanks to Coach, who is my fabulous picker, Lisa Mokaba, my right hand girl and lover of all things vintage, Nancy Granese, who added her amazing artwork for my space and the fabulous ladies from Vintage Thymes Monthly Market-Robin and Nancy-who have helped me immeasurably with great staging and pricing advice : ) Vintage Thymes Market Shop The entire market is stacked to the rafters with great vintage finds, and ready for opening day-tomorrow!  So much to see, so much to buy! I hope you have a truck : ) The hours of operation are Friday, May 10 from 9-6, Saturday May 11 from 9-6 and Sunday May 12  from 12-5. The address: WinSmith Mill Market at the Norwood Commerce Center, 61 Endicott Street, Norwood, MA.  Google Map Here. Hope to see you all there! Now I’m going to take a breath and have a cup of coffee before I start getting ready for June. Happy Shopping, and a very Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Susan

I Shutter To Think…

          …what would’ve happened if Coach and I hadn’t wandered down to Cape Cod last summer and found some old shutters on the side of the road. Seriously! On a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon, we were driving down the Old King’s Highway, or Rte 6A, for some antique shopping and ocean viewing. All of a sudden we spotted some old, weathered, beautiful pastel shutters on the side of the road. patio map So Coach pulls over and tells me to get out and grab them! Which I did, but only after looking at all of the surrounding homes to ensure that a strong wind hadn’t just blown them off and the owners were set to retrieve them.

Old House

All clear! So I threw them in the CRV and off we went, but not very far before I noticed the strong oceany, mildew, rotten seaweedy kind of smell emanating from the back seat. Yuck! But we brought them home, along with some others that a shopkeeper gave us-yup, it was just that kind of day. So I soaked them in bleach, mildew remover, sanded them, washed them again, then laid them out in the sun for weeks. As the summer wore on, the stench slowly dissipated as I anxiously awaited the opportunity to use them in some special project. Fast forward to last weekend’s patio table project. We had scooped this topless table at a yard sale, realizing that I would have to create a new top for it.     patio table

My first thought was to use this old rain barrel- the staves were old and beautifully weathered, and unlike the shutter slats, were smell-free.

Antique Barrel

However, after spending hours deconstructing it, I discovered that 1. old barrel wood is really brittle and 2.old barrel staves are curved, which makes for a precarious perch for a cup of coffee.

Old Barrel Staves

The Plan B inspiration hit me at 4:30 am- the cleaned, pastel shutter slats would be perfect! So here’s my how-to:

1. Cut out a round piece of pressure treated plywood for the base in the size you want for the table top.

patio plywood

2. Arrange the slats in a pleasing “patchwork quilt” style pattern.

patio pattern

3. Glue, then nail the slats to the top of the plywood circle. I used this little sharpshooter- it shoots tiny little brads that are almost invisible.

patio sharpshooter

4. Flip the top over, then using a jigsaw, trim all of the excess wood away to create a perfect round. Well, not exactly perfect. I’m working on my sawing skills : ). Then flip it back over and

patio jigsaw

sand the top and the edges until smooth and even. Stain the bottom and sides.

patio top cut

6. Finish sides with black spray painted hanging strapping stuff with little black tacks.

patio tacks

Patio set strapping

I had High Heat paint so that’s what I used, but unless you are planning on using this as a fire pit, I think regular Krylon will do the trick.

patio black strapping

7. Spray the entire surface with matte clear acrylic finish. Allow to dry, then finish with a coat of Annie Sloan Soft Wax on top and sides, both the wood and the metal. Place on your patio for all to admire and enjoy!

Patio Set finished

OR

9. Set it up in your booth for the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market coming this weekend! This one’s for sale : )

patio booth

So see, if we had never wandered to the Cape that day, I never would have scooped those shutters and created this beautiful table and chairs and offered it to you! Now, does anyone need a box of cut up antique barrel staves? Happy wandering Wednesday everyone! Susan

Steel & Magnolias

Hi there! I know it’s been awhile since my last blog post, but every spare moment I have has been spent sanding and waxing and polishing and painting and tagging and pricing. Yikes! This is exhausting work getting ready for the Market! But I did manage to sneak away on one of the first beautiful spring days we are finally having to take a walk around the lake and clear my head. What caught my eye as I was taking a stroll? Beautiful trees springing back to life, forsythia and magnolia in full bloom against the bluest of blue skies.

Magnolia Tree

There are so many pretty pinks in this picture, it made me want to rush home and repaint the spare bedroom-so pretty!! So I took a few pics with my iPhone, and used my Ben Moore Color Capture to find the right colors to use for the walls, trim and accents. Nothing trendier than soft and hot pinks with industrial grays right now. Steel and Magnolias. Like Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts. Strength and Beauty. An old tin bucket overflowing with lilacs from Dreamy Whites Blog Spot. Gorgeous.

Dreamy Whites Lilacs

There are so many pinks and grays in the Benjamin Moore collection. Any combination would look great, but I found a few rooms that blew me away on Houzz.com. So I chose the color captures from that beautiful tree that match each of the amazing spaces.Steel & Magnolias PlumsLove the juxtaposition of industrial gray architecture and furnishings with pretty pink accents. Think I have to go with Wrought Iron for the walls in this Mid-City Loft in Atlanta……by Niki Papadopoulos , that highlights the architecture by using the dark grays and pinks with stark white trim. The large industrial graphic is the focal point, but the rounded edges of the pink chairs soften the look. Room by Niki Papadopolous

While this room has an eclectic look-ornate mantel with antiques and pale gray walls, it’s accented with one fabulously modern hot pink egg chair-looks like a giant gum drop!Pink Egg Chair

For this room, I think Mirage White would be perfect for the mantel, while a slightly darker Metallic Silver Gray, would work for the walls to create a soft background for the statement piece-that chair.

Steel & MagnoliasIn this room By Celia James, the hard edges of the crystal and steel wall art and the gothic chair are again softened with the multi pink accents. Would choose the Iced Slate to create a soft, neutral background for these fabulous art pieces.

 Celia James Sitting Room

This platform bed dressed in hot pink poppies pops in an otherwise stark industrial space by Renovation Design Group. The colors for this lofty space? Black Knight-stark and bold. Mulberry for the bed linens. (not quite as bright as the hot pink shown here…)

Steel Renovation Design Group

And finally, this dramatic dining space by Marco Dellatorre. The salmon pink for the distressed walls? Modern Romance. For the grays I am going back to Wrought Iron. Deep and rich. (Most likely like the folks in Italy that own this incredible space.)Marco Dellatorre

So next time you are taking a walk, take a look around you, and look up! There is so much inspiration in nature, especially this time of year when the sun is shining, the grass is growing, the tulips are sprouting and the trees are in full magnificent bloom-now where did I put my Claritin? As far as re-painting the spare room goes, no time for that! It’s back to the work bench for me…Susan

Pretty Perfect Pastels

So, you would think that after being bombarded with pastel Easter decorations for the past month

Pastels Candles

with pastel candy and decorated eggs and spring flowers Pastels eggs and flowers and sweet little bunnies (how cute are these from the Etsy shop Fairyfolk…)Pastels Bunnies by Fairyfolk and oh, did I mention handmade pastel soaps from the Charming Frog? (who has the time to do all this stuff?!)Pastels Bunny Soaps by The Charming Frog Etsy that I would be sick of pastels-any pastels. But in truth, pastels can be the perfect palette for a dreamy bedroom…and not just for baby rooms! This stunner in lavenders by Tara Dudley Interiors would be a perfectly restful retreat.

 Tara Dudley Interiors or this soothing neutral palette with a touch of pinks by Heather O’Donovan Interiors Heather O'Donovan Interior Design Adding some pastel brightness wakes up an eclectic vintage parlor-like this one from CWB Architects

or this sitting room from The DecoristaMirror Painted The DecoristaLoving the pastel palette in this eclectic bedroom from Tobi Fairley Interior Design. LOVE that punch of orange and red!! Parlor by Tobi Fairley Interior Designs Who couldn’t take a restful soak in this pastel beauty by Kelly Scanlon?  Bath Kelly Scanlon Interior Design As much as I love trendy grays, nothing calms a room like soft blues and lavenders- this one from the Design House of the Hamptoms

Sitting Room from Design House of the Hamptons

Or this stunner from Tobi Fairley Interior Design

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

Now we get to the heart of the home. Pastel kitchens. YUM.

Pastel Blue from BHG

Pretty whites and greens by Martha O’Hara Interiors Kitchen by Martha O'Hara Interiors This vintage kitchen would be just as at home in a double wide as it would in a little California cottage! Pastel Pink Kitchen Rustic country cupboards filled with dotted bowls of pinks and blues from Houzz.com are the epitome of country pretty.

or you could add these gorgeous pastel bowls…

Pastels Bowls

Or these amazing salt and pepper shakers from Huckleberry Vintage on Etsy.

Pastel Salt and Peppers

Or how about an entire pastel palette of spoons from The House That Lars Built? These would be great in an old crock or as an art display.

Spoons House that Lars Built

But a pastel palette doesn’t have to scream country style. An ocean-side home calls for the hues of the water, sand and sky. This kitchen from Plato Woodwork, has neutral white cabinetry set off with contemporary blue tiles and countertops that draw your eye to the window and the fabulous ocean views.

Pastels KitchenAnd this softly artful living space has just the right touches of aquas and greens to brighten it up!

Pawleys Island Posh

Using pastels in your living space can be funky or fun, and adding pops of bright colors can keep it fresh and young! Have a pretty perfect Tuesday, everyone! Susan

Capturing Color Palettes

It’s Wanderlust Wednesday, and this week we are returning to Wakefield, Mass to join the throngs of walkers circling the 3 mile path around the lake for their daily exercise. Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, with a hint of spring in the air, hundreds-no, thousands-of walkers/runners begin the migration back to the lake to shake off the winter layers (fleece and fat!) and start the annual pilgrimage to beach time fitness. While walking along, the scenery surrounding me constantly catches my eye, and each season brings a fresh new palette. In the fall, it was all about oranges and reds and yellows and golden sunsets.

Autumn on the lake

With the spring comes budding birch trees,

Benjamin Moore Birch Tree

dormant greenery springing back to life,

Benjamin Moore Hartshorne House Exterior

and melting ice floes with gray horizons.

Benjamin Moore Melting Lake

I have a new toy on my Iphone this season: Benjamin Moore Color Capture. You know when you see a house and you think “I wonder what color that is- I love it!” Would you ever put it past me to actually go knock on some perfect stranger’s door to ask what the color and paint brand their house was painted? Yup, done that!  Now it’s a little simpler- I just snap a shot with my Iphone and the Color Capture Analyzer instantly produces all of their paint colors in that particular shot! Then you just go to the Benjamin Moore website, type in the color in the search box and there you have it-brilliant! So the melting ice and the dark sky over the open waters produced this palette in shades of grays with a purplish hue like Faded Violet and creamy whites from the cloudy sky called Chantilly Lace.

Benjamin Moore Faded Violet

As you move the cursor around on the picture, it will pick up the subtle differences in the palettes- this one has more greens like Quarry Rock

Benjamin Moore Quarry Rock

The birch tree scene produced softer blues like Sweet Innocence, more whites and grays with hints of ambers and gold and a touch of coral from the ground cover that is still hidden under layers of mud and dirt.

Benjamin Moore Birch Tree

The Colonel James Hartshorne House , built in 1681, sits on the corner of the lake by the ball field. It is one that I have always admired, and recently they painted it this gorgeous blue-which color blue, you ask?  Well, according to the palette, the closest is Bachelor Blue. But the lighting and time of day changes the hue, so best make sure you take several shots to get the perfect match!

Benjamin Moore Wild Blue Yonder

Even on the grayest, cloudiest day it still stands bright. And what blue house isn’t complete without a cheery red door? The color of this one? I’m going with the sexy, spicy Caliente.

Benjamine Moore Caliente RedWhile I love that red door, which creates its own color palette, my eye was also drawn to the bright green shrubbery in the front that creates a stunning contrast to the rich blue. Dark Celery-the color in the budding shrub tips-is a great contrast to the blues and reds.

Benjamin Moore Dark Celery

As great as that color scheme is for the Hartshore House exterior, wouldn’t it be great for interior space as well? I created this room on the Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer. You know all those colors you just captured outside? Go to the website and you can use them in all types of rooms- using their galleries or your own pics! For this one I used the colors from the lake and house photos: Quarry Rock, Bachelor Blue, Caliente and Chantilly Lace- the possibilites are endless!

Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer

 Just make sure that when you are choosing your exerior colors, like the ones on the Hartshore House, you factor in the landscape and background- whether its the sky or water or the surrounding greenery, they all play a part in your palette!  Hope you capture a Wanderful Wednesday everyone!  Susan

Mellow Yellow

Just sat down at my computer and my new March screensaver calendar caught me eye. Yellow, green and red tulips are sooo cheery!

American Greetings Wallpaper

Makes me happy that spring will truly be here in a few short weeks. Taken from nature, these bright colors work well together, in an analogous color scheme on the color wheel, meaning that they sit next to each other.

yellow color wheel

Although I don’t have any yellow walls in our house, I found a few inspirational spaces to share with you this morning- hopefully it will get you into the spring spirit too! This gorgeous country kitchen by Witt Construction is in a barn/art studio (oh, one can only dream…)

Yellow Witt Construction

This eclectic kitchen by Echelon Custom Homes is so bright and cheerful- who wouldn’t want to wake up and start their day with a morning cup of coffee in this space?!

Yellow Echelon Homes

 Speaking of kitchens, if you haven’t seen the new West Elm “Market” product line, you have to take look at this!!

 West Elm Market

Lots of vintage look, diner-inspired dishware and appliances in yummy colors.

West Elm Market Plates

Obsessed with these refrigerators! Can you imagine this brightly-colored SMEG Italian beauty as the focal point in your yellow kitchen-LOVE!!

West Elm Smeg Fridge
The decor on this porch by Dear Daisy Cottage Blogspot is vintage but so modern with its glossy painted furniture in more trendy hues.

Dear Daisy Cottage

This one is also from Dear Daisy Cottage- I sense a theme going on…cute, colorful, country pretty.

Dear Daisy Cottage setting

I am always blown away by interiors by Anthony Barratta- so dramatic and over the top!

 Modern by Anthony Barratta

Loving this clean and simple, yet rustic and fun interior featured on the Houzz.com pages of Kailey J. Fynn Photography.

Cafe by Kailey Flynn

And, of course, we cannot forget my favorite in this room by Savvy Southern Style- Buffalo Plaid!!

 Yellow Buffalo Plaid Savvy Southern Style

So whatever style of interior you favor, whether its sleek modern, victorian glam or country charming like this adorable bath by Crisp Architects

Yellow Bath by Crisp Architects

a yellow-red-green color scheme can make it pop!

Yellow Victorian Kendall Wilkinson

Have a “springy ” Saturday everyone! Susan

Setting the Mood

Although I adore Pinterest, and have spent many a cold winter afternoon ”pinning” photos of amazing interiors,  I find that the best way to design my own cohesive space is with a “mood board” or presentation board.

Mood Board Vintage Parlor

Although photographs and Ipad apps are great for overall visual, nothing comes close to actually feeling the fabric textures and metallic finishes and seeing the colors with your own eyes. A large foam core board is the perfect backdrop for taping and glueing bits of photos, fabrics and trims. Board Mid Century Modern

First, of course, you need measurements and a room layout- this Online Room Planner from Urban Barn is fantastic! You plug in your room dimensions, then add in your pieces of furniture and accessories, lighting, structural points and just like that- you have a printable plan!

Urban Barn The Make Room Plans

If you are starting with a clean slate, then you will need to begin with an inspiration- whether its a paint chip, a fabric swatch or photograph of a piece of furniture. In this case, its a gold antique velvet settee that will become the focal point of a victorian parlor.

Mood Board Velvet Settee

That will become your “jumping off” point from which you can then design the rest of the space. For wall and trim colors, I head to my local bigbox hardware store, where they literally have thousands of paint chips to choose from. As you can see, I have accumulated quite a pile of chips- but I never toss them once a project is done- they could just be the very color I need for my next board!

Mood Board Paint Chips

There I can create a palette that is going to work in the room- and those are free for the taking! One of my favorite tasks is choosing fabrics-walking through my local Joann’s or Zimmans is for most people, I assume, akin to walking into a Godiva chocolatier-yummy!!

Board Zimmans Showroom

I could spend hours (and sometimes I do) wandering the aisles, poking through the clearance section, searching for the perfect look and feel of the fabulous fabrics I will be using to create drapes or bedcoverings or toss pillows. And they will happily provide you with swatches of your chosen fabrics that you can take home and add to your board, prior to purchasing an entire bolt. Once you have your pieces, you literally just start glueing in place, and it will soon become clear if everything will work in harmony,

Mood Board Pretty in Pink

or if you will need to edit, either by addition or subtraction. It’s fun, it’s so functional, and it will help you clearly define your new space before you put it in place! Hope your mood is a good one today-after all, it’s almost the weekend! Susan

The Year of Fun!!

January 01, 2013New Year’s, to me, is always a time to cleanse the palette, wipe the slate clean, start anew. A few moments of reflection of years’ past is typically followed by a resolve (like millions of other repentants) to 1.eat better 2.exercise more, blah, blah, blah. Well, this year is different! I am personally declaring 2013 to be The Year of Fun!! If there is an opportunity to learn, create, travel, design, teach, cook, dine, soar,Alaskan Bi-Plane on Country Design Home

entertain or be entertained, count me in! Time for a fresh start and a new perspective, time for some fun! (disclaimer: this does not include any activities where I am strapped to a harness and soaring above the clouds- I do like to keep my feet firmly planted on our planet. Oh, and also, not kayaking, not a huge fan, although a little water rafting in Alaska might fit the bill nicely : )    Alaska Water Rafting

And so it begins by clearing out the dining room cupboard. Out went all of the colorful Christmas holiday plates and decorations.

Christmas Dishes in Hutch     Snowman PlatterNikko Christmas Dishes

In their place? White. Loads of white. Cupboard with white pottery

Plates, stacks of bowls, crocks and tureens-all white-that I have collected over the years.

Cupboard with white bowls

The color white makes everything clearer, cleaner and purer. White becomes the perfect backdrop for the millions of other beautiful colors in our spectrum and makes them pop. There are so many shades of white, so you can mix and match them to create a fabulously layered look.

White can be classically elegant:

or elegantly classic

White mirrored armoire

Photo via My Shabby Streamside Studio

White can be whimsical

Photo via Better Homes and Gardens

fanciful

White flower paper installation

Photo via ComeUpToMyRoom.com

funky & fun

white vintage vignette

Photo via Biskops Garden Blogspot

tastefully simple

White mirrored vanity

Photo via Citified.blogspot.com

or simply extraordinary

White room from Capri Palace Hotel, Anacapri - Italy

Photo via Fabrizia Frezza Architecture Interiors

So if you are looking for a way to start fresh and new for 2013, forget those resolutions that only last a day or two and get your exercise by grabbing a can of white paint and giving your space a whole new look!! Happy Fun Year everyone!!! Susan 

The Glidden Project-Complete!

Soooo, how did I do?!? If you remember the before pics, dark and dreary, not much light, kind of drab. But now… bright and cheerful, lighter and fresher-just in time for the holidays!! A few things I did for this makeover:

1. Repainted all the walls, including the tired blue fireplace wall, which immediately brightened up the entire room.

Completed Room

2. Transformed the bookcases/media wall. Fresh paint on back wall, repainted all the shelving from dark, stained brown to creamy white. I also painted the niche with the Steel Blue for a focal point- where the hand-carved whale now sits. Backlighting it with some LED lights gives an aquarium-like transformation-kind of cool, right?

Glidden Bookcase Whale Wall

3. Edited the shelves by removing most of Coach’s old books and keeping the ones that have some meaning (or the colors looked pretty : )

Bookshelves Edited

4. Had this old chair and ottoman re-upholstered in a light blue linen with creamy white trim.

Family Room Chair Before

Here is the brighter, fresher, newly transformed chair and ottoman! I have a great company in Lynn, just in case anyone needs a remodel…

Glidden Chair Redo

4. We kept the rugs the same, but change out some lampshades, added some colorful throw pillows, some soft fluffy blankets for those chilly winter evenings and re-arranged the pictures and mirrors.  This is Daisy’s chair. She would be really upset if we got rid of her chair, even if she really isn’t able to get up there to curl into a ball : )

Daisy's Chair

Wall Completed with Sofa

5. I also used the Steel Blue to re-paint the arched mirror so it would stand out against the Antique Beige background.

Arched Mirror Steel Blue

And then I decorated for the holidays, of course!

Decorated Fireplace and Tree

Arched Mirror Steel Blue Decorated

I would like to again thank the folks at Glidden for their paint, and their patience in allowing me the time to make this happen and write about it in my own words. I hope this story inspires you to try something new, break away from the known and do a little experimenting of your own!  Susan

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