Inspiration Friday No.11 ~ Chair Rail & Trim

Today I am showing a little of what I've been up to and mixing in an Inspiration Friday because they go together, my mother-in-law's living room & dining room makeover.  I put together an Olioboard here and we are loosely trying to follow that as our inspiration.  Things changed up a bit when I found this Liliana Pier 1 armchair on Craigslist...

The lady had it listed for $100 and my mother-in-law talked her down to $60.  Score!!!

The chair kind of changed the direction of the colors we were planning on using, and then she found a wheat color Storehouse sofa that was barely used, and wrapped in plastic at a yard sale for $175 (pictures to come)... DOUBLE SCORE!!!  So my light, bright, and white furniture design idea kind of went out the window.  

I wrapped her dining room chair pads a few nights ago, this is the old...

...and the new.  

I was a little disappointed when I opened up the box because I was expecting this color fabric...

ummm, it's much brighter on the screen than it is in person.  But the fabric is still gorgeous and it just so happens to match the Pier 1 chair fabric perfectly.  So it works even though it's not what I first imagined, but that's okay, sometimes you just have to roll with it!

I am really loving this design though!!!

I just had the chair pads at my house, I will get pictures of the new pads on the chairs soon!

So now onto the Inspiration Friday part.

  We picked out this Martha Stewart paint color in Myrtle Blossom for the walls.

She painted the top of the wall the blue and then the chair rail and bottom half of the wall is painted Decorators White.  The blue is fantastic AND just so happens to match the stitching in the Pier 1 chair PERFECTLY.  Oh yeah, I like how it's all comin' together!!!

But...the bottom half of the wall is WHITE.  I mean really in-your-face-white in contrast to the dark, wide planked wood floors.  I kept thinking maybe we needed to repaint a darker color on the bottom and then it hit me one night...the problem is it's just too plain and flat looking.  So I thought about possibly having her add a shadow box molding.  Today's inspiration pictures came from that idea.  The two pictures below show what a difference a molding treatment can make in a room.

This is from the Drab to Fab Design blog before of their dining room:

...and the after:

Do you see what a difference just adding molding makes???  It's like the bottom half of the walls are popping out at you, it's amazing!  It has life and character now.

Some other pictures that show how great adding a shadow box molding can look:

www.littlemisspennywenny.blogspot.com

 (all other pictures are from Google images)

I am dying for this molding.  So pretty!

Hoping it looks more like this picture when it's done... I think this looks really sharp.  Obviously this room design is not the same style as our room, but it has that same pulled together look that will be the base of the room.

  On a side note, I am sad to say that my computer crashed the other night and I unfortunately lost all of my pictures.  Thank goodness I keep all of my memory cards from my camera so I still have most of my personal pictures, but I lost a lot of pictures from my design inspiration files.  Which makes me really sad.

  But on a happier note, I got a nice little surprise when I was pulling together the pictures for this post.  I did  a Google search for the paint swatch (because that was one of the pictures I lost), and found that my little 'ol blog is on the first page of Google when you search for "Martha Stewart paint Myrtle Blossom".  So exciting!!!  I know it's by keyword searches and not popularity but I don't care, it is still so exciting to see your blog on the front page!!!

Happy Friday!

~  Kim :)

Show and Tell... Lanterns

After a follower left a comment asking about the light in our dining room, I thought I would tell you about the light and where I got it, along with the inspiration pictures that led me to it.

our cottage dining room

My inspiration:

These two were definite contenders...

...from Pottery Barn $299

... and from Ballard Designs $229




...but the one I decided on is from Overstock for $148.99 and it is wonderful.  It is heavy, with an antique copper finish that fits perfectly with our beachy, cottage style.  I am so happy with it!!

This light was also mentioned in an ideabook on Houzz by blogger Emily A. Clark.

I really just love it.  I had them hang it a little lower than the typical 36" clearance above a table.  Mine hangs 31 1/2" from our dining room table.  Just high enough that someone won't bang their head on it leaning over!

~  Kim :)

Link Party

  I linked my spray painted yellow lamp over at Thrifty Decor Chick, I'm #320.  Go check out all the great DIY projects, these ladies are awesome!  I am especially loving the homemade chalk paint recipe over at Liz Marie Blog.  Once I get my mom's old china cabinet out of storage, it's getting some chalk paint love!

~  Kim :)

Set them free...

  Today my children and their cousin released Monarch butterflies that they had raised at their grandmother's house. She purchased a live butterfly garden kit online and the kids were able to watch the caterpillars turn into butterflies.  She put oranges and a napkin soaked in sugar water to keep them fed.  It was a very cool experience for the kids and they all named a butterfly, there was a total of five.  We have a Jasmine Tree in our yard that is attracting butterflies, so we released them today, a few landed on the tree and the others quickly flew away.  But not before the kids got to say one last goodbye.

Our Jasmine Tree 

The butterfly container. 

The empty cocoons and the fruit that they fed on.

My daughter and her cousin trying to get a butterfly to land on them. 

My son trying to get in on the action. 

"We're free!!!" 

The kids just loved it when the butterflies landed on them. 

The very last butterfly.

  

                                   my son... (I just love his chubby little fingers) :)

Such a fun experience for the kids and a great little science experiment for them to learn, too!

~  Kim :)

Inspiration Friday No.10 ~ Tub Lovin'

  There is something that I desperately want.  I don't want it all the time but the times that I do, I want it BAD... it's a soaking tub!!!  A large, freestanding tub that I can stretch out in and relax.  I haven't taken a bath since being in our last house 2 years ago.  It makes me sad.  So in the spirit of inspiration and longing here are some pictures that make me want to just jump right in!

(all pictures are from Pinterest unless otherwise noted)

 I could live here.  Seriously.

houzz 

If only I had enough room for a bathtub, much less a bathroom this big!!!  It's like it's own suite.

 I die for this floor.

How about a glass bathtub?

 ...or a metal finish??

 ...or a color tub?  Talk about adding a focal point!

 This bathroom is very modern and Zen like.  Peaceful.

 Glamorous.

But my favorite has to be this one.  I mean, could you imagine waking up to this everyday?

Yes, please and thank you!

Happy Friday!

~  Kim :)

A personal epiphany...

  Hi Everyone!  Sorry I have been quiet around here.  I have been hard at work but not on projects around the house... this is a project within myself.  I had this really long post written up but now I'm just going to wing it and get to the point.  After reading about Miss Mustard Seed's success after putting up her "pie-in-the-sky-post," I got to thinking.  What are my big dreams and wishes for the future for myself professionally?

  It's not having a chalk paint made with my name on it... it's not a decorating book...  it's not creating a textiles line.  I mean I love a can of spray paint just as much as the next DIY girl, but I don't like living with paint in my hair and nails all the time.  I am a glamour girl.  So what am I already good at and already have a successful business at?!!  Makeup.  I think I have gotten a little bored with the wedding makeup gig.  I mean I LOVE doing makeup for brides but I feel like I am missing something.  Or maybe I'm not growing creatively and professionally enough to keep up my interest.

  So I spent a lot of time mulling over what I would like to do and how I would like to grow.  The light bulb went off after a few nights of sitting around thinking about how I see myself in 10 years... I want to teach makeup!  And not just the occasional makeup lesson that I do, I want to teach aspiring makeup artists how to do makeup and be successful in the business.

  I am already in the middle of changing my makeup website and giving it a face lift, so now is the perfect time to make some changes within my business.  I think I have a philosophy and makeup style that is different than a lot of the makeup artists around.  I believe beautiful makeup comes from flawless skin and allowing ones natural beauty to come through.  All of this heavy, dramatic makeup is going to look dated in a few years.  I mean, don't get me wrong I love a smokey eye and I think dramatic makeup has it's place, especially in print work, but for weddings... you don't want to age yourself or have your husband-to-be go..."huh, who is that walking down the aisle?".  It's not cute.

  So that's where I'm at, I am working on getting a blog together for my makeup business and hoping to grow professionally while still creating a beautiful and happy home! ... and helping others create a beautiful home too.  My Mother-in-Law just received her fabric for her dining room chairs and I am hoping to get a picture of them up soon!

Thanks everyone!  Have a good day :)

~  Kim