Pop of Color!

Every time Chris and I start a painting project, throwing around color ideas, he always asks 'what about yellow?'  And I have to admit, that I usually cringe a bit on the inside.  Not because it's a bad color, it's just not one that I think I can incorporate into a space and design around all that well (sort of a home decor "it's not you, it's me" if you will...).  But the final color choice is always up to Chris.  I go through this process of research, testing colors, and narrowing it down, and then he chooses the color we go with.  Seems fair, right?  Right.

Well, I have been wanting to find a way to incorporate yellow somehow, without it looking like spongebob exploded in our house (he's yellow, right?), and I am happy to report that I finally found a great solution!

While choosing the paint colors for the outside of our house, we really wanted a bright, fun color for the front door.  But none of them seemed to match very well with the red brick that we have covering majority of the front entrance.  In the end, we decided on black and absolutely love it, but the desire for a fresh, fun pop of color has not left us.  

So while Chris was in England last week, I decided to do a little surprise for him.  Check it out... I literally smile every time I walk towards the door.  There is something about yellow that just makes you happy, am I right?

It looks slightly brighter in the photo (I'll blame it on bad lighting.  No way is it my poor photography skills...)

And just for good measure, I threw a little on the back door, too!  Swoon...

I love it, and it is definitely growing on Chris!  My job here is done. #canwestoptalkingaboutyellownow? ;) #thankyouverymuch

When I Get Bored: Part 1

I don't know about you, but I don't do so well with idle time.  I can only watch TV for so long before losing interest and brainstorming what fun creative project I can pour myself into.  

Well, last night I found myself extremely bored and with no other options appealing to me, I busted open our little stock of chalk paint and began my latest project.  Full before and after photos to come once I finish, but here's a little sneak peak of what I got up to last night... (apologies for the poor lighting.)  If you squint, it almost looks finished. :)

Ahhhh the joy of painting while listening to Chris YouTube videos of people playing the harmonica and the Native American flute. (Two things.  One, can YouTube be used as a verb? And two, I'm not kidding.  This painting was done to some seriously relaxing, meditation-worthy tunes.)

On a completely separate (and WAY in the future, if ever) note, I also found myself daydreaming about a major renovation with our kitchen/dining room area.  What do you think of my vision? (what?  I did warn you that I was bored out of my mind last night...)

It involves combining our kitchen and formal dining room, and moving the dining room to the front room (which is a totally awkward space that we never use).  I'm kind of in love with this space.  Not so much, however, with the price tag of such renovation.  But hey, a girl can dream.  Just look at that gorgeous island...

Happy Wednesday!

Small House Updates

I swear we have had dozens of small updates to do to the house (slight exaggeration!), and have even had all of the materials to do them for over a month now, but we finally got around to doing them this week!  And so, a brief blog dump of said updates.

This appears to be the only 'before' photo I have of the front door hardware.  I am pretty sure it is the original hardware from when the house was built 20 years ago, so we decided it was time to modernize a bit. I almost went with black, to match the rest of the hardware inside the house, but we may paint the door black, and that just wouldn't work.  So we went with a satin nickel instead.  I didn't manage to get the new kick plate in the after photo, but we replaced that to match.

 

I also made a few things to decorate the walls a bit, as they were still largely empty even after a year of living in our house!   

And... drum roll please... the mirror FINALLY got hung in our entryway!

I made the little heart art out of some red felt I already had, and used a frame that was currently residing in a closet!  Gotta love free art!  (side note: I used to hate it when people would say, Oh I just whipped this up with materials I already had! Finally, I am the one that some spare materials laying around!) Plus, I think this heart is super cute.  The Keep Calm and Carry On sign was a going away gift from a friend and coworker when I left the bay area a few years ago. I love it and was so happy to find a home for it.

Here are a few sneak peaks of posts coming your way soon.

If you read regularly, you can probably guess what this is, and where it will be going... so in love with it!

And here is a first look at the "finished" painted hutch I mentioned a few weeks ago.  The doors and hardware still need reattaching and it needs a coat of wax, but I couldn't resist a little sneak peak.  I am seriously obsessed with the cabinet, and am so proud of how it turned out!  I debated between a pure white (like the trim and doors) and an old white (which I ended up choosing!), but in the end I felt like the creamier white would be a good addition to the bright white in the space.  I am hoping to blend old and new in the space and I think (hope!) the mix of colors reflects that.  I also have some picture frames which are the same creamy color that will balance it all out on the wall beneath the stairs.  I used the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (not chalkboard paint!), and I LOVE that stuff!  It is super easy to paint with and gives such a cool vintage finish!  I am trying some "homemade" (by someone else!) chalk paint this weekend and I hope it provides the same beautiful finish, because it is much less expensive!  (I will include the before photo when I do the final final reveal next week!

That's what we have been up to!  I am slowly realizing that I love keeping busy with creative things.  So even though I may complain endlessly about how long it took us to paint the main living space, once a week goes by, I am ready to get back to creating and beautifying.  I am already trying to figure out what my next project should be.  I need to finish a thrift store dresser we found months ago, as we have guests visiting soon, so my bet is that will be my next big tackle.  Then perhaps the kitchen cabinets...?  Ha, if I can convince hubby to let me!

Happy almost Friday everyone!  A 30-day challenge update coming tomorrow.  There have been some interesting developments this week, so stay tuned!

Entryway Dreamin'

My entryway daydreaming hasn't stopped since I last posted about our house.  Here is the current front door of our house...

And this is the door that I am leaning towards as my favorite for after we paint the house (minus the gold)...

Likewise, here is our current entryway from the inside...

And here is what I want it to look like once we have a new door.  Definitely love the moulding...

Yet another project on the list.  Love tackling things that I have dreamed about with our house!

Happy weekend!  Stay tuned for updates next week on our master bedroom!

Entryway Curtains - Yay or Nay?

Okay, so we have been debating about this for a while.  We have sidelights on our front door, and LOVE the natural light that comes through, but also appreciate the option of added privacy when needed/wanted. I keep seeing ideas for putting curtains on the front door, that can be tied back, or pulled closed, depending on our needs.  What do we think of this option?  I think it kind of adds a bit of character to the front door/entryway, as well as the functional aspect.

Here are some of my favorites that I have found.

I also love the idea of added "warmth" for Fall and Winter.  Just seems a bit more cozy!  Especially with hardwood floors.

Decisions, decisions.

Happy Friday!