Does Poopourri REALLY work???

A few weeks ago I bought some Poopourri after reading tons of reviews online and watching them on Youtube. I knew it was worth giving it a try, so I took the plunge and purchased some on QVC.com. I must say...I love it! It will forever have a special place in our bathrooms! Check out the video below for my complete review.

Two-Toned Coffee Table Tutorial

A few months ago, the hubby and I stumbled across this wooden country chic/farmhouse style coffee table at our local Habitat for the Humanity ReStore! I knew it would be perfect for our den because we have a farmhouse meets beach cottage thing going on in there. And it was exactly the style that I had in mind, and cost us somewhere around $50! Score! So here's a quick look at the before and after!

And of course...more afters!

And here's HOW I achieved this look...

 I covered the top of the table with paper to protect it from the paint.

 I then removed the drawers from the table, and set them aside. I also removed the knobs too! I didn't want to paint them because I thought the wood knobs would look fabulous on the aqua drawer fronts.

 I then wiped down the drawer fronts and the table with a liquid sander/deglosser.

Once that dried, I lightly sanded the table and drawers with a fine grit sand paper (around 120 to 220).

 After lightly sanding, I wiped off all dust with a damp cloth and let the surface dry...

 I then moved on to the prime time lol! I primed the surface with Killz Spray paint primer (two coats).

Once the 2nd coat of primer was dry...I lightly sanded the table and drawers again, and then wiped off the dust with wet rag.

 Once everything was all dry...I moved on to painting! I used two layers of Krylon's  Blue Ocean Breeze in a gloss finish. I lightly sanded with a fine grit sand paper (around 120 to 220) and removed dust from everything before applying the 2nd coat of paint.

 I then distressed the edges and etc. by gently sanding with a 60 grit piece of sandpaper.

 I then wiped off all of the dust, and began the glazing process.  For my mixture I used Behr Premium Plus Style Faux Glaze from Home Depot. It is translucent, so you have to add the paint of your choice in order for the glaze to have a color.

I bought some Behr Premium Plus paint samples in flat sheen to add to my glaze. I wanted my glaze to be brown, with a touch of black, so I used Behr's Espresso Beans and added in a tiny bit of Behr's pure black paint too. I did this because I have another aqua table in the room, and it has a black glaze on it. I wanted the two tables to be able to blend. My glaze mixture ratio was about 1 part paint and 3 parts glaze.  I would advise working with small (table spoon size) portions if you aren't doing a huge project.

 After glazing the table, I let it dry and put it back together. I must say...she looks amazing!

Oh, and here's the cute little side table that I also found at the ReStore a few months ago. I painted this beauty a while ago, but did not post a tutorial. It was under $50 as well...

What to do with the wedding dress after the wedding

We spend months(sometimes years) planning for our big day, and then BOOM it's over in what feels like five minutes. After the big day has come and gone you might find yourself pondering over what to do with your wedding dress.We tied the knot back in 2009, and at the time "trash the dress" photo sessions were all the rage.

Via photo205blog.com

Via BlissBride.net

Via Julie Hunter Photography

I on the other hand planned to lose weight and then do a sort of bridal shoot a year or so after the wedding. Nothing dirty enough to ruin my dress...but something kind of edgy. Well...that never happened. So now I am looking into other ways to put my wedding dresses to good use. And yes..I actually had two full blown wedding gowns. I'm a Libra...what more can I say?

Putting it all on display

Before becoming a homeowner, I had no experience with the art of thrift shopping. And while I'm no master...I would say I'm getting close to getting my thrifting black belt. One of my favorite places to shop is the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I've found all of our great vintage/retro tables and our dresser there. Most of our items were purchased for around $15 to $50 too!

Since I'm a fan of their Facebook page, I wait for them to release their weekly photo album with the newest items in stock. And this week I noticed a sexy little mid-century modern display shelf for only $50! I knew I had to have it for our formal living/dining room. So we headed on down to our favorite spot in town(aka...the ReStore) and paid for the shelf. Hubby and I both have cars that are too small to fit it...so he borrowed a truck from someone and went back for it this morning. It has been in our home for just an hour or so, and I love it! Initially, I thought abut maybe painting it white. But now that it is here in the space I actually prefer it as is. I love the way the chocolate bounces off our navy walls!

Behold...our newest baby in all of her mid-century modern glory!

Now....we just need to figure out what to put above it. I'm thinking maybe a photo wall like this....

via http://lepapierstudio.com

Thinking Pink...and Retro Kitchens

As you guys know, we've been in our (very first) house for several months now, and the kitchen has yet to be completed. It's so funny how these things take wayyyyy longer than you initially expect lol. Ah, new home owner delusions...lol. At any rate, I've been  looking at other kitchens online for inspiration, and had to share my love for all things retro. Our kitchen design is retro farmhouse/cottage. As of right now we have minty green walls and small pops of yellow (wall clock, and homemade drapes) throughout the galley style room.

 However, I've been toying with the idea of painting our kitchen door. I initially thought yellow would be the way to go if we choose to paint the door a fun color. But these days I am toying with the idea of going pastel pink! Yep, PINK. It's kind of ironic because I think the door was likely pink back when the house was built. We've discovered old pink paint underneath the once off-white(we have since painted them crisp white) trim and doors in the living room - even the window was once painted pink. I think adding pops of pink and other pastels would look amazing with our crisp white cabinets and future subway tile. The pink door would really pop with the mint green walls behind. I think a yellow door would look nice too. But I worry that having a yellow door with green walls would remind me of mellow yellow or Sprite all day. That's not the look I am going for. Take a look at our kitchen below and let me know what you think! Should we go pink...or go yellow? 

Here's our kitchen(in progress):

Our "dusty white" kitchen door in need of paint

Kitchen while adding beadboard and trim to cover soffit

Kitchen before adding beadboard and trim to cover soffit

I mentioned having a pink door to hubby, and he was not too keen on the idea. He would prefer yellow -  if we must paint it anything other than white. However, he didn't say there was no way he would allow the pink door...so there might be some wiggle room there, ha! I happen to believe the kitchen is sort of my area. I do most of the cleaning, and would love doing so in a happy bright/colorful environment. Hubby and I both cook, and I don't want to scare him away from the kitchen lol. Decisions....decisions! Off to get back to work on my kitchen. Oh, and be sure to take a look at some of my favorite retro kitchens below - enjoy!

Fabulous retro kitchens that inspire me:

Our LONG to-do list :)

So...here's a look at our massive to-do list. I haven't even added anything for the back of the house yet. Right now, we are focusing on getting the front of the house ready before moving on to the back. We will update this list as things get scratched off. Stay tuned!


Den:

1. Paint family room
2. New TV stand
3. Paint trim 
4. paint laundry doors
5. painted patio doors
6. Paint outside of office door
7. Buy Furniture
8. Paint accent Table
9. Get bamboo blinds
10. Get white curtains
11. Get accent pillows
12. Buy rug
13. nick nacks for walls
14. Paint coffee table

4th of July House Rehab

The hubby and I spent the extended 4th of July holiday doing what we do best...working on our house. We  started working on our formal living/dining room Saturday - and we are still working lol. The beau started by painting our ceilings. I don't know what the previous owners were thinking, but all of the ceilings in this house were paint sky blue.

And all of the trim, molding, doors, and etc. were painted a dusty/dirty/beige color. It's truly horrid! Everything just looks so old and dingy. And while the house is old...I can tell it was recently painted this color. While painting, we discovered that the original trim was actually painted pink. That's actually understanding considering when the house was built. However, I just don't understand  why someone would choose to cover that with layers of "dirty beige" lol.

Before getting started we had to also fill in a few holes in the trim with wood putty. The previous owners left unfilled nail holes after the trim was installed. So to make things look a little more professional, we filled them! Sadly, the kitchen, den, and etc. have been this way. At least they caulked the trim in this room though. The kitchen and den weren't even caulked, sigh.

Anywho, after filling holes and what not, we got to work. Hubby primed and then painted the ceiling with Sherwin Williams' ceiling paint. That paint was a bust and the ceiling now looks patchy. We will likely have to go over it a 3rd time before it looks nice.

As for everything else (doors, trim, molding, door frames) I put on two coats of Zinsser 1-2-3 Primer Plus, and then followed it up  with two coats of Ben Moore's Advance paint in Super White. I can't speak highly enough of Ben Moore's paint! It the best! I will do another post of Ben Moore vs. Sherwin Williams later.

So here's a look at what we have so far....

House Theme/Design Concept

Welcome to my blog! Thanks for stopping by!

Kitchen:
We are going with a "cottagy" retro kitchen feel. We have a 50s era house...so I think bringing back some of the retro elements would work nicely in our house. Our kitchen is galley shaped, and probably what most would consider medium sized (maybe small if you have a massive kitchen lol). Houses built in the 50s did not have huge kitchens lol. We might rip out a wall one day in order to get a more open concept look...but for now we are working with what we have. But back to the kitchen deign...

We plan to have a very clean and crisp look in this space. The cabinetry will be white, and will feature polished chrome handles and glass knobs. We want the perfect combo of country and chic!


Formal Living Room/Dining Room
We have a formal living room/dining room combo. It has been challenging trying to determine how to decorate the space and tie it in with the adjoining den(family room). The layout is a bit challenging...but we are willing to figure out things with a little trial and error  As for the room theme/decor...we are going bold! The walls will be a dark navy blue(almost black). We have a bright yellow loveseat, and two grey armchairs. My husband is going to make a rich/dark wood farmhouse style dining table! The previous owners left behind a ton of nice wood in our workshop. Yay for free items! Expect pops of color (either white,aqua, or yellow) on painted retro wood side tables and wall decor.

Den/Family Room:
We went with a very light/cottage/beach house feeling for this room. The walls have been painted in Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter. It is a relaxing shade of greige which stands for gray beige! I love it! The seating in this room will be all white and cozy/comfy! Most of the room will be accented with white furniture with a pop of yellow, aqua, and navy on accent pillows. Overall, the theme of the room is light, crisp, clean, cozy, and cottagy.


Master Bedroom:

We want a relaxing and romantic environment  Our bedding is all white hotel style bedding. We will throw in pops of color with our pillows on the bed. We are still trying to determine what color we will paint the walls...but I am thinking Ben Moore's Revere Pewter might win again! It's just so relaxing. Oh, also...we have a awkward window behind the bed and will have to come up with a way to completely hide it. We are thinking wall-to-wall silk lavish drapes behind the bed. Something like this...

Master Bathroom:
Well, it is pretty much the definition of a 50s bathroom - tile and all. The bathroom isn't run down, but the color combo is not anything I would have requested. It's brown and banana yellow. Since we can't get rid of the tiles at this point, we are going to work with what we have. We are going to add pops of gray! Apparently gray, yellow, and brown are making a come back. Who knew??


Additional Bedrooms:
We haven't decided how to decorate our other bedrooms just yet. They will likely be last on the to-do list since they aren't occupied. We don't want to have a guest bedroom...and we won't have kids for a few years. So the extra rooms are currently staging areas and storage for our empty boxes. Hubby is using one for his office. We'll probably spruce that room up a little with paint and what not. Men don't care for all of the fancy shenanigans. :)


Additional Bathroom:
We will maybe just add a new drape over the window. This room is perfect already!


My Office:
I honestly haven't been able to really think of a design for my office just yet. I know it will be chic and feminine. I do a lot of work from home, so the space have to be fun and inspiring! I know I want a mini chandelier though, ha!