in an octopus' garden...under a new shade

Remember the art work BSD made for the Big Ballerina out of the old fence pickets? Well...we promised the Little Ballerina that she would get one too. We didn't want the same design so we asked her what she wanted. Her reply...

"a lavender octopus on a green background"

Alrighty then. 

A lavender octopus on a green background you shall get.

BSD is the bomb!

And you'll also get a new hanging lamp for some shade. 

A lamp that I originally bought on a whim for the Big Ballerina's bedroom from one of those online flash sales. I think it was Joss and Main. But BB vetoed it. Luckily, LB is not as picky. And she is happy with the cozy space it creates.

What I couldn't stomach was that nightstand. Splattered with Barbie stickers that don't simply peel off. And Daddy's cell phone number written on the side. 

While I would have loved to replace the nightstand with something a little bigger to fit the space better. I decided to just grab a can of paint I recently used on another piece in the house. That just so happened to be a shade farther down the paint strip from her wall color. (oh...which for the record. I still don't like. But it's staying. For now.) And went ahead and gave it a fresh coat of paint and some new glass knobs.

So we ever so slowwwwllllyy continue to work on the ballerinas' bedrooms. And every other room inside and outside our house. It's a process. Our motivation ebbs and flows. As do the funds to make it happen. But half the excitement is discovering what we can create for next to nothing. As in the case of the octopus art. It cost us nothing.

PS - The octopus is painted with all paints we had already. The green background is the minty green paint (mixed with a darker green) that I had Larry first paint the kitchen with. That made me want to cry. hehe...I like that it now has a happy ending.

Before and After: The Little Ballerina's Book Shelf

It's still project central over here. Just downshifted into slow gear while BSD is away. But there is one project that is basically complete that I can't wait to share. So here goes.

One of the goals of our redecorating is to gain some sort of organization. As I've said a million times. I am not an organized person. Put that together with a young ballerina who loves to play with all-things-small-parts and you get one big-fat-mess. That mommy has to either clean up. Or shut the door so she can't see it.

Finally fed up with this chore, BSD and I decided both ballerinas needed a desk in their rooms. We were all set, thanks to a dear friend who took the ballerinas for the night, to drive four hours each way to IKEA to get each girl a desk. At the very last minute, BSD said, "I don't think a desk is the answer."

*crap*

So...we scrapped our overnight trip to DC and made it a local date night instead. Stopping off at a local furniture store along the way. Where I spotted this fun shelving piece.

I love this piece. But I have no space nor place for it. I just tucked it away in my head as FUN! And $2,000. And off we went to dinner.


Weeks passed. I cleaned up many toyswithmanyparts. Many times. Until BSD, pumped up by his recent hallway project success,  finally told me, "Find some baskets. And I'll build a storage unit for LB."


That was the plan. Until one day I stopped by my favorite Habitat for Humanity store. And I stopped short. In front of this.

Are you with me? Do you see where this is going?


If not, that's OK. BSD didn't either. He thought I was just dragging home another piece of junk to clutter up his precious garage.


Not this time. This time I had a clear vision. I was motivated. I got right to work. But still wound up needing BSD to bail me out on the finishing paint layers. Because I am a lousy painter. I don't know WHY I can't paint well. But I can't. And BSD thinks I am ridiculous for being paint-impaired.


ANYWAY...


That doo-doo brown, faux wood grain piece of ugliness became this oh-so-fun, Steven Shell inspired storage shelf for the Little Ballerina.

And the best part was all I had to buy was a second matching tote on the bottom right. Luckily Target still carries that pattern because these fit perfectly. And now house her American Girl doll clothes in one. And her Barbies in the other. The upper purple tote holds all her Barbie clothes. Although it's a bit overflowing.


And the VERY best part??! LB helped me organize it like this over a month ago. And I pinky swear that I did NOT clean it up before taking this picture today. She is keeping it clean HERSELF! *snoopy dance*

I still need to finish hanging the art on the wall above it. But I can't seem to locate the poster I bought over 3 years ago that I want to put there. hmmm...imagine that.


Oh, and I have to tell you about that drawing. I got it from my neighbor. It was a wedding gift from the artist to my friend's husband and his first wife (who sadly passed away). The artist now fetches a pretty penny for her works. Everyone in my family hates the picture. I love it. Before I hung it up in her room, LB told me, "That scares me." I thought perfect! It kind of looks like the person is in jail. Hopefully, it will scare her straight!

Oh Martha, you're so fine...

You're so fine. You blow my mind. Hey Martha. Hey Martha.

You may remember our little New Year's Eve party. Where we made resolutions. And posted them.

One of those resolution cards read "The person I want to be more like this year is..." I left this one blank for most of the night. And finally just scribbled down Martha Stewart. Not really giving it much thought.

Maybe it was because of that piece of paper that I picked up this magazine in January. Because any magazine with the word "organizing" in the title would normally send me running for the hills. I. am. not. an. organized. person.

But much to my surprise I found myself enjoying this magazine. And ultimately falling in love with this picture...

Since our entry way looked like this...

And because BSD is uber organized, (we've got that whole yin yang thing going on) it wasn't hard to get BSD on board with the project.

He quickly built the upper shelf. Using some cool old brackets I bought at an estate sale. But after that he started getting cold feet. The built-in bench was a little daunting to my new handyman's skill level. So we took the easy way out and bought a bench instead.

We lived with the space like this for a few weeks, but I could not get good ole Martha's bench out of my mind. Finally, after much begging, BSD agreed to give it a whirl. We had no instructions so we had to just wing it. And when we were done we ended up with this.

It probably took us ten times longer than someone with mad carpentry skills, but we got there. And I find myself wanting to hang out in this space now instead of shutting my eyes tight every time I walk in the front door.

My favorite parts? The red Euro license plate that was on my car when my parents picked it up for us at the factory. My dad's name is on the registration sticker on the back. And that little woven mail basket? A $1.25 Good Will score. *woot* I'm loving the ole G dubya lately.

Oh Martha, you're so fine. You're so fine. You blow my mind. Hey Martha. Hey Martha. 

Stay tuned. There's more Martha in the making over here.

Kerri...note the lack of window treatments on the side lights. ;)

Ten on Ten: April 2012

ahhh...Ten on Ten, my old friend. I'm sorry I haven't called in a few months. Things around here have been hectic. But in a good way. Lots of projects in progress. Lots of family time in action. Lots of good. And just a little ick that I work hard to shove way down deep. And cover with lots of dirt. Hoping that will be enough to make only good things emerge. If I ignore it for long enough.

It's Spring Break this week. We're sticking close to the old homestead. Enjoying the break from schedules. And homework. And carpools. It's a week of checking things off our To-Do list. But I keep adding new things to that list. And poor BSD is running on his hamster wheel as fast as he can trying to keep up. If we were independently wealthy there is no doubt that we would spend our days putzing around the house creating. When we get in the zone together, the hours fly by. And in the evening we are both tired and dirty. And content.

Yes. Life is good.

I'll be back soon with updates on our latest projects. Stay tuned. But in the meantime, check out what everyone else's Ten on Ten looked like here.

Old Wood, New Art, Happy Campers

I really should be working on my photo class project. But I don't want to go there. Too many missing pieces. And only two weeks of class left. Gives me a pit in my stomach. Need a photo of the Big Ballerina but the girl is never home when the sun is up. And trying to shoot without any source of natural light is worthless. 


Case in point.

Ack. 

So instead I'll share our latest house project. The painting is all done. Larry has moved out. The new bedroom carpet is installed. And most everything is back in place. There is still a long list of things I want to make happen. But it all takes time. And money. So we progress at a snail's pace.

The Big Ballerina's bedroom really needed something on the walls. Something fun. Something large. Something beachy. Nothing I found in the stores appealed to me. And if it did. The price tag sent me running.

Luckily, BSD still has some free time. And some power tools. And some of those old pickets we used this summer to make our fish sticks with.

And earlier this week he turned a few of the pickets into a new piece of art for BB's bedroom.

I love it! BSD loves it. BB loves it. And most importantly, sock monkey loves it too. Oh, and the best part? The whole project cost about $10 for paint and hanging hardware.


Now I'm dreaming of some trim around the window. A cute rug next to the bed. And a fun chandelier to hang in the corner over her nightstand. BSD's not on board with the chandelier idea just yet. What do you think?

Seeing the Light...

Living at the beach has its perks. What it doesn't have is good shopping. There is no IKEA. No Anthropologie. No Container Store. And I just discovered this week that Restoration Hardware packed up its fancy new showroom and beat feet too. All I'm left with is a lone Pottery Barn. And a Target.

Poor pitiful me.

But there is one shop in town that makes my heart go pitter patter. The Shades of Light store where we bought our new kitchen light fixture when the old one fried itself a few weeks ago. It's a place I need to add to my regular shopping rounds. Because not only have I wanted to replace all the light fixtures that came with our house when we moved in. But because they have little unadvertised goodies like this stashed away among their $5000 rare mineral chandeliers.

Can you see that little green price tag? Here's a better view.

Yup. That's right. It reads..."Was $189. Now $19.00." The bargain angels were really looking down on us that day because we needed two pendants. And there were only two left.

So now after BSD climbed up on our dining room chairs.

We've gone from contemporary boobie.

To beach casual.

Now that the new fixtures are up BSD is finally seeing the light. And he agrees that changing out the light fixtures and the ceiling fans makes a big difference. Be still my beating heart. Back to Shades of Light I go.

•••

We've also made big changes to the front entry space as you walk in the door. I will post about those soon.

No more smoke and mirrors...

I'm still alive. Just pulled in a million directions. BSD is off for two weeks so we are in full project mode. Luckily, it's been cold and rainy so he is forced to help me indoors. Rather than spending these two weeks sweeping the driveway.

I think we've started about 15 projects. And only one of them is finished. But not before we changed our minds. At least three times.

Remember this picture taken the night before the big House Painting Project of 2012?

Well...about a week ago, I got one of my wishes. That fugly light fixture on the ceiling had been flickering for weeks. I just kept talking to it. Figuring it was my mom trying to communicate with me from above. But the other night, it started flickering frantically. Then it started smoking. And some sort of oil seemed to be pooling on the plexiglass cover. I finally stopped conversing with it. And flipped the switch.

The Big Ballerina begged me to evacuate. Claiming toxic fumes would kill us. I poo-poo'ed her pleas. But later checked Google just to be sure. Still feeling uneasy about it, I woke BSD to tell him the house was about to burn down around us. He rolled over and told me he'd look at it in the morning.

I slept with one eye open that night. And while sitting in the dentist's chair the next morning, I got a text message to "Go pick out a new fixture, sweetie." *woot*

So...two weeks and two light fixtures later. We have a winner.

And a new paint color. Benjamin Moore Limestone on the walls. And BM White Dove on the ceilings.

This time it's the real color. *pinky promise*

BB's bedroom? That's a different story. I will post the real color of that one soon.

And one of these years. When that money tree starts to bloom again. Those countertops will join the old light fixture. I wonder if there's a way to make those smoke and ooze.

This Indecision's Bugging Me...

The painting is all done. And as my friend, Mitzi said in her comment, it IS like the story "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." I knew that going in. Which is why it took me so long to take the plunge.

So....nothing is finished just yet. There are duvet covers on back order. Carpet swatches lining the bedroom floors. And paintings still waiting to be hung.

Oh, and more magazines filling my mailbox just to taunt me.

One of the things I've been waffling over is drapes. I have Roman shades on most of the windows, but since there is no moulding around them I also had drapes to dress the windows. I couldn't decide whether or not to put them back up. Especially in the dining room.


That is, until I spotted this light show going on in there the other morning.

Nope. No drapes going back up in between those windows. But do you think it would look strange to just hang them on the outer edges of the two windows?

I don't know. I like fabric. And it just looks nake-y in there now.

*big heaving sigh*

Should they stay or should they go?

I enjoy this. I really do. But I also hate it at the same time.

What Am I Going to be When I Grow Up?

47. HGTV's Next Design Star winner

Murphy's Law...

Murphy Brown. Murphy's Law. Whatever it is. The universe is determined to undermine my good intentions.

I promise I won't talk about paint for the rest of the year. But just as I'm moving forward on a set course, I find things like this in my mailbox.

Yes, Coastal Living magazine smacks me in the face with "Fresh Paint Ideas for every room!" and "Have fun with color! The best ways to brighten your home and your life."

I shouldn't read it. Right? I should just ignore it. Information overload. I must resist. But my design ADHD wants nothing more than to devour this issue. Crap!

And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The Big Ballerina had to write an acrostic poem for English this week. With five extra bonus points if she could make it tell a story and rhyme. She was not thrilled with the assignment. I told her, "Write about something you know. It will make it much easier." Here is her poem...

Behind the door is green and yellow paint.
Every time I see it, it makes me want to faint.
Do I paint it purple or blue?
Red and orange are good colors too.
Over and over we paint a swatch.
Onto the walls and then we watch.
My poor bedroom! It's becoming a botch.

She was stumped on the last line so she googled, "words that rhyme with watch." And then she asks me, "What does botch mean?" Ba-bam! 105 on her homework assignment.

Off to grab a Diet Coke and read my new Coastal Living magazine. Happy Friday!

Meet Larry. The Painter.

I'm cracking up at all of your comments on my last post. Here are a few answers to your questions.

Yes. Larry is his real name. When he calls he says, "Hi. This is Larry. The Painter." It makes me smile every time because a) he's the only Larry I know, and b) I'd recognize his voice and southern accent anywhere.

Larry is exactly 64 years old. I know this because Larry IS my Eldin. What a great comparison! Larry has basically become part of the family. We talk as he paints. He listens to me as I ponder why I have boxes stored under my bed for items I bought over five years ago. I listen to him as he tells me about "Daddy" and how his advice was to "do something for a living that nobody else wants to do because then they'll pay you good money to do it for them."

While he's painting he also helps me do little projects I never got to. He cut down the curtain rod in the living room that was hung too wide and has bugged me for years. He changed the air filter on my bedroom ceiling. And then proceeded to vacuum out the vent for me while he was at it. Yes. Larry is my Eldin.

When Larry painted our house about six years ago, he was raising his grandson. Today his grandson is a senior in high school. And he's now raising another grandchild. A four year old little girl. When I heard this I knew exactly what to do with the bag of beautiful dresses that LB outgrew (or refused to ever wear). I sent them home with him. He came back the next day and said it made his wife's day. Yeah! And on Valentine's Day we gave him a dozen gorgeous eggs. He had told me about the chickens he used to have. So I instantly knew it would make the perfect Valentine for him.

Luckily, Larry realized how stressed out I was becoming. That I wasn't able to find the right colors. So he quickly rearranged his work schedule to give me the rest of the week off. I am so relieved. But you know what? I miss him.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope everyone felt the love today.

BSD is away right now so our traditional family crab leg dinner has been postponed until Saturday. It's actually a good thing that he's gone since my paint saga continues. I won't bore you with all the details. But it basically consists of...

spend all night looking at paint chips.
drive to paint store in the morning. get samples.
paint samples.
hate samples.
spend more time looking at samples.
drive to paint store in the afternoon. get samples.
paint samples.
hate samples.
wash. rinse. repeat.

But I did manage to choose a color for the main living spaces. So Larry has been busy.

Once I get everything back into place I'll have you all over for cupcakes and show you around.

Do Over...

So it took me two years to pick a paint color. And when I finally pulled the trigger. And left Larry alone to paint the kitchen. I came back home to discover.

I hated it.

And I had three more gallons of a color that turned out to be minty green. WTF?!?

I didn't know what the heck to do. Suck it up and have him continue. Or stop the game. And call a "Do-Over."

My stomach was literally in knots. I may have even had an accident in Lowe's the next day. All over a freakin' paint color. I kept reminding myself that if this was my biggest problem in life. I was a very lucky girl.

I know that I am.

But could I LIVE with mint green walls? Or could I LIVE with being wasteful?

It felt like all those times I'd go into the salon on a major high with a magazine photo of "the hair cut." The one that would transform me into someone else. Instead I'd walk out deflated. Looking at the same old face. But now with ugly hair.

Or in this case. Minty walls.

And since paint doesn't "grow out" like a bad hair cut.

Wasteful won out. And just to be brutally honest. There were two more paint swatches on this wall before I finally picked another color. And stuck with it.

Forgive me father, for I have sinned.

Note: I want to apologize for not getting over to visit my bloggy friends in a while. I feel badly. I have seriously been consumed by this painting project and my photo class. I hope to get over to "see" you all soon.

the best dollar I ever spent...

Tomorrow is the big day. Larry the painter is coming to transform this place. Only a few more hours left. For me to change my mind. I'm pretty sure the paint store opens before 8:30am.

I'm starting with the kitchen. I figured it would be the easiest to prep. I am an idiot. It's now 10pm. And there is still crap everywhere.

I thought I was going to throw a few things in some boxes. Move the toaster, the coffee maker and a few random jars into the dining room and be done.

That was before I climbed up on the counters to take down the vases. And realized they were covered in grease. I spent a good portion of the night degreasing the place.

But luckily I had the help of this magic potion. Have you ever heard of this stuff? LA's Totally Awesome All Purpose Cleaner. This stuff really works miracles. It's concentrated and there are mixing directions on the back that are too small to read. And I think it says something about not breathing it in or wearing a haz mat suit when you use it. But I just sprayed it on these vases. And wiped the grease away with a wet rag. Same for the kitchen cabinets. Spray and wipe. Totally Awesome stuff. Just like the label says.

And the best part? It only costs $1. At The Dollar Tree.

OK...my last box is packed. I'm ready for Larry. I'll be dreaming of the changes a'comin...

Nightie, Night.

not so perfectly imperfect...yet

Ack! It's that time of year again. The point in the earth's rotation that sets me off kilter. And makes want to change everything in my house.

There are so many projects I'd love to do. But BSD. Who is quite handy. Is either not here. Or he's outside sweeping the driveway. And I am left alone with these ideas. Swimming around in my head. Causing me to lose sleep. It doesn't help that that damn money tree won't grow either. It must be the lack of sunlight in the backyard.

But I have got to get off my butt and do something. Make some decisions. Move along already. Because I just can't take this anymore...

Or this...(although I do stick a calendar over this mess. Which, I have to say, is actually uglier than the swatches. )

Top: SW First Star  Middle: BM Marscapone  Bottom: BM Gray Owl

Ok..and the worst offense? The project I started, oh? About two years ago. (MC, if you still read, don't hate me.) I don't even think I know what the paint colors anymore if I wanted to choose one. I dream of these walls being planked with wide horizontal boards so I've been paralyzed.

So I'm putting this out there to help push me into action. You've all seen it now. My utter lack of follow through. I'm hoping that knowing my dirty little secret is out there that it will spur me on.

So far so good. I've been reading this book by Deborah Needleman. And I'm taking copious notes.

I also called Larry the painter this morning. He's coming over tomorrow to give me an estimate. Now I just need to choose a color already.

For the main portion of the living space (not the bedrooms) I'm leaning towards white. Don't laugh. White is beachy. It's bright. And it goes with everything. Reading about a house Jessica Helgerson recently designed she said, "I'm moving away from color as decoration." And I thought, "BINGO!"

So...anyone want to chime in with an opinion? Do you have white walls? Or is white boring? Is this a great idea? Or a dreadful mistake?