Home & Garden

Christmas in the Dining Room

I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas season and are getting all your shopping done!. We try to keep Christmas simple but there are eleven of us, so when eleven people buy eleven people gifts, it piles up!

I'm slow at shopping and a slow Christmas decorator. I never start until the day after Thanksgiving. Instead of shopping on that day, I have my guys get all the Christmas boxes down from the attic and start at it. I only bought a couple of new things this year. I mostly just like to try putting the old things in new places. 

Our main floor is all open and our dining room is between our family room and our living room. It's also open to the kitchen. We love the open floor plan and it's especially nice at the holidays when we're all together..

My husband made our dining room table several years ago and we love it! He made it out of $125 worth of 'white wood' and it's still perfect. I did the sanding and staining. We add a smaller table to it on the holidays so that we can all sit together.
My favorite thing at Christmas is the trees. I've had as many as four decorated before but I gave one to our daughter a few years ago. The last few years, I've had this one in the dining room.
This year I decorated it in blue and gold to go with the toile and ticking in here and the living room.


I love this sleigh from Hobby Lobby. I got it last year and it's perfect as a centerpiece for our table.

I recently painted our china cabinet a soft blue. I also lightened the deeper blue that I had on the back inside the cabinet.

My parents were stationed in Germany when I was born and when they returned to the States, they brought back lots of treasures. One of them is this beautiful set of De Haviland china.




This china has been put away in the bottom of our other china cabinet and after I painted this blue, I brought it out to display it. I love the softness and dimension it adds to this area.




I know the holidays are hard for some who are missing loved ones. We have lost family members too and miss them even more this time of year. I'm praying that God brings comfort to you and happy memories of your times together.

love and blessings~

"Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,[a] who was with child." Luke 2:4-5

I'm joining these parties:
betweennapsontheporch
thededicatedhouse
myuncommonsliceofsuburbia
stonegableblog

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Home & Garden

Christmas in the Dining Room

I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas season and are getting all your shopping done!. We try to keep Christmas simple but there are eleven of us, so when eleven people buy eleven people gifts, it piles up!

I'm slow at shopping and a slow Christmas decorator. I never start until the day after Thanksgiving. Instead of shopping on that day, I have my guys get all the Christmas boxes down from the attic and start at it. I only bought a couple of new things this year. I mostly just like to try putting the old things in new places. 

Our main floor is all open and our dining room is between our family room and our living room. It's also open to the kitchen. We love the open floor plan and it's especially nice at the holidays when we're all together..

My husband made our dining room table several years ago and we love it! He made it out of $125 worth of 'white wood' and it's still perfect. I did the sanding and staining. We add a smaller table to it on the holidays so that we can all sit together.
My favorite thing at Christmas is the trees. I've had as many as four decorated before but I gave one to our daughter a few years ago. The last few years, I've had this one in the dining room.
This year I decorated it in blue and gold to go with the toile and ticking in here and the living room.


I love this sleigh from Hobby Lobby. I got it last year and it's perfect as a centerpiece for our table.

I recently painted our china cabinet a soft blue. I also lightened the deeper blue that I had on the back inside the cabinet.

My parents were stationed in Germany when I was born and when they returned to the States, they brought back lots of treasures. One of them is this beautiful set of De Haviland china.




This china has been put away in the bottom of our other china cabinet and after I painted this blue, I brought it out to display it. I love the softness and dimension it adds to this area.




I know the holidays are hard for some who are missing loved ones. We have lost family members too and miss them even more this time of year. I'm praying that God brings comfort to you and happy memories of your times together.

love and blessings~

"Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,[a] who was with child." Luke 2:4-5

I'm joining these parties:
betweennapsontheporch
thededicatedhouse
myuncommonsliceofsuburbia
stonegableblog

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Home & Garden

Christmas in the Dining Room

I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas season and are getting all your shopping done!. We try to keep Christmas simple but there are eleven of us, so when eleven people buy eleven people gifts, it piles up!

I'm slow at shopping and a slow Christmas decorator. I never start until the day after Thanksgiving. Instead of shopping on that day, I have my guys get all the Christmas boxes down from the attic and start at it. I only bought a couple of new things this year. I mostly just like to try putting the old things in new places. 

Our main floor is all open and our dining room is between our family room and our living room. It's also open to the kitchen. We love the open floor plan and it's especially nice at the holidays when we're all together..

My husband made our dining room table several years ago and we love it! He made it out of $125 worth of 'white wood' and it's still perfect. I did the sanding and staining. We add a smaller table to it on the holidays so that we can all sit together.
My favorite thing at Christmas is the trees. I've had as many as four decorated before but I gave one to our daughter a few years ago. The last few years, I've had this one in the dining room.
This year I decorated it in blue and gold to go with the toile and ticking in here and the living room.


I love this sleigh from Hobby Lobby. I got it last year and it's perfect as a centerpiece for our table.

I recently painted our china cabinet a soft blue. I also lightened the deeper blue that I had on the back inside the cabinet.

My parents were stationed in Germany when I was born and when they returned to the States, they brought back lots of treasures. One of them is this beautiful set of De Haviland china.




This china has been put away in the bottom of our other china cabinet and after I painted this blue, I brought it out to display it. I love the softness and dimension it adds to this area.




I know the holidays are hard for some who are missing loved ones. We have lost family members too and miss them even more this time of year. I'm praying that God brings comfort to you and happy memories of your times together.

love and blessings~

"Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,[a] who was with child." Luke 2:4-5

I'm joining these parties:
betweennapsontheporch
thededicatedhouse
myuncommonsliceofsuburbia
stonegableblog

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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Ticking and Toile in the Dining Room

Hi Friends~

My last couple of posts have been sharing all the changes I made while preparing for a photo shoot with Romantic Homes. I've shared the living room and entry with you and today I'm sharing the dining room.

I used a beautiful toile, that I found recently, in the living room, and since the living room and dining room are essentially the same room, I used it in the dining room too.

I made two new slipcovers for the head and foot of the table. I made these slipcovers more fitted than my previous ones made out of drop cloths and added a gentle ruffle. I'm keeping the old slipcovers to use when my sweet (messy) grandchildren eat over. ;)
I had originally covered the cane-backed dining room chairs with the same drop cloth. But after finding this toile and the coordinating ticking, I decided to recover them with ticking. I added a few layers of batting before adding the fabric to make them more comfortable.
 I got these beautiful delphinium from our local florist ~ Megan at This and That. If you live in the Big Rapids area, be sure to visit her beautiful shop! She special~ordered these and had them waiting for me the day before the shoot. I used to have these growing in my yard but they didn't survive one of our cold Michigan winters. They are one of my favorite flower because of beautiful blues.

I still have not found any bar stools that I love at the price I want to spend. I've painted ours an antique white so that they 'disappear' a little.



Sorry for the poor quality of the picture below. It's really hard to get certain angles with all the windows in our house and the glare off the floors.
Kristen had a list of shots that Staci Dumoski, the editor of Romantic Homes, had specifically requested, but she took pictures of everything! Even things I hadn't planned on. I'm sure most of them won't make the magazine but there was no stone left unturned!  You can see her list here on the dining room table.
I'll be back soon with pictures of our family room. I moved our new coffee table that was in the living room to the family room and the industrial cart has a new home in the basement. I did it for the shoot but we all like it so much that I think it's going to stay that way. It really lightened up the room.

Our shower door and claw-foot slipper tub have been delivered. We ordered these from Menards and they shipped within days. A plumber is coming today to see what needs to be done in our master bath for the new tub and vanity. Demo is scheduled for next Wednesday so I am boxing things up and my husband and I are moving to the main floor bathroom. We have another bathroom upstairs but my son uses that, so we'll use the downstairs for a couple of weeks.

As soon as we hear from the plumber, I'll order a vanity. We need to make sure our plumbing comes out of the wall. Our current vanity sits on the floor and the one I'd like has legs.

love and blessings~


"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

I'm joining these linky parties:
Rattlebridge Farms
.dwellings-theheartofyourhome
scoop-229
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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Ticking and Toile in the Dining Room

Hi Friends~

My last couple of posts have been sharing all the changes I made while preparing for a photo shoot with Romantic Homes. I've shared the living room and entry with you and today I'm sharing the dining room.

I used a beautiful toile, that I found recently, in the living room, and since the living room and dining room are essentially the same room, I used it in the dining room too.

I made two new slipcovers for the head and foot of the table. I made these slipcovers more fitted than my previous ones made out of drop cloths and added a gentle ruffle. I'm keeping the old slipcovers to use when my sweet (messy) grandchildren eat over. ;)
I had originally covered the cane-backed dining room chairs with the same drop cloth. But after finding this toile and the coordinating ticking, I decided to recover them with ticking. I added a few layers of batting before adding the fabric to make them more comfortable.
 I got these beautiful delphinium from our local florist ~ Megan at This and That. If you live in the Big Rapids area, be sure to visit her beautiful shop! She special~ordered these and had them waiting for me the day before the shoot. I used to have these growing in my yard but they didn't survive one of our cold Michigan winters. They are one of my favorite flower because of beautiful blues.

I still have not found any bar stools that I love at the price I want to spend. I've painted ours an antique white so that they 'disappear' a little.



Sorry for the poor quality of the picture below. It's really hard to get certain angles with all the windows in our house and the glare off the floors.
Kristen had a list of shots that Staci Dumoski, the editor of Romantic Homes, had specifically requested, but she took pictures of everything! Even things I hadn't planned on. I'm sure most of them won't make the magazine but there was no stone left unturned!  You can see her list here on the dining room table.
I'll be back soon with pictures of our family room. I moved our new coffee table that was in the living room to the family room and the industrial cart has a new home in the basement. I did it for the shoot but we all like it so much that I think it's going to stay that way. It really lightened up the room.

Our shower door and claw-foot slipper tub have been delivered. We ordered these from Menards and they shipped within days. A plumber is coming today to see what needs to be done in our master bath for the new tub and vanity. Demo is scheduled for next Wednesday so I am boxing things up and my husband and I are moving to the main floor bathroom. We have another bathroom upstairs but my son uses that, so we'll use the downstairs for a couple of weeks.

As soon as we hear from the plumber, I'll order a vanity. We need to make sure our plumbing comes out of the wall. Our current vanity sits on the floor and the one I'd like has legs.

love and blessings~


"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

I'm joining these linky parties:
Rattlebridge Farms
.dwellings-theheartofyourhome
scoop-229
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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

A Romantic French Kitchen

We put all new cabinet fronts on our kitchen almost two years ago. It was a major change and since our kitchen is open to our living room, dining area and family room, it has made such a big difference.

I started out a little too farmhouse but eventually found my way back to French Country. I've been adding a little romance to our kitchen lately with blue and white and some other accessories.

This framed canvas of roses is one of my favorite things.

It's been in our master bedroom but it was on the wall where our barn door opens so I've moved it to the kitchen.  An ivy planted in a little blue and white watering can and a small urn complete the vignette.
Our back splash is bead board. I hung a little frieze of angels above the stove that I've had forever.

I edited my Ode de Charles Faudree a bit by taking away a few plates and adding another corbel. (I thought it all looked really straight but I don't think it does in this picture!)
I also recently painted this small section of our island again. If you remember, it was Seal Brown by SW. Now it's SW Rain which is one of the colors I've used on our family room shutters. With our shutters in the dining room and living room being brown, I decided now I wanted this to be blue. lol Someone suggested this when I was trying to decide what color to paint this. Thank you!

My husband told my daughter, "When I left the house this morning some things were brown and some things were blue. When I came home, the things that were brown are now blue and vice versa." Poor man!

You can see from these pictures why I would want our kitchen to be a little more formal than most kitchens. We can see it from every room.
I'm on the hunt for some new bar stools. I've never loved these but I also need three now for our three grand children. They come over often for lunch during the week and our youngest little guy (10 mos) needs a bar stool now. :)  Fitting three in here might be a little close but I'm going to try it.

I keep thinking that I'd like to have different hardware on this blue section just to dress it up a bit and also make it feel like a separate cabinet. Maybe I'll see if I can find some the next time I go to Grand Rapids HobbyLobby.


I had done an antiquing glaze to our cabinets a while back. It added some nice depth from far away but up close, it just looked dirty to me. So I also gave our doors a fresh coat of SW Sand.
It feels so much fresher to me now and I love a kitchen that feels really clean.

I'll be back soon with more changes. Have a wonderful day!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

Cabinet color: SW Sand in Satin and SW Rain in Satin

I'm joining these parties:

thoughts-of-home-on-thursday
addisonmeadowslane
creative-circle-week-61
frenchcountrycottage
impartinggrace
handmade-hangout-97
foodie-friday-and-everything-else
home/sweet-inspiration-link-party-2
myuncommonsliceofsuburbia
stonegableblog
betweennapsontheporch
astrollthrulife
savvysouthernstyle
diybydesign
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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

A Romantic French Kitchen

We put all new cabinet fronts on our kitchen almost two years ago. It was a major change and since our kitchen is open to our living room, dining area and family room, it has made such a big difference.

I started out a little too farmhouse but eventually found my way back to French Country. I've been adding a little romance to our kitchen lately with blue and white and some other accessories.

This framed canvas of roses is one of my favorite things.

It's been in our master bedroom but it was on the wall where our barn door opens so I've moved it to the kitchen.  An ivy planted in a little blue and white watering can and a small urn complete the vignette.
Our back splash is bead board. I hung a little frieze of angels above the stove that I've had forever.

I edited my Ode de Charles Faudree a bit by taking away a few plates and adding another corbel. (I thought it all looked really straight but I don't think it does in this picture!)
I also recently painted this small section of our island again. If you remember, it was Seal Brown by SW. Now it's SW Rain which is one of the colors I've used on our family room shutters. With our shutters in the dining room and living room being brown, I decided now I wanted this to be blue. lol Someone suggested this when I was trying to decide what color to paint this. Thank you!

My husband told my daughter, "When I left the house this morning some things were brown and some things were blue. When I came home, the things that were brown are now blue and vice versa." Poor man!

You can see from these pictures why I would want our kitchen to be a little more formal than most kitchens. We can see it from every room.
I'm on the hunt for some new bar stools. I've never loved these but I also need three now for our three grand children. They come over often for lunch during the week and our youngest little guy (10 mos) needs a bar stool now. :)  Fitting three in here might be a little close but I'm going to try it.

I keep thinking that I'd like to have different hardware on this blue section just to dress it up a bit and also make it feel like a separate cabinet. Maybe I'll see if I can find some the next time I go to Grand Rapids HobbyLobby.


I had done an antiquing glaze to our cabinets a while back. It added some nice depth from far away but up close, it just looked dirty to me. So I also gave our doors a fresh coat of SW Sand.
It feels so much fresher to me now and I love a kitchen that feels really clean.

I'll be back soon with more changes. Have a wonderful day!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

Cabinet color: SW Sand in Satin and SW Rain in Satin

I'm joining these parties:

thoughts-of-home-on-thursday
addisonmeadowslane
creative-circle-week-61
frenchcountrycottage
impartinggrace
handmade-hangout-97
foodie-friday-and-everything-else
home/sweet-inspiration-link-party-2
myuncommonsliceofsuburbia
stonegableblog
betweennapsontheporch
astrollthrulife
savvysouthernstyle
diybydesign
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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

New Dining Room Chairs

There's something so romantic to me about big solid dining room tables. I always imagine families and friends gathered there for hours, after the children have run off to play, enjoying wine by candlelight and sharing stories and laughter. Our family is in the growing stage; husbands, grandchildren, girl friends, etc. When we're all together for holidays and family dinners, there's twelve of us now.

Our upholstered dining room chairs are one of the few things we purchased new. We bought six of them a few years ago and within no time, we didn't have enough. So when I spotted these six cane-back chairs on Craig's list for $125, I was thrilled. And it doesn't hurt that they are very French Country.

They echo the lines of our china cabinet and even the mirror that I recently put across the room, which I will share soon.

The lovely couple that was selling them live about an hour away and when I showed up at their house, they were so kind. The husband insisted on putting every chair in the back of my vehicle for me and the sweet wife and I shared our faith in Christ.

She told me that the chairs had belonged to her mother and were about sixty years old.  They are so well made and sturdy and were in almost perfect condition. I was so happy that when I brought them home that the height and scale of these chairs worked so well with our existing chairs.

I painted them with chalk paint. I have two paint colors that I mixed several months ago for our furniture. After I mixed them to get the color I want, I took them to Lowe's and had them match them. I add chalk paint additive to them that I purchased through Amazon. It's a lot cheaper this way and means I have chalk paint in whatever color I want, when I want it.

I first put a coat of the darker shade on them and then brushed the lighter shade over that here and there, to get an uneven finish.  Then I lightly sanded them and added a coat of chalk paint wax that I purchased at Lowe's.  I recovered the chair pads in drop cloths, since we have little grandchildren.

I'm using our old dining room chairs at the head and foot of the table and now there's room for all six of the new chairs on the sides. I usually have slipcovers on these chairs but I took them off for these photos. I'm thinking about making some new ones.

I put the rest of our old chairs around the game table in the basement and it's easy to bring up any extras when we need them for big dinners.

My husband built our dining room table a few years ago. To our family, it's a treasure. He signed the bottom and dated it. Someday, I imagine it will be a family heirloom.

I got these two ginger jars at HomeGoods a few weeks ago.

I just never seem to get tired of blue and white.

You may have noticed that the shutters and wood finish seem lighter. They are! And I've got lots more changes coming up! Don't ya just love paint!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

Sources:
New dining room chairs - second hand
Dining room table - my husband made it
Dining room chairs at head and foot - Ebay
China cabinet - second hand
Blue and white - HomeGoods and HobbyLobby
Large white vase - Joss&Main
French sign - Joss&Main
Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

New Dining Room Chairs

There's something so romantic to me about big solid dining room tables. I always imagine families and friends gathered there for hours, after the children have run off to play, enjoying wine by candlelight and sharing stories and laughter. Our family is in the growing stage; husbands, grandchildren, girl friends, etc. When we're all together for holidays and family dinners, there's twelve of us now.

Our upholstered dining room chairs are one of the few things we purchased new. We bought six of them a few years ago and within no time, we didn't have enough. So when I spotted these six cane-back chairs on Craig's list for $125, I was thrilled. And it doesn't hurt that they are very French Country.

They echo the lines of our china cabinet and even the mirror that I recently put across the room, which I will share soon.

The lovely couple that was selling them live about an hour away and when I showed up at their house, they were so kind. The husband insisted on putting every chair in the back of my vehicle for me and the sweet wife and I shared our faith in Christ.

She told me that the chairs had belonged to her mother and were about sixty years old.  They are so well made and sturdy and were in almost perfect condition. I was so happy that when I brought them home that the height and scale of these chairs worked so well with our existing chairs.

I painted them with chalk paint. I have two paint colors that I mixed several months ago for our furniture. After I mixed them to get the color I want, I took them to Lowe's and had them match them. I add chalk paint additive to them that I purchased through Amazon. It's a lot cheaper this way and means I have chalk paint in whatever color I want, when I want it.

I first put a coat of the darker shade on them and then brushed the lighter shade over that here and there, to get an uneven finish.  Then I lightly sanded them and added a coat of chalk paint wax that I purchased at Lowe's.  I recovered the chair pads in drop cloths, since we have little grandchildren.

I'm using our old dining room chairs at the head and foot of the table and now there's room for all six of the new chairs on the sides. I usually have slipcovers on these chairs but I took them off for these photos. I'm thinking about making some new ones.

I put the rest of our old chairs around the game table in the basement and it's easy to bring up any extras when we need them for big dinners.

My husband built our dining room table a few years ago. To our family, it's a treasure. He signed the bottom and dated it. Someday, I imagine it will be a family heirloom.

I got these two ginger jars at HomeGoods a few weeks ago.

I just never seem to get tired of blue and white.

You may have noticed that the shutters and wood finish seem lighter. They are! And I've got lots more changes coming up! Don't ya just love paint!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

Sources:
New dining room chairs - second hand
Dining room table - my husband made it
Dining room chairs at head and foot - Ebay
China cabinet - second hand
Blue and white - HomeGoods and HobbyLobby
Large white vase - Joss&Main
French sign - Joss&Main
Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Faux Rustic Wood in our Living Room and Dining Room

Hi All!

Sorry to be gone for so long!  I have been writing a lot lately as well as working on our master bedroom.

I've scraped the popcorn off our ceilings in the master bedroom and I have the walls painted.  I'll give you all the details of that when the bedroom is done.  I still have several things to do and was held up waiting for a tool I needed.

So while I waited, I worked on a few small projects. I repainted the shutters in our living room and dining room.  If you remember, they were a French blue.
I also painted the trim above the windows and this support beam that goes across this room, making them look like old rustic wood.  I used two color of brown paint - a tan and a chocolate - and a nifty roller I got from Amazon that creates a wood grain.
I hadn't planned on taking pictures today but the sun came out for the first time in weeks and so I ran around quickly and got a few shots.  I didn't notice until I was done that I have some boards sitting in the window.  I'm planning on cutting some pieces and covering up the wide, white moulding between the windows.  They can't be painted. 


Here's a close-up of the paint treatment on the board over the dining room patio door.  It had been a white semi-gloss.

I first gave it a coat of tan with a brush, then brushed a chocolate brown over that going all in one direction giving it the look of wood grain.  I adjusted the amount of dark brown to get the color I wanted.  When it was dry, I rolled the wood grain paint roller in the dark brown and rolled it down the length of the board. You can see where the roller lifted the paint off in place and exposed the white underneath.  That actually caused it to look more realistic - like the board was salvage.

I did the same process with the overhead "beam."  This support beam is covered in dry wall.

I did the same two tones of paint on the shutters, leaving the blue to show in some areas.
I have always wanted rustic beams in our family room and living room.  For now, we have just one!
I'm in love with all my blue and white again and picked up a few new pieces at HomeGoods.  My daughter has decided she likes turquoise better than the blue and white so we've been trading some pieces.

I love the little bit of rustic feel this gives to our living room now.
That's my favorite thing about French Country - the mix between the elegant and the rustic.



Well, the wind and snow are howling outside.  I'm going to go work on my bedroom ceiling some more.  I hope you're having a wonderful day!

love and blessings~


"He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers." Psalm 104:4

I'm joining these linky parties:frenchcountrycottage
thoughts-of-home-on-thursday
.dwellings
thededicatedhouse
.oursouthernhomesc
coastalcharm
betweennapsontheporch
stonegableblog
astrollthrulife
myuncommonsliceofsuburbia
.oursouthernhomesc
Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Faux Rustic Wood in our Living Room and Dining Room

Hi All!

Sorry to be gone for so long!  I have been writing a lot lately as well as working on our master bedroom.

I've scraped the popcorn off our ceilings in the master bedroom and I have the walls painted.  I'll give you all the details of that when the bedroom is done.  I still have several things to do and was held up waiting for a tool I needed.

So while I waited, I worked on a few small projects. I repainted the shutters in our living room and dining room.  If you remember, they were a French blue.
I also painted the trim above the windows and this support beam that goes across this room, making them look like old rustic wood.  I used two color of brown paint - a tan and a chocolate - and a nifty roller I got from Amazon that creates a wood grain.
I hadn't planned on taking pictures today but the sun came out for the first time in weeks and so I ran around quickly and got a few shots.  I didn't notice until I was done that I have some boards sitting in the window.  I'm planning on cutting some pieces and covering up the wide, white moulding between the windows.  They can't be painted. 


Here's a close-up of the paint treatment on the board over the dining room patio door.  It had been a white semi-gloss.

I first gave it a coat of tan with a brush, then brushed a chocolate brown over that going all in one direction giving it the look of wood grain.  I adjusted the amount of dark brown to get the color I wanted.  When it was dry, I rolled the wood grain paint roller in the dark brown and rolled it down the length of the board. You can see where the roller lifted the paint off in place and exposed the white underneath.  That actually caused it to look more realistic - like the board was salvage.

I did the same process with the overhead "beam."  This support beam is covered in dry wall.

I did the same two tones of paint on the shutters, leaving the blue to show in some areas.
I have always wanted rustic beams in our family room and living room.  For now, we have just one!
I'm in love with all my blue and white again and picked up a few new pieces at HomeGoods.  My daughter has decided she likes turquoise better than the blue and white so we've been trading some pieces.

I love the little bit of rustic feel this gives to our living room now.
That's my favorite thing about French Country - the mix between the elegant and the rustic.



Well, the wind and snow are howling outside.  I'm going to go work on my bedroom ceiling some more.  I hope you're having a wonderful day!

love and blessings~


"He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers." Psalm 104:4

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Holiday Nights

I think my favorite thing about Christmas decorating is all the lights.  There's nothing cozier than relaxing in the evening by the fire and the lights from the tree.

Ours light up the whole room and I really miss them when the holidays are over.
I have my decorations all done but the forecast is clouds, clouds and more clouds for the next several days so I thought I would share our evening view in the meantime.
I put a small tree in our dining room - perfect for romantic evening dinners.  I filled the trough my husband made with faux evergreen, poinsettias, glittery fruit, ornaments and candles.

And I put (almost) every other candle we own on our living room mantle.  A faux garland and a string of lights add sparkle in the evenings.  I filled the hearth and ottoman tray with more cream poinsettias.

A large wreath hangs in the picture window.
I got this throw at HomeGoods.  It's the softest!  I think I'm going to have to take it up to our bedroom and use it more because I don't sit in here often.

I hope to catch a sunny day soon to take some pictures of the living room and dining room and post them. And I hope to show you my husband's contribution to the decorating!  lol and a forehead slap! He was so happy with his idea that I had to leave it.

Be back soon!
love and blessings~
"Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house."  Matthew 5:15

betweennapsontheporch.
.karensuponthehill.
coastalcharm
thriftydecorchick
.stonegableblog.
.savvysouthernstyle
Rattlebridge Farms
thededicatedhouse
homeremediesrx

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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Holiday Nights

I think my favorite thing about Christmas decorating is all the lights.  There's nothing cozier than relaxing in the evening by the fire and the lights from the tree.

Ours light up the whole room and I really miss them when the holidays are over.
I have my decorations all done but the forecast is clouds, clouds and more clouds for the next several days so I thought I would share our evening view in the meantime.
I put a small tree in our dining room - perfect for romantic evening dinners.  I filled the trough my husband made with faux evergreen, poinsettias, glittery fruit, ornaments and candles.

And I put (almost) every other candle we own on our living room mantle.  A faux garland and a string of lights add sparkle in the evenings.  I filled the hearth and ottoman tray with more cream poinsettias.

A large wreath hangs in the picture window.
I got this throw at HomeGoods.  It's the softest!  I think I'm going to have to take it up to our bedroom and use it more because I don't sit in here often.

I hope to catch a sunny day soon to take some pictures of the living room and dining room and post them. And I hope to show you my husband's contribution to the decorating!  lol and a forehead slap! He was so happy with his idea that I had to leave it.

Be back soon!
love and blessings~
"Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house."  Matthew 5:15

betweennapsontheporch.
.karensuponthehill.
coastalcharm
thriftydecorchick
.stonegableblog.
.savvysouthernstyle
Rattlebridge Farms
thededicatedhouse
homeremediesrx

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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

A Fall Centerpiece in the Dining Room

I hope you all had a great weekend!  We had some great house guests this weekend and I found and bought a fabulous French dresser!  

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. We may use it for a vanity in our master bathroom or I may finally move our piano downstairs and put it there. Either way I was so happy to get it!  It was about an hour away from our house so we took our sweet grandchildren and went for a beautiful drive through Michigan's farm lands.  They had fun counting barns and silos. 

It's always fun to add a centerpiece to your dining room table.  I wanted to tie my dining room fall colors to my living room since they're completely open to each other.  

I used some more of the mercury glass pumpkins that I used in the living room, combining them with dried hydrangeas and some faux pumpkins and acorns.  My pumpkins were originally orange and I sprayed them with a layer of silver spray paint and then painted them lightly with my shutter paint (hand mixed) and SW Interesting Aqua.

My hydrangeas are dried Endless Summer and Strawberry Shortcake  The Strawberry Shortcake dried such a pretty shade of rose.

I also mixed in my mercury glass candle sticks from Ballard.
A tray makes it a little easier to clear it all if I need to move it.

I mixed in few brown sequined acorns and pine cones.

I like that this is a little more formal than the rustic decor I used in the entry way.  And in the evening the light from chandelier and candle light make it all sparkle.

And with the sun setting now a little earlier in the evening, it's nice to have a little bling at dinner time!

Have a great day!

love and blessings~


"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,  does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

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