Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Another Coat of Paint. . . .

In the 7 years since we have lived in our house, the walls have been 5 different colors.  What can we say, we like change.  Here is what it looked like before we painted:

We were over this color combination and
ready for something more calming.

We used Behr Ultra from Home Depot.
Because it is paint primer-in-one it
covers so much better.
The color is French Silver.

Bye, Bye bold colors!  Hello serenity.

In the pic below we still have to finish below
the chair rail.

We have big plans for the fireplace.
We are going to paint all the stone white
and distress the mantle using Peppercorn
basecoat with Wisteria top coat using
Caromal Colours textured basecoat.
We haven't tackled that one yet.
It goes on the list of future projects,
but near future at that.

I had seen this wall treatment done on
Vintage Revivals and I loved it.
We just got 1 x 3 boards and voila!

We are thinking of making this a wall of clocks since
we have a good start.

I love how it all turned out!  My husband is
such a fast painter and does all
the hard work like the trim and the tall
ceilings or I might never tackle such a project.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Beautiful Bedroom Furniture Makeover. . . .

If you remember many months ago I did a post HERE about a trade I did with my amazing sister-in-law.  She is a very gifted cleaner (I say gifted because I don't know how she does it, but the dirt just seems to scram when she is around, no joking. she is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!)  She gave me her part of the trade waaaay back in April and we are just getting around to her bedroom furniture makeover now (I know that is so sad).  I did go through quite a few life changes recently though.  I changed jobs, went back to school and was feeling a little overwhelmed as of late, but I am coming back around.  I am ready to start creating again. . . in other words, I'm BACK!  (I know, it's about time).  After seeing the finished product, you will understand why I got excited all over again.

Here is the before with the infamous Jaggyr giving the thumbs up:


This beauty's name is Palmer and let
me tell you Palmer is truly a looker.  This
set used to be Shan's Granny's.  She got it
in the 50's.  She loves the furniture, just
not the cherrywood finish so much.
Shan wanted to make it her own and
the pictures speak volumes.
Just because something has sentimental
value doesn't mean you can't put your
own spin on it.  It hasn't lost any of the
value that it holds for you, it just needs an update.

The below picture shows the dresser after sanding, the
bottom drawer has already had the wax applied so
you can see how it really sets the color and makes it pop.

Isn't she gorgeous?



Dear Palmer, I-Love-You!




I usually love legs, but
Forget the legs, look at those Curves!


Here Palmer is in her own home, not her
room yet, but she is just chillin'
in the front room for a while.
Shan loved it!  She said she was going to
sleep on the couch so she could keep looking at it.


This cute little night stand has been painted to match.


Here is the headboard. 


And, here is the mirror that we are in the process of
finishing.  Shan should be able to put her
room all together in the next few days
and what a transformation it will be! 


I love you Shan and thanks for all you do
for me!
I hope you love it as much as I do!


This project was completed with Caromal Colours
textured basecoat using Parchment and Colonial Blue.
I did not do any sanding prior to painting.
That is the true beauty of this paint.  It bonds to almost
anything, nearly no prep work.
If you would like to get some of this amazing paint for yourself,
click on the Caromal Colours button at the top
right of the screen.  Be sure to use the coupon code
BrendaUtah (case sensitive) to save on shipping.


BARN SALE COMING SOON!!! 

I am going to be having a barn sale the first weekend of November here in Riverton.  Watch for more details to come soon.  You are not going to want to miss this one!

This project linked to Debbiedoos

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

I have a good friend, Elana, who has told me about her house and her yard before, but I had never seen it.  The way she talked it sounded like her own personal haven.  Last week we had dinner with the girls and I got to experience her home and back yard.  Today she is inviting us over for a peek inside her home. 

Elana is the epitomy of reducing, reusing and recycling.  She is doing her part to make sure her carbon footprint is very miniscule.  She even makes art out of her old wine bottles and an empty frame.



Things that some people might consider junk, we consider art and wouldn't dream of throwing it out.
Look at these incredible sculptures made from old car parts for instance:


A good friend of hers made these because
he knew she liked "junk."


Look at these ingenious planters!  No need to buy expensive pots, use what you have.

Like an old tree stump!

Or how about an old mop bucket?
Much better use than what it was
intended for if you ask my opinion.


No?  Well, how about an old
metal pipe?  No one was using it anymore
so why not?
Oh, how I love sweet potatoe vine!

Elana told a funny story of how her sister was
over visiting one day and said that she did not
dare put her purse down because she was afraid Elana
would plant something in it!
Probably very true too!


Or how about using some old fence slats
to hang a potted plot on just
to give it a little somin' somin'?


Her yard is full of wildflowers
that are just flourishing.


Why not paint your own mural on the side of
your garage?  Why are we so afraid to make our
homes our own?  Why don't we surround ourselves with
beautiful things, beautiful art?  Why do we
pick neutral colors and leave our walls
bare just because we might sell one day?
Enjoy your homes now.  Make them
your own personal haven


These ladies make me happy and make
me wanna dance!


Elana also made her own paintings
for her home.
Forgive me if I am wrong, but I do
believe they are John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett,
and Jackson Browne (right order?)


And last, but certainly not least, here is a
bench that she made from an old deck that
she tore out.  Perfectly good wood, just a new purpose!

Thanks for having me over and allowing me to
share your talents with my readers!
 

Monday, August 15, 2011

Birthday and First Day of School


This handsome boy just turned 16.
Where did the time go?
Such a good kid.
I love you, Bub!






First day of 2nd grade.
Ask him how school was and every
single day he simply says, "Awesome!"
I love that he loves school so much!
Hopefully it lasts.



And here is my baby:  My last baby to
start school.  I really can't believe it.
She is so excited to have started
kindergarten.  She has been ready since
last year.  I do believe that she feels the
wait was so very worth it.
She is such a beauty and such a sweet girl!



My two little munchkins!



No more babies.  We have moved
on to the next stage of our lives
and it is so nice to see our kids grow up to
be amazing people!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Antique Farmhouse Dining Table

I acquired this gorgeous piece of furniture from Nancy, the founder of Gardner Village.  For the past few years she has held barn sales each weekend throughout the summer.  This year, though, I found some of her furniture for sale on our local classifieds.  The barn is 3 stories high, so there is so much to look through.  I originally went for my Hoosier, but simply could not leave without taking another look in the basement.  I found two identical dining tables.  You could barely make out the tables for the wonderful junk sitting on top of them.  One of Nancy's assistants helped me to unearth the two so that I could pick out the best one.  I absolutely love this table!

 We just want a little bit of Caromal Colours
Peppercorn to show through so did not paint the
entire basecoat, just spots.
Remember, with Caromal Colours textured
basecoats, there is no prep work, other than
making sure the surface is clean and dry.
Awesome!
I thought this stamp was very unique.

We did a Wisteria top coat from Caromal
Colours.


And now, for the finished product:
Brunch Anyone?



HOG

Saturday, July 30, 2011

It's What Fun Is!


The kids and I (minus Kesh 'cause she had to work) just spent a fun-filled day at our local amusement park, Lagoon, yesterday.  I took the two youngest with me while the two older boys went off to ride the "big kid rides."  I texted my husband while there that the look on the two little one's faces was priceless!  Huge, ear-to-ear grins!  Running from ride to ride!  Going back to the same rides over and over!  Jaggyr was so excited that he got to ride on his very first roller coaster ever!  The yells of excitement when we were on a ride scared me because I thought he was afraid. . . nope!  Just uber excited!  It was a long day and we had an absolute blast! 

Jaggyr has already started school and Ella starts this week so summer is coming to a close.  My older three don't start until the end of August, though.  We have had so much fun, but I am ready to get back to painting and DIY.  School always brings some sense of structure back to our lives that I am craving right about now.  Along with the start of school also comes sports, practices, games, fund raising, etc.  But I am ready for it. 

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Mini Vacation

I have been MIA a little bit lately.  I actually had a weekend off last week and decided to take the kids to our cabin.  My parents and my youngest sister and her 2 boys also came.  We decided on Saturday that we were going to take a little road trip to Bryce Canyon National Park.  I haven't been there for many, many years and my kids have actually never been there.  It is so ironic that people travel from all over the world to see the National Parks in Utah and my kids (oldest 17 years old) are just now seeing Bryce.  Better late than never, I always say!  Here are some fabulous pics of our adventure:

Here is their first look at the towers of Bryce.



While on the shuttle bus, the driver said Ebenezer Bryce
said something to the effect of this being a lousy place
to find a cow.  Kazen thought that was funny.


I believe Jaggyr is a bit dumbfounded.


Absolutely gorgeous scenery!

If you click on the below pic to enlarge it you can
actually see people walking on the trail below.
Now that's a hike!

Trevin and Kazen were the only two that were
willing to pose for pics.




This picture was taken at Bryce Point.  This lookout means
something special to me as my grandparents were
actually married on this exact spot.  My grandma grew
up in Tropic, the little tiny town you can
see down in the valley below.  My grandpa grew up in Hurricane,
but both of them were working at Bryce one summer when
they met and fell in love.  Because this was where they
met, they decided to get married here.  My grandpa has since passed away, but
I think about him often.  I have such fond memories of my
grandparents from my childhood.  It was a special feeling
to actually stand where their wedding took place.



Here is Mammy and 4 of her 11 grandkids.
If you haven't already noticed, Dax hates
posing for pictures.  I just have one thing to say to him,
WAAAAAA!



As we were walking back to the shuttle stop, there were
a whole bunch of tourists stopped at the base of this tree,
looking up and taking pictures.  I followed suit and
this beautiful bird was waiting for his close up.


Here are Ella and her little cousin, Brody.


If you have never been to Bryce, you really should make the time to go visit this magnificent place. 



Bryce Canyon is a small national park in southwestern Utah. Named after the Mormon Pioneer Ebenezer Bryce, Bryce Canyon became a national park in 1928.
Bryce is famous for its worldly unique geology, consisting of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. The erosional force of frost-wedging and the dissolving power of rainwater have shaped the colorful limestone rock of the Claron Formation into bizarre shapes including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called "hoodoos." Tinted with colors too numerous and subtle to name, these whimsically arranged rocks create a wondrous landscape of mazes, offering some of the most exciting and memorable walks and hikes imaginable.
Ponderosa pines, high elevation meadows, and fir-spruce forests border the rim of the plateau and abound with wildlife. This area boasts some of the world's best air quality, offering panoramic views of three states and approaching 200 miles of visibility. This, coupled with the lack of nearby large light sources, creates unparalleled opportunities for stargazing.
 

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