Cottage Romance

Queen {bee} Chair

2011-04-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

hi all! sorry i've been away for awhile, i just haven't had much inspiration to write about lately. i've painted some stuff, just didn't get any blog worthy pics! so, after being sick from tues to fri DURING spring vacation, i finally feel pretty good today and needed to CREATE! so i had painted this chair b4 i got sick and gave it a good distressing. yesterday, i had a few good hours, so i recovered the seat in good ol' drop cloth fabric. i had the intention of painting something on the fabric, but didn't know what...until today, i found some inspiration on the web. i found this cute paris bee! so i printed it out hoping i could transfer it onto the seat. but that didn't work. so i had to do my own version free hand! so here she is in all her queen~bee goodness!i'll be linking up at some fab parties....including...RESTORED IT WEDNESDAY

I FOUND THIS IMAGE BY GOOGLING "BEE PRINTABLES".

hope you're having a great Easter break and that you have a blessed Easter
and remember He gave it all for us! And HE IS RISEN!!!! God Bless!
Luv, Deanna

http://www.domestically-speaking.com/

and http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/ and http://www.centsationalgirl.com/ and http://www.pollywantacrafter.com/ and http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/ and http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/ & many more, check my sidebar to find more fun parties!

IN LOVE WITH BLUE!!!

2011-04-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

I LOVE BLUE RIGHT NOW, I'M PAINTING EVERYTHING BLUE, AQUA, TURQUOISE, ROBINS EGG,ETC. I JUST SOLD 2 OF THESE NIGHT STAND/END TABLES ON MONDAY AT THE SHOP, THEY WERE ONLY THERE SINCE THURSDAY NIGHT! NOW THAT'S HOW I LIKE IT! NOT EVERTHING SELLS THAT QUICKLY, BUT IT SURE IS NICE WHEN IT DOES! THE DAY I BROUGHT THE BENCH IN ANOTHER DEALER IN THE SHOP PUT DIBS ON IT, WE MIGHT TRADE, BUT I LIKE DOING THAT, NO $ OUT OF POCKET FOR EITHER OF US, SO IT'S A WIN/WIN!

I BOUGHT THIS PRETTY CHAIR FORM THE SHOP OWNER, IT WAS ALREADY BLUE/GREEN, BUT IT LOOKED A LITTLE TOO DIRTIED UP FOR MY TASTE, SO I GAVE HER A QUICK SPRAY OF RUSTOLEUMS 2X THE COVERAGE IN AQUA, THEN I GLAZED HER W/ WHITE, AND FINALLY GLAZED HER W/ R.L. TEA STAIN GLAZE. JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF DIRTY AKA "ANTIQUED". SHE IS OUR DESK CHAIR AND I LOVE HER!

I WAS PAINTING THIS FRAME FOR A CHALKBOARD FOR THE STORE, BUT THEN I DECIDED I LOVED IT TOO MUCH TO PART WITH. SO IT'S HANGING ON MY FRONT PORCH TO WELCOME YOU!

AND I JUST THREW THIS LITTLE PIC IN OF MY SWEET LITTLE VIOLAS IN A SWEET LITTLE BLUE POT ALSO ON THE FRONT PORCH. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR RIGHT NOW? I KNOW ALOT OF YOU HAVE INSPIRED ME WITH THE BLUE ON YOUR BLOGS SO I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT OTHER COLORS YOU LOVE TOO! UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP CREATING! ~DEANNA
PS. I'M LINING TO SOME FUN PARTIES, POPP ,

PS. I'M LINING TO SOME FUN PARTIES, POPP ,

pink hutch and a little - er, big OOPS!!!!

2011-04-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

adventures in furniture painting has been so fun thus far, i get to paint and glaze and distress and make people happy with their old worn out furniture again! but this is another story...so i was commissioned to paint this beautiful hutch PINK! i love pink and yet, i have never painted a piece of furniture pink for a client, well that day finally came and i was so excited. so we picked up the piece and a few days later i got to work sanding & priming. then it started to rain here. and it didn't really let up or warm up enough for me to paint outside, and this piece was too big to bring inside. it rained and rained and rained! so finally, it stopped and was able to get the pink paint sprayed on, then it rained some MORE! so after about a week, i got to work distressing and glazing and hand painting roses on the hutch. finally it was done! i never take this long to do a piece but, the weather was not cooperating! so anyway, it was time to deliver on sat. so we were loading up the piece on fri nite and (insert suspenseful music HERE) , BOOM!!!!!! It fell to the ground like a ton of bricks! my hubby accidentally dropped it! it was REALLY HEAVY! so, we picked it all up, as it was now in pieces, and the next day he re glued everything and this week i'll be working some painterly magic on it! hubby apologized profusely and i accepted, and told him, these things happen. as long a he can fix it there's no problem. i guess it had to happen eventually, we've move so much furniture in the last 7 months it was bound to happen eventually! thank goodness my hubby is handy w/ the wood and wood glue! it's all fixed and as soon as it's re painted you'll never know the difference. of course, i had to tell my client, but she's a sweet understanding christian lady and took it in stride. thank you all for listening to me ramble on, but i thought i had to share what goes on in the real life of a business! until next time, keep creating!
~decorating diva aka damaging diva!

master bedroom-almost done???

2011-03-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

well, in the 8 yrs i've lived in this house i never have finished my master bedroom. you all probably can relate, it's always last on the list. so this year i decided it was time for a change and this time i really want to finish the whole room. so i painted the walls a soft creamy yellow, purchased new bedding at marshall's , new nite stands at a thrift store and painted them to match. i got a few little birdies for my nite stand and put out my hubby's grandpa's old camera and binoculars, but other than that, i haven't done much to accessorize. mainly becuz i've run out of money for the room for the time being and partly becuz i don't know what i want to do. i think i need something over the bed, but what? should it be square, rectangle, i've already tried round and that didn't work. and don't even get me started on the wall above the dresser! all that is on there is our ancient t.v. and i threw up a frame and some plaster thingy's but they're just not doin' it for me. sometimes it's waaay easier to decorate someone else's home or room than your own. know what i mean? so here it is so far...i am linking up to popp @ domestically speaking and to tuesday's treasures @ my uncommon slice of suburbia
and @ re~store interiors "restored it wed party {sheesh! i finally fixed the other problem on my blog and now i have to address this problem w/ the photos not going where i want them to! ususally i would just drag and drop them where i want them, but now they won't let me do that. i can only move them left,right, or center and i can't put them in any sort of order unless i upload them that way! uggghh! why does it have to be complicated???}

i'm still here! and a WINNER!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

hi all, i'm still here. i've just been a bit busy and more than a little disheartened w/ the state of my blog. it's a mess! i'm hoping to have a professional work on it next month after i get paid! so until then please stay with me! i appreciate all of you who visit, read and look at my blog. i don't know if it looks like it to you, but on my end it has no right side. as in my followers, popular posts , etc, are now at the bottom of the page. unless i click on a specific post and not the blog "home" page, i can't see all the right side stuff! it's VERY frustrating! so, just wanted to let you know what's going on! NOW FOR MORE POSITIVE NEWS; USING THE RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR I HAVE SELECTED A WINNER FOR THE SMALL "NEST" PAINTING I DID...DRUM ROLL PLEASE~~~~~~~~~~TA-DA! IT'S SUZANN FROM "SHABBY ESP" . CONGRATS SUZANN, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL W/ YOUR ADDRESS AND I'LL SHIP THIS LITTLE BEAUTY RIGHT OUT TO YOU! {detayls34@gmail.com}

ballard inspired medallion plaques-oh my!

2011-03-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

greetings crafty, decoratin', artsy gals! i've recently been working on my master bdrm. i painted the walls a very creamy yellow called "french vanilla" from s.w. bought new bedding from marshalls,painted new(used) nite stands and now i've added some custom art. i saw these in ballards catalogue online and fell. in. love. so i set about making my own. my m-i-l/f-i-l gave me a whole buncha oak shelves from their built in bookcases that they were having re-done. they knew i'd find a a use for them! (sidenote: i feel so blessed when people think of me before they throw something in the trash! seriously! i love it!) so i painted them the same color as my nite stands using a $6 sample pot'o paint from s.w. it's called "sleepy blue" and i heart this color! anyway they were already an off white so i didn't need to prime them or anything. then i transferred this damask design onto the front. i would have liked to have used a different design, but alas, my printer is down and i couldn't print off any new designs. and i certainly don't have the patience to do it all free hand! when i free hand(and i often do) i like to do more free form stuff. this just required something more structured. so, first i filled in w/ wicker white acrylic, next i used a lighter brown color, and finally accented it all w/ a dark brown. after that was dry, i glazed the entire piece w/ ralph's "tea-stained" glaze. i stapled some twine to the back from which to hang them and voila! pretty/free art for my master bdrm! and don't worry- i didn't leave the mirror there that's where the new medallion plaque resides. i made one for each side of the bed over the nite stands. also the nite stands have hardware! i'll get some better pics soon-i hope! :) i'll show you them in the bedroom when it's sorta more done- and i have my new camera that i ordered! also, i'll be linking up @ domstically speaking's popp
oh yeah, don't forget to go to this post and leave a comment for a giveaway!
{i'm having trouble w/ my blog...things aren't in the right place all the time and i can no longer drag and drop the photos where i want them- so excuse the mess , while i pray for a miracle! if you can help me, let me know! please! and thank-you!}

omg! 100 followers! and a few random things....

2011-03-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

omg! i just logged on and we finally hit 100 followers! yay! i'm so excited and grateful to you all! i promised a giveaway when i hit 100 followers so here's how it will work; you have to be a follower to enter, just leave a comment on thus post to enter and i'll randomly pick a winner on st patty's day. i don't know why, that day just sounded good when i looked at the calendar!:) and it'll give everybody a chance to enter. if you remember i said i would gie away something like this piece i painted of the word nest w/a little nest under it. so everybody join in the fun! who doesn't like a free pretty for their home??? also, i can customize it for your home, you pick the colors! fun,fun,fun!
okay, now for the random stuff. i finally sold something in the store that i consign in "the next door".

it was this black coffee table/trunk. i'm so excited! i just put the turquoise-y green dresser in there and a chair and a little bookcase. and i just got a job to paint a lady's hutch! thank-you God for all the sales/business! having 3 kids and a thrifting-gotta-paint-everything-in-sight-habit can get expensive!!!!!! i am so thankful that this is what i get to do for fun and get paid for it!

turquoise-y green dresser

2011-03-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

sometimes i paint something a color because it was a $4 oops can of paint. and then sometimes i wonder, "why did i do that???" sometimes i walk by this dresser and i like it and other times i hate it!!!! some paint colors are like that to me. does that ever happen to you? i had to edit the coloring of the pic to represent a truer version of this color.it's not really this bright, but this is as close as i can get it.;( it's definitely more green. it did not come out right on my camera phone. i painted it with this color that i thought was kind of turquoise green. then i glazed it w/ a black glaze to tone it down. i really don't know if i like it at all. at any rate it's going into the store where i consign stuff (not the one i pay rent in, cuz it's FULL!) And we'll see if it sells. if not i can always paint it cream later! cest la vie!

a little cabinet make over

2011-03-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

today i'm going to share a little cabinet make over from a few months ago. i got this cabinet from my neighbors, they were getting new furniture so they put several pieces out on the curb w/ a free sign on them. my hubby saw that and came and told me straight away. we grabbed the hand truck and proceeded to take it ALL!!! i still have 3 of the pieces in my home. a couple items like 2 night stands and a dresser went to the kids rooms and didn't make it out alive.:( sad too, cuz they were that french provincial style that we all know and love, but none the less flimsy. anyway, i digress- the piece i am sharing today is one that resides in my dining "room" to hold all of the kids craft/school supplies and our phone books. it is a great storage piece. when i got it about 6-7 years ago it was a dark wood tone w/ a weird eagle design in gold. i wish i had pics, but that was waaay b4 blogging entered my life! so i painted it a peachy color and hand painted vines and flowers on it. i left it that way until just recently in dec. i was changing my house to incorporate some blues. at that point i decided to make it over w/ some paint i got at the ReStore. then i glazed her w/ R.L. tea stained tinted glaze. i've kept the original handles all this time. i like to use original hardware whenever i can. a) it saves $$$, b) it usually goes with the piece because it was what was on it when built so it goes w/ the style and lines of the piece. that is not to say i don't ever change hardware, sometimes the hardware is too ugly to keep and sometimes i just want to give the piece a new look entirely and that can be achieved easily with hardware. i really like how it turned out, definitely a simpler version for me. what do think??? (linking to these fine parties:

hibiscus pink dresser

2011-03-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

so ya know that pantone revealed 2011's hottest color to be what they're calling "honeysuckle" pink, right? so, i love pink anyway, but usually i'm drawn to lighter shades of pink, but when i saw that was the pick of the year i had to jump on board! so i got out my sherwin williams paint deck and found this beauty called "hibiscus" -which i think is close to the "honeysuckle" color. so far, i've painted this dresser a doll high chair and a wooden tray for my coffee table in this color-and all w/ a $6 sample from s.w. this dresser is in the shop now .it only cost me $5 on craigslist plus paint and i already had the knobs, they were free to begin with! sorry about the pics-i still don't have a camera (i returned the one i bought-cuz it was just crappy!) so i'm still using my cell phone for a camera! the pic of the dresser better represents the true color of this paint. my plan is to save up for a really nice camera and not waste my time or $$$ on cheapo's! until then, i hope you will con't to visit regardless of the poor photo quality! i'll be linking up to some great parties-check them out if you get a chance! re-stored it wednesday , vintage thingie thursday

keep creating,

deanna

send me a letter....

2011-02-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

this is how the other person hung it, but i chose to hang mine horizontally

{hand painted postmarked stamp}

{i used her maiden name for the street name}

happy friday cottage dwellers! it's a blustery one here in central cal. with rain and wind and cold and maybe even a little snow! which is not the norm for this area! i was watching the news last nite and the weatherman said that it has snowed here about 45 times since 1907. so you can see it's not that often for us, the kids are looking forward to some snow, but i'll believe it when i see it! so on this rainy day, i'm busy creating some art work for my recently redecorated bedroom. i should have some pics to share w/ you next week. unfortunately the cheap camera that i bought is just that-CHEAP! so the pics leave much to be desired! but i hope you'll bear w/ me until i can get a good camera. now to my feature of the day...i saw this great idea a while ago where someone took an envelope that had been sent to them and had it enlarged @ somewhere like kinkos. then they framed it and hung it vertically. it was a really cool idea for art that meant something to them. unfortunately i cannot find the blog!!! i know i saved it, but since i got my comp. fixed not everything is in the same place, so even though i searched and searched for it, i couldn't find it. so if anyone knows what i'm talking about, please let me know so i can give credit where credit is due. i took their idea and of course changed it a little by painting my own envelope addressed to my grandma ( she passed away when i was 12). for the address i used significant numbers to her aka, her birthday, and i used the city where my dad was born, etc. you get the idea. if you paint it yourself you could personalize it in so many different ways! i'll be linking to these fine blog parties; my romantic home show and tell friday,and and

and finding fabulous, and

linking to PRIMITIVE AND PROPER'S "PIECE OF WORK PARTY"

black shelves with fabric

2011-01-30T19:07:00.001-08:00

hi ladies,

please excuse the poor quality of this pic (it's from my phone), but since my camera is broken, it'll have to do. i had this cab from a yard sale for a long time. i first bought it for my sons room. he wanted it black, but once it was painted, it was so dark and lifeless. so i put it outside until i got inspired. then one day about a week ago, i was looking thru my fabric stash and inspiration hit! so i used decoupage glue {made by me w/ white glue and water;)} to adhere it to the back of the cab/shelves. and voila! i love it. it is now for sale in Vintage Charm.

painted roses

2011-01-22T22:00:00.001-08:00

hi girls! i'm going to share some pics i took last month b4 i actually finished this sign. since my camera is broken, i hafta use some older pics to do a post. i'm so bummed, but i know God will provide another camera for me! He always takes care of me no matter how small the need/want is! anyway, here are some pics of some roses i painted on an old panel out of an old wooden door. since these pics were taken i painted the word "roses" in black at the top of the panel and hung it in my kitchen. but i'll hafta show you pics of that later, when i figure out my camera situation! hope you like it and are inspired to paint on anything you can get your hands on! { i'm linking to my romantic home for show and tell friday and saturday nite special at funky junk and here

Love, deanna

uh-oh....

2011-01-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

uh-oh! my camera is BROKEN! i tried to take a pic of something and all i got was BLACK!!!! it's been a good camera, not professional or anything, but very user friendly and it lasted at least 7 yrs from my calculations! boo-hoo for me:( it's pretty hard to do a decorating/craft/painted furniture blog if you don't have a camera! so i might be able to pull from my albums some projects i haven't shown you, but we'll see what i come up with! so if you don't see anything new for awhile it means i haven't replaced my camera yet.
until next time-
blessings,
Decorating Diva aka Deanna

WASH, BRUSH, FLOSS AND FLUSH...

2011-01-18T22:38:00.000-08:00

REMEMBER THE STORE I TOLD YOU ABOUT? THE ONE I WAS CONSIGNING SOME OF MY PAINTED FURNITURE/ART IN? WELLLL, IT'S BEEN FEATURED ON ANOTHER BLOG-WHICH IS SO COOL, BUT EVEN COOLER- MY "WASH,BRUSH,FLOSS AND FLUSH" SIGN HAS MADE IT ON AS WELL. I SAW A SIGN WITH THIS QUOTE ON IT AND HAD TO DO ONE MYSELF, UNFORTUNATELY I DO NOT REMEMBER WHERE I FOUND THIS ADORABLE SIGN IDEA :( BUT I MADE MY OWN AND CHANGED IT UP A BIT ANYWAY! SO STOP ON OVER TO "THE WEATHERED BUNGALOW" AND SEE ALL THE GREAT STUFF OVER THERE! IT WAS SO UNEXPECTED TO FIND MY ART ON SOMEONE ELSE'S BLOG LIKE THIS! I WAS JUST PERUSING FACEBOOK AND SAW THAT THE NEXT DOOR HAD PUT UP A LINK TO THE WEATHERED BUNGALOWS BLOG AND THE REST IS HISTORY! JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A FUN, EXCITING THING TO SHARE W/ ALL OF YOU WHO ARE SUCH GREAT SUPPORTERS/FOLLOWERS! GOD BLESS AND HAVE A GREAT DAY! {edited to add, this SOLD @ the NEXT DOOR!} YAY!

big BIG big coffee table/trunk

2011-01-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

hi girls! i've been busy over here workin' up a storm! well not really a storm, but you get the idea.:) i've been painting and re-locating some of my furniture pieces. some of my pieces are now in "The Next Door", it's a home furnishing store around the corner from the store i rent a booth in. i just love it there! they just sell your pieces on consignment-so i don't have to fret over whether i can make 2 rent payments every month. so anyway here is the table- it's a coffee table with the top that opens on 2 sides for some major storage! this is before paint,i also decided not to put the giant ring/handles back on i thought it was better w/o them. so i painted it all black w/ chalkboard paint! yup, you heard me right~chalkboard paint! i thought a hip, trendy mom of a little one might buy this and let the little one go crazy! if not it just looks like flat classic black. i hand painted a few dahlias on top for some flair. how do you like her????

nest...

2011-01-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

ahhh the nest,a place where we are safe and warm, secure and happy, loved and comforted. I guess that's why I love that word so much. I also like to feather my nest so it always has that feeling of comfy cozy. So in honor of all our nests, I painted this sign. I has this small canvas that i primed and painted over some store bought art, that i got at a swap and i painted the word nest and an actual nest on it w/ three little eggs.One for each of my children and i just like things in three's;)!!! It will be going in my booth @ Vintage Charm, but I am going to have a giveaway {for one like it} once we reach 100 followers! and we're sooo close! Thanks for reading/looking! Until next time, keep creating!

~Decorating Diva {and as always, please check out the parties i link up to in my side bar!!}

some winter vignettes, sorta...

2011-01-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

well, i tried to do some wintery vignette's but after Christmas is over...I'm ready for spring! so they're kinda sorta wintery/the hope of spring to come! i bought the "nest" sign& the nest w/ evergreens after xmas @ the store i rent a booth in {Vintage Charm in Old Town Clovis,Ca. if ur ever in the neighborhood;) } at 50 % off. they cost me only 6.50!the little bird i got at dollar tree last spring and gave him a makeover w/ some s.w. "sea salt" paint.the robin's eggs were from home goods- they came in a big box of varying sizes for only $6! i use them everywhere all year, even though they were out for Easter decor in the store. :) the blue green candle sticks were also a home goods find a couple of yrs ago. the big glass vase is from southern living @ home- i believe it's called "madeline".i bought the blue and white sparkly pine cones @ walmart for .50 ea. after xmas. i made the yarn balls in the vase from styrofoam balls and yarn purchased also at walmart. i had the books and just covered them w/ wrapping paper from the dollar store. i guess ur getting a pretty good idea about where i shop retail! anyway, i love it and i hope you do too! it adds a little sparkle where there wasn't any after my xmas decor was dethroned! a few days later, i added this plate given to me by a friend and this little lamp given to me by my sister. Which way do you like better? i think they're both fun, the one w/ the vase of pine cones and yarn balls is probably a little more wintery, but oh well! i really love spring! thanks for visiting and i hope you'll leave a comment to let me know u stopped by! until next time, keep creating! {linking to...my cottage charm-nifty thrify thursday's and wallet friendly finds } and french country cottage for

Happy New Year!!! and a little embellishing...

2011-01-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

happy new year every lovely! we had a very low key nite last nite. just hung out at home had pizza, ice cream sundaes and played some games w/ the kids. I also did some crafting. I made some smalls for me shoppe;) !!! some jars that i embellished & a few candles i embellished. the jars i had at home, i just used our leftover spaghetti sauce, jam, etc. jars. then i added some lace, ribbons and cutsie stuff. i got most of the ribbon at wal-mart and the dollar tree, as well as the cute little birdie on the big jar. i heart the dollar tree right now! yesterday i went there w/ my girlies and got some stuff, then we got out to the car and i saw that they had some faux roses in PINK!!! i already bought cream and white, but not PINK! so of course i had to go back in! then later i was crafting away and ran out of hot glue sticks! oh -no! so i had to run back over b4 they closed. but i got there and they were out! so i had to run to another one bcuz i was obsessed w/ hot gluing last nite ! that shows what big new year's eve party-ers we are!!! anyway...i'll be putting these in the shoppe on wed. but if anyone wants to purchase one or some b4 that just drop me an email!The jars are great just for decor, but they are also useful to keep toiletries, i.e. cotton balls, cotton swabs, etc. or use them for crafting supplies like glitter,ribbon,etc.:) the lg.jar is 12.99 {the one w/ the birdie on top}, med.jar is 10.99 {the one w/ the roses on top}, and the sm.jar is 8.99 {the one w/ the knob} the CANDLES are 3.99 each- they are very petite and sooo sweet. PLUS SHIPPING- which i can figure out for you b4 you pay for anything. :) thanks for visiting me again! next post i will share a few decorating vignette's i did on my mantel for winter! so be sure to check back soon!

Paris, mon cheri!!!

2010-12-30T12:52:00.000-08:00

Hi y'all! Hope the end of the year is winding down for you in a most relaxing way. I have been sleeping in everyday, so I am gonna be hurting come Tues. when the kiddos go back to school! But for now we are enjoying the time off and extra sleep!

Before Christmas I painted this sign to sell at the store I rent a space in. But, when I got done w/ it- I discovered I had painted it to match my house! Does that ever happen to you? I did not

intend to paint it for myself, but the colors turned out perfect for my "new" rug (more on that in another post). So it had to stay here!

I painted it first w/ a blue color that I mixed up from some acrylic craft paint. Then I used a paper doily to stencil a lace design and freehanded the fleurs and lettering, etc. Next I sanded it al ittle to give it some age and glazed it w/ R.L. "tea stained" glaze. I added a ribbon and some lace to hang it and up it went on the wall! so there you have it, yet another piece I meant to sell but alas, I cannot part w/ it! At least it's free art for my wall! Thanks for visiting! Y'all come back now ya hear! ;)

ROADSIDE TRASH TO CHIC TREASURE

2010-12-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

Hi all, I hope you all had just a fabulous Christmas holiday! I sure did! We are truly blessed with wonderful family and we all stayed healthy thru x-mas! That's always a Christmas miracle when you have 3 school aged children! So TYG! so I know I've been missing in action for a while, I've had the bloggy blues. i don't know if this has happened to you, but I got to felling like no one was looking at my blog unless I linked up to every party in the blogosphere! But as of today, I've decided that my 77 followers are enough for me- I'm not going to stress about linking up to all the parties, that's not to say i won't link up, just that I won't stress about it everyday! I hope that those of you that already follow will continue to visit and tell your friends about my blog, if you like. And if i get a few more followers along the way that's great too! I am going to blog what I love and love what I blog! It's just another creative outlet for me and I hope I can inspire some people along the way. i want to thank all you that have been following me and my quest to paint every piece of furniture in my path as well as make a little money at it to contribute to the family finances.so w/o further adieu, let's get back to painting! Here is a little end table I picked up off of the side of the road, painted it gloss black and painted a little scrolly design onto. i painted the scroll design w/ cream and then low lighted it w/ a neutral tan. it's kinda hard to see in these pics, as most of you know my forte is not photography!She's in the store for sale now!

missing blogger-FOUND!!!!

2010-11-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

HI GIRLS! it's been too long! i just haven't had time to blog since starting my new biz, i really don't know how you all do it all! well, the biz is plugging along, although oct. is not the greatest month for sales. according to alot of the other vendors in the store i rent in, it's bad because the 1st 2 wks. of oct. is the big fresno fair! apparently, that keeps people from shopping???? anyway, i hope nov. is better cuz mama has bills to pay and gifts to buy and decorating to fund! let's see, i don't even know where to start, i've done about a million projects since we last visited - i have to pick one to show you...this solid maple table i purchased at a thrift store for $5! now it's so cute in all cream!
this cake carrier was given to me by a friend and I painted and embellished it. i kinda want to keep it;)
now this entertainment cabinet was a mess when i found it. i was on my way home from costco, and lo and behold- i spotted this train wreck of a cabinet on the side of the road waiting to be rescued or thrown in the dump truck! it had no glass, no back and a broken leg! so hubby picked it up for me, added a back and some wood panels where the glass had been, and fixed the broken leg. then i painted it cream,glazed it w/ R.L.'S tea-stained glaze and added the embossed wallpaper to the back and the doors and voila! it's now for sale at the shop! $289.99
this little beaut i picked up at a side walk sale of another antique store for $10, i just sold it to a friend of mine for $30. not much of a profit, but i'm glad it's in a home where it'll be loved! (of course, i had to paint it first)
okay, so that's more than one, but it's been sooo long! so i thought i'd throw in a few extras! til next time- keep creating!

Cawffee {table} tawk

2010-09-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

ok girls, can we tawk? about my cawfee table(S)? i love this one, it has a glass top {which can be a plus and a minus!}, it also has caning on the bottom shelf {which i love}, it's curvy {like me!} and kinda frenchy too! and then there's this one, it's creamy and longer so we can put our tootsies up from anywhere on the couch {big plus}, and it has cute doors w/ shabby chic rose appliques, and hidden storage {which is great to stuff things in when you get a call that someone is stopping by and you need to put on the"fake house", not that I ever do that!} so as you can see they both have some great qualities. so now i have to choose one, cuz hubby said i'm supposed to SELL this stuff, not MOVE IN with it! so what do you think? which one should stay and which one should i sell??? thanks for weighing in and listening to me tawk!
{EDITED TO ADD: My friend Victoria had a great point, the one w/ the glass top would sell faster because it's the more popular one! also, Hubby was not too happy when he got home and i had moved the curvy one back into it's spot and put the long one aside to take to the store on Wed....I have to figure this out by Wednesday!!! Uggghhhh! Still confused in Clovis:)}

{EDITED TO ADD {AGAIN!} : The longer table now sits in my booth at the store! I made the tough decision, now let's hope it sells! THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR INPUT AND TIME, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!}

i painted my bathroom ceiling...again!

2010-09-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

hi all! hope you had a great weekend! i sure did! the store i have a booth in had their 4th anniversary/ grand re-opening sale/open house. it was so much fun hanging out w/ all the girls from the store and visiting w/ friends and family that came in to support my new venture. thank-you friends! and i even sold a chair and ottoman that i had just put in there on friday!!! yippee! God is already blessing this endeavor- i am encouraged that this was the right decision for me! now on to the bathroom ceiling- yes, i painted it again! i decided that the sky w/ clouds was too juvenile for me. i'm sure a better painter could've made a more subtle, sophisticated sky w/ clouds, but alas, i could not. (or else i just didn't have the patience to do so!) anyway, it is now silver! and i love it! i was thinking about painting it silver for a long time and putting this little candlier (not electric, just candles), from the patio in there. until...the owner of the store i'm in bought this candelier! i was love at first sight for me- i don't know how the candelier felt ;)! so i asked her how much she was going to sell it for and she said she'd let me know. so after a couple days, i brought some new stuff into the store- one of them being this chair i had just painted. i was asking angie, the owner, her opinion on what i should price the chair and she said, "i don't know, it might have to go home w/ me!" so i said "i'll trade you the chair for that chandelier!" and she said, okay! plus she gave me $20 for the difference in price! i'll say that was a great deal! so here's the chandy and the silver ceiling in all their glory! i'll be linking up w/ some of the parties in my sidebar, so go check them out when you have time! and keep creating!

I'm Baaaack!!!!

2010-09-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

hello friends! i'm back from a mini blog hiatus! i've just been so busy w/ getting moved in{to my booth} and painting and the goings on of everyday life, that i had to take a little break from the blog. but i'm back now and i have some pics to share w/ you of my booth in the store i just moved into! so far it's going great- i sold a sign my 2nd day and i love my co-workers and the owner of the store. it's been nothing but a pleasure and a blessing! tyG!!!! also, i will show you this dresser that i posted about earlier,that was on my to-do list! i got it off of craig's list for FREE!!!! it was dirty, smelly and was in need of some PAINT! but- it had these beautiful original carved knobs and a cute shape, so i was ready to take it on. i wanted a special blue color- that i didn't have...so i mixed up 4 colors i already had and wa-lah! i call it dusty peacock:). she's in the store now, waiting for a new home. my problem is , i want to keep everything i paint! but hubby puts a stop to that! he's very supportive of me/him dragging all my stray furniture home to paint and lovingly restore...as long as it leaves in a reasonable amount of time! well, that's all for now- but i promise not to be gone so long this time! i have some more craig's list finds to share w/ you! until then keep creating!!!

a tisket, a tasket, a little picnic basket!

2010-08-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

hi all, i've sorta had to neglect my blog for a few days, due to me having to get ready to move in to my new space on the 1st. i will share everything i have been painting with you after i move in- i kinda don't want the locals to see it on the web- i'd rather have everyone visit the store! but, i did decide to share this little picnic basket with you all- afterall, it's not fair to show you NOTHING! SO HERE SHE IS...i have had this awhile, i got it at a yard sale for $2! and i always knew i would paint the top of the basket
-it took going into business to motivate me tho'! i think i will put her in the store and see if she sells:) i used my fave- sea salt from sherwin williams, {of course} here are a few more pics of her...CHECK MY SIDEBAR FOR PARTIES I MAY LINK TO, also linking to fabulous friday's at saving money living life.

please visit this very talented bloggy friend!

2010-08-24T11:47:00.001-07:00

70's lamp makeover

2010-08-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

happy saturday cottage dwellers! today i'm going to show you something a little scary- but don't be frightened, when this tattered, old, sad excuse for a lamp came to me, i didn't know if there was anything i could do to save her. but who am i kidding? i'll just use what i always use on all my VICTIMS, UH, i mean pieces...PAINT!!!! so simple, yet it has given her new life- you might say a reason to live! here she is when i scooped her up off the street {kinda like richard gere did for julia roberts in "pretty woman"} hehe! and here she is NOW!!! i just spray primed her, painted her w/ my fave "sea salt" from s.w. and antiqued her a little! pretty cute, right? i got 2 of those lamp shades off of craig's list for $10. they were white and green print and cute, just not what i was going for. so i ripped of the green fabric and applied this one. i got this at hancock's for about a $1.50! {1/2 yard} so the lamp was free, i bought a can of spray primer -$3.00, i bought the ribbon at wal-mart for $1.97, i had the sea salt paint, {which was free to me in the 1st place} , and a can of silver paint for $3.00. and a shade for $5.00- so, for less than $15.00 i have a cute new lamp! don't look too closely at the ribbon, i haven't actually glued it on yet! so if it's crooked, that's just because it's only pinned on! have a great weekend and keep creating!

hi my name is Decorating Diva...and i'm a copycat. {story of a headboard}

2010-08-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

hi friends,
i'm just going to say it- i have confession to make- i'm a copycat {meow}! when i SEE something i like, i might have to copy it- but only because the original is so lovely, or cute or too expensive for me. in this case it's all about the loveliness Lindy created over at Cottage Hill . she made this exquisite head board out of PLYWOOD people! PLYWOOD! i would never have guessed when i saw the pics, that it was plywood! she did a fantastic job and if you have never been to her blog, please go check it out, she is very talented! she is also hosting a giveaway of one of her very own paintings, visit her to see how you can enter to win! so, i already had a little full size head board {before}

so i decided to paint it black and try my hand at her design. i emailed her to show her how i'm a copycat and she very graciously complimented my version. i asked her if i could do a post about the headboard and she again was gracious! so please go visit her blog- because she deserves all the credit for this one!Thanks Lindy of Cottage Hill! have a great week and keep creating!

a black damask table and an update...

2010-08-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

happy tuesday cottage dwellers! it's been busy here at cottage romance.UPDATE: my business is starting to take off! i posted this bookcase on craig's list and within hours i had a buyer! and it turns out she's my new best client! when she came to buy the bookcase, she spotted this nightstand that i had also posted and bought it too! she told me to email her when i post anything else and i just finished this black table w/ a hand painted damask design in the center so i emailed her and she came and bought it today! thanks L!!!! the other day she told me of a sweet little store in my area that sells cottagey things and antiques and the like. she said they just switched over from and individual business to one that rents space out and that i should go take a look. well, i did and i love it! i am praying about moving in there! it would be a huge leap for me, but i guess i won't know unless i try! i'm just waiting on God for the answer- but it seems like everything is falling into place! i still have to meet w/ the owner of the store and get some more details. so we'll see! i will take any prayers you want to give! thanks for reading and stopping by cottage romance! until next time...keep creating!

new old bookcase

2010-08-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

hello all, hope you're having a productive week! i sure am! so far this week, i've painted a lamp, recovered a shade for that lamp, painted a night stand, a round dining table and this bookcase. for now that's all i'm gonna show you! the others will come later:). this bookcase was given to me by my mil. and it has seen several coats of paint in several colors. when i got it i painted it green, then later i painted it my fave white, tiramisu. and put scrapbooking paper on the back wall of it. you can see that version here . so after i made my hutch, which you can see here. i had to move the bookcase out. so i repainted it tiramisu and then stenciled it w/ paint i mixed (black and brown). i just love this stencil, it's my sister K's. she once had it in her living room on one wall w/ a tone on tone golden yellow color. it was so pretty! anyway, i just love how this turned out! :) thanks for visiting, i will be linking up to some of the thursday, friday, sat., sun. link parties on my sidebar. please go take a look at what everyone has been up to! thanks again! have a creative weekend!

put it together!

2010-08-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

hi everyone! sorry i've been away for a little bit! it's summer and it's go-go-go with the kiddo's these days! i've still been doing little projects here and there, but today i finished something that i really think turned out better than i anticipated. i'm not methodical, nor am i a big planner when it comes to creating or decorating. i just usually come up w/ an idea and run w/ it. hoping all the while that it'll work out! and if i run into technical difficulties i bring in the big guns, aka hubby ;) ! but today i did it w/o my hubby! i got this hutch top from my sister and bro-in-law. her hubby brought it home from a trash pile, but they didn't end up using it-much to my delight! so i brought it home and everyone that saw it tried to get it out of my hot little paint stained hands! but i held firm, knowing i love it and could do something w/ it. i thought all i needed was a base for it to rest upon. i figured something would come my way eventually, but i didn't have to wait for eventually! i was so eager to put this little honey to use that i started measuring all the dressers and such around and in my home. nothing was big enough until...i was outside one day and measured this cabinet i have outside under the kitchen window, it was serving as a buffet for when we entertain outside and also held outdoor necessities. it was also in my sons room at one time and held his toys and books and whatnot. we got it from the neighbors, they were getting rid of about 5 pieces of furniture (for free, on the sidewalk) and i took them all! anyway.... it fit the bill for the detached hutch top i had! yay! so i spray painted the hutch top w/ heirloom white,sorry i forgot to take a good b4 pic! then i had the task of making a door for the base cab. it had been missing one for years, while it was outside i had a little curtain covering the hole where the door should be. but now with it being reborn into a proper hutch duo, it needed a proper door! so i found a piece of wood, cut it to size, sanded the edges, added some bead board and an old frame i had lying around (i have a frame collecting sickness!) nailed them to the piece of wood and hung them on the cabinet w/ the original hardware! i save all the hardware from anything and everything and it really comes in handy! i did not have the original knob to that door though, it was missing when i got it, so i had to improvise. i had one vintage crystal knob( left over from an old desk i disassembled a while ago) and this old metal thingy that was a candle holder when i bought it, but the glass broke, so i put it on the knob screwy thing first and the attached the crystal knob. i took out this old book case and moved my lovely new hutch in! whew, i am wordy tonite! i guess i'm in detail mode- anyway!!!! i screwed the top to the bottom and wah-lah!!! my first HUTCH!!! i think i really like it! i decorated it w/ some plates,family photos,bird houses and this cool wood cut out thing i got at a yard sale for a buck! i like to sprinkle a few dark things around the house because i tend to go pretty light w/ everything else, it helps it not to get so light that everything floats away :) ! i'll be linking up to many of the parties on my sidebar so please go check out what everyone is up to! and thanks for visiting me! please leave a comment so i know you stopped by! have a fabulous week creating!

a lonely footboard to a lovely sign

2010-07-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

it started out as a lonely foot board a friend gave me. she said do you want an old foot board that i got at a yard sale? and me being me, i said yes, of course! she said it was so cute and she knew i could find something to do w/ it (no pressure) ! so i took it home and it sat in my entry way for about a week, waiting for me to get some inspiration. i knew i wanted to do something w/ it so i could put it on this shelf (actually it was an old mantel from my in-laws former home) that is mounted in the middle of the l.r. high on the wall above the desk.(don't mind the popcorn ceiling,we're hoping to cover it w/ beadboard or something , SOMEDAY!!!) Previously and for YEARS i had this shelf accessorized w/ various bird houses and a cab. door that i painted and decoupaged a flower onto. cute, yes. exciting, no! i needed a change. and this sweet little foot board was just the gal to do it! now i know some of you would've been able to use it as is (red) in your pretty homes w/ red accents, but i have no red and couldn't change my decor around this sweet lil f.b. so, even tho' it was super cute and a cheery red, i had to paint it. so i painted it my fave creamy white (tiramisu) and then accented it w/ my newest fave blue-green called "sea salt". then i got to the fun part!!! i blew up the lettering i printed out and used graphite paper to copy it on the f.b. then i added the rest free hand. finally, i used some watered down brown paint to antique it. I LOVE IT! i set it up on it's display shelf and i also "hung" it by adding some picture hanging wire to the back, just in case anyone slams the doors(which of course, never happens w/ 3 kids running in and out!)! that way it looks like it's just resting on the shelf, but it's safe for everyone. i had such fun creating this, i hope you enjoy looking at it and are inspired to make a big splash or a big change to something in one of the rooms in your home!!! have fun and keep creating! i'll be linking this to some of the linky parties listed in my sidebar, please stop by and visit as many as you can!

serenity NOW!!!

2010-07-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

hello all, hope you're off to a great start to your weekend! so sorry i've been away for about a week now. i have not been able to get much done lately on my project list, my hubby and i have been helping my mil get her house ready to sell. hubby painted inside and out and i've been painting the cabs. so i haven't had any new pics or projects to share. so i thought i'd share a sign i made for my brother-in-laws b-day a couple of weeks ago. my sister came up w/ the idea to use this line from Seinfeld, you know the one george's dad screams thru out the show. "serenity NOW!!!" It's too funny! she also had a bbq apron made that has the line embroidered on it. the sign will go over his bbq grilling area. this line is fitting for me as well, as we are about 1/2 way thru summer break and the kids are fighting more and are increasingly bored. i need "serenity NOW!!!" i'll be back soon w/ some new pics and projects i just started 2nite! thanks for coming! check my sidebar under "friday" linky parties to see other bloggers great work! EDITED TO ADD: I JUST LINKED UP TO AMANDA'S PARTY@ SERENITY NOW (i couldn't resist once i saw her blog name!)

shutters, a window and a dresser...

2010-07-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

happy friday and weekend everyone! hope it's not as hot wherever you are! 106 here today in the sunny(well, a little overcast today) central valley, calif.! so i didn't get any projects done outside today, needless to say! but the yesterday i withstood the heat to finish this project i started wed. nite. i have a couple old windows laying around and i had a BLANK area (ok i forgot to take a pic of the blank spot b4 i put up the window. ) on my fence between an orange tree and the shed my hubby built (to the left of the pic below) and i painted a couple of years ago. I don't DO BLANK!!!So i've seen this done lots of times in mags, maybe blogs too- so i decided to try it out for myself!
so, to make the shutters i measured the window side and cut 4 pieces of leftover wood to size and then cut 2 more pieces for the horizontal strips on the front of the shutters. i cut the length first and then cut each one in half so i would have 4 total, 2 tops and 2 bottoms. i attached the horizontal supports and painted -Voila!!! shutters!!! they are very rough and rustic, but that's o.k. cuz so is the window, from being outside for years! then i dry brushed some white on the window and screwed the window to the fence. then attached the shutters on each side. very easy!
i want hubby to build me a cute window box for under the window, but for now this dresser will do. it is way toooo HOT to plant anything in the drawers, and expect it to survive, but wouldn't that be lovely? so i just threw a few silk flowers i had in there for the pics. just to add some color. have a great weekend and stay COOL!!!! I'll be linking up to some fabulous parties: show and tell friday, sns @ funky junk interiors.
and here @ keeping it simple
and transformation thursday @ the shabby chic cottage
and lots more in my side bar! please go check out all the great stuff everybody is doing!!!

soon to be transformed...

2010-07-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

LOOK at all the work i have ahead of me! i have recently been acquiring furniture and such to paint and sell. up till now i have just let work come to me little by little. but now I'm ready to get serious about what i love-decorative painting and furniture makeovers! i'll be advertising on Craig's list for now (cuz it's free) and I'll be looking into creating a website for my finished pieces and maybe some unfinished ones, so clients can choose their own finish. i will also offer services to make over YOUR existing pieces. i am very excited and nervous about this new venture in my life and i hope i can build a successful business that will bring joy to people with something as simple as a perfectly painted table or dresser. i also want to do this for my family and our financial NEED to get out of debt!!! so any prayers are appreciated! and this is just the tip of the iceburg of what i have to paint. so excited to create! i hope this works! "i can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me." Phillipians 4:13
thanks for listening to me ramble on about this:) i'm linking to transformation thursday @ the shabby chic cottage:)
this is a night stand that goes w/ the matching dresser above

isn't she a beaut' you'll see what i have up my sleeve for this {ugly} lamp!

freebie off of craig's list-the carved knobs are de-lish!!! i can't wait to paint this!

end table gets new beginning

2010-07-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

i wish i had a picture to show you the "delightful" 70's orange and white color scheme on this end table. it started out stained maple and went w/ a set that included a coffee table and another end table. it was my husband's grandparents set. when grandpa passed away in jan. we went to help clean out the house. so i got this piece. the story is that hubby's 2 aunt's got a wild hair one day while mom and dad were gone and painted it 70's style-ooot-ooot!!! they were in trouble!!!! but no one ever repainted it, so now it's mine and you know NOTHING is ever left alone to long before i come after it with a paint brush or can of spray paint! so today i tackled this end table. first painting it my favorite cream, tiramisu. then i painted the drawer sherwin williams "sea salt"- man i love that color! then i thought it needed something on top to tie it together. so i taped off the top and painted it "sea salt" also. then i just couldn't help myself, i painted the inside backing "sea salt" too. and i think it came out pretty cute!so pretty that i don't know whether to keep it or sell it! i was planning on selling it all along, but now...ohh, it's just so cute! it's not like i have room for it tho'! i also painted the handle w/ some spray paint i had. it's krylon's metallic canyon. it's kinda champagne-ish/light copper. so light and pretty w/ the other light colors i chose for this project. AND...bonus this was on my patio, so it qualifies as one of the things on my summer to-do list! yippee- 1 down, 1000 to go~! i am linking up to these lovely blog parties; my romantic home's "show and tell friday"and
tatertots and jello and
funky junk interiors sns
metamorphosis monday and

hopefully this week will be better than last week~ we had alot of illness and stuff going on w/ the kids, so i had to be nurse mommy not painter mommy! of course i delight in taking care of my babies, but i'm ready for some creative outlet time! God willing, i'll get alot done this week! catch ya later!

A Desk Inspired by a Plate...

2010-07-11T00:53:00.000-07:00

happy sunday everyone! hope this weekend has been full of fun, family and projects! so, my mother-in-law has this desk and it was cute as is...but she re-decorated her spare room last year and wanted me to re-do(you could say it will be twice loved;^)! the desk to coordinate. so we finally got it over here and i couldn't wait to get crackin' on this project, it's such a cute desk and chair- i wish it was mine! even before i painted it! i just love the style and shape of it. anyway, we decided to use this plate as inspiration. and i was inspired!!! these are not colors i would normally use in my decor, but i can appreciate all colors and styles of decorating- and i have to toot my own horn and say, "i love how this turned out!" toot-toot! it was soooo hot here today, that i brought the desk in and pushed my dining room table and chairs aside and got to work. i had already spray painted the legs and apron and the chair with RUST-OLEUM'S ULTRA COVER 2X COVERAGE. can i just say I LOVE THIS PAINT! it's no lie it does what it says, covers as well as 2 coats w/ just one! i also painted the top w/ a custom mixed (meaning i mixed it myself w/ left over paint i had laying around!) yellow i call "chamois". so all i had to do was the red border, which i also custom mixed to match the plate- it came out a little darker, but that's okay. then i textured the red border by painting it and then smushing crumpled up wax paper on top of, then i painted it again and glazed the entire top and then i painted the flowers and the ferny looking things and the tiny hummingbird. after all the details were painted on, i glazed the whole thing again w/ a metallic glaze i made at home. it was so much fun! i know it's not on my list of things to do this summer, but it was one of those "just for fun" projects and it's for my mil! i hope she loves it! she's out of town on vacation right now, so i can't wait to see what she thinks when they get back. thanks for visiting me and i'll be linking up to these lovely blog parties; show and tell friday
and feature yourself friday and the csi project
metamorphosis monday and
and here too- AND the inspired room

reach for the sky...

2010-07-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

p

well as promised, i have a little surprise for you! i completed the ceiling in the master bathroom! well, the crown moulding needs another coat of "tiramisu", but i was so excited to show you my new "sky" ceiling!!!! i had to lay on the floor to get this shot, but it was worth it- and i did just clean the floor the other day.:) i have always wanted to do a sky ceiling and i finally did! i haven't gotten ready in here yet, so we'll see if it's distracting when i'm trying to put my make-up on !!! i think it will be great though. it's like having a glass ceiling in my pink bathroom! here is the view from the shower, not a bad thing to look at first thing in the morning! whaddaya think friends??? i might be changing it a little already, i think it needs to be tweaked, so that it's more subtle...yes, i think so. sometimes i just get soooo carried away! :)
i will be linking to these lovely parties; transformation thursday , show and tell friday ,

get your craft on thursday,

my master bath< pink >re-do

2010-06-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

hi friends,
so- i haven't posted in a couple of days or so, because i've been working on my master bathroom. it was a kinda terra cotta pink and that was from 7-8 years ago! so you can imagine how badly it needed painting. i've wanted to do it for a couple of years now, ever since i bought these curtains and shower curtain in this pretty shabby chic fabric. i got them all at marshall's for a steal! love that store! anyway, i got out some bubble gum pink i previously used in my girls room(big color mistake!) and mixed it w/ plain white. so it turned out to be a lovely light pink that i like to call laura ashley pink. because it matches this towel that i got at home goods that is by l.a. the picture below is the pretty light fixture i got 7 yrs ago at lamps plus. discounted because it was missing the crystals, so i just made my own beaded danglie's for it for about $13! see how dark that other terra cotta pink made the bathroom? it's MUCH brighter now! i also painted the cabs( they used to be green)
in a creamy white that is called "tiramisu". i had these beadboard panels that my hubby cut out for these cabs a long time ago, so i painted them the same color as the walls. i kept the curtains and shower curtain and the hardware the same, gotta be cheap or free! but i painted the frames w/ pics of my girls in them and hung a vintage hankie framed in an oval frame above the cab over the loo. i also took this mirror and hung it in there. i like how it's distressed from time and the silvering on the mirror is chipping off the back a little too. now all i have left to do is paint the ceiling and the crown moulding (and maybe add a few more mirrors to the one i told you about here). i have something special in mind for the ceiling- but you'll have to check back in a couple days to see that! i hope it turns out!!!! thanks for stopping by the cottage to visit my almost done re-done in another pink bathroom! come back to see the rest! i will be linking to these lovely parties; met monday
tip me tuesday
toot your horn tuesday

HOME TOUR 2010

2010-06-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

WELCOME, PLEASE COME IN...this is the first view you have when you walk in my front door. i got the top rose painting at a yard sale for $5 and the bottom one at the disabled veterans thrift store for around the same. of course, i painted both frames as they were too dark or gold or 70's for the look i am going for. the table under the paintings was from an antique store, i paid $25. it's been yellow, white and now sea glass green. the next photo is of the half wall. i painted the topiaries on the wall a couple of yrs. ago. kinda ready for a change though. after that is opposite the 1/2 wall. hubby made this bench out of a headboard my friend gave me. that's where he puts his boots on for work.
this bookcase(below) was a freebie from my mil. i painted it and papered the back w/ scrapbooking paper. i know i need to change it up- it really just houses alot of mags and family photos, which i love, but... i don't know??? now here's the view from the living room into the dining room...don't mind the STACK of bills on the desk or the bottle of sunscreen...this is real life people. i tried to hide, stuff and crop out most of the ugly everyday stuff, but sometimes you just gotta go w/ it! the little buffet is from my mom. she bought it at a yard sale and i talked her into giving it to me! it is one of the first pieces i did decorative painting on. so it's sentimental too. it's been in both of our houses.here's the view from the couch...i got the armoire from my neighbor who put it out on the sidewalk w/ a free sign on it! hubby came home and saw it and told me furniture was outside on the sidewalk!!!! so we grabbed the dolly and scooped it up as fast as we could! the little lace covered box between the desk and the armoire is the computer thingy. i covered it for the sake of these photos. it used to be under the desk, but it was getting too hot under there.
next photo is of the living room view from the dining room. everything in there except the couch and comfy chair were free from family, or picked up off the side of the road or from yard sales! i'm glad i'm not rich or i may never have uncovered my God given talent for rescuing and painting old junk! God has blessed me and my hubby w/ talents we can use to make our house a home. TYG! the curtains belong to my sister- she is letting me borrow them for a while! i will be so sad when she wants them back, but i guess it'll give me and excuse to decorate!!! aww, too bad;). next is the view opposite the couch...sigh... i love my new couch!!!
i got it from jc penney. on sale!!! i made some of the pillow covers, and i'm going to make some more for the ones that match the couch fabric...but i have a long summer to-do list, so that may have to wait til fall! well, thanks so much for visiting my humble abode! i really enjoyed having you! visit often! i am linking to these great parties; feature yourself friday , show and tell friday , flaunt it friday and for the yard sale challenge, practically everything in my house is from a yard sale or roadkill rescue!

15 YEARS...

2010-06-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

then JUNE 24TH, 1995

15 YEARS AGO WE WERE JUST A COUPLE OF KIDS...

NOW WE HAVE 3 KIDS and a mortgage and bills and work and chores and still we have LOVE!!!! TO MY HUSBAND OF 15 YEARS, I LOVE YOU! I couldn't imagine doing life with anyone else but you. you are my rock, my friend, my love. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE!!!

NOW :)
i love our life together and know that it is by God's grace and our hard work that we have made it work. i pray we have many, many more happy years together!
love, d

yard sale finds and a white wednesday bird house

2010-06-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

today i thought i'd share some yard sale stuff i've found the past few weeks. the little vase and the bell were from the same y.s. they were too cute to pass up! anything w/ roses and i'm sold! the large white vase is a freebie from a friends y.s.! you know what i love more than a yard sale? a freebie!

this distressed white mirror was also from the same one. this lady had a lot of stuff- there was more i wanted to buy, but alas, there is a y.s. budget to stick to! that is unless of course, you find something that is the deal of the century, must have, can't live w/o, over the moon for- then there's nothing i won't do to finagle my way into owning it! ;) but this little mirror was only $3, so money was no object. i put it on my dining room table and added some accessories. all stuff i already had.

here's a white bird house my hubby made a few yrs. ago. i just added some frame moulding that i cut off an actual frame that i got at a yard sale as well. then i added some pieces of broken plate that i saved for years. it's been awaiting it's new purpose in life for some time. of course that plate was also from a yard sale! as you can probably tell i heart yard sales!!!! i'll be linking up to white wednesday and transformation thursday and show and tell friday, and finding fabulous and get your craft on so go take a look!

spoons and a bird bath...no really it's a BIRD BATH!!!!

2010-06-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

hi all! i've been blog obsessed lately. i can't get enough, i stay up 'til the wee hours just hopping from decorating blog to decorating blog. it's a sickness. i need help, but i don't want any! i just love looking at all the blogs by all the talented women! they are decor inspiration for me. so inspired was i by manuela's cute garden spoons, that i just had to copy! after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! i first saw these kind of garden markers at manuela's blog, then i saw them on the anthro website. they were $28 smackers for 3!!! way out of my price range! so i went to harbor freight and bought the same kit($4.99) manuela got online and made my own, using some cute little old fruit spoons i bought on ebay for .99 plus about $7 in shipping and a random spoon i had layin' around. so i made 7 spoons for $13!these spoons could've been headed for the trash, but now they're a treasure! quite a deal i'd say.these spoons have new life as garden markers and it doesn't take any time at all! you can get this blackening liquid to make the impression darker but i didn't want to search for it or buy it(sometimes i'm cheap, i mean thrifty like that!)so i just used some black paint and smeared it on w/ a rag and then wiped it off. so easy! they are so cute and i've already given one to a friend as a little thank-you gift.

soooo, while i was at harbor freight with cold-hard-birthday-cash burning a hole in my pocket, i spotted the cutest little bird bath, and i just had to have it! i have had this idea in my head about putting a bird bath in my yard for years. so after the metal stamping, i did this...

my son offered (yes, my 11 yr. old boy OFFERED!) to help me take out the grass- such a sweetie! then i centered the bird bath in the circle and planted stella de oro day lillies and blue salvia and some vinca for annual color.

my sweet little 7 yr. old daughter (who declined to be photographed), dug the rocks out of another area of the yard (they were remnants from the former tenants)and made a border- all by herself! i said it would be nice to have rock border and while i was busy planting, she quietly went off to dig up some rocks. i know- cute, huh??? so i let her place them and she is so proud! i must not forget to include my 9 yr. old daughter, who was in the pool cheering us on! :)encouragement is always nice!

i'm not really a gardener, but i do want my yard to reflect the same cosy, come-on-in attitude my home does, so i do my best. right now it's been in the mid-90's in my area, so it's nice to go outside and work on things and take a quik dip in the pool if i need to and get back to work...creating. please leave a comment when you stop by, my door and garden are always open!

p.s. i will be linking to these lovely blog parties;
toot your horn tuesday

trash to treasure tuesday

transformation thursday

please check it out if you get a chance!!! thanks!

99 cent canvases to lovely wall art!

2010-06-18T23:51:00.001-07:00

happy friday everyone,
i just had a wonderful birthday w/ family and friends. so blessed to have, family and friends that love me! i got to celebrate for 2 days, cuz i know how to work it!
anyway, i thought id' share these little canvases my sister bought at a thrift store, for 99 cents ea., i think- at any rate they were very cheap! they were already painted on but it was hideous. she commissioned me to paint them for my nieces room and gave me some pics of her darling sheets/ comforter set to draw from. so here they are in all their cutesie goodness!

i am linking to transformation thursday and show and tell friday...and the gypsy's corner
and tidy mom
and to flaunt it friday
and tatertots and jello sorry about the glare in these photos! but aren't they cute? if i do say so myself! the "A" is for anelise:) such a pretty name for a pretty girl!

"Bird Bath"

2010-06-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

okay,
so it's not actually a bird bath- it's a"bird bath...room". :) it all started with the wall color. i painted the walls, cabs,and base boards all the same color. and love the way it looks. the ceiling is a creamy white as well as the crown moulding. the floor is a black and white small tile, that hubby did for me. which i neglected to photograph, cuz i haven't mopped it in a week! but it's beautiful! (when it's clean!) i also put some beadboard on the cab doors. my sis gave it to me after she had some left over from her nursery. as you can see, i still have some knobs to install, you know how goes though- one project drifts into another leaving the first project not quite finished. i got the mirror (glass) at a yard sale for $2 and my hubby built the frame out of some old wood we had saved from our old patio cover. i told him when he tore it down to save the 2x4's and 2x6's and i'd think of something eventually! so that's why the frame has that aged look-cuz it is aged, old paint, sanded off a little and natural wood showing thru. i just love it!
the problem with the bathroom was that i couldn't find anything to go on the wall opposite the mirror. i wanted something birdish. yes birdish. it's a word. my word ;) . i bought a framed print of this pretty bird and fleurs. but it didn't look right there. so it ended up over the commode. then i found this beautiful mirror w/ the birds on it. i forget what that's called, my uncle used to do it. anyway, it didn't look right there either. so that ended up to the right of the sink. finally one day inspiration struck! i was looking at that mirror w/ the birds on it and thought, "if only there was something like that w/o a mirror. so i got out my black craft paint and got to work. and i love the end result! i love having only black, white and light robin's egg blue for the colors in my hall bath. except for the splash of pink in the orchid flower arrangement. i got that on clearance from home goods- $11 i think. so there it is my bird inspired bath...room. i would like to see your bird inspired things/rooms/etc. leave me a comment or a link to your blog and i'll stop by. have a blessed day!
decorating diva p.s. i will be linking to tales from bloggeritaville for thrifty thursday and linda at coastal charm

and to life as lori for get your craft on thursday
and show and tell friday at my romantic home

from blank to beautiful

2010-06-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

hi everyone,
i hope you all had great weekend! i cleaned on saturday (cinderlly-cinderelly), and sunday went to my mom's and hung out with her and my sister by the pool. nice relaxing day {the kids were at home w/ hubby:)}.

in my last post i showed you some cute little frames w/ my daughters initials in them, so today i thought i'd show you more of their room. this is the sixth time i've changed their room and we've only lived in this house for 8 years (in july)! i think i might need professional help-do they treat for decorating disease??? and it's not because i'm indecisive or anything, it's just that sometimes i just HAVE to create and decorate! it makes me sooo happy! at any rate here's look no. 6!
this is just after i painted the yellow on top- the green was already there. the top was a bubble gum pink b4 this-not so good!

here it is now w/ swirlies and flowers and personality! i was inspired by something i had seen in a magazine- it was one i had kept for YEARS- because it is that good! so one day while the girls were at school, i got to work. since then i have wrapped it all the way around the room. as you can see in the very first pic it was just on the wall w/ the beds. but i don't have any pics because my girls room is never this clean unless i clean it and that just hasn't happened in a while. {never mind the fat,lazy kitty on the bed who wouldn't move for me to take these pics! (i love her dearly!)}

i got those headboards at an antique fair we have every year where i live. i love them! they were already creamy white and chipped and aged naturally! can't ask for anything more! the 4 drawer dresser was given to me by my sis-in-law, then painted by me. and the 3 drawer dresser was a yard sale find for $30! it's pretty old, but simple and i think it's perfect in there!

so there it is my fine friends, from blank yellow walls to beautiful hand painted lover-ly walls!

i'm linking this to metamorphosis monday at between naps on the porch, please stop by and say hi! and if you like my blog, please become a follower and tell your friends! thanks a bunch!
oh, and i LOVE reading and responding to your comments! i am always happy to help w/ your decorating questions as well!

until next time,
happy creating-

today's letters of the day are "L" and "E", brought to you by cottage romance.

2010-06-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

this is the before- sort of. i forgot, once again to take a pic of the thing b4 so i had to take one after the fact, so i just turned it over and placed the original pic on top! anyway, you get the idea. :)

good morning! so glad it's friday- today i get to go hang out w/ my sister and some good girl friends for lunch! it is so nice to have a group of gals to get together w/ and gab and eat and gab and eat some more with! we do this several times a month and take turns having it at different houses. we can bring our littles but mine are all in school (at least for another week), and we all contribute to the meal. it is so much fun! speaking of littles, i found these little framed pics(in my mil's yard sale pile, she let me pick anything out i wanted b4 she sold it) of victorian-esque people, which were cute aside from the gold plasticy frames from the 70's. but i had an idea to take out the pics and paint the frames and then i used the backing to paint chalkboard paint on. then i just wrote the first initials of each of my girls on them. "L" and "E" aren't they sweet?

i am linking up to cindy's show and tell friday at my romantic home and flaunt it friday @ chic on a shoestring decorating- (UPDATE---linking up to funky junk interiors for "saturday nite special" & TRASH TO TREASURE TUESDAY @REINVENTED so please hop on over and take a look at all the wonderful things everybody's linked up as well! have a great weekend! ~decorating diva

Be Still...

2010-06-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

"Be Still and Know that I am God" so simple- yet so complicated. to me this verse is about letting God work faithfully as He always does, w/o me interfering and running around like a chicken w/ my head cut off trying to fix everything. meanwhile the things i am trying to fix are not in my control anyway, so why not be still? i need this verse, to know that He is God and that it means everything. we are waiting on you Lord- to work through a difficult situation at my husbands job. only you can fix this!

so for now i'll focus on the things i can fix! like decorating issues and old wooden trays that need a transformation. sorry i forgot to take a b4 photo, but it was just a plain old wood tray med. brown stain. it had no life- now it is fresh and simple. it belongs to a friend of mine. i stole it from her house, so i could make it over for her birthday;) stealing is okay if you're gonna give it back prettier, right???

i'll be linking this up to transformation thursday w/ gina at "the shabby chic cottage" . please go take a look!

TRASH TO TREASURE FIREPLACE SCREEN

2010-06-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

White Wednesday and What to do with your fireplace in the spring and summer...?

hello all! let me just tell you, i am having so much fun w/ blogging! you know how when ur house is all clean(by clean i mean everything ugly and/or dirty is stuffed away in some closet) and you have guests that have never seen ur cottage b4? and you start to look at ur house thru their eyes? and it looks so pretty and fresh and romantic??? well, i'm having that feeling from blogging as i anticipate each one of you- my guests! everything i look at now or photograph is new to me and i see it thru your eyes. it has made me appreciate my homey cottage and my garden all the more. so thank-you friends and loved ones!
now for the answer to my own question; what DO you DO w/ your fireplace in the spring and summer??? well, i grew tired of staring into a fireless black hole in the many months that we do NOT have a fire in the fireplace. soooo- i cut out a shape from a piece of luan ( don't know if i spelled that right, but it's that really thin wood board used for backing on dressers and whatnot) that i had lying around. and i painted this pattern on it i got from a mag. ( i think it was an old "creative living" mag.) so i put it up there for lack of something better. it was too small, but that's the only scrap i had remotely big enough at the time, so it would have to do.
so i lived w/ it for a while and it was fine- but who among us decorates to end up with fine? certainly not me. so i was always on the look out for an upgrade. later that year, my good friend and no. 1 client LL, spotted some old swinging doors they used to put on the pass thru of kitchens in the 60's and 70's. she immediately thought of me! she grabbed them and later gave them to me, hoping i could find a cottage romantic thing to do w/ them. and i did- well, if i'm being honest, my hubby did! the doors were already painted white, then i antiqued them and walked around the house carrying them and holding them up here and there (cuz they were just so cute i had to put them somewhere in my cottage!) and while hubby was sittin' on the couch watching football (and as i was in his way) he said, "why don't you use them on the fireplace?"-"hmmm", i said. (decoratin' wheels a turnin'). YES!!!! why don't i??? so the next day while the kiddies were at school and the hubby was at work, i got to work. i added some fabric w/ my mom's trusty staple gun and used some scrap wood to attach them together . and put her in place and fell. in. love. i love it so much that i almost hate to take it down to have a fire in the winter! lucky for me we have more nice non-fire weather than not. :) i would love to hear/see some of your ideas and creative fixes for the fire place in your home! i am linking up to
Faded Charm for White Wednesday and Trash to Treasure Tuesday at Reinvented so head on over and check it out if you have the time! until next time, make your cottage your home and your home your cottage! ~decorating diva :)

I'm in the garden!

2010-06-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

today i took advantage of the beautiful weather and worked outside.(this sign is one of my favorite things in the garden besides my roses. in case you can't read it from this pic it says, "it all began in a garden") i planted the new hydrangea i purchased this morning at h.d. as well as a very pretty yellow petunia called "lemon zest". it is sooo happy! yellow is the sparkle of a garden and i love sparkle so i must incorporate it more!
here she is! so pretty. so, i got home and planted my hydrangea in a pot i painted and realized i didn't have a pot for the petunia. i could have put it in the ground, but the snails love to eat petunias so i wanted it up off the ground to control the snail salad bar a bit. i looked around and found a hanging basket i had from last year minus the hanging part! it was also missing the coco mat stuff- so i got out the burlap scrap i had in the craft cab. then i just laid it in the metal basket and added the soil and plant. i trimmed up the burlap and voila! i set it out in the garden on this adorable little wicker chair i got a couple of yrs. ago from my neighbors trash p/u pile. (love that!) ain't she sweet!?
here's the hydrangea(below) i potted up today after i gave this free pot a coat of lovely bright blue. i just love the combo of the bright pink w/ the blue. my sis was throwing this pot out cuz she didn't like the grape motif, so i snatched it right outta the trash! yes, i'm a dumpster diver! i'll share more of my trash pile rescues in another post! anywho, i don't really care for the grape motif either, but i REALLY like the FREE motif;).
my parents are replacing parts of their white picket fence around their pool so i snagged a couple pieces of fence. it was already weathered to perfection! i just screwed it onto the patio cover post behind the hydrangea pot. i think it adds just the right cottagy touch, don't you?
i hope you are enjoying spring in your neck of the woods:)!!!! here are few pics of the rest of my garden...enjoy!

p.s. i have linked this post to fertilizer friday over at tootsie time- a gardening blog, you should check it out she has a beautiful garden!

signage

2010-05-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

i kinda forgot about my blog in the midst of life and doing things until a friend of mine said, "why haven't you posted anything on your blog lately". so i thought i'd give her and my one other follower(thank-you!, so neat to have my first non-related/non "i see you all the time, why do i have to read ur blog person" on here) something to read/see!
So my sister asked me if i could duplicate this really cute sign she saw in idaho on vacay last summer at a cutsie-shmootsie expensive store. and i said, sure. so like almost a year later here it is! da-da-da-dahhh!!! my sis bribed me w/ a jute rug(not that she had to, i would have done it for free, that was just her way of getting me to hurry-up already!) that she was getting rid of, i put it on my back patio. in return i painted her this "botanique" sign and this plaque that she got at a thrift store for $1.50. she had this little poem she liked so i painted it on and added some fleurs. that's frenchie for FLOWERS, like you didn't know that already...;) i just like to call 'em that- not w/ the frenchie accent tho. so it's more like "flerrs" say it w/ me people! okay, i digress- you'll find i do that a lot! i also painted a "botanique" sign for my mommy( yes, i really still and always will call my mom "mommy", even tho i turn 36 next mo.!) for mother's day. now everyone wants one! but i want one too, so i guess i'll get around to painting mine in like a year?????so what do you do for fun? i paint and paint and paint! sometimes people even pay me for it (which is really fun!) but i would do it no matter what, even if i had no one to paint for but me! that's when you know it's your passion, not just a hobby. i'd love to know what your passions are and see pics. thanks for reading!
~decorating diva
p.s. bear w/ me as i am unschooled in the way of bloggy thingy's i can't figure out how to get the photos where i want them to be...i'll figure it out eventually!!!!!!

UPDATE: I AM LINKING UP TO CINDY'S SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY @ romantichome.blogspot.com/
please go check out her blog and all the amazing blogs that are linked up for "show and tell friday" ~thanks! decorating diva

a few more chalkboards i've made

2010-03-04T22:56:00.000-08:00

this is a clipboard i got at a dollar store and painted w/ chalkboard paint. i gave them as favors for my daughters b-day party.

here are just a few more chalkboards i've made out of old kitchen cabs that i've picked up offthe side of the road or from the ReStore.

first time blogger, long time reader...

2010-03-04T22:12:00.000-08:00

okay, not sure if i can really do this blog thing...but i'll give it a whirl! i love reading other people's blogs and getting ideas for decorating my cottagey/romantic/shabby chic home, so why not start my own blog??? well it takes time (i don't have, 3 kids+hubby+3 dogs+2 cats) ,energy (sometimes i do, sometimes i don't!), and some writing ability (???), and an inclination for taking pictures of my decorating projects (wow, am i in trouble!). nevertheless, i am going to try.

my first post is about the importance of letting your children and yourself express your creativity. on the walls, on the doors... okay, i'm talking about chalkboards! paint one in the playroom (if you have one, i don't,but wouldn't that be nice?) in the kitchen, in the kids rooms, wherever it will suit your needs and creativity best.

i painted one on the pocket door in my kitchen that leads into my laundry room. i put a monthly family virtue and verses relating to that virtue (i stole the idea from another blogger, balancing beauty and bedlam) on it. and on the bottom portion i let the kids go to town or write a grocery list or reminders. so, here are some pics of said painted on chalkboard.one is my pic, the other one my 7 yr. old daughter took of her chalk creation! hope you're inspired to make your own in your home!

still trying to come up w/ a cute little number to sign off with~ decorating diva