Saturday, June 16, 2012

Of Colors Other than Dirt.





I loved our bedroom when we first bought our house.
It was cozy: we used darker colors to decorate.

But we added a few kids since we moved.

More stuff is needed with kids.

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff.


Furniture got switched around
and added.

We got some big pieces in our bedroom,
and the wood mixed with the darker colors
overwhelmed the space.


I wanted to do something I loved,
something light and cheerful to make the tight room seem bigger.

After all, we have enough dirt brown
hay yellow,
and grass green around the farm.


I bought this quilt at TJ Maxx after a painful dentist visit last year
and loved it,
especially since it was an incredible deal.


My goal this summer is to update our bedroom
and the girls' bedroom,
so I dove into it this week.


I have found that the best way for me to do a room
(with invariable interruptions and limited work time)
is to start with a wall
(or the ceiling, if it needs to be done)
and work that til completion,
and then move on to the next wall.

(Sorry about the picture behind the armoire;
I moved the furniture around prior to this and it just hadn't found a safe spot yet).

I started with the large furniture piece on this wall
painting a base coat of ASCP in Pure White.

(And here you get to see an invariable interruption in progress).


Next I mixed some ASCP Duck Egg with White
and watered it down to a heavy wash.
(I swapped some of my ASCP with a friend who had Duck Egg
so we could see what another color was like without having to buy a whole can...
she's a smart friend!)



Wanting to add a little something to this large piece,
I needed to get an oval on the front.

I took a piece of string and taped it to the middle of the door,
tied a piece of chalk on the other end...





After I got the circle,
I added a bit to the top and bottom to get an oval.




I then used the stencil and stucco application,
like I did >HERE<.



to get this:




A light sanding to distress the armoire,
some waxing of clear and Rugger Brown,
and it picked up the look I was hoping for.



It needs to look a bit dinged and dirty to live in this household.




I started to paint the ceiling trim and the other wall with a light shade of green.

I just can't get away from green, it seems.



I won't post any more of the room for now,
but it sure is nice having this wall making progress.

I have some fun things to hang up
when it's all done,
like this old picture I put into a frame.




It started as something I got at the second hand store:


super cute embroidery.
Maybe I can give it to one of my nieces who has pet bunnies.


I painted up the frame and put my choice in.


I was hoping to get more done this week,
but I've been fighting off some kind of bug...
and the kids have been too.



What about you?
Have you stuck with the same color choices for your bedroom
or do you change it up every once in a while?




Please join my for my first link party,
"Around the House".
Wednesday, June 20th is the first one:
:a tour of our gardens or a favorite park.
Join in, if you'd like!


Linking up to:
Kellyskornerblog.com: Show-us-your-life-bedroom
Funkyjunkinteriors.net
Gnowfglins.com: Simple-lives-Thursday 

Homespun Happenings








6 comments:

  1. That room is really coming along!

    As for my bedroom, we've stayed with the same colors for ages, and I'm about ready to change it up.

    =)

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    Replies
    1. Change in a bedroom is cheerful! I'm sure you'll love it! :)

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  2. Love what you did with the armoire. The floral detail makes all the difference! In my bedroom I have neutral walls and drop cloth curtains. I have valences that I switch out as well as a couple of different quilts that I interchange on the bed. In the fall/winter I use darker colors and in the summer I put my blue, white and yellow quilt on the bed and the whole room is brighter and feels much lighter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, now that's a smart idea!! Accessories are much easier to change than paint. I love yellow, blue, and white for summer. And darker colors are so cozy for winter. That's a great idea.

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  3. LOVE IT!!!! You are so talented-mixing the paint--I don't know how to do that and do it right. You made that armoire beautiful! I love DINGY:) your room is looking very lovely! I like that picture right there at the window:) Thank you for sharing at Rustic Restorations Weekend!

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  4. I like the way your room is evolving! The armoire is looking mighty fine with the new detail and the new paint.I have a similar piece and have been wanting to repaint it; right now it is a dark midnight blue.
    My own bedroom is very small, I've recently made changes in there, not paint color, but carpet and furniture arrangement. I was just telling the Honey this morning... I love waking up in this room in the morning now! Such a cozy haven.
    --hope to have something to link to your first party, Pat

    ReplyDelete

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