A MIND ON DESIGN

A perfectly imperfect Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

Perfection........

ahhhhhh the word puts a visual in my head of one of those rooms I drool over as I am looking at the latest Home and Garden design magazine.

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But as hard as I try.......I can't just get my room to look like one of those rooms from a
design magazine.

As I look around and see the floor covered with dog hair and notice that there a dishes in the sink
....I am quickly reminded that

LIFE

is getting in the way of

Perfection.

In the last two months I have been striving for Perfection.

Unfortunately this pursuit of perfection has created a health issue to the point that I am currently back on blood pressure medication after being off it for almost a year and one half.

I am still in denial that the reason I am on blood pressure medication

is because I have set unrealistic goals.
All the goals certainly seemed reasonable at the time I made that 5 page single spaced project list.

Come on is it really that unrealistic to completely redecorate

an entire 2800 sq ft house in less than 45 days?

I have done major remodels in less than 4 months........redecorating is a piece of cake.

I wasn't knocking down walls this time...or putting in a complete kitchen......or re-landscaping.....

I was simply doing the following:

Painting 800 sq ft living room

Painting bathrooms

Hanging wallpaper in Master Bathroom

Hanging Wallpaper in Downstairs Guest Bathroom

Painting Upstairs Guest Bathroom

Painting furniture

Painting Kitchen Island

Painting downstairs Family Room

Painting Hallways

Painting Kitchen

Painting Master Bathroom

Adding custom striping to Upstairs Guest Bathroom

Container landscape twelve large pots

Order new furniture and assemble when arrives

Unpack and assemble new large coffee table

Unpack and assemble Two Wingback chairs

Unpack and assemble King size Headboard

Order new range, hood, refrigerator, and dishwasher

Remove old oven

Coordinate the installation of new appliances.

Hire electrician to install new track lighting

Okay so after typing that list it is a little long.......but the list for a REMODEL project is huge!!!

So I am a little lost as to what is different this time.....

That is of course until I look down the hall and see my husband up on a ladder caulking.......and then I hear him say I am getting that microwave in tonight.

It is then I realize........Oh I know what is different.......

This time my husband and I are doing the majority of the work.

On all of our previous remodel projects my husband and I are the project managers.......
not the laborers.

But alas even as laborers
(a job I would prefer to hand over to someone else)
ALL the work was completed by Thanksgiving.
I am thankful it was all completed but I do have to question whether or not it was
NECESSARY
to practically kill myself in pursuit of what I thought was perfection.

Truly our Thanksgiving PERFECT.

Albeit during the course of the four days with fifteen guests in my home...
there were moments where it certainly didn't look perfect.

In fact with every one's lap tops, cell phones, cameras, jackets, shoes......
there were times every surface was covered with STUFF.

But as I stood back and observed the room that was
filled with fifteen bodies, two dogs, lots of clutter and plenty of laughter
I realized no one cared about all that STUFF or the dirty dishes or the chaos.

What I saw instead of chaos was
laughter, smiles, and just pure JOY!!
It was a PERFECT scenario.

I realized that the reason it was PERFECT....was because it was SOOO IMPERFECT.

While seeking perfection I accidentally happened to created the perfect setting and had
perfected imperfection.

The guest are gone.....The house is quieter......and I am currently resting and recharging
so that in less that 24 days those fifteen plus guests can return and enjoy a
perfectly imperfect Christmas.

What plans are you making for your perfectly imperfect Christmas?

Wednesday Wowzers - WHY I LOVE PAINT

2011-11-16T23:11:00.001-08:00

Oh my I am a little late for this post so I apologize.....

but when I show you what I have been busy doing perhaps you will give me a pass.

So as you know

I LOVE COLOR....

and of course there is no better or quicker way to make a big impact than with paint.

I mean I love wallpaper.....

I love textiles.....

I love tile....

BUT OH MY DO

I LOVE PAINT!!!

The reason I love paint is because you can make such a

BIG IMPACT

for such a small investment.

Yes painting can be scary but oh so rewarding.....and as my husband so fondly puts it......

it is only paint.....and heck if you don't like the color....you can

REPAINT.

You should know you do not need to be a rocket scientist to paint.

Yes there are a few tricks that make things easier.....but honestly if you are willing to get some paint on your clothes and in your hair.......

you can do it!!!

I am going to show you two projects that I have ALMOST completed.

In these projects I used the following:

1 qt of Benjamin Moore Aura Color is : Caliente

1 qt of Benjamin Moore Aura Color is: Truffle

1 gallon of Benjamin Moore Aura Color is : Linen White

First up is my kitchen island. I found it at a consignment shop many years ago for $250.00.

It has a 4 inch solid maple top. The base is also made of solid maple. Over the years the base has yellowed and the solid maple top was in need of sanding.

Of course my husband volunteered (wink...wink) to sand the island for me and his little helper was right there in the thick of things.

That is such a weird angled shot....because the island looks so small....

it actually measures 30" wide by 48" long.

This is the top of the island before my husband sanded it.

This island is sanded and all ready for a little MAGIC!!

The first magical thing was applying Butcher Block Conditioner to that freshly sanded maple.

Yep then it was time to put that quart of Benjamin Moore Aura : Caliente to work.

Isn't that the most amazing RED you have ever seen!!!!

The paint has a built in primer....which SAVES so much time! It goes on like thick cream. Eggshell is my favorite sheen. In my opinion it has just the right amount of shine. I also use a foam roller and but on thin coats. I let each coat dry about two hours before re-coating.

SO.......I mean I had TWO HOURS......and TWO HOURS in my world is like FOREVER!!!!

So you can be sure I wasn't going to stand around and watch the paint dry....at least not this time.

I had this most awful guest bathroom.....I mean really it was

SAD and EMBARRASSING!!!

I am sure when the prior owner of the home picked this butterfly wallpaper in those lovely Mauve shades of the 80's it was right in style.....

but ugh 30 years later this wallpaper needed to

GO...GO...GO!!!

Bye bye Butterflies......hello Benjamin Moore Linen White and Caliente!!!

I painted the walls Linen White and the ceiling Caliente.

Now I couldn't just leave those walls Linen White.....that would be BORING!!! Plus I still had almost an hour before I could get back to my kitchen island.

Then I had a fabulous idea which involved

BLUE PAINTERS TAPE, A CARPENTERS LEVEL,

and some random

creativity!

I have continued the stripes around the room. The red is the Caliente, the white is Linen White and the Taupe is called Truffle. It is a great color palette that took this bathroom from sad to

WOWZERS!!!

and that Kitchen Island from uninspired to

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT!!

I had a little more Truffle colored paint left and of course decided while

I was waiting for the stripes to dry

and

multiple coats of paint on the island to dry

heck why not add a couple of accent walls in the kitchen

And so

WOWZERS.......

I was definitely multitasking in the paint department......

so I hope you understand why I am a little late with this

Wednesday Wowzers

and now you also know

WHY I LOVE PAINT!!!

More things your overnight guests won't tell you

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

So lets be clear about this......I have broken every single one of these rules!!

Let me help you out here
so you don't make the same mistakes I have made who knows how many times.

Lets review yesterdays post.

1. Your guest bed is saggy, like concrete or just plain uncomfortable.

2. Your guest bed sheets are like burlap.

3. Your guest bed pillows are flat and hard like a petrified pancake...or worse yet lumpy and stinky.

4. Your pets stink....and so does your house.

I gave you solutions...or at least suggestions on how to avoid these faux pas in yesterdays post.

If you missed yesterdays post you can read it here by clicking the link....

What your overnight guests won't tell you

Be sure to come back and finish reading
this post
"More things your overnight guest won't tell you."

So what other things are your overnight guests not telling you???

1. THEY ARE FREEZING!!

I happen to hate HIGH utility bills and because of that fact you learn to dress warmly in our home.
Our solution to avoid those outrageous utility bills are the following:
If you are chilly put on a sweater....
If your feet are cold wear socks and slippers
and if your hands are cold....what do you think they make fingerless gloves for???

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Yes I wear fingerless gloves....and I love them.....but most guests don't want to walk around in your home wearing fingerless gloves, caps, earmuffs and down jackets just to avoid frost bite.
An easy solution to make your guests warm and cozy would be to

TURN UP THE HEATER IN THE HOUSE!!

Remember that older folks don't have as good as circulation as those younger ones and they are probably freezing and miserable.

So a good rule of thumb is to set the heater to 72.

(Trust me as a menopausal woman that is

WAY too warm for me

but typically not for your guests)

And to be an extra thoughtful host provide extra throws in the guest bedroom and
also place them oh so stylishly on your sofa and chairs.

Doesn't the throw on that brown leather chair look comfy?

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Okay and last but not least.......
About that HOLIDAY MUSIC......
really about the time I have heard
Little Drummer Boy
for the umpteenth time I am about ready to scream.
Trust me as my kids will certainly vouch.....
I LOVE HOLIDAY MUSIC!!
And every once in a while they will give me that
GLAZED look expression
and suddenly I get the message.
Oops.....that usually means everyone has overdosed on the music....
so do yourself a favor make a
holiday play list and mix in current music
that will appeal to all of your overnight guests.

Okay so that wasn't too bad right?

So the holidays are almost upon us......one last piece of advice.......
and one I intend to follow

(maybe with the help of a Tequila Gimlet or two)

RELAX and ENJOY!!

What your overnight guests won't tell you.

2011-11-14T07:21:00.001-08:00

Are you having overnight guests for the holidays?

If you are you need to read this.

Because you can be sure your overnight guests will be too nice to tell you the truth.

Okay so first on the list is that

bed in the guest bedroom.

You know how in the morning your sleepy eyed guest comes out of their guest room seeking coffee?

And you ask them did you sleep well. They of course say

"Oh yes .... it was great!"

They are probably lying.

Because that bed that they slept on came from Johnny's room or Susie's room or even worse somebodies friend of somebodies cousin gave it to you.

It was probably their trampoline when you weren't looking.

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I mean the reason that bed is in the guest bedroom is because NO ONE else wanted it right?????

When is the last time you have slept on that bed?

Does it resemble this?

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You know what I mean

Too Soft.....Too Saggy.....Big dip in the middle.....

Is is like sleeping on concrete? Does it creak every time you move?

The thing is if you want your guests to be comfortable be a nice host

and do something about that bed.

If you can't afford a new mattress at least get a good mattress cover.

I think memory foam is the best and it should be at least two inches thick.

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And really PLEASE get rid of those FLAT pillows.....

you know the ones that are like petrified pancakes

or worse yet Pillows (and I use that term loosely here)

that are lumpy like they are stuffed with old socks or something....and FLAT......and well there is really no other way to put it.......

STINKY!!

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Also about those sheets........

You are sleeping on Egyptian Cotton 1000 thread count right

( Okay so I might be exaggerating....but you get the point )

So why is it your guest is sleeping on sheets that feel like burlap?????

PLEASE DON'T put any sheets on your guests bed that have less than a 350 thread count.

Okay so to recap.......

Mattress Pad, pillows, and sheets.

(Do something about it)

Now lets get back to stinky........

About those pets........

You love your Cat...

You love your Dog.....

You love them so much.....

you are IMMUNE to their odors.

Seriously.....your pet stinks.

So do your guests a favor.

Give them a bath. Wash their bedding. Empty out the cats litter box. Vacuum your furniture.

I mean NO ONE likes the smell of OLD WET DOG.....and I hate to tell you but if you have pets......your house

SMELLS.

I have two dogs and a cat.....trust me.....I know my house gets stinky.

So a few days before I have twenty plus guests..... my little wiener dogs are getting a makeover

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and that cat....well....at least her litter box is in the garage.

YUCK!!!!

Okay so bathe the pets, wash their bedding, vacuum the furniture and empty out that litter box.

So check back tomorrow........YEP there are more things your overnight guests won't tell you.....

But I will......because I like you.....I really like you!!

Acorns, Manzanita and Mantels

2011-11-10T21:35:00.001-08:00

Hmmmm......What is on my mind today?

Acorns and Manzanita.

Of course where I live there are lots of Oak Trees, Pine Trees, Manzanita Trees, Maple Trees, Cypress and even a few Redwoods.

We are almost at 3500 ft elevation so it is an area that is referred to as a mixed forest. It is the perfect elevation before the forest transitions primarily to a coniferous forest. It provides a spectacular fall and then of course in winter we get just the right amount of snow.

This mixed forest affords an amazing opportunity to gather items that a perfect for holiday decor.

There is an abundance of different types of pine cones, berries, leaves, trees and of course acorns. All of these elements can bring texture, color and that little bit of surprise to your table, mantel or even your walls.

My mantel hasn't been decorated for the holidays yet so gathering items for my mantel was top on my list today.

So naturally I looked outside for inspiration and I started gathering things for my mantel.

Once I had gathered some things I got out the white spray paint and went to town painting these Manzanita branches
White.

I used two different colors of white spray paint. A bright white and another color called
Blossom White.

I was really liking how this was starting to look.

In between spraying the Manzanita I took that cute little red basket and went out to gather Acorns. I need quite a few of them and now is the perfect time to find Acorns with those cute little caps in tact.

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I gathered quite a few and now they need to dry so I can use them in my Mason Jars.

If you want to know what you need to do to dry Acorns you can read that here.
HOW TO DRY ACORNS

I will be layering the Acorns in the Mason jars with votive candles.

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After the painted manzanita dried I started assembling my mantel.
Because I haven't painted the wall over the fireplace yet
I felt I needed to have some white on the wall.
(FYI the reason I haven't painted that wall yet is because at the peak of the wall the ceiling is 18 feet high......and Oh my that is really tall and really scary....I hope to attempt it after Thanksgiving.)
I took down a large canvas painting and replaced it with three white framed mirrors.

I also assembled white candles, white pumpkins and clear glass jars.

The secret to a mantel display is to have a focal point and then form a
triangle around that focal point.
The items placed on either side of the focal point can be
symmetrical or asymmetrical
depending on your preference.

Here are a couple of examples:

Symmetrical styled mantel

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Asymmetrical styled mantel

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Aren't these images inspiring!!!

I haven't finished with my mantel yet but here is a picture of what it looks like so far.

I am going to fill the jars with something.....
I just haven't figured out what that something is yet.
I also want to layer some kind of textural element over the wood...
and I haven't figured that out yet either......

But you can be certain that
my mind
will be thinking of several options.

Wednesday Wowzers - A new range

2011-11-09T21:36:00.000-08:00

This post is supposed to be about small changes that make big impact.

But you will have to forgive me because I am so excited.

We made a small change in the kitchen by switching out our 1980's Jenn Air electric range for a

Brand new GE PROFILE GAS RANGE.

Now I will admit that this really isn't a small change

but I was too excited to pass up the opportunity to share.

We found that inch and the new hood has been installed as well as the new refrigerator.

Let the baking begin!!

Woo Hoo!!

Color Obsession Confessions - repost

2011-11-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

This post has been getting a lot of hits. I thought I would repost it. It is great information.

And HECK I LOVE COLOR!!

(and Yes Dad you did see this post before)

Yes it is true. I am obsessed with color. I don't quite remember when it happened but I am fairly certain it started when I was a young girl and wanted to paint my bedroom the color of Orange Sherbet. My mother indulged me and I still remember how the color of the room made me smile every time I entered my very bright orange sherbet room.

I continued expressing my color obsession by always choosing bold colors. I have had bright blue bathrooms, bright yellow bedrooms, blue painted floors, gold rooms, red rooms and more. I honestly think I have used the entire color wheel in my many years of home decorating. When I started interior design school last August I was so thrilled to sign up for Color theory.   I couldn't wait to learn more about color.

I remember feeling pretty innocuous after attending my first class Color Theory class. However as the saying goes "Ignorance is bliss". It was a good thing I didn't know what was in my Color Theory future in terms of work load.   In the end I am so thankful for that work load because I learned so many important things that are imperative to the success of color in design.

One of the most important elements of a well designed space is the use of color. There have been many times I have walked into a room and I could see that something wasn't right.   I have learned that many problems of color in design are because color relationships were not understood or simply ignored. A simple lesson in understanding the Color Wheel and color relationships can help in picking out colors.

If you don't own a color wheel do yourself a favor and get one. They can be found at any art store or craft store and the investment of the few dollars can save you lot of headache.   From now on I will always be carrying with me a Design Kit which will contain many simple but essential things to do my job and the most important thing will probably be that Color Wheel.

One of the very first assignments in Color Theory was to create a Color Wheel.   It sounded simple enough until you realized you could only use 6 acrylic colors in addition to white and black to create all of the colors of the Color Wheel.   I spent many hours mixing colors to get an exact match to the purchased color wheel. The assignment came with no instructions on what colors to mix together to get the match so it was purely trial and error. I learned very quickly to keep track of what colors I mixed together to get a certain color. I also learned that I became less accurate the longer I worked with the colors. But in the end I did create a color wheel that matched the purchased color wheel. It wasn't perfect but it was close and I received a 96 out of a 100.

I wish we would have been allowed to create a Color Wheel in abstract like Kandinsky did here. Isn't the relationship between the colors stunning?

If you understand the relationships between the colors on the wheel and adhere to a few simple guidelines it will help when you pick out color schemes for your home.

It is simple enough to understand primary colors which are

Red

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Yellow

Image by Vicki's Nature via Flickr

Blue

www. pacificheightsplace.com

Secondary Colors which are Orange, Green and Violet are made by mixing two primary colors. Tertiary Colors are Red Orange, Yellow Orange, Yellow Green, Blue Green, Blue Violet and Red Violet. Tertiary colors are made by mixing a Primary and a Secondary Color. The basic colors of the color wheel starting at the top are Red, Red Orange, Orange, Yellow Orange, Yellow, Yellow Green, Green, Blue Green, Blue, Blue Violet, Violet, and ending at Red Violet. I fondly refer to the colors in this cool little code now ie: Red=R, Red Orange=RO, Orange =O, Yellow Orange=YO.....and so on. It is little like Color short hand.

The next thing to understand are the terms of analogous, complementary, split complementary, monochromatic, Tetrad, Triad. In my next several blogs I will go over these terms and share with you images of spaces that have incorporated these color schemes.

Check out these amazing spaces. See if you can figure out what type of color scheme was used.

http://tobifairley.com/portfolio/inverness-circle/

Mary McDonald

Tobi Fairley

Fashion is on my mind!

2011-11-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

Update for college by dminarik featuring wool sweaters

So fashion is on my mind at the moment.

This is not something I usually discuss....but I am thinking I need a wardrobe makeover and have been playing with a site called

Polyvore

It is a lot like a site called

Pinterest

Both of these sites are

FUN, FUN, FUN!!

You can create inspiration boards or use these sites to seek inspiration.

Hmmmm.........can you say

SHOPPING TRIP!!!!

Progress, Promise and SNOW

2011-11-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

The weekend breezed by and last night I looked at the calendar a I realized Thanksgiving will be here in a little over two weeks. Yikes!!!!

It was a busy weekend full of progress, promise and
SNOW!!

All the new appliances that we got on sale are being delivered sometime today. Numerous things are still on the to do list. However on top of the to do list for this weekend was to remove the 1980 circa Jenn Air Range and to install the new hood that goes over the range.

I will admit I thought taking out the range was going to be an all day affair.
As it turned out the range was removed in less than two hours.

So if you ever want to know how to take out a range here is what you need to do.

1. Shut off the power at the panel.
2. Make sure you have shut the power off at the panel.
3. Ask several times "Are you sure you shut the power off at the panel?"
4.Find the wiring.

5. Get a voltage meter and set to correct current.

5. Make sure you know the difference between
AC and DC
.....no not the band...
I mean Direct Current and Alternating Current
Batteries are DC while the electricity in your home is AC.
7. Once you have the voltage meter set to the correct current check the wiring by putting the probe on the exposed wires.
If the voltage meter doesn't move that means there is no power.

8. Then you are safe to clip the wires.

9. Stand very far away as the husband clips the wires and
close your eyes
just in case something
bad happens.

I am happy to report nothing bad happened!!

I was certainly nervous but my husband was in control and of course he had a little helper to make sure he was doing everything right.

Woo Hoo!!!
The range is out and new appliances will be delivered sometime today.

Now about that hood
........hmmmmm.......
well that didn't make it off the to do list because we ran into a little problem.
It is called inches.....
At the moment we are looking for one extra inch.
Yep there is one inch that means the difference of this hood fitting or not.

Heck we took an oven out......
finding an extra inch will be a
piece of cake.

Remember those 31 days of prepping for the Holidays.......
well we are actually on day 38......
But who's counting.....
right?

@noreplycomment.....WHAT THE HECK????

2011-11-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Do you ever just talk to yourself?

Sometimes writing a blog is like that. I write and write and write and I hear nothing except the clicking of the keys on the keyboard.

HELLO OUT THERE!!!

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I know my blog is getting read by the number of hits and page views....

but I couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting very many comments.

Of course that was until today.

I have a friend who had stated she had sent me numerous comments and was feeling sad because I haven't replied.

Now this friend...and she knows who she is...isn't the most tech savvy person so I just assumed they were probably in her email drafts and she wouldn't even know that.

She of course knows I say that with love and affection!!

But today I decided I better figure this out.

Now I am not by any stretch a tech savvy person......but what I do have is some

MAD DETECTIVE SKILLS

and I am

VERY CURIOUS

which helps a lot.

I also have always figured that I am not going to break something and if I screw it up it can always be fixed or undone. So with that no fear attitude I have stumbled my way through setting up a blog, a website, posting, editing, tweeting, html codes, widgets, stats, rss, feedburner, xml, badges and a host of other things I really have no clue on how it works....but I just somehow stumble my way through it and

VOILA

somehow magically there is a blog that I write that gets published and have a website that somehow is active.

But alas I am not perfect (who would have thought) and evidently somewhere along the line I have

made a mistake

So here is the scoop......for some reason my comment emails were going to some funky address labeled @noreplycomment.blogger...so something to that effect.

So first off let me

apologize

to everyone who may have been leaving comments and did not get them acknowledged by me. I believe I have fixed the issue but what I still am having a problem with is when I receive a comment ..... I can't respond directly to you because it says your reply email address is also @noreplycomment......

What the heck????

So until I figure this out.....the only way I can reply is by leaving a comment on my blog and then of course you won't know I have replied unless you read the comments.....

okay that is nutty and I have to get it fixed.

So I will try to fix this issue.

Also for those of you who are getting the blog in your email and reading it in the email. Here is a little secret if you click on the title of the blog in the email

A MIND ON DESIGN

or the title of the post for example the one that was titled

22 words

this takes you to my website and then you can read the blog in its most

PRETTIEST

form....and well you know how I like pretty.

(I mean this kitchen defines PRETTY pretty nicely......don't you think?)

So I have some work to do in order to fix some of these issues

Also in case you were still wondering.....

YEP

I am still

PAINTING!!!

And I am getting

pretty

good at it too....hahaha!!

Knock Knock Knock~Wednesday Wowzers

2011-11-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Wowzers is all about the "Doors"

Not those Doors ( although I LOVE those Doors)

but I am talking about the Doors in your home.

Seriously one way you can make a small change that has

BIG IMPACT

is to do something fun, exciting and

COLORFUL

to your doors.

All it takes is a quart of paint and a little courage

"To break on through to the other side"

Check out these striking, stunning and breathtaking Doors.

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I want to knock knock knock on these Doors.....

Don't you?

22 words

2011-11-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

.........The long and winding road.........

......The hare and the Tortoise.......

.......Never Give Up.....

........Do what you love and love what you do.........

These 22 words pretty much describe my journey to this point in my life. There are of course

LOTS OF DETAILS

in between these 22 words and eventually I will write down all those details and share them with whoever will read them.

The thing is I really believe in those 22 words...and their meanings

and along with an amazing supporting family and a

LOVING ENCOURAGING HUSBAND

I have had the courage to follow my dream.

My dream of course is to finish college and to get a degree in

INTERIOR DESIGN.

I went back to school in August of 2010 to take a few prerequisites at the local community college.

It was such a fantastic experience. I have made some new life long friends.

In addition I learned that I really can

DESIGN!!

So that takes me to now. I applied to Sacramento State in August. I recently received notice I was accepted and on January 23 my new adventure begins.

The Sacramento State Campus is next to the American River.

It is a beautiful campus!! I know I will be doing what I love and loving what I do. I am super excited.

Hmmmm......now the big question is what to wear?

I am thinking a shopping trip is coming my way.

And you know how I love to shop.

Day 31 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays -31 Lessons Learned

2011-10-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo it is Day 31 of this challenge.
I accepted a challenge to blog for 31 days straight. And well I don't know what it is but

I LOVE A CHALLENGE!!

So I blogged away about 31 days of prepping for the Holidays.

I had a long to do list. Many many things were accomplished. But more important than crossing items off the list were the lessons I learned over the
31 days.

(Each item is a link to the post that taught me the lesson)

· Prime

· Patience is a virtue

· Seek inspiration

· Learn from others

· Don’t over analyze

· Embrace color

· It is only paint

· Be flexible

· Buy when things are on sale

· If you think it is PINK….then it is PINK

· Caulk

· Give Thanks

· Face your fears

· Two cords of wood is a LOT of wood

· I like to paint

· I love wallpaper

· Your future is just as you’ve imagined

· Shop on the internet

· It is okay to take a day off now and again

· It is okay to cry over paint

· Singing the Barney Clean up song makes cleaning fun

· Train Wreck is good

· Soil grounds me

· I am not crazy

· There is no such thing as “WHITE” paint

· Ladders can be a big help

· A little confusion is good

· I love all kinds of cocktails

· Keep it simple

· I love the South

And the most important lesson I have learned over these 31 days is

DO WHAT YOU LOVE……..AND LOVE WHAT YOU DO.

I love blogging.....I love design

I love what I am doing.

Thank you so much for reading along.

So tomorrow I want to share my excitement about a new adventure coming my way soon.

It has been a long time dream of mine to finish getting my degree so I can continue to do what I love. Who knows what new doors will open for me as I start there this coming January as a junior.

Yep I was accepted to Sac State!!

Oh yeah.....

ONE MORE BIG LESSON....

NEVER GIVE UP!!!!

Day 30 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - The menu -Southern inspired

2011-10-31T00:44:00.000-07:00

Ever since my visit to Savannah and Charleston a couple of years ago I have been infatuated with

THE SOUTH!!

What is it about the south that has grabbed my soul?

The Architecture.....definitely

The landscape......definitely

That Spanish moss and beautiful parks.......definitely

and then there is the food

So along with a Thanksgiving theme of

"Simply Gorgeous"

which will include white pumpkins, a newly painted creamy white living room, Mason jars and a simple warm inviting tablescape the Menu will be

SOUTHERN INSPIRED.

At the moment these are some of the dishes being contemplated:

And heck because I can....lets start with dessert first.

Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake

is looking pretty promising.

Click for recipe

of course then there is
CORNBREAD DRESSING

Click for recipe

and how about and
Apple Bourbon Turkey and Gravy

Click for recipe

Are you getting hungry yet?

What are you going to serve for Thanksgiving?

Day 29 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays ~ Keep it Simple

2011-10-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

So have I told you yet I am a VERY slow painter.....yep I am STILL painting that living room....geez one would think I was channeling Michelangelo or something.

Well the good thing is while painting away my mind has the opportunity to think of all kinds of things. Since I seem to have a one track mind at the moment I was up on that ladder thinking about my Thanksgiving table and how I was going to decorate it. I suppose I could have been thinking about something a tad bit more important....but nope my mind was fixated on

Thanksgiving Table Settings.

A series of little things happened which led me to a fabulous conclusion.

It was like a chain reaction in my little ole brain.

Here is what happened:

While taking a little break from painting I was in serious contemplation and reached into the kitchen cupboard for a glass to get a drink of water. I got out a glass which in our house is a Mason jar. I happened to look up on a display shelf and sitting there all nice and pretty are three antique mason jars. I looked out into that living room that used to be dark and dank and saw nothing but creamy white walls. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw one of my favorite wall decors.

It says

"Keep It Simple"

Then I had an epiphany of sorts. Hmmm.....why don't I just keep it simple.

Mason jars, White pumpkins, creamy white walls, and a simple inviting warm table scape.

Here are some of my inspiration photos.

image credit

There is just something so simple and devine about Mason Jars.

image credit

"SIMPLY GORGEOUS"

Yep that is my theme for the holidays.

How do you decorate your holiday table?

Day 28 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays -Favorite Cocktails for the Holidays

2011-10-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

So I am still painting away but while I am up on that ladder my mind does wander and today I was thinking about what kind of Cocktails to serve for the Holidays.

Here are some of my favorites.

Cranberry Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients

8 tablespoons Cointreau, chilled
12 teaspoons frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1 750-ml bottle Champagne, chilled
8 fresh or frozen cranberries

Preparation

Place 1 tablespoon Cointreau and 1 1/2 teaspoons cranberry juice concentrate in each of 8 Champagne flutes. Top with Champagne. Drop 1 cranberry into each cocktail and serve.

CLASSIC GIN AND TONIC

The Classic T&T

1.25 oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin
4 oz high-quality Tonic Water (try Fever Tree)
Fresh Lime Wedges

Squeeze the juice of a lime wedge into the bottom of tapered modern highball glass. Fill the glass two-thirds with ice, then add the gin and tonic water. Stir well. Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, drop another wedge in the glass and serve. Best enjoyed reclining on a sofa or lounge chair, or on the grass under a tall shade tree.

Link to Gin and Tonic Recipe

Of course........ last but not least

TEQUILA GIMLET

Ingredients

2 ounces Tequila ( A good Reposado)
4 ice cubes
1 teaspoon of Cointreau
Twist of lime zest
1/2 of Sweetened lime juice

Directions

In a pitcher or a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, lime juice and the ice cubes and stir or shake 20 times. Place the Cointreau in a chilled cocktail glass, swirl it around to coat the inside of the glass, and discard it. Strain the tequila into the glass. Place the twist of lime perch it on the rim of the glass, and serve at once.

What cocktails are you going to serve for the Holidays?

Day 27 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - A Sybil Moment

2011-10-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

My living room is having a Sybil moment.

But her true personality will soon be revealed.

The right side of the walls have been painted and I am ready to move on to the left side of the room.

So as you can see I still have a lot of work ahead of me.

And yes before you ask the question.......I do intend on painting the ceiling and the beams however that will be Phase 2 because it will need to be sprayed.....and I need to practice (PLAY) outside with my paint sprayer

before I bring those newly learned skills inside.

But I have to say although there is a lot going on in the room......I know it is going to look amazing when it is completed.

Goodbye Cabin......Hello Cottage!!

I would love to hear your comments and questions.

(And can you believe I photographed my house in this state.)

DAY 26 OF 31 DAYS OF PREPPING FOR THE HOLIDAYS - GONE PAINTING

2011-10-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

I AM PAINTING AWAY.

I will be back tomorrow with a progress report.

Good news is we are loving the color!!!

Weekly Wowzers - Wallpaper makes a BIG IMPACT

2011-10-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

To be honest until recently I was never a fan of wallpaper. I always felt it was too permanent and since I have a tendency to change my mind quite often I felt it would be limiting.

Hmmm.....boy was I wrong!!

Wallpaper can add that little extra oomph to a space and I am so happy I decided to finally venture into the world of "Oomph"

I recently hung wallpaper in the guest bathroom and the master bathroom....and seriously if I can do it
....you can too!!

It also doesn't have to cost a fortune!! I always thought wallpaper was expensive but really it isn't in the grand scheme of things.

In the guest bathroom I went with a real simple cream white ceramic tile and and a decorator strip with an embossed feature outlined in black pencil. The entire room is black and cream white but it needed a little oomph so I added an embossed wallpaper.

The wallpaper totally makes the room and I found it at Lowes for $22.00 a roll. I did the entire bathroom with two rolls for a total cost of $44.00. I also had some left and will be lining the vanity drawers.

In the master bedroom I hung a faux grasscloth. I am really loving the way it turned out and again it only took two rolls for a whopping $44.00 bucks.

These are simple patterns and so the matching was pretty easy. They are prepasted and although I used additional paste it really isn't necessary.....I just have a tendency to "always be prepared" It is that girl scout curse.

Look at these amazing rooms......They are definitely WOWZER Spaces and it is the wallpaper that makes the difference.

image credit

Image credit

Image credit

So step out of your comfort zone find a space you feel you can tackle and go for it!!

Make a WOWZER statement with wallpaper.

Day 25 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - Making progress

2011-10-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

Well I did it.....after much encouragement from my husband

I opened that can of paint!!

However I have to confess I opened a bunch of other cans of paint too!!

Wow I am telling you color is such an amazing thing!!!

And I am always amazed how unpredictable color can be.

I wanted to make sure I was committed to the White Sand so I tried a few other colors.

I put Linen white on the wall and while it is a lovely white it just seemed too harsh.

Linen white 912

White linen will probably be the trim and ceiling color.

I also tried Navajo White

Navajo White 947
It had a little more color than the linen white but I was certain this was not the one...so Navajo White was nixed as well.

I happened to have two gallons of Behr paint in Haze so I put that on the wall as well.

Haze was quickly eliminated....ugh!!

So I looked at that White Sand and painted it on three walls and then sat back and watched the paint dry.....yes I mean I really sat and watched the paint dry.

White sand oc-10
It changed from a plaster white to a beautiful creamy white as it dried.

Also as the light changed in the room it was a really complex color that changed from warm white to a neutral taupe.

My husband and I sat and stared at those walls and finally agreed we were sold.......
and the full on painting began.

I think that the Benjamin Moore description of White Sand describes the color perfectly.

"This versatile off-white captures subtle shifts of light, much like the dunes along the shoreline. White Sand is a soothing tone that will warm up any interior."

Tomorrow there will be lots of painting and a lot of progress!!!

Woo Hoo!!!

Day 24 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - It is confirmed

2011-10-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend was spent enjoying a visit from my daughter along with some serious wine research.

It was a great weekend and a much needed break.

But yikes as I look at the calendar and realize that there is only one week left in the month

I have serious doubts if I will be able to finish all that was intended.

The paint debacle has really thrown a kink in the works and today I needed to take the wrong paint back to the store and figure out how it was going to be resolved.

First of all

it has been confirmed

I am not

crazy.

Because let me tell you I was really thinking I had lost it because of the paint.

And thank god I have enough sense not to video these events because somehow someway I think that video might have ended up on the news and someone would be saying

"Film at eleven"

and my children would promptly change their last names.

Oh yeah.....the reason I am

NOT CRAZY

is because the paint store confirmed that indeed the paint had been mixed wrong.

The very day I purchased the paint their machine was evidently not dropping enough

red into the paint.

(Hence the reason for that yucky icky green undertone.)

It is a computerized system which has to be calibrated correctly and if not.....you end up with a

BAD BATCH OF PAINT.

I wonder sometimes why am I the lucky one to have

weird things like this happen.....

a little too often!!

The paint store did the best they could and ended up crediting me 4 cans of paint or the equivalent of about $225.00.

Now if I could find a painter that would take the job for $225.00 all would be right in the world.

So to be on the safe side I had the paint store make up only one can of the paint.

Now I really intended to start painting today

but

I am afraid to open that can of paint.

So all day long that paint can sat on the floor and I just looked at it.

I wonder if I will be brave enough to open the can of paint tomorrow?

Day 23 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - Winter outdoor containers

2011-10-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

I currently have no formal landscaping and since it is too late up in the mountains to do any landscaping I decided to put cool weather plants in my outdoor containers that will provide some much needed

COLOR!!

So today on day 23 of prepping for the Holidays I did something that I love....

I got my hands in the dirt and instantly felt grounded.

It is such a weird feeling but when I am planting I am in another world.

I am so content, relaxed and at peace.

So after all that digging and planting I got 12 of my outdoor containers filled with

ornamental cabbage and pansies.

Woo Hoo!!....I am so excited to watch these pretties grow!!

I have never planted ornamental cabbage before but I just love the way it looks.

These are some of my inspiration images for ornamental cabbage.

Image Credit

I think the color and texture of these plants are amazing!!

Day 22 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - WINE RESEARCH

2011-10-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

There was a lot of studying going on today.

We put in a full 5 hours of complete concentration of the subject matter.

(and don't we look good after all that hard work)

There was a lot of material to learn.

We learned very good lessons.

There were some thought provoking moments!!

All and all it was a great day and we came away with some great wines.......

The bad news is they didn't make it through the night......

The wine is from Newsome Harlow and is appropriately called Train Wreck

To get some more information on what I consider to be the best wine in Calaveras County

click here

NEWSOME HARLOW.....AN AWESOME WINERY

The good news is it just means we have to do some more research

AGAIN!!

WOO HOO!!

Day 21 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays - Clean up Clean up

2011-10-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

All day long I have been singing the

BARNEY CLEAN UP SONG.......

Clean up Clean up

Clean up clean up everybody everywhere. Clean up clean up everybody do your
share.

Does anyone else remember that song ..... or am I the only dork????

That song has been stuck in my head all day.

Today was clean up day....and boy does it feel good.

It was nice to be able to clean the house and then look around

(even though I don't like the paint colors)

and realize that we really have accomplished a lot.

My daughter who is away at college is coming home for the weekend. So the prepping for the holidays will consist of wine tasting to find some really spectacular wines for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I will be back tomorrow with some pictures from the wineries we will be visiting in the area and a report on some newly discovered wines.

Day 20 of 31 days of prepping for the Holidays ~ CRYING OVER PAINT

2011-10-21T00:25:00.000-07:00

I am beyond frustrated and actually have tears running down my cheeks.

I wish I was kidding about the tears but crap the paint colors for this project have really put me to the test.

I am usually pretty good about picking color but for some reason in this house I am having major problems.

If you recall the kitchen has been painted. When we started painting it we chose a color called

White Sand by Benjamin Moore

I had bought a sample of the White sand and painted some in the living room along with two other samples one being Linen White

the other being Cedar Key

There were other colors we had also sampled but they don't even make honorable mention.....so I won't mention them....bottom line they were in the "What was I thinking" category.

So after much discussion it was decided we would paint White Sand in both the kitchen and living room since they open onto one another. Off to the paint store we went and to get two gallons of the White Sand for the wall and one gallon of Linen White for the ceiling and trim. We decided to tackle the kitchen first. Once we started painting the kitchen I couldn't figure it out but the White Sand had an icky green undertone.

I couldn't understand it because it didn't have that undertone in samples

we had painted in the living room.

I wish I would have taken pictures.....

( shame on me....that is a bloggers golden rule....take pictures and take pictures of disasters)

At any rate we abandoned using the White Sand in the kitchen.

It was agreed that we would try Cedar key in the kitchen and use the White Sand in the living room. So the kitchen was painted Cedar Key. Almost immediately my husband had voiced a concern that the Cedar Key had a pinky undertone. I did see a pinky undertone in certain areas but I convinced myself that the Cedar Key would look AMAZING once I had the pictures hung and the room accessorized.

Well guess what.....the kitchen has been painted the pictures are hung and some accessorizing has been added and

HOLD ONTO YOUR SEATS

that pinky undertone is just not working.

It isn't so bad in the daylight...but at night it looks

worse than pink .....it is bordering

LAVENDER!

The thought of repainting the kitchen makes me want to runaway...but there is no way around it....

we don't like it.......It just doesn't work. It is going to be repainted....I am not sure when but the kitchen isn't going to be Cedar Key for very long.

And now this brings me back to the White Sand.....the color that looked great in the living room.

Tonight I decided to paint three little walls and start getting that color into the living room. Mind you I had already painted quite a bit on a sample wall.

But I didn't start on that already partially painted wall.

Holy Moly..Sometimes I wonder how my mind works......but that would take too long to figure out.

Okay to make a long painful story short as I finish painting the first wall there is no denying it. This paint has an icky green undertone!!!

What the heck??? I mean seriously what the heck??

I did have a luminaire that is fitted with a fluorescent lamp shining onto the wall so I am thinking it has to be the lighting that is making this paint have an icky green undertone......because as I look onto the other wall where I had paint the sample White Sand it looks great...I mean really great.

So I think to myself maybe when this color dries it will look like the White Sand I know and love......hmmmm.....no such like....even dry it has an icky green undertone.

Oh Oh.......I realize I am starting to get upset.....I can feel those damn tears!!

I get myself together and decide to paint the wall that was painted with the sample White Sand. This wall was the test wall and has many large areas covered with the sample White Sand.

SO GUESS WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I PAINTED THE WHITE SAND FROM THE NEW GALLON OVER THE EXISTING WHITE SAND THAT I HAD PAINTED FROM THE SAMPLE PINT?

Yep you guessed it!!

The White Sand from the new gallon did not match the White Sand from the sample pint.

Are you kidding me I say to myself.........There was something wrong with the new paint. So I go get my paint chip and do something I should have done long ago......I take the paint and dab it onto the paint chip.......and yep you guessed it......

IT HAS AN ICKY GREEN UNDERTONE

Holy Moly........the paint had been mixed wrong!!!!

So the tears start rolling and I realize what a dummy I have been. I never compared the paint chip with the color on top of the can.......I mean that is an amateur mistake!!

So at some point in the next few days when I get myself together......I get to bring back the two gallons of

BAD

paint and start all over again.

So now I need to focus on the positive ....

Hmmm.......What are the positives????

1. I am going to be a very good painter.

2. I am very good at seeing icky green undertones.

3. If someone wants a pinky beige that looks lavender at night I know what color to suggest.

And one final positive thing is "AFTER ALL........

TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY!!"