This weekend, Colleen and I are heading down to the beach for a time of fun and relaxation.  Actually, if you want to get technical, I am already here.  And as I sit here drinking my morning coffee and enjoying the salty air and fragrance of gardenias nearby, I am counting my blessings.  I am very aware that not everyone has the freedom (financial and personally) to be able to travel to a beautiful place like this.  I am particularly cognizant of this right now because of the fact that I am also leaving for Europe soon and I feel so lucky to be able to have such an amazing experience.  And I almost feel a little too indulgent.  But mostly I just feel incredibly thankful and blessed.

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Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend!  Happy Memorial Day!

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Lately I have been very drawn to greens being used in entertaining and weddings.  I think that it feels so fresh.  When I was researching greens to use for the garland at the Irish Rehearsal dinner I helped design,  I found one in particular that I kind of feel in love with…the eucalyptus.  Eucalyptus has has an interesting scent that when I saw this cocktail, I thought that may just be super refreshing.  A little different with the use of egg whites and the need to make simple syrup with eucalyptus leaves.  But certainly perfect for inspiring a lovely little wedding.

Image credits  1  2  3  4  5  6  7

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I have found myself oohing and ahing over architectural detailing and particularly elaborate molding treatments for as long as I can remember.   As fate would have it, my house has absolutely none.  In fact, there wasn’t even molding around my windows when I moved in.  My dad and I have already installed a simple crown molding in the main area downstairs along with window casing, however, I often find myself itching to add more more.  I have been thinking about my bedroom in particular because, to me, it still feels kind of sad and unfinished.  The problem is that the molding treatment options I am thinking about might seem like too much.  So I wanted to ask y’alls opinion.

Here is my bedroom again for those who haven’t seen it and to remind those that have…

As you can see in the first picture, there are some weirdo angles in the ceiling because of the way my house is shaped.  Would that make a molding treatment cooler or not so good lookin?

Here are the molding treatments I am looking at…

Option one (my favorite) from Bijou and Boheme

Option 2- Board and Batten from Thrifty Decor Chick

I think doing either of these would be a huge job because I would also need to find a way to beef up my tiny baseboards for sure.  I most likely won’t be doing it any time soon.  Also keep in mind that I have no crown molding in my bedroom and because of the weird ceiling angles, will never be having crown molding in my bedroom.

What do y’all think?  Would a molding treatment be too much for a bedroom.  Would there be anyway future (dumb) homebuyers would hate it?  Should I just put it down in my family room like regular people?  Thoughts?

Also, don’t tell my dad I am thinking about doing this because he will want to kill me.

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Our dining table has been in my family since I was little.  There is even proof in the form of lovely Megan and Colleen drawings underneath the table from when we thought it was cute to draw on furniture (definitely no longer cute).  I was using it in my old apartment as a small kitchen table that I painted black right before grad school and was planning on getting a new dining table sometime soon, but when I realized that we still had the leaf, it seemed like a good idea to prolong its life for just a bit longer.  And also, mostly, to save me money.  Since I have been spending money like it is my job, saving money where I can is necessary.  Jenny from Little Green Notebook has been professing her love for oil-based paints recently for their ability to make things nice and shiny and lacquery.  Specifically these which come pre-mixed for like $10 bucks a can.  I figured this was the perfect time to try them out.

Below is the lovely before form.  Note that the leaf was not painted the same as the other pieces.  Keeping it classy around here.  I decided to go white, although I was thisclose to the green color.  White seemed nice and crisp.  Beware though – white oil-based paints can often turn out yellowy over time.  Since this was so cheap and easy I figured it didn’t really matter if I had to repaint before we replaced it.  Basically I just sanded the table really well, wiped down, and then painted.  Oil-based paints kind of go on like nail polish, so be careful to not overwork it.  If you are planning to use oil-based paint, read Jenny’s post for expert advice as I am no expert.  While I was painting, these little bubbles kept showing up.  Even though I wasn’t supposed to overbrush the paint, I kind of lightly brushed over the bubbles to get rid of them.  Not sure if this is typical or not, but they did show up after the first coat dried when I didn’t get them out.  The second coat dried nice and even, after I got rid of the bubbles.  Sorry about all the talk about bubbles.  Let dry for about 24 hours between coats, and I just used a relatively crappy brush that I could throw away afterwards because apparently the paint is really hard to clean off.  You need mineral spirits and jazz.

I think it looks pretty fantastic, particularly with our new rug that is still on sale and these super comfy World Market chairs.  Pica is not quite as impressed, although she does like the rug.

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