Friday, August 30, 2013

Links to Love.



What a rainy and miserable day here on the island. I'd love to stay in my jammies all day but my classroom is crying out for some organization and decorating so I'll be spending the day there getting ready for next week. It's getting very real.. back to school!

For today's post I thought I'd share some links I've enjoyed recently from around the web.

We still have no idea what kind of wedding to have (ie no plans!) but here are some ideas for parties we should be having instead of weddings.

Speaking of weddings, forget the color palette!

Did you watch the VMAs? Poor Miley.. If you are a Breaking Bad fan like me, you'll have a giggle over this.



Two videos about love that made my heart burst this week. One just beginning and the other of the everlasting kind.

I'm so enjoying following the progress on decorating Alaina's living room. I love neutrals and she does it so well. Plus, that gallery wall takes skills!

In case you missed them, you can check out my post about the new runners in the hallway or see the sneak peek of our engagement photo.

Ok. Jokes over.. time to get to school! I'll be back next week with my simple version of an inspiration board and my West Elm abstract art hack.

Have a great long weekend!



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Runners for the Hallway.

Are you tired of hearing about my staircase revamp yet? I have to talk about it just one last time. A few months ago I ordered two runners from Urban Outfitters. It was the first time I've bought anything from there and I was a bit skeptical of the quality seeing as they were only $39 each (perhaps there were on sale when I ordered them because now they are $49). They shipped for free and arrived very quickly. I took them out of the box and to my delight they seemed to be well made with no visible defects. No complaints on this end, especially for the price. I would definitely try ordering from Urban Outfitters again.

Anyhoo.. I tucked them away, deciding not to put them out until I tackled the painting of the staircase. A little reward in the end for my hard work.. or a little motivation to get started, however you want to look at it!

Here is the rug in the downstairs hall. 



Beaufort was quite curious to know what I was taking a photo of.


Then he wouldn't get out of the shot. Insisting the door should really be closed.


There. That's better. Now he can get on board, showing off his good side:)


Here is a look at the other rug in the upstairs hall.



The runners are a flat weave and needed a rug pad to stay in place. I purchased a 5 x 8 pad and cut it in two. Feels quite nice underfoot.Cozies up the space a bit doesn't it? Now if I can just to keep them clean!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Our Photoshoot.

Thanks for all your comments on the staircase revamp! It was a big job but I'm thrilled to have it finished and very pleased with the results. I'm so glad my readers like it too!

I planned to be back to blogging last week but the staircase reveal ended up being my only post. It was a beautiful week and I wanted to soak up some time outside before I head back to work. However, another reason for my absence was that I was busy getting my house ready for a photo shoot! It has been much too long since I've updated my house tour so I asked my friend Rachel of Rachel Peters Photography to come take some photos of my home. This is a busy time of year for her with weddings but I was thrilled that she was willing to squeeze me in!

What's a photo shoot without flowers! Here are a few little vignettes from around the house the day of from my iphone. Really looking forward to seeing the ones she took!



Lots of baby's breath. After years of viewing it with disdain, I think it's so pretty now. A friend reminded me that 20 years ago we used to stick it in our french braids for special occasions. Stylin'!


More pretty purple ones. My prediction is that lavender is going to take us all by storm soon. 
It's everywhere!


While she was here, we were also able to talk Stephane into a few engagement photos. He was a good sport and it ended up being a very relaxed and fun experience. Here is a little sneak peek that she shared on her Facebook page. We were thrilled that Beaufort was included in some of the shots.


Rachel is so full of passion and enthusiasm for what she does that it's contagious. Even the most camera shy person will feel comfortable with her behind the lens. She experiences her surroundings with a keen eye and you can actually see the ideas and creativity brewing in her eyes as she works or speaks about her work. The mark of and excellent photographer and of someone who is lucky enough to truly love what they do.

If you are getting married or just want to have some photos done, I wholeheartedly recommend her. Visit her blog or her Facebook page and you'll be inspired!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Staircase Revamp Reveal!

I can't even believe that my last post was August 1st! I planned to take the week off during our trip to Florida, then the following week slipped away from me as well and here were are Tuesday the 20th of August! Where did the summer go? Very shortly, I'll be back into school getting my classroom ready for the year.

The good news is that during my blogging break I finished the staircase! 


Let me tell you, I've never been so happy to have a project finished in my life. It was way more time consuming than I ever imagined and I will say it here and now - I am never painting another staircase for as long as a live! Ever.
A lot of projects have been tackled in this little old home but this one takes the cake. Not stripping layers of wallpaper, not chiseling away at tar tiles in the kitchen, not replacing 23 windows and a door.. Nope. Painting a staircase is the worst!

So enough with my rant. Let's take a look back. Here is the staircase before. It was made of orangey Douglas Fir wood and the varnish had become sticky over time. It stuck out like a sore thumb against the light maple treads and the light color palette of the rest of the home.


I washed down the wood really well, making sure to get rid of all the sticky varnish (I actually used Scotch Brite) followed by a light sanding. Next up was taping, which was certainly a job in itself. I used Frog tape around each post then went back around and pushed down the tape to prevent any leaks.



The first coat was with Bin 123 primer. I swear by the stuff when you are painting over wood as it really seals well but it's oil based with means you have to be really careful about drips and leaks under tape.



I assumed that after all was primed two good coats would be sufficient. Well, I thought wrong. After my second coat I realized it would need another. I'll tell you the truth...  I cried a little. I also silently hated Steph for getting to go to work while I was stuck painting. Woe me.

Imagine my pain when the third coat still didn't cover. I had a to do a fourth and the posts got a fifth! Yesterday, with great pleasure, I got to take the tape off. I discovered only a couple of leaks and was pretty happy to stand back and look at all my hard work.


While I was at it, I also have the risers a fresh coat as well. They really take a beating which made me consider putting a runner. I think it would be awesome but could be costly and I'm unsure if I could find something I like around here. Could be worth a look.



Here is a view of the painting railing upstairs too. Unfortunately I forgot to take a before shot but the change is quite dramatic!



Here are a few more from before. I can't get over how much the white brightens up the hallways. I had learned to turn a blind eye to the wood but it really didn't suit my style. Plus, now I really love the light maple treads. I always felt it looked funny that they didn't match before and now I think they are perfect against the white.




Just for fun, here is a big before from when I bought the house. I can hardly recognize it now!


What's next? Actually, right now I'm taking the time to do a little deep cleaning before I head back to work and sitting back and enjoying the finished product. All the while, dreaming up my next project...:)

Back soon!

Linking up to Serenity Now.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Staircase Update.

Thought I'd give you a little update on the stairs today. What a job! I knew it was going to be a bit of a pain but it's been more work than I imagined. So much taping, nooks and crannies to get paint into and much worry about drips and splatters.

Being off in the summer is wonderful and I am thankful I have the time to invest in getting it done. But yesterday was so beautiful after a week of rain and clouds that I put my paintbrushes away and hit the beach for the afternoon. It was wonderful!

Here is a look at my progress taken along the way. You may have seen some of these already if you follow me on Instagram.

Lots of tedious taping around each baluster. 



A coat of primer finished. I used Zinnser Bin primer. It's oil based so harder to work with but it's really the best product when you are painting over wood.



I started the first of hopefully only two coats of semi-gloss paint yesterday. I'm not thrilled with the coverage but I'm starting to see what the end result will be. So far, I think it's going to be worth it!



A few of you asked in my first post about the staircase, what I was doing with the stair treads. When I had all the floors refinished in the house 5 years ago, I had the stair treads done then. Which would explain why they were so light next to the handrails, posts and balusters. I plan to leave them as is and love the way they look next to the white. I'm praying to the diy Gods that I don't get to much paint on them in the process!

The unfortunate fact is that it's now going to be put on hold for a bit. For good reason though! We are heading to Florida on Saturday for the week! Here's hoping we don't melt in the heat! I had hoped to finish before we left but too much to do and people to see before we head out on Saturday. I'll have to settle with one coat for now.