Let's orange it up!

I'm in an orange mood these days. I would dare to call myself a blue girl, a grey girl, definitely a white girl, and sometimes even a pink girl, but I don't think I ever would have said orange.

Maybe it is the feeling of Fall in the air? Whatever it is, it's inspiring me. I don't think I can make it work for me, but I'm thinking my Mom and Dad's family room is going to get a healthy dose of it!

Here is some orange to brighten your day:)

These stairways make me think my entryway needs a punch of color.

Although, I think you need to be careful with orange and black. Halloween ruined it forever.

These front doors. They totally work year round but it makes me want to paint mine, even just for October.

via Pure Style Home

via Martha Stewart

I can think of a project for this fabric. I'm thinking gorgeous pillows on my Mom's new couch.

May not be in the budget though...

schumacher

Oooh, and paired with this rug. Perfection!

And a couple of martini side tables from West Elm! Well, maybe to mod for Mom, but very cool.

Anyone out there getting married? May I convince you that you should wear orange shoes with your wedding dress? And your bridesmaids should have these adorable clutches from Emersonmade.

I love the punch of orange in these rooms. Just enough to make an impact.

via mae brunken designs

via sfgirlbybay

I used to think that a punch of orange was enough. This room begs to differ.

Four walls papered in a beautiful burnt orange = perfection.

via cococozy

For me, I'll just take a couple of these Hermes boxes. I don't even need anything inside - just the boxes please :)

via apartment therapy

via apartment therapy

It has been a busy week being back to school with my new students. Loving them, by the way!
Although, I did set aside some time to blog, I didn't get a chance to finish any of the posts I started. I'll be back soon talking about my new love for ORANGE. Also, I'm going to need some help picking some fabric for an upcoming project.

Stick with me:)

Jane

Shed Reveal!

Those of you who have been following from the beginning know about the shed. I started my summer holidays thinking I'd get to work on it right away and it would be done.
Yeah right. Mosquitos, heat, and boredom meant that I just finished it today - 2 months later. I swore it would be done before I went back to work. Although, I'm technically back, the students don't arrive until tomorrow so I figure that counts:)
All the men in my life say what a great shed it is - with a cement foundation and electricity! For me, it's a place to put bikes and gardening supplies... and occassionally storage for people other than me :). Oh well!
The goal was low budget and at least that worked out. I wasn't replacing anything, just painting. So, although I bought more paint than anticipated, the whole project was under $150.
Here it is before.

What a sad little eyesore. I almost feel sorry for it.

After it was powerwashed and scraped.

Did I mention scraping is the worst job on the planet? It looks even worse...

Here it is after a coat of primer.

Okay, priming stinks too. Literally.

And here it is completed.

I do find it a bit dark but I wanted the reverse of the house (white with grey trim). The black door is so large that it's a bit imposing but it's staying for now.. see how I feel next summer! Stephane made up some window boxes with some leftover wood in no time. I guess I'll have to wait until next summer to see some bright, colorful flowers in there!

I think Beaufort likes it!

Or, maybe he's not sure.

What do you think? Not bad for under $150 bucks and a pain in the neck!

Modern Jane was Fan-tastic Featured!

A huge thank you to Kate at Centsational Girl for the feature she posted today of my kitchen renovation.

I am literally blushing from all the kind comments. I love my kitchen, but every one's enthusiasm makes me love and appreciate it even more! I am very lucky to have such a talented brother and others that like to help out too.
I'll try to answer a few questions that people had.

Cost breakdown?
I'm not very good of keeping track of specifics but here are a few..
Chandeliers - on sale at Canadian Tire for $49.99 each. A steal and they don't look cheap!
Glass knobs - Lee Valley $6.90 each
Cup pulls - Lee Valley $2.90 each
Drawer slides - Lee Valley $10.65 each (Sometimes Lee Valley has free shipping!)
Pine stair treads - $70
White subway tile - In stock at Home Depot (Crazy cheap)
The rest of the materials my brother picked up and I paid the bill so I'm unsure... sorry!

Did I do my own tiling?
I thought about it, but the company I had hired to re-shingle the roof quoted me a price I couldn't beat.
($100 and no headache for me)

Countertops
Marc pieced them together like this:

What that is called? I have no idea. I'm no carpenter.

I applied 3 coats of stain and 2 coats of varnish.

How did I plan for the project?
Considering I had absolutely no experience, I poured over magazines and the Internet. Decided on the style I liked, then went to my brother. He vetoed a few things due to time constraints and budget but was mostly supportive of all my ideas! I personally think the chandeliers were the finishing touch and I have to give credit to my boyfriend for that. I was skeptical, but he was right!

PEI
Yes, living in PEI makes it challenging to find what you need at your fingertips. But, it forces you to be resourceful and works out in the end (pine counter tops:))
Yes, the story of Anne of Green Gables comes from here and the scenery is beautiful. Everyone should visit!

Tips?
Working with family is tough. You need to be patient since you may not always be first priority. But they want you, and the rest of your family, to be really happy with it, so they do their best!

Please come back and visit again. I have more projects up my sleeve!