Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Unlikely Friends

Meet Marmalade, our newest addition to an ever growing menagerie of furry friends. My daughter adopted her about 3 weeks ago and the bunny wasted no time in getting to know our family. We soon discovered that our cat, Willow, had become her trusted friend.


They hit it off right from the beginning.

Whenever friends or family come over, they all seem to congregate in our 16 year old daughter Hayley's room. It is so inviting, cool (both in decor and temperature) and a relaxing atmosphere. So, guess where Willow introduced Marmalade to first? You got it!



"Marmalade, I told you this was a cool house and family," said Willow, "these humans really take care of their furry friends. Hey, but keep that under wraps, we don't want the other animals in the neighborhood to hear about this. I'm telling you, this place is too good to be true. When it's cold outside, we get to come inside where it is warm and when it is really hot outside, we are extremely comfortable here in the air-condition. Come, let's you and a take a quick cat-nap before dinner."



Ahhhhhhh, pure bliss and relaxation...not a care in the world.


"You are right," said Marmalade, "I like this place....I think I will burrow under this blanket awhile before dinnertime. Care to join me?"


"I just think I will," Willow sleepily replied with a huge yawn, "right off hand, I can't think of anything pressing I have to do."
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3: 15-17

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Trash to Treasure: Distressed Furniture


I love finding other peoples 'trash' and turning it to treasure. Having a daughter who has the same passion and creative flair makes the hunt so much more enjoyable!
We found this neat cabinet and originally painted it a mint green to use in our one and only bathroom in this 1800's house. My daughter handpainted one of my favorite Bible verses on it...Revelation 21:5...He makes ALL things new!




We decided to give it a 'makeover' one Friday afternoon. First we used a sandpaper 'sponge' and went over it once with that. My daugher then took candle wax and rubbed it in all the places that would normally look worn/used first. We then used


semi-gloss Valspar (OOPS) paint and painted
two coats. We just found a color we liked and went with that.

I use to stress, but as my daughter says, " It's just paint mom and if you don't like it, we will just go back to "Oops Paint" and you can paint over it."

Freedom!!

From.the.mouths.of babes.
Why didn't I think of that?



I'm a lover of all things distressed/shabby Chic/cottage/eclectic look, so after letting the 2nd coat of paint dry well, I got my (actually my husbands) easy to use hand sander and begin to sand the edges of the curio....being careful not to sand every single last edge.....we wanted it to look used. worn. not haphazardly painted.

I love the way the original transormed color peeks through where the candle wax was applied. The wax doesn't allow the paint to adhere, thus giving the distress appeal.



The new curio is now unveiled in it's original spot sporting the new, sassy and chic transformation. Simple and easy. Done in less than an hour. However, I did have great help from an extemely talented, creative, persevering sixteen year old inspiring designer as my right-hand 'man.'