White brick fireplace

This is the fireplace that came with the house. Therefore, second on the To Do list was to paint it. Nothing against the brick, the room just felt super dark. We also took out the wood burning stove because... well... we're not pioneers, we have Central heating.

Before

I Love having a really big fireplace in the room.

But we're not too attached to the brick.  I'd like to cover half of it up and add some molding and a big chunky wood mantel.  Or Jake's idea is to cover it up in river rock. But since we really haven't decided what to do with it yet, Painting it for now was the easiest option.

 I just used a water base, White Latex paint, but that's only because that's what I had on hand.  I'm sure a professional would tell you to use a fire resistant paint.  It's not a problem for us now since I'm too scared to have a fire with my little ones running around.  But One day I would like to start using it,  so I'll probably need to put a  special treatment on it.

The Best part of having a fire place is decorating the mantel.  I tend to re-decorate mine every couple of months.  So I have decided to keep a little log for every time I change it.
 Have a Look at my mantels past. a little nautical

a little whimsical

Halloween 2009

Black, white and simple

 Summer 2010

This is an older post that I am Updating,  Seriously, I think this was like my 4th Post ever, I'm now basically re writing the whole thing, sometimes I have to laugh at myself,  back then I had no idea how to do anything on this blog, Not that I'm a pro now, I'm still learning new tricks everyday. 

 Ok anyway, So the following pictures have links below the picture, if you would like to see more.

Seaside Painting 2010

 Burlap Inspired Aug 2010

Christmas 2010

Late Winter/ Early Spring 2011

Going Nautical Summer 2011

Fall 2011

Halloween 2011

 

Christmas 2011

Spring 2012

Coconut Kitchen

This is what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house. So obviously painting the cabinets was on the top of the To Do list.

If you have never painted cabinets before and would like to, Let me teach you how.

Step 1: Recruit all friends and family to help.

(This is my wonderful mother and uncle in-law hard at work).

Step 2: Take off all hardware and doors and lightly sand everything.

Step 3: Prime and paint. (I used an oil base, it will hold up much nicer).

My Tips: Paint the inside of your cabinets too. You'll be glad you did when you open them up. And lastly be prepared to be painting for a good week straight, since you can only paint one side of the doors at a time and then with all of the touch-ups.

But the end result is all worth it. A brand new kitchen from a can of paint!!

By removing one of the doors, I now have a place to display my favorite dishes.

We added new hardware.

I also painted the counter tops. There is a special counter top paint by rust-oleum.( I chose color taupe but they have about 20 different colors to choose from). Then you just roll it on and wait a couple days for it to dry. It's a small can, but I only used half of it. So I have extra for any future touch-up. It's held up surprising well.

We also put in a new stainless steel stove, hood and fridge.

I'd still love new floors, lighting and back splash so hopefully I'll be posting more updates of the kitchen in the future.

Update to this Post:

Want to learn more about my painted counter tops?  Go here.

Want to see how my kitchen looks currently?  Go here.

Linking up here.

Easy Breezy Dinning

This is what my dinning area looks like currently. I'm thinking of painting it green.

I was just told from a rate my spacer that my plant and planter are way too big for the space, and not enough life. which now I totally see.

Any suggestions??

I painted this little chair and had had it out side. That's how I got the cute paint chipping look.

I've hung bamboo shades on the french doors. I'm really wanting to paint the doors, but I'm still deciding.

I'm wishing I had some beautiful green apples to put in that bowl.

I added some lilac branches to my table top. (I heard if you put them in water they will bloom??? I'll let ya know later).

The evening light was so beautiful on them, I couldn't resist snapping a shot.

Curtain rod project

I started off with a plain white cheap cheap curtain rod.

Wrapped some twine around it. (I used at least 200 feet of jute garden twine). It takes some time to do. So if you try it, think about doing it in front of the t.v. or chatting with friends. Also you'll want to give your hands a rest every so often.

But I think the end result is much more pleasant to look at then the white metal.

And it goes great with my curtains that have a rope stripe sewn into them (purchased at World Market).

The Wicker House

Wicker: A flexible plant branch or twig, as of a willow, used in weaving baskets or furniture.
I named this blog the wicker house after the huge willow tree in my front yard. (one of the reasons for buying this house). Also looking around one day I realized I own allot of wicker pieces, baskets, bags, furniture, etc. I think I just love it for of it's natural beauty and its golden honey and rye colors.

We bought our little blue single family home 4 years ago. We originally thought it would be a starter home for us. But with the way the market is today, it looks like we will be here for a while. Which I guess is ok, It motivates me to fix it up, and make it Ours.

And the truth is, I would be very sad to leave this house. See that 4 month old baby in the picture... We'll he's now 4 years old, with a little brother. This house is full of precious memories!

[ The back yard]
Ok so it's been a little bit of a fixer-upper. Mostly just in desperate need of some TLC. I'll be posting lots of pictures of the changes I have made to it.

Unfortunately the front of the house still looks about the same. We've wanted to paint it ever since we bought it. We've gotten some estimates.. it's pretty pricey. But one day...... It might just look something like this.

or this.

I love the grey with white trim. The carriage garage doors. The stone walk way. The beautiful landscaping with climbing roses. And of course we'll have a little white picket fence.