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Blogger technical difficulties
Blogger is on the fritz again. It has resized all my pictures so my right side bar is down below. Hopefully it will right itself soon...so annoying! Labels: Blogger problems
Before and After Kitchen Updates
Before here and here... The kitchen and dining area before had white walls and blue and burgundy accents with linoleum flooring. Now the walls are a warm maple cream with deep berry brick curtains and black and cream accents.  The project hasn't been without it's problems, namely the finishing of the hardwood floors. We had problems applying the polyurethane with the applicator the manufacturer recommended and had to strip the two coats we applied. Husband K did all the work including all the sanding between coats. Tips for applying polyurethane: lightly sand floor before applying 2-3 coats by hand with a brush. Allow to dry more than 16-24 hours. Sand and reapply additional coats.  The light fixture we wanted for over the island didn't come in black so I sanded it and sprayed it black to match the new black chandelier.   All the hardware was gold and we replaced it with a burnished brass. The chandelier is black with gold brushwork.  It's hard to capture the color of the walls however they are a beautiful warm maple cream and we couldn't be happier with the way they turned out. K also upgraded all the baseboards and added new corner pieces throughout the main floor.   We just love the new hardware! We'll replace the faucet with a new black one as soon as we can find the one we want. The flooring continues down the full length of the hall to the upper bedrooms and is just beautiful. We plan to change the countertops to granite or granite like in the new year and we'll replace all the appliances with stainless steel or possibly black, still undecided yet.
 New blinds for the windows (for under the drapery) will be ordered and I'll swap out the china in the cabinet for the cranberry Wedgewood "Bramble" from one of the other rooms.  We found the table cloth but I am still not sure if I like it, the pattern is quite large, but it has black it in. My husband says one can never have too many table cloths so live with it, see if it grows on you and purchase new ones as you find them. (What woman wouldn't love to hear her husband say this! :) I may even have one custom made if I can find a fabric I like. We've been searching for two oil paintings for each side of the china cabinet but still haven't found the ones we want. Labels: "finishing floors", "Labor Day Project", hardwood floor", kitchen, renovation, tips
Encouraging News ~ Answered Prayers!
Today I was so encourage to hear the news that Stephanie grows stronger every day and is slowly coming out of her medically induced coma. God has answered prayers and carried Stephanie and Christian in his arms every day since their plane went down on August 16, 2008 in St. John's Arizona, where they were both badly burned, Stephanie over 83 percent of her body, and Christian over 35 percent of his body. The pilot, Doug Kinneard was also badly burned over 90 percent of his body and died the next day. Please pray for the family he leaves behind, they continue to need our prayers too. As we wait and pray and anxiously await news of their progress, we are encourage by articles of news about the couple posted here and here in the Arizona Republic. For more about Stephanie and Christian and their beautiful children, visit Stephanie's blog, Nie Nie Dialogues. Labels: "Nie Recovery", "Nie Updates", "Stephanie and Christian Nielson"
October Days and Halloween Nights
 Is this cat waiting for a huge spider? 
Mums, lots and lots of beautiful mums!
 The colors of this front porch are just delicious, don't you agree?
 This home is a favorite for both my husband and I. Unfortunately I didn't get the photo I wanted but will try again when the lighting is better.
Some ghoulish twists...freakish!
More posts later on in the week, feel free to check back... Enjoy more fun Fall Drive By's at Melissa's The Inspired Room.Labels: "door wreath" fall, "front porches", decorating, ghouls, Halloween, october
"Air Your Laundry"
 Last Friday night I attended the Big 'O AIGA "Air Your Laundry Judges Reception" and had the opportunity to hear Elizabeth Resnick, Associate Professor, Communication Design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA, Ann Willoughby, Creative Director of Willoughby Design Group, and Von Glitschka, Illustrative Designer, Glitschka Studios, share their respective experiences and knowledge in the design industry. I really enjoyed Von Glitschka's presentation and met and talked with him afterwards. He's a very down to earth guy willing to share the good and the bad of an illustrative designer's profession. Von spoke about where his design inspiration comes from, producing images from his earliest childhood (he stated his mother saved everything) when at a very young age, he created a fake ID card so he could drive his Dad's car. Thankfully, it was an illustrative version of one and he was way too young to ever possibly use it! I found Ann Willoughby's presentation so intriguing. She showed us photos of her journals and what objects and elements inspired her creatively. She stated she always wanted to build a barn and finally found one and had it built (moved, rebuilt and renovated) which is now used as a creative refuge and for client entertainment. Ann presented photos of an amazing complete brand development, identity and visuals, built from scratch of a shop called Feng-simply gorgeous! Elizabeth Resnick is best known for the 3 major exhibitions she organized in the 1990's. Russell Mills Within/Without, Dutch Graphic Design and Makoto Saito: The Art of the Poster. I didn't connect with her presentation as much as I would have liked to as it was more about the life she lead up to her current position of Associate Professor. I would have enjoyed it more if she had shown more of her work. But that's not surprising as what I might be drawn to as an artist might not appeal to another. Von, Ann, and Elizabeth judged the "Air Your Laundry " competition and the entrant's work will be on show at Hot Shops on Friday, November 7, 2008. Labels: "AIGA Nebraska", "Air Your Laundry Competition", "Ann Willoughby", "Elizabeth Resnick", "Von Glitschka"
"20 Little Things"
 This bird thought he'd join his friends in the birdbath....
  With the hardwood floors almost completed, it's just about time to paint the walls. The color is one I have never gravitated towards before however we are looking for something that will enhance the richness of the wood cabinets and hardwood floors. Currently the walls are white. We are looking for a golden shade with a hint of Tuscany flavor, not too bright, not too yellow, not too orange-muted, yet rich in tone. Ok, so what's left you say? Here are two color swatches. We tried the Laura Ashley Gold 3 but against these colors and the walls it actually looked like it fell more into the tan family. Our kitchen and dining area are small and both colors look suitable, even in a smaller area. The cabinets and flooring are golden oak in color. The other color we thought of was a pale blue shade with a hint of turquoise (enhances the rich golden oak) however it might clash with our great room which is in a midtone muted evergreen shade. What do you think? Your suggestions would be most helpful! Melissa from The Inspired Room posted a list of "20 Little Things" that inspired her in Autumn. Since autumn is my favorite time of year, hear are my list of 20 little things: 1. Painting the kitchen and renovating (always autum projects) 2. Family gatherings 3. Crock pots of bubbly beef stew and fresh baked loaves of bread 4. Riding in an open topped convertible through Breads Hills, Michigan 5. Thick and cozy handmade sweaters 6. Teracott pots over flowing with Chrysanthemums 7. Paint chipped chairs and furniture 8. Hot Pumpkin pie 9. Candles scents of cinammon and berries 10. Thick warm blankets on a cold night 11. Gourds, squash and pumpkins 12. Fall festivals 13. A hot latte with a warm berry Stella 14. Flannel jackets and duck boots 15. Early morning mist 16. Apple cider 17. Bike rides around the lake, through the leaves 18. Knee high boots and skirts 19. Fresh fruit scones with marmalade 20. Fresh breezes through open windows! Labels: "20 Little Things", "door wreath" fall, "gold color swatches", "gold", autumn, decorating, kitchen, paint
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