New Color in the Bedroom

Hi Friends!  I am hoping this post will serve dual purposes here today!   I am conducting a trial post on the new blog to see how I like it and I get to update you on my master bedroom.

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Well I have to say as far as posting goes, I am struggling quite a bit but I am optimistic. Figuring out how to add pictures to a post is easy, figuring out how to get rid of duplicates in the Media picture file is a challenge.  Would love a tip on that if anyones out there.  Anyway, enough of that let's get to the good stuff.

I wanted to share my new bedroom color with you today because well, I love it!   What a change from the parakeet green I had in here.  I still have some very dated furniture and a few unmatched linens now but we will get there eventually.  The new color is called Breaktime from Sherwin Williams.  It is a bluish greenish color that is just so perfect in this room.

I am not sure why, but I am guessing it has to do with the exposure from the light of all the windows certain colors can be really off in this room.  I tested at least five different colors in here before this one hit the mark for me.  Most colors came out either to blue, too green, or too gray.  Blah!  I will have to show you a color that I tested in here that is in my sons bedroom.  It was so gray in here and in his room is a tranquil blue-green.  Weird!

I also went on a search for a new quilt that would compliment this new color. This one works though it's a little bright. I really wanted something with a pattern but couldn't find what I wanted that would pull in the coral from the cornice boards. They are definitely staying.  I have a beautiful very large quilted white bedspread I normally use but since Maizey has decided she loves our bed I didn't want it getting ruined.  It wasn't cheap so in the closet it went until winter when we can use it under another quilt.  Oh the sacrifices we make for our pets right?

I certainly don't mind though, she is my heart!

I have kept the white pillow sham out that has our initial embroidered on it.  I love this idea I had to do this back when I worked at the embroidery shop.  I am thrilled that I can now do this for others as well on my machine.  I decided to just put one large last name initial on the sham instead of having two different sets of initials on shams.  With my white bedset I used three standard shams instead of the two king sized ones.  This blue quilt set sold the king shams with the quilt so that was that but the white still works here. Eventually I may get a white bed skirt as well, or something with some white in it.

 For those who want to dress up their linens without spending a lot on embroidery this single initial is a great option.  Even if you were to do both shams with a single initial it's a great choice because lets face it, most men really don't care if their initials are on their shams or not.  I have listened to so many ladies struggle with whether to put their husbands initials on the shams or just theirs. Then there is the whole font issue.  Hubby doesn't like script but wife does, he want's his masculine she wants hers feminine.    I know to each his own, but here's a nice compromise just in case!

I think this shot shows the best real shot of how the color actually looks in my room.  The camera and outside lighting in here is doing funny things to change it up a bit, but this is pretty dead on.  It is such a relaxing and tranquil color in this room.  I cannot tell you how much I love our room.  As you can also see I've been very hesitant to put anything on the walls in here too.  I want to keep it breezy and light and uncluttered.

I would love to hear what you think of the new color?  In fact I would just love to hear from any of you in general.  Just drop me a quick reply to let me know if your here, that would be great.  If you're so inclined I would love ideas on what color to repaint my hutch in here.  My dream is to one day replace the furniture with soft white washed or grey washed furniture but that's further down the road.  Tips, ideas, suggestions, I would love to hear them all!

Thanks so much for stopping by y'all!

Hugs and Waves,

Mary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have found my inspiration!

Hello!  It's me!  Hello...Can you hear me? Hello, from the outside!  Yes friends, I do believe 2016 is going to be a wonderful year because I have found my inspiration again.  Sorry for the tease, no this post is not about being inspired by the beautiful voice of Adele.  Though that could be partially true because I  have found myself pulling towards music quite a bit lately and feeling quite inspired by it.

This post is about finally feeling inspired and finding some direction with a few changes I want to make in my kitchen.  I absolutely love my kitchen, always have.  It's very large and very pretty if I must say so myself.  In fact its one of the rooms our guests gush over the most and want to congregate in as well.  Now mind you... all is not perfect in kitchen land, there are flaws.  Some of the flaws I just have to live with others not so much.  

Over last few days while waiting to take down the rest of Christmas I have found my inspiration.  Yes that's right, I am waiting. While I have taken down the kitchen Christmas decor, the rest of my house is still full on Christmas.  I have this crazy idea about taking things down before New Years.  I usually spend New Years day breaking it all down.  Last year I took everything down before New Years and let's just say, it wasn't a great year, Okay?   Sooo, this year we're sticking to New Year day breakdowns.    

Now back to my topic at hand before I bore you to tears.  I have spent the last few days thinking of ways to improve the cozy factor in my kitchen. I decided what I needed was curtains in the kitchen.  I need some textiles!   I love the Country French look I see in so many photos, blogs, pins, instas,etc.  I really want that look.  However, I think my look might be a bit more Country French Mediterranean, if there is such a thing.   I love florals and checks and such but I also love patterns and the colors of the sea.  My husband and I are sailors, so my heart also leans towards nautical as well.  Crazy mix huh?  Yeah, I know.  

Here are two different options of curtains I've been playing with that I could use in my kitchen. I've tacked them up to see if I would like having curtains before I invest in rods.   Both would work very well.  The lighter florals are some panels I had made for my dining room some time ago.  While I do like them I would need to alter the tops some as I'm not crazy about the plaid on them.  It's not a problem because the french doors are shorter then the window were so I've got the fabric.  The darker floral is yards of fabric I purchased years ago and never knew what I wanted to do with it.  I can see real possibilities here with both fabrics.  What do you think?  I also plan on strolling through some stores soon to see if anything else catches my eye now that I know exactly what I have in mind.

I have moved the smaller table over on the wall where the bakers rack used to be and love it.  I've got plans for shelves above this table.  I went to Hobby Lobby the other day and found some brackets that I just adore and they were on sale too.  I think the rustic brackets will go well with my chandelier and a few other accessories I have throughout the kitchen.  I chose brackets because I want to make a shelf that is deeper then most of the standard prepackaged display type shelves you see around.  Also they will be less difficult for hubby to mount.  Less difficulty means less fussy, and I like that!

Here's part of what has gotten me so bogged down with figuring out which direction to go in here.  I have these beautiful frenchy looking swivel bar stools that I just adore.  I have been searching for a way to bring them into the whole look without totally having to redo everything about them.  I would love to repaint them and my first thoughts were to paint them black.   

However, If I repaint them black then the seat cover is just not going to cut it.  I really don't want to have to redo the seat covers because well they are fantastically done.  They are a vinyl coated fabric and piped out and I just will not be able to recover these myself and don't want to spend money on having them redone professionally right now.    So how to mesh this look together has been the big question in my head for some time.  That is until.....I found my inspiration piece!

Did you notice it earlier?  I had it right in front of the drapes.  Ladies, I am so excited about this piece!!!   I also found it at Hobby Lobby.  I bought it fully intending to put in the den above my TV.  I had it sitting here in the kitchen and suddenly, I knew I would need to bring this color in throughout the kitchen to pull it all together.  I even think I can use this color of sea blue green on my bar stools and it will coordinate with the seat covers beautifully.  Can you say....Eureka?  This was definitely a Eureka moment. That's how I feel!  I already have several small splashes of this color throughout my kitchen but it's so drowned out by the black.  I just need to pop it back out again in a few larger splashes!  

Of course, now I've got to also find the right paint to use that matches this color.  Lucky for me this little iron piece will be easy to haul to the paint store for the exact match. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself to get started.

I love when a plan comes together, don't you?  Yes, you do too....I've seen yours and they are beautiful!  I just want to thank all of you again who inspire me so much with what all you do.  I love seeing your photos and getting inspiration for myself. That is so much of what this blogging is all about for me.   I hope maybe to share a little inspiration as well from time to time.  

And because I thought you might like to hear the music too....

Now, if you don't mind, I've really got to run because you know I just can't hold back any longer.

Have a beautiful and blessed day friends, even if it is cloudy and rainy outside.

Hugs and Waves!

Mary 

Lighter and Calmer in the Kitchen- My New Color

Hi All! Quick post before I attempt to drive in to work today.  After 3 days off with this crazy winter weather I am ready to get out of the house.

I didn't want to run off without showing you a quick peek at the new color in the kitchen.  

And here it is!  The new color I went with is called Muslin by Sherwin Williams.

I chose this color for one reason and one reason only.  

It's lighter and brighter and NEUTRAL!

Here's a quick peek at the old color as it showed in these Christmas photos.  Do you see the problem here?  Well, it didn't always look quite this harsh as shown.  However, in my photos and in the mornings early light under my incandescent ceiling lights it did in fact have quite a harsh glare.  Every morning I woke up to that glare and just couldn't take it anymore.

Doesn't this look so much better?  So much more at ease!

Here's the old color, again showing too much glare.

I still have roosters floating around the kitchen. 

A few more are making their way in as well.  I seem to be moving towards a more frenchy look in here.  I am finding myself being more and more attracted to fleur de lis decor then ever before.  It will be interesting to see how this room continues to evolve.

Loving the new color now, so I am redoing the den soon too!

Have a great day!

Hope you are staying warm, and cozy.

We are drying out here in SC today.

Goodbye Snow!

Painting the China Cabinet

Time sure is flying by..."like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives." 

I can't help but think of that every time I look at this vignette even though there is not one inkling of an hourglass in sight.  Weird!

It's hard to believe I actually made time to blog and was still tablescaping while I worked at Stein Mart. With all the responsibility of that position I am amazed that I even got one post out much less a few years worth.  Looking back now, it's easy to see that I did start to pull back though. 

What's funny is now that I have more time to blog I seem to be less inclined to do so.  It's not that I don't enjoy it, because I do and I do miss the communications with other bloggers.   I just seem to be a bit stuck in the same ole same oles.  Ever been there?    I also really miss one of my most inspirational bloggers ever, Liz at Savvy Seasons.  She always had a way of showing her decor that got me in the mood to rearrange and redecorate my own.  I hope your doing well my old blog friend!  Anyway, that's the long and short of why I haven't posted much at all...I am stuck, just like those hands on the clock above. 

 I have managed just a few changes around here lately though.  I recently purchased two new mercury glass lamps to use in the dining room.  I actually found them at Walmart of all places.  They didn't come with shades so I used some of my old shades and that's not quite what I want. So, I am keeping my eye open for just the right ones.

And....do you remember when I purchased this (new to me) cabinet several years back?   It was bought with the intention of painting it black.  Well, of course I waffled on that idea for several years.  I even let myself get to the point of starting all over and wanting a new dining table and hutch to match.  

But yesterday, as I was feeling restless on a cold Saturday afternoon inside, I decided to start repainting my hutch.  Of course I waited until almost 4:30 in the afternoon before I started.  Yes, really! I guess you know what I'll be working on today now don't you?

I can't wait to see this finished.  I think it will hold me off of any new purchases for a bit.  I still really, really, really want a new table and chairs and have several ideas on that.  

The fact is, I have been feeling very very restless lately as far as my decor goes.  I really want to update the whole house again with a different look.  I am kinda getting tired of older furniture and am wanting new, more modern, but frenchy and classic with a twist of modern.  Does that make sense to anyone other then me?  Unfortunately, the budget doesn't allow for such drastic measures as what are in my head.  So, I guess I will just have to continue to chip away at it a little at a time.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

I hope you have a beautiful and blessed Sunday!

The Repainted Kitchen Reveal

Hi Friends!  Thank you all so much for the sweet comments regarding my kitchen redo in the making.  I am very happy to say it all went very well and I am now ready for the final reveal.  Sorry it took so long!  Boy, is it ever so hard to find the right moment to photograph the kitchen when it's clean.  Especially, when you have three different people on different schedules.  LOL!

Ok, let's get started on the kitchen tour now!

I know it's hard to tell but this yellow is so much lighter then what it used to be.  To recap the new color is Lucent Yellow by Sherwin Williams which is a lighter yellow that leans towards hints of green.  I knew I wanted to use it in here after painting the den this color last year.   I previously had Golden Fleece by Sherwin Williams in the kitchen and Compatible Cream in the den.  Both of those were more in the golden yellow tone family.  

While I was rearranging things I thought it might be fun to load up my dish rack with several different sets of plates.  Since it's still summer I used only the melamine ones.  

 In this photo you can kinda glimpse the sometimes greenish tint depending on the light from outside and time of day.  I love it!

My husbands office looks so dark now!  I know it has the lights off but still...

I enjoyed changing up a few things around the kitchen after moving things for repainting.

This foyer area in the kitchen is where we hang winter coats. It got a new look but I feel like I still need to do some more tweaking.

Another area I re-tweaked was the bakers rack.  I feel very pleased it!

It's set in a rooster theme.

This rooster is my very latest acquirement.  I got it just a few weeks ago at a yard sale...dirt cheap!  I love the black and white specks.  I've been trying to add more black and white in the kitchen.  But, of course I still have to have a splash of color.

Color like this!  I bought this from my online sales website, marykeels.athome.com.  We have several wooden type signs like this available for sale.  I think this is a perfect sentiment to display by the kitchen table.

  

Speaking of the kitchen table....

I thought I'd share an every day tablescape with you.

I am calling this an everyday tablescape because these are some of my everyday dishes. They are called Market Basket by Nancy Green.

I think I got them from Ross quite a while back.  They were a boxed set that also came with bowls and coffee cups.  We literally use these daily, sadly, they are starting to show some wear and tear now.

I paired them with some floral and checked napkins that I've had forever.  I love the way they bring out the blue in the dishes.

I then decided to use my pink thrift store wine glasses from the beach...

...and my purple hand blown water goblets that I got from Novica.

Our everyday flatware has our initials and was a great find from Tuesday Morning.

My simple centerpiece on our lazy susan starts with a round placemat, then a cake dish from Spode, called Emma's Garden.  Boy, would I love to have the dishes to match this!

Finally, the cute little salt and pepper hen nest came from Cracker Barrel.

Well, that concludes the kitchen reveal folks!  Thanks so much for enduring this two fold post.  I hope you enjoyed the tour of my newly repainted kitchen and also my everyday tablescape.

I am linking up to the following parties today;

Homework Wednesday

Let's Dish

Tablescape Thursday

I am so glad you dropped by,I do hope you'll join me again sometime!

Have a great week everyone!