Happy Halloween

My favourite Halloween Decoration - Fitz and Floyd

Have a super spooky, but safe, Halloween.

P.S.   save me a couple Mars bars!!

Finally decided what to hang on the wall...

This is my 97th final post on what I am going to hang on my powder room wall. Why do I angst about it?

I continued to shop my house.   I thought the blue and white plates were too unstable for such a close area as the powder room.

I had bought these cute metal plaques at HomeSense for $3.00 each.   They were brown and I did a wash of blue over them and put them on the wall in my guest room, which is a work in progress.

But I tried them in the powder room and I like the paler blue with the blind, the fact that they are really stable, and that they are not a square.

So this room is done .... well I still need to change the light when I can find someone to help me and need to hang a towel rack when I find the perfect one ... but that barely counts.

Brilliant beadboard idea

I was sitting at my desk at work today and had the most brilliant idea on where to use bead board ... it was the mega idea of all time.   I knew it was the best decorating idea, the project would be beautiful,  and millions a couple of you, would want to duplicate it.

It is gone ... where do these thoughts go?  Do they ever come back?

Going to friends for dinner? Taking wine?

My Brother Allen is the best ... he would give you the shirt off his back, and in this case he did.
My sister-in-law Bev brought wine to Thanksgiving, and made the 'gift bag' out of the sleeve off an old shirt.  Is this not the cutest?

Have a great weekend.

Almost there ... what to hang on the wall?

I got the mirror back from the glazier and hung it up. The frame was from a picture that fell from the mantel in the family room when I was dusting (that will teach me to dust!). I had to fill the corner with poly filla, sand it down and spray paint with white, and then a couple coats of spray varathane.  It is pretty pristine ... I'm thinking of sanding it back a bit, but it depends on what I end up with as art on the wall.

 It doesn't look level in this picture, but trust me it is.   See how it lines up with the window trim.   I just didn't take the picture straight.

Now ... what am I going to hang as art.   My vision all along was to hang blue and white plates.  Now ... with four nail holes in the wall, I'm not so sure.

 I put the picture I originally had on the wall back up.   It hides all the nail holes.  I love this picture ... an English riding theme, but I think there might be too many squares in the room now.

They say shop your home. So I tried this star. Definitely not an option.

For now, I'm leaving up the square picture ... but I think I need more inspiration.

What would you suggest?

Progress being made

I'm making progress with the powder room.

Pretty subtle colour change!!

All the walls are now painted.  I had painted the ceiling a really lovely pale blue, but when I got the walls painted the line where they met was really uneven and bumpy (plaster work ... not my paint job).   So I just painted the ceiling navy too.   I love it.

I sewed a faux roman blind and installed.   Now I just have to get the frame with the mirror back from the glazier and get some pictures on the wall.  

I also have a new light, but I can't get the old one down.   Have to wait for some manly brawn to visit!

Can your weekend trip to the Wine store be a DIY project?

Store your shoes in an empty wine bottle carton wrapped in pretty paper.

Wine and shoes ... anyone else think this is a perfect combo?
http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/new-uses-for-old-things/favorite-new-uses-00000000019718/page36.html#
Have a great weekend!

Mantels

Now that I have modified my mantel in the family room, I am sort of fixated on it.    Is there anything that says 'cozy  up with a cup of tea and a book' like a fireplace?
Here are some examples of mantels from Country Home:

Awww .... dreaming.

Re-do the Family Room Mantle

You didn't get my "Happy Thanksgiving" note this weekend, because my Windows XP went down.   I had to go into the office this morning and have deskside repair it.

I had the whole family, Mom, brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, on Sunday for dinner.  I picked up my Mom on Saturday and she stayed over ... we got up early, stuffed the turkey, cooked the turnip and then sat back with a cup of tea to the aroma of cooking turkey.

Of course along with my invitation to  my younger brother went the "bring your tools" request.  When I have brawn around, I like to make use of it.   Really DIY is a family activity right?, and by the time we demoed my family room mantle, it really was a "THANKS"giving day.

This is the Before

The pine mantel wrapped around the corner of the fireplace, and I always felt like I was going to put my eye out as I walked by.   Also I wanted it to look a little less country.

Bruce made short work of taking the mantle down and cutting to a better length.

Cheered on my my sister-in-law Donna, niece Allison and my Mom.

And this is the after.   I love it.   I changed out the picture for a round mirror.

I originally was going to  trim it out and paint it cream ... but I like how it turned out and am going to live with it for a while.   And I have enough other projects in progress ....

Belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

To background ... or not to background

I am a voracious viewer of blogs.  Aside from the content, it is interesting to note their set up and especially their backgrounds.   A lot are custom designed, but there are some really great free sites out there.

One that a lot of people use is "Background Fairy" http://www.backgroundfairy.com/

Love "Chicblogs" http://chicblogs.blogspot.com/

Love, Love, Love "Hot Bliggity Blog" .. I think this is my current favourite.  She has unusual layouts and an individual sense of colour. http://hotbliggityblog.com/index.php

I love looking at the possibilities ... and thinking 'what would my blog look like with this background, or this one?' ... But in the end, I like to keep my blog simple with no designs to distract (I distract easily!!).  

And what if I had to change it everytime there was a new holiday .... Christmas, Easter, Ground Hog Day.   It boggles the mind.

Main Floor Guest Bath (cont'd)

I got a coat of paint on the ceiling of the main floor guest bathroom.   If you will remember I freshened up the trim and then was unsatisfied with the rest of the room.

White ceiling

Huge transformation really .. it's blue

I didn't want to go out, so went downstairs and made my own colour.   I decided to use fabric I already had for a drape, so needed a blue for the ceiling.   I had an inch of white, a part tester of mid blue and one of navy, and a bit of gray.   It made up about a half a litre of paint ... surely that will do 2 coats on the tiny ceiling.

The paint swatch on the fabric is the colour I think I will paint the walls - Benjamin Moore 'Hudson Bay' CC-810. Funny how you just have paint strips in the drawer.   With the white vanity, sink and toilet I don't think it will be too dark.  I'll get it on the way home from work tomorrow.

Oh .. and just I confirmed the family is coming for Thanksgiving (Canadian) on Sunday ... is there a chance I can get this room painted, make a drape, take in the patio furniture, take out all the annuals from my garden, decorate for Fall and organize a meal???

Just freshen up the trim ....

The trim in my main floor guest bathroom was looking a little tatty.   In fact, all the trim in the house is.

So I thought "quick fix".    RIGHT!

all taped up!

Now that the trim and door are looking so sparkling, I am noticing that the paint job I inherited is not very good.   There is wall paint on the edges of the ceiling.   The towel holder is coming a little loose ... and it isn't in the position I would really like it to be.

Suddenly my little trim job has worked into something much bigger .... paint, a new towel holder, a new mirror as long as I'm doing the room and the window needs a drape.

I'll just freshen up the trim ... famous last words.

Blue and White Porcelain

I love blue and white porcelain.  Here are a few of my favourite pieces throughout the house:

This is beautiful at Christmas with a red poinsetta:

This is utilitarian but beautiful:

This sits on my den mantel:

When a girl is lucky enough to get roses, you need the perfect vase:

Transferware in the china cabinet:

On the bookcase:

These are a few of my favourite things!