Painting my Brass Fireplace Surround

I was looking at blogs recently (like I don't pour over them every day!) and found this on Our Suburban Cottage.  It was just enough to incent me to paint my fireplace surround.

This is what my fireplace looked like when I started

Totally different painted out ...

 I didn't paint the doors.   I was worried about getting into the hinges and track and whether it would gum up and then show wear.    I'm pretty happy with it ... though I am debating whether to go back and paint the trim out.   I do have a brass log carier and brass utensils, so it does tie in.  The special high heat paint went on really easily.   Two coats and it left a really nice flat finish.

The fireplace wall.

Lazy Weekend

What can I say ... it was a very lazy weekend.    This is where I was ... reading, with a cup of tea.

I did do a couple small diy's ... but throwing out three boxes of 'junk' from my storage room in the basement or putting a fresh coat of paint on baseboards does not make a great post!  Before - cream baseboard ... After - fresh cream baseboard ... wouldn't that be a great visual. 

I did start a fireplace screen makeover, but it's not sufficiently along to show you.

I'll try to be more ambitious this week.

Botanical Prints in the Entry

I needed something in the entry way.   So I picked up two frames at Michael's, went to Vintage Printables, and printed off a couple botanical prints.  Voila!   instant art!

Bilodeau wins Canada's first gold on home soil

The Olympics .... does anything make your heart stir faster.   

Patriotism oozed on Friday night during the amazing opening ceremonies ... and now our first Gold medal won on Canadian soil.

WOO HOO ... I' glued to the TV.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day ...

Isn't this the cutest ... they are from HGTV Canada.

Baby Quilt

One of the girls at work is pregnant, so I made a baby quilt as a gift.
It's an "I spy" quilt ....

I spy a tiger ....

I spy a snowman ....

I spy a pig ....

I spy a ladybug ... you get the drift ...

The back is flannelette.

and the front is cotton ... Cute as a button!!!

Guest Room

I finished the Guest Room just before Christmas.

I've seen so many beautiful white on white bedrooms out in blogland and thought I would try that look.    When I got it all done, I realized that I am a colour person.   I couldn't stand all that whiteness.  The walls are in a pale, ethereal blue.  The headboard (which I did with rigid insulation) and the bedskirt are in blue ticking.    The drapes are white linen sheers on a black iron rod.  I had a white quilt on the bed, but made a new one in blue and white to punch up the the colour in the room.

I purchased these brown, wooden plaques at Home Sense and painted them white.

The little table is an antique wicker fern stand that I put a pine top on, and I had my brother router the edge on it.

I purchased these frames at Michael's and put in pictures from a calendar

It's a little more 'country' than I really intended, but I'm pretty happy with the room, and all my guests seem to like it.