Crafty Accountability

Every Fall Mark and I sit down and have a vision casting session. I do this when we are on a trip so there are no household distractions. When you're away from your regular day to day chores, the big picture seems so much clearer. 

Now, this is not just any old 10-point list. This is a massive list divided into sections; Home Improvements(this is a three phase, micro list), Family Fun and Financial Goals.

With all of those things to focus on there is little time to focus on the fixer-upper projects and artwork to-dos. My sister Angie at Dear Spring Green and I were lamenting about this at our last show in Vancouver and we decided to start a Facebook accountability group. We simply write out our realistic goals at the beginning of the month and then post progress as we go. When the next month roles around we write what we accomplished and either roll over our old goals to the next month or write a new list. No pressure and lots of support and inspiration from others.

And that brings me to Ugly Orange Chair. That is her name.  

I purchased her months ago from Saint Vincent's and it was love at first sight. Mark thought I was joking. I just loved  her low elegant lines, her cozy seat and all of her glorious orangeness.

She was the kind of chair that people would wince at when they walked into my office. No one would sit in her because (although she was clean) she looked dirty. So the orange had to go.

So after making my list for March I turned from my computer, squared her up, and went to work. It was a combination of inspiration, and the fact that I had a rare 6 hours without anyone home to bother me.

Just the week before I was mentioning that I needed to buy a drop cloth for her when a friend of ours overheard and graciously gave me some remnants he had leftover from a photography project. I literally only had a few inches of scrap leftover when I finished. It was perfect!

Where I was short fabric I substituted this yellow and cream houndstooth fabric I had on hand. No one can see it under the seat cushion but it delights me to know it's there.

Slipcovers used to intimidate me but after this one, with it's confusing arms  and slopes, I feel I could take on anything. No tips or tricks needed really. Just pin up the fabric, trace, cut and pin inside out and repeat.  I decided not to taper the back and created a flap to simplify it. No one will see her backside where I have her anyway.

The pillow case was one I found from Pottery Barn on clearance for only $19. I hate to use the word "perfect" so many times but it really did work out perfectly.  Now people come in and make themselves at home.  I guess I'll need to change her name now. 

I really don't think this would have happened unless I had my little accountability group so create one today with your close friends or family!

Spare Room Stencil

This has been a very busy winter and we are kicking it into high gear this spring!

This March we will be experimenting with our home and our capacity to be a B&B. We both have the desire to do this and now that our youngest is almost out of high school I think it's a good idea to figure out if it is really for us. My brother-in-law is bringing four colleagues with him next month for a conference. We will host...and see.

I jumped at the news and immediately went to work on the worst room; the schizophrenic room. This room has now been three colors with no real vision.

The first color was just a basic light brown. We chose it for most of the rooms because it was a great neutral and went well with the green carpet Mark chose. Now, I know that looking at this photo and the one below it, they look alike.  Be assured that the new paint is WAY different. More grey-brown and less green-brown

about 2 years ago the room was transformed to a soft yellow that turned out to only be "soft" for a few hours of the day. With three skylights and two windows this tiny room has quite the brilliant southwestern lighting . 

 

Every time I found items I loved, I would toss them in there thinking that one day all of these colors would magically go together because I loved them all equally. This is not a good idea. This is the mentality of a newbie hoarder. But a hoarder with fantastic style.

So away went the yellow and in came Chiffon by Evolution through Miller Paint. I chose this to match the bed spread I finally settled on. Originally I chose this for my bedroom but because we are upgrading to a king I am forced to give it up to another room. I posted about it when I changed my bedroom color to compliment it HERE. 

I then searched for a William Morris type wallpaper but couldn't find one I liked under $130 a roll. Though I was only doing one wall, it would take three rolls!!

So I went with a stencil by Royal Design that cost $99. Plus they send you a free stencil of the month that I'm sure I can use on a future project.

Because I was wanted the pattern to stop at the corner without a distinctive stencil line, I started the pattern just a foot or so away from the corner and worked my way up.

It takes 2 large stencils to make the pattern. They are clearly marked A and B with a few repeats that you can line up with the stencil you just painted. This also allows the stencil a second to dry as you alternate.
When doing corners make sure you have it taped well to the adjoining wall so your pattern is even when you use your stencil brush to paint it in. If you rely on stencil spray it can get wonky.

A few things I learned about stenciling:

1. Go ahead and spend the $13 on a stencil leveler. I didn't and it was a hassle the entire time. It is money well spend and you can always use it on another project or just sell it on ebay when you are through.

2. Evolution is a thick paint! Though it goes on beautifully, it builds up on the stencil and makes it quite heavy and awkward to deal with. This may not be the case with other paints but when doing such a huge, vaulted wall I should have washed it off half way through. 

3. You can use stencil spray on the back but tape works just as well. 

4. Do it in a well lit room without sunlight spreading in. As you can see from above, the light coming in from the window washes it all out and makes it difficult to align your pattern. I ended up working on one side of the wall, moving up rather then across, until the sun was no longer in the way. Curtains would have helped but I had to take them down to paint the room.

5. Only use foam. My foam roller was wonderful and I only used one roller for the whole wall. The stenciling brush has a different constancy and coverage so I just used the basic 1" foam brush to dab in corners and it was perfect and cheap! 

Now, this room is almost complete! I just have one wall to get a small table or dresser for and I am done...that is until we add the built ins. But those can wait.

Mirror was found at a garage sale for $15 years ago. I knew some day it would find a home!

The bed's and nightstands were made by Mark. I'm not allowed to buy anything made of wood :)

The small wall under the skylights will some day be built-ins but until then it is just the backdrop to a small bookshelf. 

Top left: Fabric I originally got at Joannes on clearance for another room became the curtains and euro pillow covers with a remnant I found of pumpkin orange for the accent pillows. Right: A fantastic watercolor I found at a local garage sale (meaning out in the sticks) for only $5 Bottom Left: A grouping of handmade bowls that I received as a gift and one of my framed poppy paintings.

This Room was SO MUCH FUN but only after I found my one inspiration piece. If you add the painting, sewing and furniture moving that was involved, it took me 13 hours completed over 2 days. (patting myself on the back right now)

What transformations are you creating during these cold and wet winter months? 

Front Door Fancy

OK, I have been a bad blogger. It's summer, what can I say.
I'm busy working away on an update of the last month filled with camping, fishing, painting and harvesting everything from berries to honey.

For now here is my front door. Every season I try to put something new up and this little piece has just been evolving since early spring. First I put up the frame with moss lining it, stuck in a fake fern and called it good. Then, since I can't keep a plant alive unless it is on an automatic watering system, I shoved in some fake flowers. I found a wooden P at the GW for 49cents and hot glued thin bundling twin to it. Thank you hot glue gun...I love you and all you make possible!

I promise a big picture filled post by the end of the week!

What a Weekend

The other weekend was quite big and I must preface this post by saying that not every weekend is like this for us.  Let us start with Saturday morning. My mother-in-law drove all the way from Mt Hood to see us this weekend and what better way to begin the day than to do a little shopping at the Saturday Market. As a gardener I prefer the Farmers Market side of the street and picked up a few loaves of fresh baked bread from Marche's, some delectible cheese from Fern's Edge Farms which is just around the corner from where we live. Their chevre is out of this world and I always grab some when I'm here. 

It was an interesting exercise; trying to take pictures of the sights, but every time I held up my camera it seemed people wanted to be in the picture! I gave up and gave them their own collage. 

Besides the women in tutus and prairie-like garb you could find a man dressed in all plastic bags looking like a fluffy white yeti, street performers and a  gentleman turning hot peppers over a fire pit. When I turned to my mom-in-law and ask her what she thinks she shrugs and says "it is exactly the same as when I was here 30 years ago"

Next we were joined by Mark at Koho Bistro for a fabulous dinner. Every bite is amazing. This time I had the pork chops with brandy glazed carrots. Num. I am salivating as I type this. The price is incredibly reasonable and the service is incredible. Seriously, if you are in town, GO! But be warned: Do not be fooled by the outside appearance. It's a book/cover sort of situation.

The following morning we hauled it over to Coburg for the annual Antique Fair. I am always late to it but leave with a steal. I practiced great reserve and left with only a few items: A narrow trough of sorts which I plan to float in the middle of the dining room table with candles for $10, a few wobbly frames that have since been tightened and fitted with glass for $1 each and an original oil painting marked $30 but I got for $10!

And since we had been gorging ourselves all weekend we decided to stop in at one of our favorite spots Chief's (another glorious little hole in the wall) owned by Rochelle and Matt Hogan.  It is quite a departure from our whole foods dinner from the night before but oh so worth the calories. Might I recommend the Coburger? Save room for dessert though or get it to go. You will thank me.

Yes, the second weekend in September is always a good one here in the valley. If you try out any of these places let us know. We'll meet you there!