Happy Dancing

Happy morning to you all!

I had an inkling that you wanted to ask me about the fireplace that you noticed in one of my recent posts.

I read your mind.....(*wink)

Ah.....yes......the good old oak fireplace.  

Now, don't get me wrong.  When we moved in here, I was doing the happy dance because I had always wanted a fireplace. I was thrilled! I could see hubby and me all snuggled up together on a long winter's night with a roaring fire warming our toes.

But I really hated strongly disliked the color of the thing. 

Really.

The wood just HAD to go.

It seemed to take command of the room and use up the air in it.

It was just so there.  You know?

Now, add to the mix that hubby and I were sparring discussing about me 

painting any woodwork in the house. 

I guess our visions just weren't meshing - even now.... 
(sigh)

Can't you just see all that wide richness of the door and window trim 

with creamy coat of white? 

(bigger sigh)
I soooo want my house to look like Maria's at dreamywhites.blogspot.com! 
(even bigger sigh)

So.....while hubby was away one weekend, I threw all worries 

(about what conniption fit he would have he would say) 

out the window and started painting. 

(And this wasn't the only thing that my obsession with white transformed
while he was away.)

I know.......me bad. Verrry verrry bad.

But that poor fireplace was just calling out for me to paint it. 

Honest!

It confronted me during the day and called my name at night.

I followed my intuition, knowing that this was going to be a good thing. 

A very good thing.

 

And once it was done.....

...all I could do was gaze at it....

and smile.

Oh yes.  A coat of soft white paint is what it had so desperately needed.

Switching the mirror from horizontal to vertical made our tall ceiling feel even grander. 

Arranging a few gifts from the sea...

...and some frilly peonies picked from the garden on it's smooth shiny mantel...

...even hubby did a little happy dance.

{Hugs} 

~ laurie

Project #2...

Good morning, lovlies!

Well, Project #2 was a kinda, sorta, instantaneous, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, type of thing.

I headed to the building supply store to look for my fav color in a quart of paint to slap on the sap buckets that hold pots of lavender on my front porch. I nabbed those wonderful little treasures at a lake shore antique market hubby and I visit once a year during the summer - a huge old barn on the way to the lake shore, filled to the brim with treasures and trinkets. 

We always find something there to take home.

  Those buckets have graced that prized spot on the porch since we moved here - holding fragrant lavender in the summer and glorious rose-colored mums during the autumn months.

But I was soooo tired of looking at pink buckets.  I needed a change. I needed "Heaven's Walk Blue", ya know?  Something more sea-sidey and beachy looking. Pink had played it's part in my life for a while, but with the new beachy spin on Heaven's Walk, 

it was time for a change.

This is the only photo I have of those buckets. 

Ha!  But wait til you see the finished product!

So I stood there in front of all those sample chips of paint searching...searching...

Til my eyes landed on the color my heart was aching for.

Back at home, I eagerly opened up the paint can and instantly fell in love.

I first sprayed black gloss paint down onto the rims of the buckets.  I wanted to give them that old French sap bucket feel.  When that was dry, I coated those babies with that beautiful, perfect sea-green, aqua, green/blue - whatever you want to call it - color.  Actually I fell in love with the name of paint, too.  "SEA ISLE".  Nice, hmmm?  It was perfect! I couldn't believe that it actually matched the color in Heaven's Walk sign.

 Ok.  So this is not the greatest photo for you....BUT I'm also giving you a peek at Project #3, too, that was also very very fly-by-my-seat and spur of the moment.

After sitting many times in that rocker at my friend, G's, antique shop and having a hot cup of tea with her, for some odd reason, last fall I decided that it must come home with me.

Why hadn't I noticed how wonderful it was before?  

Must'ave been a 'blonde' 'senior moment'......

Must'ave been whatever she spiked my tea with.....

It was originally white from what I could tell.  Someone had painted it a purpley blue color. It was ok, but not my idea of the perfect beach side rocker.  I knew that I would paint it someday. And I also knew what color I wanted it.

You can just make out the color of it in this pic.  

(Along with the 'before' sap buckets...)

HOWEVER, come to find out - Krylon stopped manufacturing my absolutely most favorite color spray paint in the entire world called "Tidepool". 

It was very close to the "Sea Isle" I found, but with a tad more gray to it.  And in spray form.  Much easier for painting wicker.

I was devastated!!! I was panicking! I was desperate!!  I called around, Googled it, wrote to Krylon, begging and whimpering how I needed more of that spray paint!  I had projects to complete! Didn't they understand?!  I even suggested to them to create a special colors for different type 'themes' customers were trying to convey. Like a City Theme (grays, blacks, whites, taupes), a Garden Theme (roses, pinks, purples), 

a Beach Theme (TIDEPOOL, whites, aquas, blues, tan)...you get the idea. 

Evidently, they didn't think much of it.  I never heard a word back.....

Sooo....with wet brush in hand, I tentatively started painting the wicker with "Sea Isle".  Dabbing, squishing, globbing, swiping. I had no idea how long this was going to take me, but by George, I was going to do it.

Actually, it wasn't that bad. Yes, it took longer than spraying it would have - and my brush looked almost as bad as the one did after poking into all those lattice squares on my arbor (see "Square by Square" on 5/11 for that intriguing story).

But I was just jumping for joy with the results.

Is that not THE most beautiful color in the whole world?

What do you think?

So.....two more projects completed at Heaven's Walk.

I think it's been a very productive spring so far!

How are your spring projects coming?

Oh, and before you go.....I would so appreciate any ideas you could offer up to this chic who is in a dilemma.


Should I paint my front door?  
If so....what color?

I was actually considering slathering it with 'Sea Isle', but just not sure if it would compliment the forest green roof shingles.....or doesn't that matter?

Help!

{ Hugs } to you all!

~ laurie

 

Project #1: Completed

Good morning, friends! How are you?

Ok. So I've kept you in suspense long enough, I guess.  I know that I promised in an earlier post that I'd share with you a couple projects that I had been diligently working on and had happily completed. 

(and I'm still wondering why in the world I waited so long do start them...)

Project #1:  Tired Old Outhouse

When hubby and I moved here, we were delighted to see the original outhouse sitting out in the back yard, snuggled up to a maple tree and facing the side of the barn.

(Though we were MUCH more delighted to see bathrooms inside the house!)

It was painted a deep pine green and trimmed in white - which was okay, but it blended into the surrounding landscaping and felt a little non-descript and dated. The paint was chipping and peeling from years and years of sitting out in the sun, and was sorely neglected. 

But to be truthful, it was actually still very much usable. In fact, the guys who re-roofed our house last summer used it all the time - soggy toilet paper roll and all (among discarded acorns and walnuts from wintering chipmunks and squirrels, who evidently were quite cozy all winter long).

It needed a little TLC (and a fresh roll of t-paper).

I had tried to make it look a tad bit more welcoming (and not so scary) by hanging an antique lantern by the door, added a cement birdbath, and had done a little gardening around the poor thing, but it was time for a more intense make-over.

So, after a good power wash, I was ready for paint.  My sister, Debbie (at houseatthelake.blogspot.com) told me about the new Behr Ultra paint her husband (who works at Home Depot) suggested.  It contains a primer along with the paint. 

So it takes less coats.

What a great idea!

The next issue was color.

And why, do you ask, would color be an issue?

What color would YOU paint it?

 

Hubby so lovingly suggested that I should paint it red..."like the barn, honey."

"WHAT??!  RED?  ICK!  ARE YOU KIDDING?" I thought, 

my eyes all squinty and mouth curled in disgust.

"Honey, I think white would be better so that it matches the house," I said out loud, 

smiling sweetly.

"No, I think it should match the barn," he pressed.

"YOUR TASTE IS QUESTIONABLE, DEAR!", I thought, 

controlling the urge to roll my eyes.

"Honey, don't you want it brought back to it's original state?  It used to be white, you know.

Trust me. White will look better," I said out loud and

insanely sweet.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes...

Of course, I took that as him giving in.  

Wouldn't you?  *wink

So after only two days of painting and two coats of paint,

the project was completed!

I painted an old window frame and hung it on the side of the outhouse to give the structure more texture and interest.

And after freshening up the lantern with a new coat of spray paint, hung that back up.

And, of course, placed a new roll of t-paper inside. 

The tired, old outhouse looked neat, clean, and became a trio with our house and new arbor.  

It just seemed to 'fit' now. It sparkled in the sunshine.

So, during happy hour on our deck that evening, hubby so eloquently said, 

"You know.  It DOES look nice painted white. You were right...

.........this time."

Cue --- rolling of MY eyes....

Stay tuned for Project #2.

Sweetly yours!

~ laurie

Square by Square

Good morning, fellow gardeners!

I've got to be brutally honest with you...

I've been just absolutely droooooling for three long winters over a big, white arbor that I found online. When I came across it, I just KNEW that I had to have it - one way or another. Somehow.  Someway.  Someday.

I could picture it standing proudly in the center of my garden, surrounded by my favorite peonies and crowned with huge, fragrant pink climbing roses and lush clematis. Just like the ones we all see in our gardening mags, ya know? Do you have arbor dreams, too?

I didn't know how I would accumulate the vast amount of cash that this big beauty was going to cost me - but I just knew I had to have one. 

Somehow.  Someway. Someday.

My brother called one day and asked if we would like the grapevines that had boldly claimed the cedar arbor in his backyard.  After an enthusiastic, "Sure!", we made out way to his house and started digging. And digging.  And digging.  The job that I had so casually said, "It'll only take a few minutes to get these babies up" took us over an hour.  As I stood next to that huge arbor (catching my breath, mind you), I asked what he planned on doing with the arbor. He made my day when he said, "You can have it."  (Love ya, bro!)

After another hour long job on the following Sunday (after spending a couple backbreaking days digging out sod to create a border garden and the perfect spot for the new arbor), my hubby and I hauled my new fav thing home on a trailer and set the three pieces up on some old sawhorses in the backyard.

White paint was what this treasure needed - of course!

So...day after day...for four days straight, four hours a day --- I painted.  And painted.  And painted.

Do you know how many little lattice squares one has to paint on a seven foot arbor?!  I counted one day as I moronically stabbed the frazzled paintbrush into the little corners and sides.  I think my mind has selectively forgotten, but it was something like...ahem....468.  That's one coat of primer and two coats of paint for two sides of the arbor.  It's a job that I would not want to do again.

But I'm not complaining!  Nope!  Not moi!

Because once hubby and I erected that beautiful thing in the exact spot where I had pictured it these past few years, I knew it was worth every single minute I spent dabbing and pushing paint into that latticework.  It was a thing of beauty!  My garden was one step closer to being completed.  (sigh!)

I am breathlessly awaiting my 'Zepherine Drouhin' climbing roses and my 'Hagley' clematis to creep their way up the sides and over the top creating a crown of fragrant pink. Incredibly, they are already sporting big buds. It will be beautiful, you know.  And I promise I'll share that day with you, my friends!

The moral of this story?  Don't give up visualizing what you see in your mind's eye, whether in your garden or your home.  You just never know where your next treasure will come from!  (*wink)

  Blessings on your day!

~ Laurie