Hello dolls! There's a lot in this post, so hang on tight. Here's a sneak peak (because I can't help myself):
Recently we decided to give our breakfast area a much needed - and very easy - facelift. We bought the cutest chalk paint from Walmart and went to town repainting our yellow kitchen table that really didn't match anything else in the house. I applied a thin and intentionally uneven layer of antique white paint (Sherwin Williams Steamed Milk, which we always have on hand because it's our trim color throughout the house) first to give depth to the color. After waiting for it to dry, I then painted over it in the grey chalk paint from Walmart (only $6!). After allowing that to dry as well, I achieved a distressed finish (distressing wood is literally my new favorite thing) by sanding the grey paint to expose the white beneath intermitently. All in all, I love how it turned out! I also painted the tops of the chairs to match. For such a minor cost and a couple hours of my time (including drying time) this was an easy project that went a long way.
Recently we decided to give our breakfast area a much needed - and very easy - facelift. We bought the cutest chalk paint from Walmart and went to town repainting our yellow kitchen table that really didn't match anything else in the house. I applied a thin and intentionally uneven layer of antique white paint (Sherwin Williams Steamed Milk, which we always have on hand because it's our trim color throughout the house) first to give depth to the color. After waiting for it to dry, I then painted over it in the grey chalk paint from Walmart (only $6!). After allowing that to dry as well, I achieved a distressed finish (distressing wood is literally my new favorite thing) by sanding the grey paint to expose the white beneath intermitently. All in all, I love how it turned out! I also painted the tops of the chairs to match. For such a minor cost and a couple hours of my time (including drying time) this was an easy project that went a long way.
I also revamped my tablescape with a new runner, napkins, a tray and sphere topiaries. I'm seeing topiaries pop up everywhere lately and I love them. The table runner, tray and napkins are all from Hobby Lobby and the topiaries were from Garden Ridge/At Home (they had a huge selection!). The candle holders and candelabra I've had for a long time and the china, Lenox Butler's Pantry, I'm still as in love with as I was 5 years ago when we got it as a wedding gift. It's truly timeless. Last, we replaced the cheesey chandelier the builder installed over the table with a larger, more rustic chandelier with less bright LED bulbs. I'd been searching on and off (mostly off, we had WAY bigger priorities for the house) for a few years for the right one (it was really important to me that it didn't clash with our enormous rustic chandelier over the island), but this one looked like it could have been out of the same line! Super quick, easy and inexpensive revamped breakfast area? Check!
Shifting gears, remember that 48 hour sunroom makeover we just finished? It's seriously one of my favorite home projects we've done because the transformation was so huge. Well, part of that plan was to add three rustic wood beams to the ceiling that weekend. Unfortunately, as far as we got that weekend was ordering them, because our go-to wood guy didn't have what we needed in stock. Well, our 3 6in x 6in x 16ft cypress beams were eventually ready. Because they were so long, hubby had to weld a custom hitch just to get them home. We and my parents both own trailers he could have used (although they're both stored an hour from the BDH), but I think he just wanted an excuse to weld something. Typical Ross.
After he got them home, he cut them down to the right lengths, sanded them and stained them. He used the same color I used to stain the coffee table we did for this room - perfect color matches are a big perk of DIY'ing! Next, he and two of our AMAZING neighbors started the really hard and dangerous part: mounting them to our 10 ft ceiling. THANK YOU TIM & DOMENIC!! The first beam went well, the second was a disaster and the third caused Ross to fall from the ladder along with the 150lb beam. The beam hit him in the head on the way down before hitting the floor. Miraculously Ross was okay, despite some scrapes and bruises on his head. Less important but probably more shocking was that there wasn't any damage to our floor from the crash, I assume because our super plush new rug buffered the fall. Eek. We're really proud of the finished product though - this is one of Ross's favorite projects he's done. As a refresher, here's the room before the beams and makeover:
Last and probably least as far as these projects go, my nail polish collection has a pretty new home in my shoe closet! After months of spousal lobbying, Ross went out into the garage and created this little beauty for me in less than an hour. The best part? There's room to grow my collection! I bet he wishes he'd made it a little smaller. ;)
And as if this post wasn't long or random enough, I couldn't pass on an opportunity to share that we just celebrated our five year wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe we've been together for eight and a half years and married for FIVE! Makes me feel old, but so does everything these days. We had a really nice night at the Carolina Inn, which is where we had our wedding reception. I got hubby some motorcycle gear he wanted and he designed this diamond ring for me! It has 5 main stones for 5 years - so perfect. I'm smitten.
Annnd to celebrate, here are some of my favorite pics from our rehearsal dinner and wedding, taken by the world's most talented photographer, Nina Sutherland. If you're looking for an amazing wedding photographer, Nina is the best and easiest decision you could make.
Thanks for reading dolls!
