one room challenge...week 5

I'm going to be short and sweet this week friends, I've still got a list a mile long and I

know you've got a lot of ORC checking in to do! :) 

If you're new or missed a few posts you can get the scoop here:

Week 1 here - The Plan

Week 2 here - Painting the Cabinets

Week 3 here - Is it Marble?

Week 4 here - Fabric, Hardware, DIY Hood 

Here's how the week went down... 

I'm so excited about my DIY hood - it's going to work! Woot woot!

I'm tempted to email pictures to all of the metal shops and fabricators who rolled their

 eyes at my crazy idea! They weren't much help, so I was forced to think outside the

box and went to my go-to-source with an open mind - cruising the aisles at Home Depot!

I was delirious when I spied the perfect solution.

 It still has a ways to go, but you get the picture.

Chose rivets for my hood...that's 180 choices if you're curious.    

I worked on artwork, the black and white abstract from Minted mixed
with more traditional pieces gives me the eclectic look I'm going for.

I made the box cornices and gave our chandeliers a coat of high gloss paint.

I'm smitten with this rug and snagged the last one!
Counting on my luck to hold out and that it arrives in time, I may have begged.

Thanks so much for all of your kind words every week, you guys are awesome!
If you'd like to get sneak peeks during the week you can check in or follow on
Instagram

I can't wait to see what my amazing friends have been up to this week,
let's go check in and see if they're stressing over their to-do lists. :)

Abby M. Interiors 

Because it’s Awesome 

Bijou & Boheme 

Calling It Home 

Chez V 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Copy Cat Chic 

The Decorista 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room

The Glam Pad 

Little Black Door 

Mimosa Lane 

My Notting Hill 

The Pink Pagoda 

My Sweet Savannah 

Verandah House

buffalo check...yay or nay?

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

I worked on my kitchen for the One Room Challenge, we had pizza at our favorite

dive and cheered for our Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and finished

 up high school track and tennis seasons. I made a trip to Ikea, I was on a mission, and

 didn't have any intention of getting distracted, but as I was passing the fabric I couldn't 

help but notice some new prints...they were fun, but I'm always drawn to the 

 buffalo check...

it can be a bit whimsical and unexpected if paired with other modern prints.

ciaonewportbeach.blogspot.com

 decorare.tumblr.com

 houzz.com

 charleysnavajorugs.com

 ethanallen.com

 indulgy.com

kim macumber interiors

houzz.com

I've still never bought it, I can never decide if I think it's too country.
I might get brave and do a couple pillows!
Are you a fan, feeling the country vibe, like it in the mix? 

best of the nest link party #3

Holy moly Best of the Nest came upon us awfully quickly this month!
I had to scramble to have something to show you, which was a good thing. :)
 I'm guessing you've all been fluffing your nests for spring and can't wait to see
 what you have to share.
If you missed March's Favorite Features you can check them out here.

Pam @ Simple Details

Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter 

How to Paint Stone Tile 


Lisa @ Shine your Light 

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter

Semi DIY Vanity Table


Kris @ Driven by Décor

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter | Google+

A new addition to her Home Tour

Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter

Easter Table Setting

Now it's your turn:

Four Blogs - Link up to one and it will show up on all four

Bring your Best of April - Anything from your nest aka home - DIY, craft, room design, recipe, etc.

Anyone can enter - not just bloggers!

Can enter through Instagram by using hashtag #bestofthenest and tagging at least one of your hosts.

Can also enter through Pinterest - follow the simple instructions here.

The party starts at 8am EST on Friday and ends on Tuesday at midnight.

Party Rules:

Link to your specific post not your home page.

Only one link per person to show your best work from April 2014

Spread some comment love - visit and comment on at least two other links in the party.

If you're linking up with a blog, link back with a text link or grab the party button.

We'd love you stop back next Friday when Lisa, Kris, Jennifer and I will feature our favorite links.

 For those linking from blogs only those with a link back will be considered.

Let's get this party started!

how to paint stone tile...

I loved our kitchen tile - the diamond shape with beveled edges but the tan

 color was feeling a little dated and I wanted a fresh white update. When we

 originally remodeled our kitchen I chose to have it extend from the counter to the

 ceiling, an expensive proposition to replace all of it. I'd heard you could paint tile and

 thought I'd give it a try and I LOVE IT!! 

It looks like a totally new space for the cost of paint.

And, it wasn't hard at all!

BEFORE

You can see the full kitchen reveal here on May 7th, when my One Room Challenge

is complete. But I had many questions about painting tile after this post on Week 3 

and Week 4 where I gave progress reports, and thought I'd go ahead and give you the

 details now.

My tile is travertine, but different tile and paint will may give different results,

 you should test in an inconspicuous area first. 

I sanded, filled holes, applied two coats of primer, then two coats of paint.

After testing and talking to sales associates, I decided on using the same primer and paint

that I used on my kitchen cabinets:

 Sherwin Williams - Premium Wall and Wood Primer - Latex - White 

Sherwin Williams - Pro Classic Waterbased Acrylic Alkyd - Semi Gloss - Extra White  

1) Sand your tile to create a rough surface for the paint to grab.

2) Clean with a scrub brush and dry.

3) Apply two coats of primer, sanding between coats using 220 grit paper to

 smooth over any imperfections. My tile was so porous and dried quickly so I was able to

apply a second coat sooner than the manufacturer recommendation.

3) Fill holes and sand smooth with a light touch.

It was easier to see where holes needed filling after we had the primer on. 

4) Apply two coats of paint, again sanding lightly between coats to remove

imperfections. A high density foam roller gave the most efficient coverage, was

quicker and easier than a brush.

5) The tip of the roller worked perfectly for getting into the grout lines.

That's it! 

The power of paint...a fresh new look for a little time invested and the cost of paint!

Let me know if you try it, I'd love to see your transformation!

one room challenge...week 4

Thanks for checking in on the One Room Challenge of my kitchen makeover!

This week challenged my patience a tad. :)

If you want to catch up on the past weeks' progress... 

Week 1 here - The Plan

Week 2 here - Painting the Cabinets

Week 3 here - Is it Marble?

 Let's start with the pretty stuff, because it makes me happier than 

installing hardware and cabinets.  

Here's a peek at the fabrics I'll be using on our bar stools and simple box cornice

 board, a traditional floral print paired with a modern geometric.

I spent the entire week getting the hardware on the drawers and doors and getting
 them back up (and they're still not finished).  
I've loved this style forever, it's exactly what I was going for, however I had major
issues with these gems! Our cabinet doors and drawers are much thicker than Ikea's which
means we need longer screws - easy enough. Except IKEA's are metric and the hardware
stores and IKEA only carry certain lengths in metric, long story short I found some screws
 that could work, but they had to to hand cut to the right size and it was $40 for 48 screws.
(Btw, Mr. Simple - the IKEA hardware is such a deal we still come out ahead, just thought I'd throw that in.) 
I won't bore you with all the other issues, but it meant a couple wasted days!
(Detail Boy helped put the doors back on, it looks like he needs to tweak the adjustment a bit,
 but he did an awesome job.)

 

I'm so happy with the painted tile, and how the bevel is accentuated.
I'll post A DIY How-To tomorrow.

Did you notice my hood mock up?
 Keep your fingers crossed for me, I'm totally going out on a limb with my DIY idea, and
it could be a flop challenge. :)  The plan is to to reface my hood with metal to give it a new
vibe similar to these. I think it will work, but what's in my head doesn't always equate...
I'll keep you posted.

Nam Dang Mitchell

metaldesignvt.com


I can't wait to see what my talented ORC friends have for us this week,
go check them out!

Abby M. Interiors 

Because it’s Awesome 

Bijou & Boheme 

Calling It Home 

Chez V 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Copy Cat Chic 

The Decorista 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room

The Glam Pad 

Little Black Door 

Mimosa Lane 

My Notting Hill 

The Pink Pagoda 

My Sweet Savannah 

Verandah House

one fabulous dining room...

Since I'm buried in my One Room Challenge kitchen makeover

I'm sharing a fabulous dining room reveal from my friend - she is killing it!!

I really do love my dining room, but this makes me want to ditch everything

I have and start over. Here's a little sneak peek... 

You have to see the BEFORE - oh my!

The abstract is a DIY, I'm obsessed with the deep rich wall color, the chandelier

 she almost sold on Craigslist, but realized she had something upon being inundated

 with calls - the rest is a MUST SEE! 

Dining Room Reveal here

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and 

Happy Easter with your families!

  

one room challenge...week 3

Are you guys good at estimating how long a diy project will take?

Hands down, I'm the all-time worst! I think I've mentioned this every time I've done 

a One Room Challenge.    

I do have one item I can cross off the list, the new counter top on our island. 

I've been dying to tell you about it, I first found out about it after reading

  this informative post.

You guys know I'm all about getting a high end look for less, 

and I'd never steer you wrong, right?

It's Formica...and I LOVE it!

It deserves a post all its own with pretty pictures, so I'm holding off on

giving you all the details until the end of the challenge when I can show it off

with doors on the cabinets and such. Ok, I'll spill a couple of my favorite features,

no seams in my huge island, and did you notice the bullnose edge...LOVE!  

Formica has come a long way and I can't wait to fill you in, it's the look of

 marble without the expense, or worry of maintenance.

Update on some of the unfinished items...

the cabinet doors are painted, they still need hardware

 and to be put back on the hinges. Tutorial to come, I'd still be painting if it

weren't for the HomeRight paint sprayer!  

We have hardware!! Thanks so much for weighing in on the color!

I made a trip to Ikea and picked up some different styles and sizes.

GOLD it is, add another paint project to the list.

I also started painting my tile, it's porous and is soaking it up.

 This photo shows one coat of primer. For my test I used two

coats of primer and two coats of paint.   

And then there's the chandeliers and the hood...I'm making myself finish

these before I can go on to the pretty fabrics. :)

There you have it friends, thanks so much for following along and all of your

encouragement on Instagram - you're the BEST! 

Let's go see what these ladies have been up to this week...

Abby M. Interiors 

Because it’s Awesome 

Bijou & Boheme 

Calling It Home 

Chez V 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Copy Cat Chic 

The Decorista 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room

The Glam Pad 

Little Black Door 

Mimosa Lane 

My Notting Hill 

The Pink Pagoda 

My Sweet Savannah 

Verandah House 

   

hardware...hard choice

What would you do?

You know I'm updating my kitchen for the One Room Challenge, well I've been

 mulling over the hardware choices waaaay too long, and the time has come to make

 a decision. Just when I think I've decided I start vacillating again.  

Here's my dilemma...

White cabinets - DONE

Hardware - ??? Brass/Gold or Nickle/Silver ???

Is Gold too trendy, or back to stay?

Is Silver over with, or a classic?

traditionalhome.com

southshoredecoratingblog.com

designnotations.com 

thezhush.bk

housebeautiful.com

Stop by tomorrow for One Room Challenge - Week 3

I have progress and if you follow me on Instagram I'll be giving a

 sneak peek today! :)

         Tomorrow is my self imposed deadline for the hardware decision,

so let me know what you think! 

   

awesome blossom...

Hey everyone, hope you had a wonderful weekend, we're blanketed in 

snow again. I'm patiently waiting for our trees to blossom, one of my favorite things

 about spring is the view from my kitchen window when they're bursting with blooms. 

I love bringing in a huge bucket of blooming branches, but these will have to do 

for another week or so...  

 thegrowersdaughter.blogspot.com

 online.wsj.com

 decorpad.com

tokyojinjafiles.wordpress.com

Our friend Rene's entry @ Cottage and Vine

ilovewood.nl  

Carolyn Roehm 

I'm absolutely using this one as inspiration for my spring mantel refresh!

  Benjamin Dhong Interior Deesign

Do you have trees in bloom? I know if I didn't I'd be at a neighbor's door
with a plate of cookies in one hand and my pruners in the other! :)