...I finally did it!!

Can I tell ya just how long I've wanted to do this...?

(here she is after only 5 hours paint time)

To paint this monstrosity of the 80's...

this octopus that inhabited my now pretty frenchy living room...

OK, I have to admit,

it started to look better when all the shades were removed.

Taking this puppy down was just NOT gonna happen.

it is about 5 foot wide and 5 foot tall,

and weighs a ton.

I think it has 23 or 24 candelabras attached.

So my husband found a ladder for me

and held his breath and prayed.

First thing was to clean over 9 years of dust and cobwebs off of it.

Above is the first coat of  "Creamy White" by Behr.

Yessiree girls and boys,

I brush painted this thing...no other choice.

And below is the second coat of a mix of creamy white, black, and almond

to get this yummy gray taupe, medium dark coat.

Dry brushed a sloppy coat.

Next a coat of Creamy White and the Almond (custom color)

dry brushed on top of all that.

Hard to see, but it has great "dimension" and subtleties.

I love this reflection!

Now, this room is about where I envisioned it several months ago.

I'm getting there!

I was so excited to post this I still have paint all over me

and I haven't cleaned up my mess.

more photos this week...!

Moral of this story?

Where there's a will there's a way!

linking up with

And Joy at Thriftin' on a Thursday

Now to see if I can get all this paint off.

xoxo,

French Lessons

A few years ago at a swap meet here in town one of the dealers

was selling some old books for just a few dollars a piece.

There were a handful that I was interested in

 but they were in terrible condition.

It was getting late and he didn't want to haul them home,

so he suggested I pick out several for a dollar.

One was a French Lesson Book in English from the 1850's

and another was this book published in 1905.

The Lesson book's cover and binding were falling apart

but I loved the yellowing pages and some penciled notes

from a student many years ago.

And if you've visited many flea markets or antique malls

I'm sure you've run into at least one of these glass top trays,

probably from the 30's or 40's.

So some Modge Podge and book pages,

with a little white paint,

transformed the ho hum

into a sweet little tray to brighten the ottoman in my studio.

The vintage bird graphics aren't glued down,

they're just under the glass

so it can be changed out for the seasons.

I'd been wanting to do this for awhile and finally got it done

during one of my "paint" sessions.

Summer Mantel Makeover

Do you ever get stuck in a rut? ...and you don't even realize it until you want to change something, but you don't make the change because...you're stuck in a rut. OK, that describes my mantel. I just tend to do the same old things. Well, at least I did until I started on my paint transformation a few weeks ago.

This room really causes me to be symmetrical,

you know something alike, or at least similar on either side.

my sofas, chairs, end tables, lamps...

works for me,

but can be predictable and boring.

...OK, so it's easy,

but not a good excuse.

And, I still needed out of the mantel rut.

Spray painting my small accent lamps, buying new shades,

 and then changing out the book stacks

were a good place to start.

But my light and bright obsession

and a need for something summery caused me to try some new things.

I removed the small clock that had been there,

then went on a hunt for a couple of prints that were similar,

but different.

Two vintage bird prints fit with my summer theme,

and then an old white iron doorstop for the centerpiece.

My large conch shell and two smaller ones were added in the mix.

Anchoring both ends are vintage demijohns that my husband contributed.

Actually I borrowed them from his collections,

but he agreed they fit the French feel I was going for.

One of the best bits of advice I was given during my makeover was

to remove everything from the place in question,

then try new things.

It's still "symmetrical" in here,

but at least I've changed out a few things.

Now, to just stay out of that rut!

linking up with these great parties,

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More news coming on the new weekly feature

click here for info

xoxo,