laundry room update- chalk painted cabinets

Anytime I take on a room makeover it seems like everything takes a back burner, including my blog!!

I don't like it, but it's how I operate. 

 I go crazy otherwise.

Summer break is officially in full swing, and my girl is home now.  

I love summer break.  

I know a lot of parents dread it because of the fighting, boredom, etc., but I cherish each and every moment with her. 

Plus, one of the perks of having an only child is that I don't have to deal with sibling fights!  :)

Anyway, that is one area that doesn't take a back burner.

Like our annual kick off to summer, mom / daughter shopping day last week.

And today.  

Strawberry picking and jam making.

Can't wait!

So here's what I've been up to since I last posted.

Painting and painting and painting.

Did I mention I've been painting?

Ugh.  I mean, I love to paint!

But cabinetry....I think this may be my last rodeo.  It's not hard.  

It's just so laborious.

Kind of like the "Groundhog Day" of painting.  

Same thing, different day.

I painted the cabinets with Annie Sloan's Pure White.  

I distressed them slightly- the same way I would do my furniture.  

I really love how they turned out!  

Just a tad different than the kitchen, which doesn't have any distressing.

Things area starting to come together.

I still have to finish off the shelf above the washer and dryer.

The baskets need to be purchased for the new open shelving.

Once I took the curtain off the window, I really liked the clean, open feel.  

The paint obviously makes everything brighter, but I think keeping it simple is also a plus.

I'm going to add a couple more plants to the window and call it good.

We spotted this cute little step stool at Ikea a couple months ago, and I finally picked it up!

It folds for storage, and it will be super handy for the higher shelves in both the laundry room and the kitchen- which is next to the laundry room. 

It was a light color wood; I painted it in Annie Sloan's Provence.  

I am waiting for some fun stuff to arrive in the mail this week to finish off the space.  

Including, these beautiful vintage linens for the skirt under the sink.

via Jane's Vintage Too

I purchased them on Etsy from Jane's Vintage Too.

I was originally going to use ticking stripe, but the blue stripe I purchased was too yellow and clashed with the rug. 

Can't wait to see these!

via Attic Antics

I also purchased one of these French enamel number plates!

I wanted to dress up the cabinet panel under the utility sink, and I loved the graphic look, as well as the blue edge on them.

These are from my friend Alex of Attic Antics.  She has the most gorgeous European imports.

If you follow my FB page, you also know it's where I purchased my mom's mother's day gift.

;)

I also have some new hardware arriving this week for the cabinet doors, and I'm excited to show those in the reveal as well.

My whole house feels like it's in upheaval mode.  

Probably because it is.

The office, my studio, the living room, and laundry room are all in some state of makeover.

I have some other things in the works on the business side, so you can kinda see why it's taking me so long to post these days!

More updates soon, and I hope to show you the reveal at the end of the week!

laundry room makeover- day 1- the ugly duckling photos

I realize we have a pretty nice laundry room to begin with, compared to what some have to work with.

That said, I'm grateful for lots of storage, new-ish tile, an indoor space to work in, and natural light.

What I don't like are the colors chosen by the builder.

Poopy tan walls.

Wood cabinets (again, not a flaw, I just love white cabinets)

Tile that would definitely not be my choice if I was shopping.

So, I'm giving the laundry room a mini makeover to make it closer to what I like.  

Paint, cute accessories, and organization / functionality.

These are not the pretty photos, but the "in progress" shots! 

Today was all about brightening up the walls and ceiling.

I've added little notes in the photos so you can see where things will be headed.

I was going to do lots of shabby chic pastels in here originally, but I decided to work around my ironing board cover that I got from West Elm.  

It was featured in Country Living magazine, and I fell in love with it. 

 I mentioned it on Instagram, and Kenesha was super kind in picking one up and shipping it to me since we don't have a West Elm close by.  

Thank you!!!!

Now I'm going with warm and white with blue accents.

The cabinets are going to be painted white....I think.

I'm still going to see how everything comes together before I tackle that project again.

This time- if I do- I'm going to use Annie Sloan's chalk paint in Pure White.  

New knobs for sure.

Right now, everything is a sloppy mess in here.  

Between paint supplies around the sink, laundry, and paperwork- everything needs a healthy dose of organization.  Removing the clutter and giving everything a space to go.

Yeah, the lamp wire?  

We have a solution for that, and it will be much less visible very soon!

The curtain in here is really fading, so I decided to say goodbye to that color scheme.  

I really like it, but I think Jon will also be glad not to have a girly laundry area.

Also, it's always a bit creepy at night wondering how much our neighbors see in to this room.  

We really need a drying rack in here- right now, the knobs on the cabinets serve that purpose on most days... or the nook chairs!

I'm also going to remove the lower doors under the sink and add a ticking stripe curtain.  Most likely, all my paint supplies will go below.

Today was paint day.  

All the walls and ceiling got a coat of Behr's paint + primer.  I chose Navajo White- a Benjamin Moore color.  

It's the same color we have in our master bedroom and bath, and is a great creamy white.

You can already see how much brighter the space is!

Tomorrow will be a second coat of paint, and then I guess I need to decide if I'm painting cabinets or not.

This is all sandwiched in to the last day of school for the kiddo, so it will be kinda crazy!

Check back soon for more updates!

You can also check out my Ideabook at Houzz for more great farmhouse laundry ideas!

Click on the link in my sidebar~

See you soon!

how to make an envelope enclosure pillow- Union Jack style

Sometimes a project is spurred on by necessity.  

Like this one.

I've had a pillow form sitting on our entry way bench, stark nekked, for over a year.

So sad.

I even had a photo of it in our house tour, which is even more sad.  

I didn't want to waste time or money on a so-so cover, which is why the poor thing was nekked for so long.
 I finally figured out what would work here!

It's no secret that I'm an Anglophile.

I think it all started in the 80's for me.

I was bit hard by the New Wave bug, and all things English appealed to me from then on.

It runs in my blood too- both my great grandparents were from the U.K.

Anyway, I decided to make a fabric strip Union Jack, and show you how to sew a simple envelope enclosure pillow!
Don't be intimidated- it's really easy.

I used white linen as my base fabric.  

While linen is very beautiful and timeless, but it tends to be a bit shifty when cutting and sewing, so if you're a novice, you might want to try something like cotton or upholstery weight cotton for a first go.

Ready? 

Ok.

1) Measure and cut your pillow top  

My pillow was a 24" x 16".

Using a disappearing ink pen (found at any fabric store), and a tape measure, I marked out my pillow top to the exact 24" x 16".

I do all my pillows this way.  You may be wondering about seam allowance, but trust me- it will fit snug with out any loose, excess fabric, and be A- OK in the end.

Cut the fabric on your marked lines, and set aside.

What's a disappearing ink pen? It marks fabric clearly and eventually fades and /or washes out.

2.) Tear 

If you are doing a Union Jack pillow like this one, read on!
If you're doing a basic envelope enclosure pillow, skip to #5.

 I measured out 3" on my fabric, and snipped it to get the tear started.  Why tear?  Because I wanted frayed edges for fun.

You may have an uneven tear on your first try.  This is because tearing fabric runs along a thread, vs. cutting which may cut across threads.  If you need a second strip that isn't pointy like a V at the bottom, snip again on your selvage edge (the clean line at the edge of the fabric- usually where the manufacturer's info is- as seen in photo above) , and tear again next to the same spot on the fabric, and you'll get a 3" strip, top to bottom.

You will need 4 strips- 2 long ones to go across your pillow in an X, and one vertical and one horizontal.

Got em? ok, let's move on.

3.) Iron and pin

I ironed all of my fabric at this point.  The torn edges curled a bit, so this helps to have them lay flat when you go to sew it to the top.

Lay your strips of fabric on your pillow top, starting with the X, then the horizontal, then the vertical.

Pin all of the strips in place so they won't shift while sewing.

4.) Sew the Union Jack top

I used the presser foot on my machine as my guide for the edges, and sewed each strip down.  (Basically a 3/8" seam)

Make sure your frayed edges lay flat on the fabric before sewing over them- you don't want them bent wonky when you sew over them.

It leaves a nice frayed edge, but keeps all the strips in place.  Just pick a strip to start with, and sew down both edges, until you've done all 4.

5.) Cut the back of the pillow
Here's where you need to pay attention.  We're making the envelope enclosure part, so you will need a little extra on the length, to make sure there are no gaps.

For this pillow I cut a piece of the linen 16" wide, and then 30" long.  This is an extra 6" on the length.  Six inches always seems to come out right for the envelope enclosure, regardless of what size pillow I am doing.  It allows enough for you to fold your seams over, and keep the ends together without a gap. The envelope enclosure will overlap nicely with the 6" extra.

{If you were doing an 18 x 18" pillow for example, you would do the width 18" but have the length 24".}

Mark your fabric with the disappearing ink pen and tape measure, and cut it out. You can then cut right down the middle (be exact).  Now you have 2 pieces for your envelope enclosure!

Using a hot iron, make a 1/4" fold across one end of one piece.  Fold it over again and iron it down.

You can use straight pins if that makes it easier, and iron over those.  Do the same thing with the other piece.  Now you are ready to sew the seams for the edges of your envelope enclosure, and the front of your pillow to the back.

6.) Sew your seams, + the top and back of the pillow
Your fold over seams for the envelope enclosure will be pretty narrow- for this I just use the presser foot on my machine to guide me right down the middle.

Once you've done both pieces for the back, set those aside and grab the pillow top.
Lay your fabric with the side you want to see, facing up.

Then lay both pieces of the back on top of the pillow front.  You will need to make sure these have the side you will be 'seeing' face down on top of your pillow front.

Basically, the pillow front and the pillow back need to be facing each other.  It seems backwards, but you will be turning it right side out when we're done.

Pin the top and the back pieces together.  Your two back pieces will overlap, and that's exactly what you want.  Sew a 3/8" seam all around the edge of the pillow cover.  Remove your pins, and turn your pillow right side out.

I always clip the corners of my pillow seams after the top and back are sewn together- it creates less bulk in the corners.

Woo hoo! You did it!

As you make more of these pillows, you can add some fun embellishments to either side.  

It's always easier if you do that before the front and back are sewn together as in step #6.  

I decided to add some vintage buttons to the back of my envelope enclosure, and also liked the frayed selvage edge instead of a fold over seam.

Cute, right?

Have fun with it!  

It may seem like a lot of steps, but if you can sew in a straight line, you can do it!  

Happy sewing!

warm and clean cottage laundry room

warm and clean cottage laundry room by pinkpostcard on Polyvore

I had several business errands to run today, and ended up picking up a few things for the laundry room makeover!

After looking through my Pinterest board, I decided I was really drawn to a clean and warm look.
doesn't that sound like a laundry room?
;)

Not everything above will be exactly the same, but it's pretty close.  Classic ticking, warmth from wicker baskets for storage, clean white and cream.
Can't wait to get this makeover started!!

black vintage desk, estate sale mojo, and a thank you

I don't know why, but I just have not been feeling the garage / estate sale season this year.

I've only gone to a few- maybe I was scarred from my first sale of the season...?!

I love hunting for treasures. 

I get excited about finding the hidden gem.

But, what I don't like is the crazy mentality some people get at these sales. 

My first estate sale of the year started out with too much drama.

It was a whole-house estate sale in a prime neighborhood.  

Lots of good stuff, as previewed online prior to the sale day.

A posted sign up sheet the day before 

(which I always hate - it just fuels some folks frantic, competitive nature...)

Upon arrival on opening day, a line a mile long, cars everywhere, and guess what?

cue the dramatic music....

someone STOLE the sign up sheet!!

{gasp!}

You'd think we were in a food rationing line with all of the huffing and puffing, crossing of arms, rolling of eyes and customers breaking out their pitchforks in a rabid nature.

Seriously people.  It's just stuff.

Anyway.

I enjoy sales where I can walk around, look, pick what I like, without all the competitive wackos.

Like the one I went to over the weekend.

Where I found this gem:

A vintage, black, solid oak desk.

I didn't do a thing to it but move it in the house!

I really, really, really wanted it as an entry table, but it was too deep for the spot, so we moved it around to a few different places and settled on it here.

Tongue and groove top.

Authentic pull.

Nice big drawer to hold bar accessories.

And a sweet shelf underneath for my lidded basket.

Don't worry- I didn't ditch the recently updated cabinet.

It's now in the living room, and fits in beautifully.

More rearranging in the living room as a result!
Just playing around with different vignettes.

With the black desk, I now need to lighten up a bit more in the kitchen / nook area- the black chairs and barstools are making things a bit heavy, so the barstools are getting a fresh update.

Lots of fun other items, which will be added to my Etsy shop soon and Aunt Bee's House.

It was a really fun sale.

I might have my mojo back!

****
 I also wanted to mention a quick thank you~
You may have noticed something new in my sidebar- the Friends of Pfister participating blogger badge.

They are my newest partner, and last week Friends of Pfister featured me on their blog and Facebook page!

The blog has a nice little write up on what I do here, and the Facebook post was one of my favorite furniture pieces.

You can read the interview by clicking here.

Thanks so much for the feature Pfister!
You can check out their site and their Facebook page as well!

curvy black dresser

This curvy little dresser is the second one I've done in this style.  

My very first chalk paint project was a similar dresser.

It's stately and elegant all at the same time.  

That's why I love this style!

One thing I love about vintage furniture is the obvious history and age that is revealed in the finish.  

I'm sure some people wouldn't think twice to sand and buff out little crackles and chips and ripples in the original finish before painting.

Not me.

I like to high light it.

It's so much more interesting and romantic to see that kind of patina.

  

The first dresser I did like this one, I painted in a French blue.  

It took over a year to sell it- and that was after I painted over the blue to a gray. 

And then it sold in a week.

I'm learning that as a blogger, everyone loves the colorful pieces.  

But in my region where I sell furniture, everyone wants neutral.  

White, black, gray, cream, taupe- and the occasional aqua piece.

It gets a little boring for me, but I'm not doing it as a hobby or for my own house, so I have to remember what customers actually buy.

I decided to paint this one black because the claw feet seemed so traditional to this piece.

I used Black Suede by Behr and mixed in some Webster's Chalk Paint Powder.

A little distressing here and there and some pretty Anthropologie knobs for a little sparkle.

I also brought in some of my lavender roses that are starting to bloom.
I just love the color in them.  Dark pink when closed, then a vibrant lavender as they begin to open, and then a pretty pale tone when in full bloom.

I liked this dresser so much, I thought about keeping it and using it at home.  

But if I can't find any immediate use for furniture I like, then it is up for sale.

I was lucky however, to find another pair of French opera glasses.

I had a some for sale in my Etsy shop a few weeks ago and they sold quickly. 

 Of course, about the time I was thinking about holding on to them, they sold!

A couple weeks ago I came across this pair at a neighbor's yard sale.

Keepers!

Not everything gets to stay, but I'm glad I sometimes get a second chance at some of those amazing finds!

Sharing with:
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Be Inspired Friday
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Inspire Me Link Party
Fabulously Creative Friday

Oregon wine country

Over the weekend, we went wine tasting with several friends.  

It was a joint birthday event for 3 of us who have our birthdays within 3 weeks of each other.

We had a blast!

We decided to visit two vineyards in the Dundee Hills area.  

If you ever come to Oregon to go wine tasting, this is a fantastic area because there are so many vineyards clustered close by.

Our first stop was at Bella Vida.

I like to research new places to visit every year, and I base my visit on the views the vineyard has to offer, and the type of wine they specialize in. 

 Dundee is a big Pinot Noir area, and most in our group like that.

Memorial Day weekend is sort of the kick off season for wineries, so there is usually special food offerings or events going on.  

The prices for tasting is slightly (or sometimes a lot) higher than a typical weekend.

Bella Vida has a gorgeous tasting room- from the minute you drive in, you feel like you are in a landscape portrait.

Rolling hills of vines, lush trees, picturesque farm houses, and views of the Valley.

We enjoyed a wide variety - from a Gris-ling; a blend of Pinot Gris and a Riesling, to a variety of reds.
The sommeliers were all super friendly and informative, and we were all impressed with the
 diverse offering.

My favorite was the most expensive.

How is it that I always have expensive taste!?

;)

They also have a bocci ball court, and we wanted to play, but the courts were too wet because of all the recent rain.

We had a ton of fun, brought lots of food, and enjoyed the views.

Next on our stop was The Four Graces.
This was the cutest location- so full of charm!!
Every row of vines had beautiful roses at the ends.

The name of the vineyard is after the owners four daughters.
Isn't that sweet?

 The tasting room is in a cute little white cottage surrounded by trees and flowers.  Lots of beautiful antique furnishings inside, but it was so busy, I didn't want to get in the way trying to take photos.  You just have to visit and see for yourself.
:)

The patio area was so inviting.

I was really partial to the white wines they served.
Very clean and crisp.

I wish I could remember what varieties, but I was too busy snapping photos....

So pretty.
I made a mental note to remember this spot for future wedding venues....
ha ha!
You can never start planning too early....

We had a fabulous day, the weather was perfect, and were so grateful to have 3 volunteer designated drivers!
 It was one of the best birthdays I've had!

If you ever get the chance to visit Oregon and go to some of the fabulous vineyards we have here in the Willamette Valley, be sure to look up these two that we visited.
The links to their web pages are highlighted in my post.

There are lots of places to stop in Oregon, and if you want a great resource, I highly recommend willamettewines.com for the best and most up to date website of all there is to see and do in Oregon wine country!

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