It was a dark and stormy night. Really, it was. Last weekend, I was home on a Saturday night in my pajamas, experimenting with some brands of colored chalkboard paint, making vases, and halfheartedly watching a movie. This is the suburban life I lead. All of a sudden I had an idea. What if I…
Greetings! I had a fun time with a lot of great gals this past week, but thankfully I’m on a plane flying back to California today. I miss my family. I miss my broken in pillow with its perfect fill that never gives me a kink in the neck. Mostly, I miss my paint splattered sweat pants from…
As much as I love a beautiful painted wall in a single color, I also adore the look of painted stripes on walls. They can be bold or subtle, symmetrical or varied, horizontal or vertical, but done just right, stripes are perfect for creating big impact on a budget. Designing, measuring, and prepping your space…
Some of you, no, a handful of you have been reading this site since the beginning when I started spray painting all sorts of things on the average of at least once a month and frequently mentioning my affection. I jumped on the spray paint bandwagon several years ago, cracked the whip, and cried "Faster,…
This is a post from a long time ago, but updated as of May 2013, just in case you’ve ever wondered about the colors on our walls . . . ______________________ I’ve received several emails lately inquiring about paint colors in my home. Shelley recently wrote, “Dear Kate, I’m curious if you would mind sharing the paint…
I’m making my way around my four year old boy’s room, slooooowly attempting to spruce it up and give it some real style. One day when it’s all done, I’ll show you the blah before and you’ll see just how drab it was. His room, like all kids rooms, was in serious, and I mean…
Hiya folks, hope you had a lovely weekend ! Today I’ll show you my step by step for the hand painted trellis pattern on our wall in our bedroom. I wanted something elegant behind our headboard but also dramatic with a hint of shimmer. My original idea was to use wallpaper with a subtle metallic…
We’ve owned this laminate and particle board media center for about fifteen years. It was purchased in the leaner years from a discount furniture store. Back in the 90s, we used it in our family room to store all of our media equipment, but then we eventually moved it to the kids’ play space. For…
What a whirlwind weekend friends, whew ! I made some serious progress on my boy’s bedroom – the walls and closet doors are finally all painted, now I just need to add some accessories and hopefully pull it all together soon ! Meanwhile, I was thinking about ways to decorate your home in a cost…
There’s something about nature in bloom in April that gets everyone thinking and talking about color. I confess, with spring in the air and summer on the horizon, I’m looking around my house for ways to inject pops of color here and there as well. So as you know from yesterday’s musings about thrift store…
A few weeks ago you all saw the new color I painted in the refreshed kitchen ! Every morning it’s like a breath of fresh air walking into this space, and I’m so glad I took the time to add new paint and accessories. So I thought I’d break down the step-by-step on how I…
Over the course of our remodel, we hired a dear friend Mike to handle some of the larger painting projects. Mike is a professional painter with 20 years experience, and a wealth of information when it comes to choosing paint products. Mike has taught me a lot about painting, and is always available when I…
About a month ago, I scored a beautifully detailed buffet and hutch combination from the local thrift store. I paid $100 for a solid wood gorgeous vintage piece with incredible detail. The only problem? It was blonde wood, and the stain had bleached out in certain spots. In other areas, the finish was chipping, and…
I had a little problem. In my recent attempt to spruce up the guest bedroom space, I realized I had a small closet for my guests, but no dresser. And the end table next to the bed was a bit small. So when I spied a small three drawer chest at the local thrift for…