Gold and Gray Stenciled Bedroom

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of creating a large, multi-toned stencil for the bedroom of my friend, Sadie.  Sadie is English by birth, a floral designer by trade and a fellow lover of all things vintage.  Her bedroom is an eclectic mix of things that she loves and which tell the story of her life so, when she asked me to stencil it for her, I knew that the stencil that she had chosen would be gorgeous....even before I saw it.

Christmas Home Tour Part 2 {Home for the Holidays}

Today I'm sharing what I've lovingly come to refer to as PART 2 of my holiday decorating: our front porch and my college son's bedroom.  Why do I call it "Part 2" you ask?  Well...let me explain.

How To Make Over a Pair of Lamps for Under $20

 

A couple of quick and little known facts about me:
1) I can't resist a bargain.  I know, this comes as a shock to you, doesn't it?!  Okay...maybe not.
2) Sometimes, the best makeovers are those that can be completed in under an hour...usually my lunch     hour from my "day job" in corporate America.  Case in point: Today's Lamp make over.

Rust Remover - Failing "Grace"-fully

Meet "Grace". Back in February, (Yes, you read that right, I said "February", four months ago, don't mock me. At least it was 2012) she looked like this:

"Grace" and I go way back. I bought her at an estate sale in 1985 from my friend, Grace. I've had her since I was single. She's been a china cabinet, a linen closet, and most recently, storage for my sons' WarHammer Army. Poor girl, banished to the basement where I'm sure that she thought I'd forgotten her.  I thought, back in February when I hauled her upstairs from the dungeon basement,  that I would refinish her using Tea and Rust. I also thought that I'd have her done by Easter. I also thought that I'd be win the lottery last weekend because I actually played. Clearly, sometimes, I have no clue.  I abandoned the rust idea after two weeks of misery coupled with finding this post at one of my favorite blogs French Country Cottage. It had the most glorious grey armoire in it.
                                                         

After seeing that cabinet, the decision to paint "Grace" grey was an easy one.  Pretty much any decision would have been an easy one after the "rust debacle." Well, other than what color the hairdresser should highlight my hair this time and what to make for dinner, but other than that...

 One of my favorite sayings.

 Here are the deet's on Grace's makeover: Since I'm storing linens in this cabinet, I painted the interior using latex paint: Leftover Benjamin Moore,Tranquility on the walls and BM Bavarian Creme on the shelves. Then,  I painted the entire exterior of the cabinet, using ASCP in Paris Grey as the base then white washing using thinned ASCP in Olde White. The carved details and trim were painted using homemade chalk paint made from Benjamin Moore Tranquility,  a custom blue/purple color and ASCP, Olde White.  I followed with a light sanding to gently distress just a few places.

Then, I applied striped scrapbook paper to the two pediments using Matte Mod Podge. The remaining design, and the words in the center of the top valance, I hand painted. I used the original hardware after I rubbed it with a little silver rub n buff and sprayed the plastic parts for the lower cabinet pulls with white spray paint made for plastic.

After it was dry, I waxed with clear wax. I'm still not sure, I may put some dark wax just in the carved areas but right now, I'm happy that, for the first time in  FOUR MONTHS,  it's out of the middle of the hallway and no one has  to worry about stubbing their toes or poking their eye out when trying to get to their room tonight.

 

  I added a few of my favorite things: old lace, lavender, some transfer ware, my sons' baby cups, and other stuff that was just hanging around on the top of the dresser and a chair in my bedroom and making it nearly impossible to dust without spending ten minutes moving everything and forcing me to sit on the bed when I wanted to read.

SO much better, don't you think so? I'm saving the rust for another project. Because I'm willful...and I'm not going to let a jar full of rust get the better of me!

xo,




Linking to:
At The Picket Fence
Bliss Ranch
Cedar Hill Ranch
Domestically Speaking
Freckled Laundry
Full Circle Creations
Funky Junk
Get Outta My Head Please
KraftyKat
Live Laugh Rowe 
Miss Mustard Seed
Primp
Tatertots and Jello
The Bold Abode!
The Creative Paige
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Uncommonly Yours

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Bedroom "sneak peek"

I can't really call it a "reveal because there are still chairs to slipcover, faux painting to finish and a cabinet to paint but the bedrooom is finally finished "enough" (my word for the year) to show it to you.
This was the "before" photo:

I loved the wallpaper and the drapes but it was time for a change.

Here's how it looks today:

The room looks larger and much brighter now that the ceiling is painted a pale powder blue instead of yellow and the  border paper has been removed. I think that taking down the dark brown drapes and the valance also helped to "lighten things up".





The wallpaper is probably my favorite paper of all time! Other than the two week while it came from the U.K., it is AMAZING!  Heavily painted paper with raised sections in the design and the fact that the instructions called for pasting the WALL instead of the paper made it a breeze to hang! Truly, it took me about 2 hours to do it by myself.  I also bought three old barn window frames from my friend, Diane Passi. I like the way that they act as a frame for sections of the wallpaper! 

The white pin dot panels (Rachel Ashwell Simply Shabby Chic) came from Target as did the white throw. The rest of the room was "repurposed" from the guest room and other rooms in my house. 

I'll post a few more photos later in the week....this is the corner that I'm still working on:

The cabinet may or may not stay. If it does, it's going to be painted...the chairs will (obviously) need reupholstery. The rest is anyone's guess. I do have a collection of frames to paint and put on the walls but I can't do that until I decide about the cabinet!

xo,

S