A FORTUNATE MISTAKE?...

I have a problem,

 a big problem. 

 Just ask the Captain 

and he'll tell you what it is! 

 It's Pinterest.

 Of course, 

I don't see it as a problem,

 I see it as a source of ideas,

 a place where wishes and dreams 

can be possible. 

 He sees it 

through the eyes of The Honey-Do

and that means

 more work

 for him.

However you see it, 

Pinterest

 is a great learning tool 

where a wealth of ideas are shared 

and where you might

even be persuaded 

to change your whole outlook

 on the world

 of decorating.

I come from a generation 

where things were pretty simple.

  You acquired 

a piece of furniture 

and used it for what it was intended.

 If it was a desk,

 it was put in your den or living room,

 it wasn't repurposed 

into a kitchen island.

 If it was painted,

you stripped it down 

to the original wood,

 and if it had the original finish 

you would never think 

about touching it with

 a paint brush.

The words 

"chippy and distressed" 

described 

someone with loose morals,

 and who was not 

happy 

about it!

Times have been changing 

for awhile now and 

Pinterest reflects that,

 and if you are like me 

you know that you can

 teach an old dog 

new tricks!

When we first moved 

into the Cottage, 

I painted the pine flooring 

in the entry. 

 I had always dreamed 

of a checkerboard painted floor

 and this seemed 

the perfect place to do it.

 We lived with it 

for a few years, 

until it became worn and scarred,

 then we covered it with carpet.

  After a while of that, 

we thought maybe the scarring 

wasn't as bad as we remembered

 and took up the carpet.

 I guess the old,

 what was considered 

"perfection mindset",

 hadn't entirely given up yet, 

so we decided it was 

as bad as we remembered it 

and covered it 

again with this...

When

 I first revealed this, 

a few well intentioned friends 

said they would have left 

the scarred floor...

and now 

I can't say enough

 how I wish 

I had listened.

I have had a few of these faux pas 

and it does seem

 that the Captain might have 

a basis for his complaints 

concerning me and Pinterest.

 I will be the first to admit 

that I tire of certain things

 rather easily. 

 That is what brings us 

to this 

case in point:

You will remember

 this cedar chest 

that we bought a while ago. 

 How you see it above

 is how the seller painted it. 

 Because we had brought 

new light carpeting 

and lighter colored walls 

into the room where the chest was to be,

 I didn't think 

it would show off in the space 

to its best advantage...

...so I decided 

to paint it a 

few different colors! 

 Soon after,

 I knew that wasn't the look

 I should have been going for

 and when we purchased two new chairs,

 and I added some red and blue pillows 

to the mix,

 I thought I would like

 the chest

painted red.

Without going 

into too much detail, 

that idea soon turned into

 a huge disaster.

 I gave it two coats of red paint

 and it still wasn't covering the black.

  The third morning,

as I was preparing to give it a third coat,

 the chest was oozing 

right before my eyes. 

 The two coats of red and the black

 were hanging in strips,

as if someone had 

deliberately peeled them off.

  Then there were parts 

that were stuck on so tightly 

that a putty knife 

would hardly budge them.

 But,

 my forever Honey-Do,

 kept at it 

and finally scraped all 

the old paint off.

 When we looked at it 

we both had an 

"aha" moment.

Somewhere 

between the red 

that stayed caught in the cracks 

and the distressing 

that happened 

when the putty knife 

had to be forcefully used, 

we fell in love.

 But, 

the big question was 

would it look good back in the room? 

The room where I was 

so sure 

that it wouldn't look good 

in the first place?

What do you think?

Now that it is all stripped down, 

I know that I can paint it red 

and it will work, 

but do I want to? 

 I haven't put

 any finish over it yet,

 in case I decide 

to paint again.

I remember that hall way

 with the loose morals 

so am taking the time

 to think this one through.

 Each time I look at it 

I get a stronger feeling 

for what I want, 

but I would love your feedback, 

but don't think 

for a minute 

that I will take 

your advice!

 Or not!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just wanted 

to share with you 

something I've been fooling around with.

 I love the photography part

of blogging 

and playing with the editing.

  As you know,

 I don't have a fancy camera at all 

and most of the time 

I am flying by 

the seat of my pants,

 but I have taken a few photos

 that have come out to my satisfaction,

 so I am planning on framing them 

to use in my decor.

  This is the first one 

I have finished 

and just wanted 

to share 

with you.

Have a wonderful week...

...Judy...

All of the furniture shown in the first part of this post are pieces that we have owned over the years that the Captain has refinished. Some pieces we still have but the majority has been sold.

Sharing this week at:

Dishing It & Digging It Link Party

No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage

Share Your Style Link Party

Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage