Tuesday, September 13, 2016

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:



















18 comments:

  1. Hi, I just loved your photo you took and framed it! But your dresser is perfect! It sooms to add a vintage home style look that is cozy! And your hubby is a real trooper! I need to find something new I can do a maleover on! I seem to go through seasons of the painting part!
    I enjoyed my visit here today!
    Roxy

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  2. The dresser looks great! I love it distressed and chippy!! I am the same, by the way, change my mind often and my husband is usually stuck doing the dirty work. Gotta love those men! ;)

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  3. Yay!!! You nailed it! I so love the way the cabinet looks now. Sometimes life is about peeling away layers to find what fits. I enjoy Pinterest a lot...mostly recipes but I also paint furniture once in awhile---very simple pieces that won't disappoint me if I goof up.

    So happy for you!

    Jane

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  4. My philosophy is do whatever make you happy. I love painted furniture, but I've come to love some naturals in the past few years. Most everything is white, but I did buy a table recently that I kept as is because it was totally refinished and perfect, and I painted a table gray. So I'm added some color. Red is the hardest color to get right, let alone painting over black. I think I'd leave as it. It looks great, but you can do what makes you smile. Good to talk to you again.

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  5. Pinterest is so much fun to browse. Lots to see and learn by visiting. Your framed pictures looks lovely. As for the chest, go with what you feel. Paint can always be removed and added. Sometimes we have to see it in person to visualize it.

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  6. Hi Judy, I've been absent from blogging a lot this summer so it was nice to read your post today. I really like the new look of that dresser cabinet. It is light and goes with the whole room. You have had some beautiful pieces of furniture over the years. I also like the photo of the red wagon. It is sweet. I hope you are having a good week and 'fall' so far. Take care. Pam

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  7. I love it the way it is now! Happy accidents, I call them. ;)
    xo, T.

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  8. I love the way the chest is now! Leave it! (in my humble opinion!).... I would somehow finish that little spot on the bottom that is kind of reddish brown.. with some gray to match the rest, and find a neat old antique medallion to put there, as it looks like the original one had a medallion of some sort on it. I love the old chippy look it has now, with the gray and cream. Your red wagon photo is darling.. love it! I love the photo editing part of having a blog also.. that is half the fun! And when I find a good photo I've taken, I'll tell my hubby it's "blog worthy" or "frame worthy"!!

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  9. Hmmm...I'm wondering if the 'red' framed photo is a hint of where you think you might want to go with the chest! Anyway, in my humble opinion, I wouldn't paint it red, even though red is my favorite color. If anything, I'd fluff up the white a bit! I actually love the piece now :) Have fun, whatever you decide to do! Cindy xo

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  10. Judy, I love the chest the way it is. But you have to do what makes you happy. You have had some gorgeous pieces there in your home. Your picture of the red wagon is very sweet and has such a sentimental appeal to it. Thank you for sharing with us and enjoy your weekend.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  11. Hello Judy, happy to meet you! It is funny how times change, and words come to mean different things, for sure! I love your chest now that it is a soft white distressed look, but it needs to make you happy too, so I would go with where your heart is taking you :) Your framed picture is lovely too! Have a blessed day :)

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  12. Judy, I love the chest the way it is now. But you are the one who has to live with it. I think it goes well with your decor and looks terrific.

    Love your picture and looking forward to seeing the rest of your wonderful art work.

    Have a great week.

    Hugs,
    Mary

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  13. Judy, I've never yet had the nerve to paint a piece of furniture. I think I could repaint one that someone else had already painted, but it would hurt me to paint over the stained wood! :D

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  14. The dresser is nice and I like the checkerboard style floor ♥

    summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com

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  15. Dear Judy:
    My house is like yours - some pieces are gone on to others - even though I had them a long time! Love your newest piece!

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  16. Hi Judy...remember me? I visited my old Blog for the first time in a long time and saw that you had posted something on your blog so I came by to see how you were doing and what you've been up to. Your cottage is SO SWEET! I love your furnishings and decorations and I love what you stumbled onto with the chest. Even if you change your mind about it I know it will end up just the way you want it and it will be perfect. Hubby and I are now living in Arkansas in the Ouachita Mountains surrounded by forest. We love it here...we don't miss the wind one bit! Our home isn't the sweet farmhouse we left behind in Kansas (and we don't even have one Lilac bush!) but I am getting my screened in porch soon ;) Shep the big white Akbash is still with us along with Chelsea and Bubba the Shih Tzu's. We sold all the chickens and the new owners kept the cats. Chickens are on the "to do" list...maybe next year. I'm happy to see that you are still having fun decorating, I will try to come back more often and see what you're up to next. Take care! :)

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  17. Maura!! Of course I remember you, and believe it or not, I was just thinking about you and how you were doing. You are a noreply and I couldn't get into your old blog so I had an e-mail address for you but it came back to me as undeliverable so I hope you happen to come back to read this. Sounds like there have been a lot of changes in your life, but seems like that is a good thing. I am sorry about the lilacs though! But, you can always plant more. I may be joining you in that respect as the Cecil Brunner and Lady Banks both got too large and broke the arbor so hubby "trimmed" them and since my beautiful lilac bush was right next to them, he 'trimmed' that too. I am really afraid for next spring, but time will tell. That man should never be allowed to hold clippers!! I'm so glad you still have Shep. He is such a beauty. We had to put Buddy down, he had bone cancer and he didn't do well. Things are about the same around here, which is a good thing also when you get to this age! Hope you get to see this and keep enjoying life..Your friend..Judy

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  18. Love seeing all your beautiful decor! You always are such an inspiration to me. I'm waiting for a bit to do a lot more decorating, but I do have a few Fall~ish things out.

    I love the chest, just as it is .. I think it has tons of character, and looks fantastic!

    For some reason, I thought I had already commented, but apparently not. Sheesh. My old brain... just keeps getting older **giggle**.

    Thanks so much for the warm welcome back! You are awesome!!

    Have a lovely weekend.

    ~K.

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Your comments are so special to me...Judy