Planking

I love wood details in homes. I think that trim work and all the details make the home have character and bring a charm to the place like nothing else can. In my time capsule house there was already lots of character…in some cases too much character. There was a wall at the end of my hallway that I called "the wall of evil spirits" I cannot explain to you the power of this wall. It gave me the creeps and I took it down very quickly after we moved in.

This is what the wall looked like the day I came to view the house:

Yes, that is 1950's gold antiqued mirror that covered the entire 36 square feet. It was nasty. 

So I tore it down ASAP and had a black polkadot wall for 10 months. The polkadots are ugly sure, but they didn't give me chills and weird feelings.

You can see that I had hung the light fixture in this picture. I LOVE that fixture. It's probably one of my most favorites ever!!!

Then for Mother's Day I got a gift card and I spent it on wood planks.  I planked that wall and have plans to trim everything out and do an entire hallway reveal soon.

I then had to prime it and sand it after the primer as it lifts the wood fibers with the damp paint. Don't you sand walls in a maxi skirt? My son shocked me by grabbing my phone and taking this picture while I was working that day.

Here is the planked and painted wall. It's waiting for me to do the ceiling treatment, pull up the carpet and put up the trim. But, those polkadots are covered and the light bright paint at the end of the dingy hallway makes me happy!

Another project on the forever long list is checked off and I smile every single time I walk past it.

David Kind

This is going to be a bit different today. I am not a fashion blog, nor will I ever be a fashion blog. But, I have to share this because it was such an awesome experience. I first read about David Kind on Casey Wiegand's beautiful blog. She inspired me to give it a try. I've had the same glasses for YEARS now and was needing some new ones so it was the perfect time.

These are my old glasses (and a picture that is a year and a half old as well)

Quick lament…I miss my long hair. Superficial and pouty absolutely, but nonetheless true.

So I went to the David Kind website, signed up, uploaded a few pictures, and outlined my preferences. The sample box came in 4 days and was so awesome. First of all, the design lover in me couldn't get over the beautiful packaging. But, the glasses are amazing high quality and so fabulous.

I felt this first pair was cute, but a little too 50's for me. Excuse the no makeup, it's been a busy few weeks!

This second pair was a contender for sure. But I had had black glasses for 7 years and was looking for something a bit different I guess.

Finally these last ones were it. I love the tortoise shell, the frame shape, and the little details.

I waited a couple of days and tried them on with different outfits and in different lights and I still loved them.

Jade Reese thought the process was pretty fun as well. Her picks were super cute, all dress up for her of course. She had a blast though and loved helping me choose!

I love her little freckles and that she isn't afraid of being different. I pray she stays this way always!

This was the most fun process and the company was fabulous to work with. I highly recommend this process for anyone that is needing or wanting to get new glasses. Great experience and service for sure!!!

Dining Table

Sometimes things are brought in that just need a little love. The client likes the piece the way it is for the most part but just wants it renewed. I often don't post these things because people seem to love the drastic change makeovers, but I feel that it's important to showcase what a little TLC can do to renew a piece.

This table was brought to me in less than stellar condition. There was hardly any finish left on it and several places had water damage or heat damage. It's not super easy to see in the pictures but believe me, the damage was there and the majority of the table was down to raw wood.

You can't tell too much from this angle here

I hadn't started sanding the table yet, it was THAT bad!

I ended up having to strip it down in order for it to take even coats of poly.

I also had to do a few tricks I've learned over the years. One with mayonnaise and one with an iron and some steam.

I think it turned out great. It now has multiple durable coats of finish on it and is protected and back to the way the client wanted it.

Stay tuned for more coming soon!

Happenings

Oh so much has been happening and I'm not going to lie, it's been insane to try and fit everything in to my schedule. So, I thought about what post I wanted to do first and it came to me that I should just do a summery. Some of these things you will see in more detail as more of the job is complete and some of these things are just the busyness of being a mom.

First up is a sneak peek at a project in my own home. I've been working on trim for this nautical cottage/rustic/eclectic/with a hint of sparkle house of mine. My styles are many but hopefully they come together well, the main thing is that it makes me happy and I love my children seeing something I've finished in the house and saying, "Mama that looks so good" or "Thank you for making this so pretty mama!" Warms a mother's heart.

I LOVE trim and millwork in a home. I love the character and the feel it lends to a space. Trim is the home's jewelry! So this is what I've been working on:

The trim is around the french doors and all the doors and windows in the house. This is a slow process for me, but it will get there eventually.

There will also be trim covering the line between the paneling and the sheetrock through the family room, breakfast nook, and kitchen. Again, another slow process but it's looking great so far…oh, and I'm still loving the painted paneling!

So while this trim was going up and I was painting it and doing a million other things; THIS girl had a dance performance:

I cannot even tell you how much I love watching her in her element! And no, those aren't false eyelashes…that's just her wearing regular mascara!

I had some fun time with my son and I really can't believe how much he's grown up this year. It really hit me hard when I saw this "selfie" of us. He's just getting so big. And smart!

I also turned Jade's old nightstands back into a vanity and will have more to post on that soon.

We had a really great Easter as well. Again - SO BIG - both of them!

I had a little fun with some springs and setting up a seasonal coffee table.

Then after all my years of doing this type of work and having paint cans all over the place and tools laying around, disaster finally struck. The kids knocked a full gallon of paint off the kitchen counter and it spilled on the kitchen carpet.

Now, I have always hated this kitchen carpet but there is this little thing called a budget I have to live by and I was willing to live with the carpet until I could afford to do something else. But this kitchen has 1950's vinyl tile under this nasty carpet. That stuff is a major pain to remove and the only thing I can afford right now is concrete. But one has to have time to pull up loads of tile and dissolve the nasty mastic and prep the floor for concrete sealing. I don't so much have that time right now but I'm getting there slowly and surely.

This is similar to what I have planned:

I found this image on Pinterest while searching sealed concrete floors and I love it. Eventually the goal for my home is wood floors throughout all the main spaces. But, I think this will look pretty great until that can happen.

There is a lot in the works for Peacock Door Designs coming up. If you're local don't forget to keep and eye out here and on the Facebook page for the dates and times for the Peacock Door Designs Boutique Garage Sale this Summer. I think it is going to be a fun time!

As the Summer holidays edge closer I'm having just a little bit more time to work on things so stay tuned for more to come soon!

Herringbone Pallet Wood Accent Table

I really love when ideas become reality. I've wanted some sort of barn wood or pallet wood accent table for a long time now. I had a client a while back that wanted her coffee table and a couple of end tables made over because she was moving into a new home. She dropped them off and I got started on them only to have her send me a message saying that she decided against using them and wanted me to just have them to keep or makeover and sell.

This is how they started out

Pretty roughed up but a cute style. Below is after I had primed the side table with charcoal primer.

Not complete yet but I didn't know which direction I wanted to go yet…

Enter me cleaning up my yard and getting rid of a bunch of things. I found all my pallets and cut the usable wood off and that's when it hit me!

I could combine that little table with my favorite pattern AND aged pallet wood and get exactly what I wanted!!!

I played with different wood and scale of pattern but finally came up with this. 

My father nailed it together for me simply because I have ZERO time right now. Yea for amazing fathers!!!!

Then used extra wood to trim out the piece so the edges looks nice.

I painted out the legs in one of my favorite neutral grays ever (Valspar Coastal Villa)

Then set it in place - between the "Asian" chairs that are waiting for me to find the time to reupholster them.

I cannot explain to you how much I love this table!!! It is exactly what  I was hoping for.

I think Eli (Jade's cat) loves it too ;)

More amazing and fun things are coming up, so keep a look out for what happens to the coffee table that matched this one.

Dining Room Update

Every once in a while something you envision turns out absolutely perfect and you love it more than you thought you would. This table is like that for me. Actually my whole dining room is beginning to make me ridiculously happy.

Yes, I still have to paint the cane back chairs. But, oh how I am loving the combinations in this room!

The peacock platter was a gift from my sister - just because she saw it and knew I would love it.

This was my Granny's china that was given to me and I adore it so so much!

And yes, I am still in love with my chandelier. I could stare at it for a long time and be perfectly happy doing just that!

Another thing I could just die for is this cutting board! It is perfect. Great quality and a wonderful company and people. If you haven't heard of Cotton and Dust  I encourage you to go check them out. They also have a Facebook page so head on over there and give them a like! Fabulous products!!! 

I swoon - love the logo.

I'm addicted to beautiful glass, I just love it and I collect it. This particular goblet was a gift from my precious mother and I use it as often as I can just because it makes me smile.

The buffet is looking stately in it's home

The pillows I made last year and the entry bench now turned dining bench help make this space feel cozy but elegant.

The pearl frame now has the perfect piece to show off. This was my grandparents 50th Wedding anniversary plate. 

I still have so much planned for this space, but it is really starting to look like what I had pictured in my mind. To me that is one of the greatest accomplishments!