How to Paint a Mural and Win Bonus Points, at Heart and Home

Hi Everyone,

Here at long last is an actual PROJECT that I completed recently.

Daughter #2 had been begging me to paint a mural in her room.

I put her off as long as I could.

We finally got to work and created an "art installation" that

makes the room sunny and bright all the time.

More important, it made my daughter happy.

And I got a few extra hugs for my efforts.

That made me happy.

First, we repainted all the walls in the room.

I told her if she taped I would paint.

I came home from the store and the room was ready to go.

Blue tape was everywhere.

I couldn't back out of my commitment!

So...

The walls went from pink to a soft butter yellow.

I used the Home Depot paint with the primer in it.

It worked great, one coat and the pink was gone.

We used a satin finish, and the acrylic paints for the mural just glided on.

I got instructions from my "client":

Paint the sun,

Paint a tree

Paint birds,

and many flowers.

Make it fun!

Make it bright and stylised!

Use unusual colors!

Sheesh, bossy.

I told her I would do my best.

I painted the sun, looking sunny.

I painted tulips, and lavender, and sunflowers growing in a field.

I didn't use true perspective, or realistic colors,

 or try to be botanically correct.

It was fun!

And yes, pigs were a special request.

I should have charged her extra.

We had a few creative differences when it was time to paint them.

It seems the artist and the client weren't exactly communicating.

There may have been a few heated discussions about little piggies.

A few got scrubbed off, and painted more than once.

But,

we finally agreed on these.

They look happy and silly and not too realistic.

A real-looking pig is not good in a bedroom,

or so I've been told.

My very discriminating client knows what she likes,

and what she wants.

As an adult that trait will be very beneficial.

Now, it leads to a few verbal exchanges, if you know what I mean.

We don't always see eye-to-eye.

But we always work it out.

There are three swine in the room.

Cartoony-swine, but all the same

it's too bad the lavender isn't scratch and sniff.

The hummingbird would like that, too.

The sun is looking benevolently out over the hills,

Is it rising or setting?

We still haven't decided.

I don't think it matters.

I'm just glad my client was satisfied.

The room's all back together now.

The bookshelves are back up, the furniture in place.

John, Paul, George, Ringo and Harry are back where they belong.

And let's not forget that great looking chandelier (see it here)

that I fixed up for her awhile ago.

Everything looks pretty good.

Growing up, did you have a bedroom that showed your personality?

When I was young I didn't have the room I envisioned for myself.

There were a lot of constraints about what could and couldn't be done in base housing.

Years later, finally living in a home my parent's owned,

 I was able to express myself in my decor.

 I went a little crazy.

Wild, brightly colored, flower-patterned vinyl wallpaper,

 and bright white and yellow furniture everywhere.

Posters of Mark Lester and the Monkees.

It was quite the hip space.

Or so I thought.

But, no pigs, anywhere!

Until next time,

XO

Heidi

linked to Metamorphosis Monday, at Between Naps on the Porch.

Hi Susan, and thanks!

also: The Girl Creative

Cottage Instincts

Making Monday Marvelous, thanks ladies!

Pigs inspired by "If You give a Pig a Pancake", by Laura Numeroff

How to Paint a Sisal Rug Beachy, at Heart and Home

I'm back!

Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July!

I got back from our "adventure" in time to whip up some deviled eggs and peach crisp

to take along to our annual celebration with friends.

Before I left last week to see the sights with my girls

 (more on that in a future post - I took LOTS of pictures!),  

I finished this project,

the one I hinted at in my last post.

(Kathryn, you guessed it!)

This sisal rug had seen better days.

It was bleached out in spots, and looking tired.

I knew it could be brought back to life

 with some imagination, and a little paint.

I taped off 2" lines along the length of  the rug.

This part took the longest.

It was hot out there, taping on the driveway!

I made a measuring stick to help me tape evenly spaced lines.

I thought about doing the whole thing free-hand, but decided against it.

My hand gets a little too free sometimes,

and I didn't want my rug looking like a Salvador Dali.

Anyway, after taping and destroying my poor knees on the sisal,

 I poured a bunch of many tiny bottles

of leftover blue acrylic paint together and mixed.

I wanted a nice, clean, deep ocean blue.

I thinned the paint considerably with water.

Then I rolled it on and let it dry.

Easy!

The result is exactly what I had imagined.

It's beachy and fun, and you can't see the bleached out spots anymore.

Because it is summer, and we do live near the ocean

I like a beachy look in my living room,

without going overboard and throwing surfboards into the mix!

rug:  $0

paint:  $0

tape:  $0

massage to heal my aching back

after bending and taping and painting all afternoon:  $80

Totally worth it, I think!

Now, does anyone have any ideas for the big, dark, non-beachy fireplace?

Let me hear them, I'd appreciate your input!!

Thanks for stopping by, 

come back again and look for news about the upcoming giveaway.

If you don't want to miss a single post,

 become a follower or subscriber.

It's quick and easy, and you'll be a member of the Heart and Home team!

Until next time,

XO

Heidi

linking to the following parties:

Metamorphosis Monday,

Blue Monday

Making the World Cuter

Just Something I Whipped Up

Thanks one and all!!

Summery Cushions at Heart and Home

 I hope you all had a terrific weekend! I know some of you down there in the southern states 

are suffering through very high temperatures, 

I don't know how you handle that every summer!

Obviously, I'm not a heat person. 

Here, we enjoyed a beautiful

couple of days in the 70's -

with perfect, cloudless skies, cool ocean breezes,

and lovely, clear evenings with a full moon.

There's no mistaking it's summer!!

I'm getting it to look a bit more summery around the house.

The abalone shell is a local find, from one of our beaches.

The Mr. and I spent one evening at the Theatre,

and the rest of the weekend working in the yard, (him) 

cleaning cars (him, again), and listening to the Giants lose (us).

What did I do this weekend?

Not much!

 But, just look at this gorgeous fabric, which I found

when I was searching for a replacement fabric for my outdoor cushions,

(You can read all about how I did that here.)

I sewed it into some quickie pillow slipcovers.

I whipped these up on Saturday.

They have french openings in the back, so they were super simple.

No zippers or buttons or hand sewn closures, just cushions tucked in

with overlapping fabric in the back.

Then I went to work on another project that I'll show you next week!

It's a good one, I promise

It looks a little more summery in the living room,

with the addition of that bright yellow in the fabric design.

A little more tweaking and it's even brighter!

The before:

and the after:

What do you think?

Not a huge change, but any change is welcome!

And, Duckies, it seems like everyone was out

enjoying the nice weather this weekend.

 These guys stopped traffic,

 and took the scenic route through the golf course.

Well, I'm off!

I'm on my way

for a few days with my girls.

Three blondes, on a road trip.

We are  heading south, with our cameras and sunscreen,

and looking for adventure!

 I'll be back after the 4th

to share any adventure I found with you,

and with news about Heart and Home's

anniversary celebration, and the giveaway.

Wednesday Gratitude will resume on July 7th.

(There's a peek at the other project in this picture, if you look hard enough -

can you guess what it is?)

Leave a comment and let me know what you think

 about the mini-transformation!

Have a wonderful week!

Enjoy your fireworks!

See you soon.

Until next time,

XO

Heidi

Linking up to Susan's Metamorphosis Monday.

and  Making the World Cuter

Thanks!

Mirror Makeover at Heart and Home

Hey ladies!! How's it going?  I hope you're enjoying the first week of Summer. We've been loving the time off from school and our regular busy schedules, and took some time this weekend to enjoy the ocean, sand in our toes, wind in our hair, ice cream cones and barbeques.

I'm glad you're here. Tell me, what do you think of Heart and Home's NEW LOOK?

And what do you think of this mirror?

It's been hanging at the foot of the stairs in the very dark hallway downstairs.

I walked by it the other day and thought it looked grungy.

Not "shabby chic" grungy, just dirty grungy.

I decided to spruce it up a bit.

Naturally, I pulled out the Krylon paint.

Since this was going to be a quickie, no-cost project,  I used what I already had.

After several coats of paint, it turned out a bit shinier than I wanted, which is what happens when you use semi-gloss paint!

But since I didn't want run out to buy more paint, or delay finishing, I went with it.

I added some silver accents here and there.

Then I applied brown stain all over it, and rubbed it up and into the grooves to sort of antique it up a little.

And then buffed the stain off really well with a rag.

Very "Versailles meets Farmhouse-Chic".

Which is a new design style I just invented, I think.

I'd love to leave it out here on the deck where it can reflect the pretty hydrangeas.

But that spot in the hallway looks even darker without the mirror, so I hung it back in it's former spot.

I think I would prefer the frame painted flat white, against the celadon green walls.
I can always spray it again when I get tired of the Versailles-Farmhouse look! I never have a problem with changing things if I don't love them the first time.
I'm really good at changing my mind!
I've learned that sometimes it just takes awhile for things to grow on me. So I'm going to give the mirror a few days before I do anything to it again.
Because I might change my mind again, and decide I just love it all shiny!

Thanks again for stopping by today! I appreciate your visits and I love to know what's on your mind. Don't be a lurker, leave a comment. And follow along if you'd like, it's easy and very rewarding!

Coming soon: information about Heart and Home's One Year Anniversary fabulous giveaway(s)!You don't want to miss that!

Until next time,
XO
Heidi

Linking today to the fabulous Susan's Between Naps on the Porch and Reinvented Trash to Treasure Tuesday. Thanks ladies!

Heart and Home Gives a Light New Life

Monday, Monday, welcome back. It's been hot here the past few days. We went up north, and had a great time in San Francisco on Saturday. I love living close to such an exciting and interesting city.  There is always so much to do up there!
I hope you had a nice weekend, and that all is well with all of you!

 This was on the list, and I've been meaning to show it to you for awhile now.
Trying to get good pictures for all of you, my blogging buddies, has held me back from sharing this sooner.

I'm constantly reminded of my shortcomings as a photographer, especially when faced with a challenging situation.

But these next few pictures were easy to take:

During my shopping trip with Delores I found at Ikea:

A brushed nickel, three armed "faux crystal" chandelier.

Boxed up tight, and then wrapped and taped, and wrapped and taped again.

First all the plastic wrap and tape came off.

Which took forever, it seemed.

Then I masked off all the crystals, and the cord and chain.

This was a pain, and really did take a lot more time than I thought it would take.

Finally, I got it done, and started painting.

Out came the Krylon spray paint, in Ocean. Such a great color!

I sprayed, sprayed, and sprayed again.

Then I painted the chain, once, twice, three times. And then a few more times. And again.

There are many sides to a chain, I've discovered!

As soon as it was dry it was ready to hang.

Which was handled expertly by my husband, who installed it right in the spot where the old light fixture had hung.

Turns out we didn't need to use any of the chain - wouldn't you know it?!

All that chain painting for nothing!

 

At any rate, it's up and my daughter loves it.

She has been wanting one for a long time.

Going for that "hippie-bohemian" look in her very cool room.

Which I promised I wouldn't show you. Just the chandelier, nothing else!

She's a girl who appreciates her privacy.

Now you see what I mean about the pictures.

The new fixture gives the room a soft glow, which is very hard to capture with my inadequate photography skills, especially when I'm up close and personal, and trying NOT TO SHOW the room.

I'm sure there's a setting on my little digital camera for "soft glow, chandelier", but I don't know it.

You'll just have to take my word for it.

It looks great, my daughter is happy, and that's one more project, scratched off the list!

I love it when that happens!

Thanks for stopping by today! I'm linking to all these great places:

Blue Monday at Smiling Sally

Making the World Cuter Monday, at Making the World Cuter

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

Until next time

XO

Heidi

Weekend in Review, at Heart and Home

Hi Everyone!

This weekend went by too fast, don't you agree?!
I guess it's because we did so many nice, weekend-y things!

First there was a little beach walking (see above) and some communing with nature, care of this fellow:

What a handsome specimen, and so gentle and almost timid.

Pelicans are amazing creatures.

Someday I'll show you the video we took of an entire flock of them,

eating out of the bait shop owner's hand.

Before we walked the beach, we went searching for the perfect vessel for a fountain.

It will be the centerpiece of the meadow we're creating on the side of our property.

I like this one:

And the one down below.

Both are about 4' tall, and will sit in the center of a circular area in the middle of the meadow.

We're still working on the basics of the meadow, and will decide on a fountain later.

Even though I was ready to get going on that part of the project first, before anything else is done.

I wanted to load that first urn right into the back of the car, and head home with it.

Some other people around here (you know who you are!) have different ideas.

Some other people believe you should do things step by step, and follow a plan...

So, no urn for a fountain yet, darn it!!

Other important projects got completed, though!

Step by step, I sewed replacement cushions for the deck dining chairs.

You can see how badly replacements were needed.

before:

Here's what the new ones look like.

Better, right?

after:

They're colorful and very comfy, an ideal combination in my opinion.

This is one of my favorite spots to sit in the late afternoon when I read the daily mail.

Also this is a great place to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Which we do whenever the weather permits.

This weekend, I did some of this too.

I was sanding so fast the paparazzi didn't get a clear shot of me!

I was working on this shelf, which you've seen before.

It got primer and a coat of white paint.

It still needs one more coat before it's done, though.

Then we'll move it into the house, and I can get the books off the floor,

out of the baskets,

and out from under tables.

Oh, and before I let another day go by, let me tell you about my PRIZES!!

I won a $50 gift card to Home Goods from our favorite tablescaper, Susan,

at Between Naps on the Porch. 

Fabulous!

AND, lucky me, this lovely apron came in the mail from my sweet new friend Yoli, at Apron Senorita.

I was the lucky winner in her giveaway.

If you can read backwards you can see it's a PEACE and LOVE apron.

I love wearing it, it makes me feel tres chic!

Thanks, Yoli!

There you have it, the weekend in review!

I'm linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch - thanks, Susan!

Also linking to Blue Monday at Smiling Sally and Make It For Monday at Cottage Instincts. And, to Southern Hospitality's Thrifty Treasures. Thanks!

And hey, if you like what you've seen, leave a comment and, if you're not already,  become a follower.

You'll never miss a single exciting post, and you'll be my new best friend!

Peace and Love!

Until next time

XO

Heidi