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my milk paint experience

July 15, 2014

awhile back i found this buffet on pinterest.
i think i entered “green buffet” to see what came up.

and that was that.
i was in love!
i tracked down the artist and asked her HOW did you make this look like this?
she told me she used milk paint and a dark cream and wax.
(she has lots of beautiful pieces that she has created!)

so i started looking around online for these things… i know… you probably know all about this but i didn’t.

i ended up on amazon and i came across Jodi from Back40Life and thought “hey… i know that girl!”
because i did!
i have worked with Jodi in the past over the internet so i emailed her and said “tell me the real scoop on what i need to make my buffet look like this”
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She sent me all the supplies i would need to complete the project that i was dying to work on.

i had NEVER used milk paint before.
honestly i didn’t even know that milk paint was a “thing” let alone how big of a following it has.
did you know that people go to milk paint classes?!
huh?
where have i been?!

this is the buffet i wanted to paint.
i got it from an antiques shop 9 years ago and haven’t done a thing to it in those 9 years.
it was finally time!
(disclaimer…our bedroom has really funky lighting and it is HARD to get a great photo)

very first…i rubbed all the edges of this piece with the wax puck for sanding later.

did you know milk paint comes as a powder?!
i used my blender to mix it up (because the package told me i could).
i thought “this is crazy that i am using my ninja for paint!”
but i did.
and it worked.
and the ninja survived.
BUT you can buy a little hand mixer that would be way better… i recommend that.

i decided to not use the bonding agent since i wanted the paint to be super chippy.
that was me just guessing and hoping it worked.
i figured if the paint didn’t stick then i would just start over… it’s only paint!
nothing that can’t be fixed. 🙂

this color is called Boxwood.
i painted a few coats.
and let it dry.
it is very flat paint. i was nervous. this is not my style at all.

and then came back and saw it was CHIPPING RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!
my mood changed immediately!
i was giddy.

i used this scraper and the paint just fell off.
i wasn’t putting pressure on the scraper… just moving it over the green paint.

before and after the scraping.
after i scraped the chippy stuff off… i lightly sanded everything to get it even chippier!

i LOVED this stage!

i wiped it all down with a rag to remove the dust and extra dry paint.
THEN i used the hemp oil over the entire piece… put it on a clean rag and applied it.

when it was completely dry i finished the piece by sealing it with Antiquing Wax using that great big brush.
i was nervous about this part but really it just made it look finished and not flat anymore!
i like it!
of course i can’t decide on the drawer pulls so those are still missing.

i was so pleased with using Milk Paint!
there are so many different styles and variations you can do depending on color or the piece you painting… if you use the bonding agent or not…SO MUCH FUN!

You can get all the supplies for any milk paint project you have from Back40Life in their etsy shop.
They sell Miss Mustard Seed Paints and supplies.
they were great to work with…helpful and knowledgable!

and look at all these great colors there are to choose from?!
il_fullxfull.565770309_g6sa
have you ever used milk paint?
what do you want to paint next – or for your first project?
Which color would you pick?

i am crushing on that mustard seed yellow…. or the tricycle… or typewriter….

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Anne - You did an awesome job, congratulations! I just love the color and texture.
Anne.

Flower Patch Farmgirl - This is SO dreamy, lady.

Karen - You should just email and then call Marian (Miss Mustard Seed). Im sure she’d love to talk to you…

Beth - So cute! I am now itching to milk paint something, anything. Think my neighbors will notice if I sand and paint their cat?

Megan - I love it! This is what I’ve been waiting for 😉
I wanted to see how yours turned out because I was scared to do my own. But, I did it anyway. I chose chalk paint because I need instant gratification and didn’t want to wait for shipping on the milk paint. Now I want to buy all kinds of furniture to repaint. And I’ll probably be ordering some milk paint too. I’m hooked. I need Luckett’s Green and Kitchen Scale in my life.

Here’s mine: http://thingsthatfloatmyboat.blogspot.com/2014/07/eat-my-chalk-dust.html

Southern Gal - I haven’t used milk paint yet, but my son and his fiancée painted my dining room table and chair for me in a jade. It’s chippy without meaning to be. I love it! My husband hates it. Sigh.

Jenny B. - It looks great!! I have a lone dining chair I’ve been wanting to paint Mustard Seed Yellow. We have a local shop that carries it, so I just need to go get it and get started! 🙂

Mindy - Waaay back in the ’80’s, like when Country Living was just getting their magazine feet wet, I read about milk paint but wow has it ever taken off! Your piece looks so great. I am definitely keeping the process in mind for a future project.

Lisa - OMG! I love this! I went to the Etsy shop and then to the Miss Mustard Seed’s website and watched the tutorials on how to do this. I have to chairs I got for free that I need to repaint and upholster, I am so excited to milk paint them now!!

Laurel - Looks FAB! I always wanted to try milk paint since I first heard about it years ago but never got around to it… Recently I found Annie Sloan’s milk paint and OH My Goodness. What I love about it is the lack of prep work-a plus for me!!!! I have painted two brown wood pieces so far. A table that I painted with Paris Grey milk paint and then and then a white coat over and then some sandpaper to distress and then the wax with the fancy brush just like yours. Next I painted a bookcase-from Ikea and it turned out fab. One more bookcase to go and then my new loft area will look very beachy! My husband is afraid that I found this paint as what will I paint nex….:)

Tanya H - I love this! Thank you for answering my questions on how to make furniture look like that! I sooo want to redo my old dresser in Linen for my daughter!

Amy Woods - I’m trying to get brave enough to do this. I bought a vintage sewing machine in it’s original cabinet. That’s what I want to try it out on. I think I might go for it in tricycle. Only I wouldn’t do chippy since it is a sewing machine cabinet…at least not on top. Love how your buffet turned out!

Aimee - I have a piece in my garage that my hubby and I were talking about ….. SO happy to see this! Tricycle is going to be perfect!! And then we have the kitchen table to do and then the hutch in the dining room, oh, and the table in the office….

Kimberlee Jost - You know that built in that’s in my living room.
That needs this paint.
And I’m happy to have you on speed dial for when I get stuck!

Emily - Thank you so much for sharing this! I LOVE this! 🙂 Beautiful!

Meredith - Looks amazebeans Meg!! Milk paint for the win:)

Jeri - Typewriter is my fav. Been wanting to paint something gray…

Michelle Whitlow - One of these days I’m going to try the milk paint. I’ve only used chalk paint & distressed it by sanding. Looks awesome!!!

Katie - Ohhhh I love it! I’ve been itching to try out milk paint. I have a coffee table that desperately needs to be repainted, and that Mustard Seed Yellow would be perfect. I love the striped curtains paired with the buffet, too. Can’t wait to see more progress of how you’re making your new house a home.

Terri - I love how your buffet turned out. I knew you would love Miss Mustard Seed Paints! They are great. You should check out the Miss Mustard seed website. Every Friday she has a linky party and people send in pictures of projects they have done using the Miss Mustard Seed milk paint. You should put your buffet on there. It turned out really nice. Miss Mustard Seed’s dining room is featured on the cover of the new Romantic Country Homes magazine. You can see her dining room furniture that she painted. Also, she has a great picture of a cow above her buffet.

erin - Meg!!! GREAT post. And I love how it turned out *without* the bonding agent. The chippier, the better, in my book.
For the record, I do believe Kitchen Scale is my favorite.
xo

Denise Sandberg - I painted my first piece with chalk paint about a year ago – it was super fun – I skipped the hemp oil step and went straight to the wax – but it turned out great. Now I have an antique piece that has been sanded down to it’s bare wood and I’m fearful to paint it with chalk paint – I think I probably should use the bonding agent or it will just soak into the wood…..I can’t wait to get it done – now I need TIME! 🙂 Your piece looks amazing! can’t wait to see the finished project!

Wendy - love this! Where did you get your striped drapes? I love those! So pretty and just the right amount of chippy. Also, looks so authentic not sanded to look old!!
-Wendy

Mandy - …I have a very similar buffet that I nabbed for free with the matching table and I’ve been wanting to re-do them with milk paint. I’m loving that mustard seed yellow!

Gina - Apparently you haven’t been reading Marian’s blog. 😉 I love the look of milk paint but over the past five years I have painted several pieces in my house but don’t really have anything left. :/ I’m still thinking about painting some of my beroom pieces though!! Your piece is gorgeous!! 🙂

Jennifer - Wow! That looks amazing, Meg! Great job…I’ve never heard of milk paint–thanks for sharing your “how-to” on this…I’m going to have to give this a try.

Lorri - Love this! I just used chalk paint for the first time on living room end tables and now you’ve convinced me to broaden my reach with milk paint as well. So glad to see “the classics” like this get a new life – it looks terrific.

Barbie - Love your buffet!! I am really liking the Flow Blue color!!!

Jenn - Um….LOVE IT! Its turned out fabulous!

heidi e. - These would be cute in white:

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-hardware-knobs/073183.jsp#/

Or any anthro knobs.. especially the on sale ones! 😉

Alex - Thanks for sharing your heart.

I have been inspired to share my journey with Huntingtons Disease.
http://Www.livingwithpassion90.blogspot.com

Heather S. - Love the result! I struggle to do these projects. I’ve completed an end table and a decorative garden gate (for over the mantle), but I wish I’d have been more chippy with my paint. Still looks too “freshly painted.” KWIM?

Anyway, lovely work here, Meg! I really like the tricycle, the mustard seed yellow, and the kitchen scale! What fun colors!

ALicia @ Investing Love - I have never used it, but you just convinced me…first chance I get I’m doing it!!!

Carol S. - Where’ve ya been Meg? Ha ha, can’t believe you haven’t seen this around for awhile. Probably busy in your chicken coop. 🙂 Yes, been wanting to do same thing to a couple of pieces in my guest room…dresser and desk…each time I host guests, I think “I must do that before the next guest.” Maybe this time I will. A consignment store near me has a big display of these type products and offers classes. Loved the pics and descriptions and your buffet looks fab.

jamie - just went to the {miss mustard seed} website. my questions can be answered there. i think i’m in love.

jamie - silly question: why is it called milk paint? would this look good on bathroom or kitchen cupboards?

Angela - Looks great! I love the idea of using it for your tv too! I’ve never used it but I love the colors it comes in!

Lizelle - Wow – it looks great! I need to find something to paint in the “typewriter” colour!! 😉

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the rainbow surprise

July 7, 2014

the week that Annie got to go to her first longer version of camp we decided was a great time to paint and decorate her bedroom!

she had picked her bedspread out a few weeks before at Target.
so i based everything around that.
i made a plan and we stuck with it.
i had all the supplies ready before i dropped her off at camp.
as soon i got back from taking her i emptied her room!
there was no time to waste.

getting it done without a lot of changing ideas… questions… able to work late into the night was GREAT!
kids change their minds a lot it seems.
i had talked with annie about the rainbow stripes so i knew she would like it.
we just hadn’t told her we were going to do it when she was gone.

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we painted the whole room white to start.

when the paint was dry, using a 48″ level and a pencil i measured down from the ceiling across the wall in three places so i could connect those lines.
and repeated that all the way to the floor.
then we used blue painters tape JUST under the line so our pencil line wouldn’t show.
the white stripe is the width of the painters tape.

if you were planning to do this project you would have to figure out your measurements based on your ceiling height, number of colors & stripes and your moldings.

we worked HARD for several days straight.
it was so great to finish a big project so quickly.
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talby helped me pick the fabric for annie’s curtains at Hobby Lobby.
i sewed them quickly while craig painted the stripes.

i spray painted many coats on the bed & bedside table over the few days we had.
i can only find that bright pink color at hobby lobby? that’s kinda weird don’t ya think?
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i also revamped the chandelier i found a few months back with spray paint, brighter colors & a glossy finish.
chady
the night before she was coming home we put another coat on the stripes, cleaned up, craig hung the curtain rod, moved the furniture back in, made the bed and it was after 1 AM.
we were zombies!
But it was totally worth it.

she was excited about this chair because it had been a big debate over who got the old living room furniture when the new furniture came.
and she got the chair!
the alphabet wall hanging is from SpunkyFluff.
i had been saving it for the new house!
it fit so great in that space on the white wall!

Annie’s pillow is from Chrissie Grace.
the blanket was at the thrift shop. 🙂

Stanley approves and really wants to get on the bed!
after she was home and settled in… and we were rested up a bit from the previous week,
i went back in and fixed the little lines that were left from the painters tape.
it didn’t bother craig and it might not bother you… but it drove me CRAZY.
so i fixed it with a little paint brush.

THIS was so much fun to surprise her with.
she has kept it clean… she loves everything about it… it was the best.

along the same lines as getting the old chair… she was so excited to get a lamp with a pull chain.
she said “you remembered i wanted one!”

kids are rad.

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Renee - love it!! did you go WOF for the curtains or piece together?? 🙂

annette - When you spray paint furniture, does it chip easily? How do you prep it? Do you cover it with anything to seal it from chipping? The room is adorable! You have an amazing way of making all the colors work. If I tried that, I think it would like a circus clown gone wrong!

Shellie - Absolutely LOVE it!!! ❤️

chasity - it all looks soooooo good.
that crocheted blanket is the bomb!

Tonya Brown - LOVE the room. can i ask where you got the material for her window curtain? I think all of it is my favorite.

Mindy - What a fun room – no wonder she loves it!

Janae - Oh my! I love it!! Striped walls are my favorite and even more so with those bright fun colors! What an awesome room and super awesome surprise!! You are fun parents!!

Lindsey - How awesome! Love it!

Heather - Looks cute!! I think you should put the headboard on the rainbow wall. It would add a huge impact!!

Emilie - Awesome room. What a cute raspy voice she has.

beth larson - You two are the best parents God ever created!!!! What a laborious project- I love how you made it sound like “not biggie”- (I’d love to have your energy). haha xo

Bree - Beautiful room!! When you wrote that Annie was excited about the chair and the lamp, it hit me how much our children learn from us and how excited they can get when we share or do something for them that we love too. It’s special to them because it’s special to us. I’ve seen this with our boys too and I often forget. Thank you for the reminder 🙂 Have a blessed week!

Nana - I don’t think I’ve ever seen Annie as excited as she was when she got to show me her “new” room! She absolutely loved it! I have to contradict something I told her. I didn’t think the cabins at Camp Mennoscah had changed since I used to go there back in the 50’s, but after seeing the picture I realize I was wrong….there was no cute graffiti on the walls then 🙂

Elizabeth - I love the container at the end of the bed holding her dolls. What is that? (I need to start googling to see what I can find for my daughter).

Kathi Mahoney - I love everything about her new room and, especially, how you surprised her! Gah. Can you be my mom too? 🙂

Kathi - It’s beautiful!

Jill - Meg…It is a DREAM! Just a dream!

Now, I am curious where the rainbow fabric for the rainbow pillow on the bed came from? Hobby Lobby too?

Kristen Bangs - Thank you for the great shout-out, Meg! Was not expecting it and what a coup! So much traffic from your amazing readers! xoxoxo!

Elz - We are converting the study into a bedroom for my older daughter while they are away at camp. I can NOT wait to see her expression when they come home!

Jeannine - I’m going to have dreams about that accent wall.

Elizabeth - Well done! The room is a true reflection of her vibrant and fun personality! She will always remember her mom and dad staying up late to redecorate and paint her room. That is an awesome feelingg for a little one to have. You guys are just amazing parents!!

Karen - What a fabulous room for a young girl! I know as a mom, we love surprising our kids with things we know they’ll love!

Sami - That comforter is beautiful. It looks amazing with those colors! I love the way you decorate with such bright, cheery colors. It is so inspiring!

Sami

Crystal - Wow that looks stunning! On the nightstand and headboard, can you post about refinishing them? Did you sand first or just paint them. Too many pinterest tutorials are on the shabby chic look and not a regular bold paint job!

Lora - Wonderful! What a great gift to give.

marcie - Love the room – fun colors and just “looks” like Annie – spunky and bright!! I’ve done the “room surprise” thing twice for my daughter. Once when she went on a week long mission trip and we went from deep turquoise walls to white – talk about late nights – it took so many coats and threw me off schedule but it worked out. I did a bathroom makeover like that once, too. It seems that I only finish completely if I have a project deadline!!
There is a trick to painting those lines and not having to touch up…. has amyone shared it?? If not, let me know before you stripe again!! I’ve painted a zillion stripes with no edge bleed using the technique. It’s on my blog, too.
Can’t wait to see more progress in your new home!
Marcie

Nicole Franks - I WANT your taste and talent! and I want this room 🙂

Julie - LOVE the room! What a wonderful surprise to come home to. I remember painting my sister’s room when she was gone on vacation once. I told her that we had painted it to look like a candy cane when really Mom and Dad painted it mint green, which was her favorite color at the time.
Did Annie go to Camp Mennoscah? If so, she was about 5 miles away from where I live. That is the camp I went to when I was her age and for several years I took my students there for an end of the year camp out.

KirstenP - I would totally go back and touch up the white stripes in Annie’s room. Love her room!!

Jackie - Awesome!

Julie - What a fabulous room – love all the colours, especially that duvet cover and chandelier.

Janna - I LOOOOVE!!!!! LOVE!

Andrea - This room is adorable!!!! Just like Annie! So glad she loves it!

Jane - What an awesome room! I love the bright colors!

Shelby Beck - Meg, this is gorgeous and a great surprise for your daughter.

missy - If you paint over the tape with your base coat first, it will eliminate the need to go back & fix choppy lines.

Adrienne - Darling! The stripes remind me of rainbow sherbet!

Tammy @Through the Milk Glass - Wow, beautiful room! I would love to have it myself!

What a wonderful surprise to come home to!

Jesse - Love the stripes! If you want to avoid those paint line touchup next time you tackle a stripe try painting over the edge of the painters tape with the original wall color then paint on the colors once that’s dry. Since something will always bleed under the tape you seal it with the original wall color and end up with a clean line, no touchup needed. (Yes I saw is on Pinterest but I’ve actually done it and it works!)

Michelle Whitlow - Such a cute room!!!

katie Skiff - I loved watching this on Instagram – what a lucky girl! I want it for my room, but hubby might flip out!! HA!!

Jane - I wish you had been around when I was raising my kids. I did my best but could have used inspiration from you. You are an amazing mom and have so many incredible ideas!

Tiffany - Beautiful room! I love the stripes. I did that once in my youngest son’s room when we first moved into a house we remodeled. It was so much work, but adorable. Everyone loved it. Maybe one day I’ll do something like that again, but not right now. Good job mama!

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the new house – month one

May 22, 2014

so people keep saying “when are you going to show us your house?”
and i have been like “it’s not even close to done?!”
but then today i rethought that.
i decided how will you know what is different if i don’t show the stages?
so here is our house after living here one month.

when you first walk in the door this is what you see.
complete with swimsuits on the dining room table.

the door by waffle goes out to the patio area and back yard.
we have ikea couches on their way to live with us.
there are still boxes in the corners of art supplies… i am not sure where to put them yet.

the dining room.
i have fabric (hobby lobby) to make some simple curtains… love straight stitching projects!

i have an old chandelier covered in old crystals to hang here.
but i have to paint it first.
i think it is safe to say there is a lot left to add in this space.
ha!

the entire main floor is Seashell Gray by Valspar.

front door is now on the right.
remember before when it had carpet?
for as many accidents that stanley has had since we moved in… hardwood was a smart move.
and it’s pretty.

when you are in the kitchen you can see the whole first floor.
i like that!

down the hall is a bathroom & 3 bedrooms.
we have only worked on our bedroom so far.
we put hardwood in here and painted.
i don’t feel like you can acurately tell the color of gray because of the light from the windows.
we chose Foggy Mirror by Valspar.

i am so excited (and nervous) to attempt to make this buffet look like this one.
i found an expert to walk me through it and she had all the supplies in her shop too!

THANKS jodi!
i will take pictures as i go!
this will be my first ever milk paint project… i am a little scared!

i was planning on painting our bed but then i changed my mind.
it’s staying dark wood.
it’s manly and looks good with the gray walls too.

i have curtains to hang that i got from West Elm.
i picked up the curtains rods and hardware this week.
ready for a little more privacy and not so much light in the mornings!

we have his and her closets in this house.
it rocks.
we had that ikea shelf for over ten years and four houses!
it’s perfect to hold my jewelry now.
and the necklaces are hanging from 3 key hangers from target.

we started painting the cabinets in the master bathroom.
we will continue the Foggy Mirror on the wall in the bathroom as well.
and paint all the cabinetry and molding white too.

back out to the kitchen…

the island is going to have legs on the corners but they are back ordered.
the door by the fridge had to be replaced so that is why it’s missing.

i went with green stools for the island seating.
i ordered two from walmart.com
i bought two at an antique store (and we need to cut them down 5 inches).
one i already had in my old craft room.
and one i found on craigslist and spray painted it.
my mom & dad grabbed two at a flea market last weekend that will fit right in.
the white chair is just visiting from the craft house.

i chose to leave the area around the window very open.
it took a lot of deciding and made lots of people give their opinions.
🙂
i am sure i will fill it with art work or something cool over time.

the light fixtures are from Menards.

the island turned out just the way i drew it.
so many lovely drawers.
and we use the mixer and ninja everyday so i like having easy access but LOVE having it off the counter.
we need to paint the outside of the front door!
we painted the back but forgot the front.
this is the designated computer area.
i have no idea what i want to do with this space.
it’s a wreck.
and everyday there are MORE papers!
many kids means many reminders and schedules.

the laundry room and pantry is the dark room on the left of that picture.
my favorite part of the laundry room is there is a SINK!!!
for the first time in my whole life i have utility sink.
i love it.

there are more bedrooms, a bathroom, a family room and a game room in the basement.
i go down there to say goodnight to kids and once to watch a movie.
otherwise i don’t do basements.
i need windows.
i am so glad we have that space though!
the kids LOVE it! they love that is has carpet and it’s so cold and dark.
funny how differently we think.

so…there it is.
not done.
not even CLOSE to done.
but no reason not to share it with you.

actually we are getting to the fun part… the decorating!
we are REALLY loving it here.

———————————————————————————————————

annie is picking a dessert from pinterest to make with me for our dinner guest tonight.
OY!
i am strong.
i can do this.

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teagan - Hi there… i am painting my house (like tomorrow -eeek) and I love the shade that’s on your walls…could you email me the color and brand? Thanks so much:)

Janelle - You need to do another Q&A blog post! I’m curious – do you think you’ll ever move back into the craft house? Like if you ever decide to stop craft weekend? Do you miss living in older homes or are you enjoying the newness of a new home? I have to say, I love how when you move into a place, you OWN it and make it YOURS! I love your sense of style.

Lori - I love that your blog is real and that you would share your space with us before it is picture perfect. That large chair in your bedroom – love! Oh and your jewelry makes me happy just looking at it. 🙂 Great space. I’m sure you will do amazing things with it. Btw, great color choice on the stools.

Amber - It’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing! I am loving on your Kitchen island with that space for the micro and useful things that you want to keep close but not out! I think that’s my fav! Looking forward to seeing how it shapes up and changes! Have fun!

tara - i’m so glad i came over to play catch up…
my blogging break during lent turned a little more permanent.
the time and brain space that i got back during the break has been amazing, but i sure do miss all of my favorite blogs!!!

your home looks beautiful..so glad you showed it to us before you’re all finished.
i’m foreseeing lots of amazing color added…that computer space is perfect..can’t wait to see what you do there!

Janna - LOVE your house Meg!!! Lookin so awesome! Love the white/grey and all your bright colored accents. LOVE!! I love that happy girls are the prettiest tote…my 2nd daughter turns 10 on June 12 and she so needs that in her life right now…friend trouble at school and all..how come kids be so mean to each other:( Do you remember where you got it? I’d love to find one for her bday. Thanks:)

Ayca - Meg you’re my idol! Love love the kitchen island and everything you’ve done so far! I really want to paint old furniture but I have no idea how to do it. I would love to see a picture tutorial. Please share with us! Thank you 🙂

Jenny - Love, love, love your house!! Looks so light and bright!

Mindy - You are off to such an amazing start! Thank you for sharing the before photos. Sometimes it feels like people move into ready-made homes and we don’t see all the work that went into them. Can’t wait for more updates : )

Keri - Your jewelry collection is awe-inspiring! So many beautiful, colorful necklaces 🙂

Lisa - PS- your jewelry collection is awesome!

Lora - So happy you showed us the new house! Can’t wait to watch the progress. Some day I’m going to do a milk paint project, so it will be fun to watch yours.

Alice H - I would add a cork board area and maybe chalk board in the designated computer area. Not that you asked my opinion, but that is what I would do. LOL! Love the new place.

Lauren @ Focused To Be Fit - Beautiful home! I feel like a huge island is a MUST for me!

Kerri - Thank you so much for sharing photos of your wonderful home. We live in a church parsonage that is small & dark & depressing and I just love the open floor plan and all the light in your home! The kitchen cabinets and island are awesome – and really like those light fixtures. Please don’t ever paint that bed frame and side tables!!!

Kori - I absolutely adore how open everything feels! All that natural light and white and grey just waiting for bright, inviting colors to be added. Such a great blank canvas to start with! And someday I’m going to steal your island design with the cutout for the appliances – Genius!

Elizabeth - Thank you for sharing! I think you would love a large family calendar next to your computer space next to the kitchen area. It would be open so everyone could write their activities on the wall and you could easily see it. Any hoooo, thanks for sharing. I love how open and honest you are and don’t feel like the house has to be perfect. No one has a perfect home and we ALL HAVE TONS OF PAPERS FROM SCHOOL!! You are not alone! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Lynette - Love the way its coming together.

Sarah - Great progress and so cute!! How did you go about updating the banister? Straight paint or did you have to use specific products?

Kayla - Thanks for do “during” shots! It makes it all the more enjoyable for us to see the progress and how your family really lives and that, you don’t, in fact, live in a magazine! 😀

Sarah M - We moved into the second floor of an old downtown building in Marion last fall. We are renovating and things just take time. It is an adventure, though. That said, whenever I can I use MMS milk paint to add color and character. I love it. There’s a lady who sells it in Kechi. She has a shop and does workshops occasionally.

Jenny B. - It’s coming along! I’m sure you’ll think of something amazing for your computer station / family command center. 🙂 What color are you thinking for the front door? I want to paint ours turquoise, but I don’t know if I have the guts. Our house is red-orange brick. We’re thinking about buying land and building (so exciting AND scary!), and it is really, really good for me to see your house like it is right now. Reality is that you don’t move into a new home all perfectly decorated and organized. It takes time.

Leah - You should put up a cork-board wall behind the computer. That way all the little reminders can be neatly pinned on the wall.

Holly - So glad u shared! Before and afters are the best!!! Haven’t been to ur blog for a while but follow u on Instagram. Scrolled through a few older posts and now I want to know…y do ur (& my) babies hafta grow up so fast???!!!

Lisa - You’ve helped me step out and use more color in my house. Just finished my living room/eating area and am so happy with it! It’s now so bright and cheerful. Excited to see all the progress you guys make.

Mary Anne - For the computer area, could you do a long desk for room for a few people and hanging cubbies on top for each person or kid for their papers, etc to stay organized? Love your house!!!

Tiffany - Have you ever checked out iheartorganizing? Jen has an amazing blog with organizational ideas. I could see so many amazing things in that computer space to organize all your kids’ work!

Julie - Thanks for sharing pictures of your house, I think it is always nice to see it lived in too, not just posed for photos. Can’t wait to see what else you do to it. Have a fabulous weekend.

Wendy - I have a naked hoosier cabinet that has been waiting for milk paint for 3 years … but I’m too chicken. You go first. Then I’ll follow … maybe.

Lisa - yay!! I’ve been waiting to see more pics! I want to see outside too…and hear more about where and why you picked this house, area, etc. Thanks for sharing! Love all the white too!

Andrea - Loved the tour and the new house. So glad you are getting settled…..I absolutely LOVE the kitchen…… you have great kitchens!

Michelle Deckert Richmond - Thanks Meg….it’s nice to see the blank canvas before you put your special touch to it. Take your time….Half the fun and enjoyment is in the doing. Michelle from Canada.

Denise@victory rd. - Love this.

Love seeing it mostly naked.

We have lived in our house for 2.5 years, and when we moved in blogville was hard for me because I was comparing my undone home with everything I saw online (which I know was stupid). I think a place needs to just be for a while… needs time to evolve into what it’s going to be. Our home looks nothing like I thought it would, but it looks like us, and I love it.

have a fun dinner!

Angela - Oh Megan you made my day! I have been dying to see more of your new house! You have already made a lot of progress and the fact you know some of the things you want to do is a huge step! I’m so glad you all are loving it.

Jenn - Forgot to ask….what is your process for painting cabinets? We need to repaint our already white cabinets white again. They are looking pretty shabby. A step by step would be great or even products you use would be helpful. Yours look so neat and clean!

Jenn - Already loving it! Can’t wait to see the stages.

Melissa - Can’t wait to watch you work your magic and pull this place together. It’s already gorgeous and I love the fun colors on the dinning room table and the kitchen.

jenny - oh meg! it looks amazing – so ” you ” …that kitchen island is FAB!

Brenna - What fun to create a new space – well lots of work, overwhelming at times kind of fun! Now tell me, where did you get that fabulous chair in your bedroom? Loving the material! You are awesome and strong – you got this.

Gina - Oh my gosh, your dogs crack me up photo bombing all your pictures!! I thought Waffle was on the couch in the upper picture. Love your new home and thanks for sharing!! I can’t wait to see the buffet once you paint it and all the decorating!! 😀

Jenni - Love how open your main level is! Thanks for sharing the ‘in process’ version of your home. I’m surprised that you haven’t connect with Abbe Doll in Kechi {http://www.alldolledupwichita.com}. She is a MISS Mustard seed primary educator and has a teaching studio. She is THE BEST and could do a fewer job showing you the in’s and outs of milk paint. It is tricky stuff, but the final product is awesome.

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my friday thoughts…

April 11, 2014

hey peoples.

how are you? how was your week?

i feel like i am not sure what day it is… what time it is… am i awake?

it is getting a little hazy in my brain. moving is kind of a lot of work.

(the neil diamond playing on the radio at the coffee shop is NOT helping)

let’s talk about… the 21Day Fix.

confession: i basically took a week off of exercise (other than some walking) and a few days from the healthy eating.
it’s so hard when you let yourself off the hook even one day.
the next day is SO much easier to make an excuse.
and then the next.
and same can be said about cookies or chips.

but last night i set my phone alarm for 6 AM and put my phone in the bathroom so i HAD to get up to turn it off.
it’s about the only thing that can pull me out of my DEEP sleep.
and i set out my clothes the night before too.

i sleepily did the Dirty 30 and 10 minute abs.
My kids had a rough morning… late night/hormones/hunger/rushing so it was really good i had gotten up and exercised because i wouldn’t have handled it the same had i just woken up to the sound of fighting.

one silly thing that helps me enjoy a smoothie (or two) everyday…Milkshake Straws.
fri5
i buy them at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
but it looks like you can order Milkshake Straws right here on amazon. 🙂
they are big.
i wash them and re-use them if i remember to rinse out my smoothie cup right away.
(it is the little things that change a day isn’t it?)

the 21 Day Fix does not say to do this but i am trying really hard to eliminate wheat from my diet.
It is not easy!
the first reason is craving things i like – duh. (and i am weak!)
and second… wheat is in EVERYTHING!
geesh!

how are you doing… are you on the 21 Day? are you doing your own thing?

i would love to hear about it.

——————————————————————————————————–

let’s talk about… the new house.
🙂

we are getting really close to moving in.
so exciting.
the floors are done and looks like a different house altogether!

the kitchen is halfway in… they brought in the cabinets so the countertop people could make a template.
so by next week it should all be done.
i love it all so far.

fri6
i took these two pictures on the same day.
one in the morning and one in the evening. 🙂

in the picture below….

1. the wall we tried to take out.
we opened it up and found it was full of wires.
blerg.
we considered the options… decided it wasn’t worth the money to move all the wires.
i am still bummed about it.
but it is no biggie… nothing to cry about… not that i did.
(and if i did… no one saw me and you can’t prove it)

2. this is going to be an A M A Z I N G island.
i am super pumped about it.
one big shelf for microwave and mixer, the ninja and the toaster.
all under the counter but easily accessible.
and all the rest are drawers. YES!
i am PRO-DRAWER.

3. new tiles will go around the gas fireplace.
YAY.
and of course the mount is already installed for the tv.
of course it is! everyone always starts with their favorite things.
and that is why i bought a daisy chandelier this week….it’s my “tv mount”

4. the wall we did take out.
just half of it…. lets in so much light just by taking out 5 feet of a half wall?!
so glad we did it.

the girls can’t quite decide how they want their rooms to look.
i am hoping for something like this…
fri1 afterlight-4
the boys don’t really care.
and i have about 79 ideas in my head right now of things i want to start on today.

fri3 fri2
at this point i am ready to be done.
ready to be moved in already. ready to be IN and not have tools and dust everywhere.
but it doesn’t work like that does it?
lots more work to come in the next two weeks.

———————————————————————–

and lastly…

if you live in the st. louis area… i need you to tell me the best places to go as a grown up lady.
no kids. no dudes.
where to eat… where are the best places to thrift and antique…. what is a great hotel… what neighborhood?

i know you girls will hook me up.

———————————————————————–

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natalie@thesweetslife - as far as food goes in STL…
Kaldi’s for coffee
Ted Drewes for frozen custard (you must you must you must!)
Sasha’s Wine Bar or Pastaria for dinner (you really really cannot go wrong with Pastaria!)

Melissa Getts - I’m a little behind on my blog reading, but if you still need ideas for STL – I love the London Tea Room, a whole menu of teas, and I believe they still serve breakfast and lunch in true British style. Also, even more, I love Osage! With exposed brick and huge windows, old wavy glass, I love the atmosphere! They serve a wonderful breakfast and use fresh veggies and herbs, even berries in season grown in their on-property gardens. There is a little shop with gardening-inspired gifts, and an outdoor courtyard with additional tables, as well as plants for sale. Loved the food, loved the atmosphere! Have fun! SO much shopping in that area as well, as others have mentioned!

Ginger king - Meg I am Heidi Claassen aunt she was a teacher for your child. She is pregnant with her 3rd child he has been diagnosed with downs
Heidi has a blog
Heidiclaasen.blogspot.com
I’m sure it would mean a lot to her to hear from you

Caitlyn - I’m about 30 minutes south of Downtown St. Louis, there’s a historic town called Kimmswick. Its adorable, lots of unique shops and restaurants and of course the world famous Blue Owl. I reccomend Dough Depot they have pretzel bread sandwiches.. yum! Gus’s of course is a must, and Ted Drewes. Soulard is a fun neighborhood too. Chesterfield has everything as well! tons of shops, outlet malls, restaurants, pretty much anything.

Bridget - I second the suggestion on Cyrano’s in Webster Groves (http://www.cyranos.com/) for their desserts. It’s decorated in pink! How fun is that? Also, Bailey’s Chocolate Bar in Lafayette Square (http://baileyschocolatebar.com/). The neighborhood has such beautiful, French style homes. And sometimes they have a tour of homes so you can see how they’re decorated inside!

Candice - Wow! You guys work fast. The kitchen is coming together. LOVE the paint chip colors. AND that pink chair. Fun!

Gina - I did the 21 day fix because of you and I am so glad I did. When we started (my husband is doing the food part too), we went gluten free. It was going to be just for the first 2 weeks. It made such a difference that we don’t want to go back. Psychologically, reading “Wheat Belly” helped because it made me think wheat is evil. Imagine “The Water Boy’s” mama saying “It’s the Devil!” I love cookies, cake and pie but haven’t had any since starting 21 day fix 4 weeks ago. It is absolutely amazing how the cravings are just gone. I keep some dark chocolate in my purse so that when I want a little something it hits the spot.

P.S. In the first 3 weeks, I didn’t lose any weight but I think it is because I had no muscles. I lost 6″ but no weight. I am getting stronger every day and hope by the end of 6 weeks some weight will fall off too.

*****ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU!!!!!!!! Target has packs of Bubba straws. You can get a pack of 4 or 5 for $5. I love that Bubba cup mostly because of the rubber straw — plus it’s cute.

Michelle Deckert Richmond - Too bad about that kitchen wall….think of it as a great location for a “gallery wall”. The place is looking awesome. Bright and open. Can’t wait to see your special style transform it.

Julie Gugel - Zia’s on the hill. Then across the street is St. Louis bakery.

Jessica Kiehn - You have a God-given gift to take something from boring to beautiful. LOVE the house- I like the way you think!!

kim - I did the 21 day fix with Marta..same time as you because of you ;-)…stopped wheat and my beloved diet pepsi…hit and miss on the exercise. I so agree that once you excuse yourself it is much easier to keep excusing yourself..going to get back on track with exercise.
Would love to see the finished house 🙂 thinking of remodeling our kitchen and love the island storage.

Kim

Wendy Cordia - St. Louis is so much fun (but I’m biased because I live here). I agree with the Chase Park Plaza hotel recommendation. Another fun hotel is The Cheshire Inn (English themed with pubs and restaurants) near Forest Park (Art Museum, History Museum, Muny Outdoor Theatre). For dining – try the Boat House in Forest Park or Crown Candy (delicious shakes) for casual daytime dining. For evening, try Jimmie’s on the Park (in Demun area) and on your way to/from there walk to Shasha’s Wine Bar or Demun Oyster Bar (my favorite, and I don’t like oysters!). Demun Oyster Bar has a fun menu of vintage cocktails served in unique vintage glassware (think Mad Men). Plus, to die for Sweet Potato chips. Be sure to get the Beignets there for dessert! Antique shop ideas are: The Green Shag Market (on Manchester) and TFA (The Future Antiques store – all 70s finds) on Chippewa (near the famous Ted Drewes frozen custard). Have so much fun!!! Can’t wait to hear what you do while in the Lou.

Cathy Barnes - OK.. so here’s a place you CAN NOT miss when visiting STL…

T. F. A. – The Future Antiques. This store features all kinds of cool stuff from the 50’s 60’s, and 70’s. Everything from decor, to kitchenware, linens to furniture. ALL in mint condition and organized thoughtfully. It’s a TOTAL blast from the past. You will LOVE it!

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAom9NsLRbU

They are not in the location mentioned on the video. They now are at: 6514 Chippewa in beautiful South St. Louis! While you are there, go around the corner to Legrand’s Market and get an awesome deli sandwich, then walk south to Ted Drewes for some legendary St. Louis frozen yogurt! It’s a great outing for sure!

I live 4 blks. from all of this, so if you need a guide for the day… I’m in!

Check out T.F.A. The Future Antiques on Facebook.

ALSO… they’re some great shops on Manchester Ave. in mid-county.

This one,http://www.missouriantiquemalls.com/warson-woods-antique-gallery/ is a bit pricey… but there are two across the street that are really fun!

Another area: Big Bend Ave. near Manchester – Treasure Aisles and another shop immediately next door. You an kill hours in those two.

Hope this helps!

kim cole - Moonrise Hotel in The Loop – boutique hotel with mid century modern vibe, lots of space related zchotkes, an awesome view of the city from their roof top bar, and close to locally owned specialty stores-some of my favs are Ziezo, Phoenix Rising, and Craft Alliance. On Grand So. Grand check out Upcycle Exchange where you purchase post-consumer art and craft supplies at pay-as-you-wish pricing. Close by is Tower Grove Park, a Victorian era walking park with picnic gazebos, ruins then walk to the world class MO Botanical Gardens – bring your camera!

Heather Henricks - Love the new house!! Your style is perfecto! I did the 21 day fix in February too (I met your friend Jill in my group with Marta!) The containers made it easy, didn’t it?? My youngest daughter thought that she should use the containers for her AG doll :). I’m still doing the DVDs in conjunction with the gym. Its fun!! Not too hard . I can’t wait to see the rest of your new house. Its going to be a gem!! Thanks for sharing!

Elizabeth - I’m impatiently waiting for the 21 Day Fix to arrive. I preordered last month and now they are saying late April. I’ve only read great things about it so I can’t wait to get started.

Your house is looking great. I remember doing all that when we bought our house 9 years ago. Now, it’s time for us to go back and redo some areas and I’m learning it’s so much harder with kids 🙂

Mrs. H - Oh what fun paint names!

Lisa Vinograd - They also have those big straws (in a color pallet that is way more you) at ikea! aqua, yellow, red, pink!! So fun!

Jill - I have been doing the 21 day fix since February – well, sort of. I did the first 21 days perfectly – no wheat, no dairy, exercised etc…felt great. Then we went on spring break and I did pretty good – worked out a lot, ate ‘pretty good’ but since returning it’s been terrible. All sorts of momma responsibilities and work have gotten in the way of working out and my eating has been ok- I need to re-commit. Thanks for the push and the reality check.
Your 40’s house looks great btw.
xo~Jill

Heather G - I am so glad you post about 21 day fix. I have my kit ordered and am just waiting on it to arrive.

Barbara - Hi, Meg,

Love how your house is coming along! I am so happy for your family and know many great memories will be made there.

The other readers gave you some great ideas for your visit to St. Louis but I’ll throw this one in if you are serious shoppers. In a western St. Louis suburb, Chesterfield, they just added two new outlet malls – Premium and Taubman. You may want to do something more restful than that but thought I’d throw that out there.

I hope you have a fun girl getaway when you’re here! You’ll sure deserve the break from all your moving activities.

Easter blessings,

Barbara
St. Louis

Meg - St. Louisan here too. Best places to stay are the Moonrise Hotel and Chase Park Plaza. Definitely check out Treasure Aisles on Big Bend Road. And, thee are neat Antique stores all over Cherokee Street. The Mud House is great over there for breakfast or lunch. Get a pretzel at Gus’s Pretzels that way too. If I were doing a me only trip in the STL, I’d also hit up RISE coffee house and Choquette French Bakery. And, visit the Botanical Gardens (not far from RISE and Choquette). Love our city. Feel free to email with questions. Have lived in St. Louis city all my life and have tons of city recommendations!

Kori - Funshine and Freckles??? I would use those colors just so I could tell people the names!! Love. Them.

Flower Patch Farmgirl - The daisy chandy.
LOVE.
Especially next to that B&W pillow.
You’re the Godfather of colour. You know that, right?
Okay fine, GodMOTHER.
Also, I accidentally spelled “colour” the British way.
Am I secretly fancy???

Lyn - The mud house is a great coffee shop breakfast place & there looked to be several fun little shops right around that area. I’m not from there but had breakfast at the mud house last time I was there on a recommendation & I was not disappointed!

andrea - I’m no help with St. Louis….sorry Your kitchen…Oh my word, I can’t wait to see more. Wheat….I’m with you! It is in EVERYTHING….and it is sooooo difficult. Hang in there…. yes, I am reading Wheat belly….are you?

Cassidy - I’m really thinking about doing the 21 Day Fix. It sounds like such a great program. I’m actually on a gluten free diet for medical reasons but YES wheat is in everything. There are tons of substitutes though so it definitely gets easier! 😀

The house looks beautiful.

Bethany - Hi Meg!!
I came to craft weekend in June of 2012 when i was newly pregnant with my twins!! They are 16 months old now and I still love checking in on you everyday! 🙂 I live in University City in St. Louis and I would say you can’t go wrong with staying at the Chase Park Plaza in the Central West End. There are amazing restaurants you can walk to, the area is fun & alive and the hotel is great..beautiful hotel pool and restaurants and even a small movie theater..it’s an old, renovated hotel. Beautiful!
For antiquing you would have to venture out the of the Central West End a bit but not too far, there are some along Manchester road & Big Bend that are only 10-15 minutes away from the hotel driving. Also I know there are some great places to shop antiques downtown in the “grove” area although I have not been to any yet. That is also 10 minutes away from the Chase.
Old town St. Charles is really quant and historical as well, although I can’t give any recs on hotels in that area, I haven’t been in awhile 🙂
Have a great time!

Maria - Here’s a couple ideas – Cyranos for bread pudding and Quintessentials for a little antiquing, only open the first seven days of the month. Downtown Kirkwood has a bunch of fun little shops, Moonbeans, Found, Christopher’s, the bug store and Down by the Station. Enjoy your time in my little neck of the woods.

Caroline - There is a restaurant on Manchester near treasure aisles antique mall (stated above) that is called home wine kitchen. It is cute, small and delicious.

Also! TFA (the future antiques) is a place you’ll love in St. Louis City (near ted Drewes!) http://tfa50s.com

I hope you enjoy your stay!

Emily - I lived in St Louis for about 7 years and moved about 7 years ago. I highly recommend Treasures Aisles Antique Mall. (2317 S Big Bend Rd)
I lived in University City, which I loved, really old beautiful houses, great restaurants and shopping! I haven’t stayed here myself but there’s a newish hotel called Moonrise right in an area called the Loop.
My absolutely favorite restaurant is called “Modesto” in an area called the Hill. If you like Spanish tapas, you’ll love it.
Enjoy!

kimberly oyler - girl that kitchen has some seriously gorgeous light going on!

Lucy - I love the pasta house they even have one in the airport

Michelle from Australia - Today is my last day of my USA trip. I fly out of San Francisco in a few hours to Los Angeles. And then the 14-1/2 hour ‘hop’ home to Brisbane, Australia.

It has been a marvellous few weeks in San Fran, Upstate New York and Seattle but it’s time to go home to hug my children and get back to our crazy version of ‘normal’ life.

My concern? That my husband and children have had WAY too much fun in my absence and that Mum being home again won’t be as exciting for them as it will for me. Please God they will have missed me….at least a little 🙂

Lisa - Ohhhh….I have so many ideas of where you should go, eat and stay in our fair city! I think you should stay at the Chase Park Plaza in the Central West End. It is a wonderful hotel and has an in-house spa where you can get your nails done and then go sit by their beautiful pool with a cocktail! It is a very walkable area with tons of restaurants, bars and cafes, plus right across the street from Forest Park – so gorgeous and fun in the spring! Also, I believe there are many thrift & antique stores in the vicinity – Tower Grove Park area. When are you coming?? It would be so fun to show you around. 🙂

Elena - Hi! About St.Louis… I live in Italy, but I’m from St.Louis… I can Suggest a restaurant… Go to Paul Manno’s.. It’s in Chesterfield and its the best. Trust me and you’ll feel like a lady! (Just forget the 21 day FIX thing for a day!)

Debbie - Or….downtown Old St. Charles. Lots of antique shops, great little restaurants…super fun shopping 🙂

Debbie - Frontenac Hilton. Across the street from upscale mall (Pottery Barn Teen, William Sonoma, Saks, Neiman, Sur La Table), restaurants across the street, half mile from Galleria mall and shops (Crate & Barrel, World Market, Trader Joe’s, Maggiano’s, Urban Outfitters …), ten minutes from downtown StL. A really fun store is Gringo Jones on Shaw Ave. Crazy wild stuff 🙂 And it’s next to the Botanical Gardens which is a must-see when in the Lou. Have fun!

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makeover for ten bucks.

August 30, 2012

i am a dork in that i forgot to take a before picture of my thrift store lamp.
but i wasn’t planning on a tutorial.
this was a shiny brass lamp from the thrift store.

i spray painted it pink.
when you spray paint things primer is always good but i don’t ALWAYS use it.
or you can buy spray paint now with primer IN it.
genius invention….if you have the option you should use it.

i have never used this kind of lampshade to recover.
USUALLY i use one that is just wire covered in some thin fabric that i ripped off.
this one is covered in a plastic-y hard paper.
i figured it would work…i will try it.
if not…it was $5 so it’s no big deal if i fail.

first i lay out the fabric and see how much i will need.

i wrap it all the way around to make sure i have enough fabric going the correct way of the fabric’s pattern.
sometimes if the shade is really big you have to go the wrong direction of the fabric pattern.
this lampshade was just the right size.

then i use my cutting mat and rotary cutter for a super straight cut.
you can also just use scissors.
i line it up straight on my mat and line up my ruler at the top and the bottom.

then i use my gypsy gripper on my ruler to push down and hold my ruler tight.
i LOVE this thing.
it makes cutting so easy.

i warm up my high temp glue gun.
and i iron my fabric.

then i start on the white selvage end of my fabric and i just start hot gluing the edge with about an inch onto the inside of the lampshade.
and you just keep gluing and pulling it flat and gluing again.

then you turn it over and start on the bottom end.
i start in the same place….the white selvage side on my fabric
(that is the place with the words printed on the edge of almost all fabric)

then when i am finished gluing, i snip off all the extra fabric from the glued edges.
i clean it up as best i can.
for the end when it’s wrapped all the way around i fold the fabric over and glue it down from top to bottom.

and that’s it.
it’s not perfect….but it’s cute and customized to the exact look i want!

the lamp was $5 and the fabric is $10 a yard…and i used a half yard.

so for $10 each….i have two kind of matching lamps.
i made the other one a few months ago.
and now i have a set….not exactly the same but close.

🙂

yay for thrifting!!

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visit this link - Can’t imagine how ten bucks create this awesome decoration.

Michelle - Meg, you have such an eye for this stuff! LOVE the fabric and that pink, what color spray paint did you use?

christine ishmael - Love the end result…who cares if they match…LOVE that fabric!

Cindy - WOW WOW WOW!!!

Lindi - Lamp and shade look fabulous!

Stephanie O. - You turned it into such a sweet lamp…Thanks for sharing…

Melanie - Gorgeous!!! Love that fabric.

Ashlyn@Pinecone - Love the fabric soooo much. I heart all crafts involving glue guns – taking out that sewing machine is just too much work ; )
I need some cheap lamps to redo for our bedroom – you may have motivated me!

Jodi - Absolutely fantastic!! I love everything! I am so excited about a Craft weekend!

rachel - love love! i have a lamp waiting for a make-over. 🙂

Valerie @ Chateau a La Mode - Yay for your blog and super cute ideas!

Martha - I love it! I see brass lamps at thrift stores all the time. You make it seem pretty easy to transform those old ugly things into something amazing!

stephany - I absolutely LOVE the lamps!!
I might have to give this a try for our bedroom.

Penny - Ha! I do the same thing. I know I will end with something great! 🙂

Jessica - What do you with the cut edge of the fabric once you work all the way around? How do you give it nice seam?

lindsey - Wow! Love it! I just bought a lamp shade a garage sale to do the same thing. I was so inspired by the others that you have in the craft house! I can’t wait to get it done!

Lindsey@ Piecefully Home - so pretty! I’ve made over several goodwill lamps, it’s hard for me now to actually purchase a new lamp! those older lamps have such a pretty shape they just need a little “lipstick” to make them fresh again.
great job!

Terrie G - so cute..I need a gypsy gripper!

Toni :O) - Totally COOL!!! You rock cause it’s hard to find an awesome and colorful lamp of exactly what you want for $10! Go YOU!

karen gerstenberger - THANK YOU for this! I have a lamp with an old shade, and bought the fabric to change it, but could not decide what to do with it. You just showed me! Meg, thank you.

Barbara - Just so darling what a great color you have such a great eye for it.

TamiV - ADORABLE!!!

Kati - Love it! It is super cute!

Michele - Love! And I NEED those curtains- with the pink dots. Where did you get them or the fabric?

Shelly Reil - Very cute! I customize my own lampshades as well. But I basically sew a tube and hem the top and bottom. Then I can slip it on and off when I want to change it out, because I am constantly changing things up, that’s how I roll. And if I rip the seams out carefully, I can reuse the fabric on something else… Love being thrifty and reusing what I have!

April R - yay indeed 🙂

Jocelyn Pascall - I LOVE it! Looks so beautiful. And yes, YAY for thrifting – always fun!

Angela Atkins - They look awesome. You are a way better spray painter than I am. I had been thinking about emailing you about how you recovered lampshades–I noticed some at the Craft House. Thanks for the tutorial!

Carly Winborne - Adorable…love the pink! I just did the exact same project with a tacky lamp that came with my marriage 9 years ago. It’s turquoise with yellow and a white chevron fabric-covered shade. And now I love it in my sewing room/school room. So glad to see a “real crafter” do this project!!!

kerry - oh man these look amazing! and i love the thriftiness!!!!!!!!
Do you hot glue over the shade, or just the edges? does it not crease?
awesome.amazing.awesome.
kerry xx

Sarah{Handbags*N*Pigtails} - I’ve done this too. Its amazing what spray paint can do to some yucky old brass. Fun project!

Alisha - You just inspired me to go do the same thing!!! What a great way to spruce up a room that needs some HAPPY added to it!

Mary - ADORABLE lamps!
love em!
xo

Trudy - I love the colors and fabric you chose. It’s like you’re a color genius.

happygirl - You know how to do the shabby chic thing so well. Thanks for the lesson. 🙂

Miranda - You made me run to the thrift store and hardware store in town and pick up 2 ugly brass lamps for $2 each and spray paint and now they are waiting for the 2nd coat. Ahhhh love them!

jen - love! even i can do this & i am craft challenged!

Susannah - That’s such a great idea! I’ve been looking for new lamps for my husband and my nightstands but now I think I’m going to make them. 🙂

deirdre - Ten bucks and a steady hand! Looks great!
If you’d like, please join us for Photo Friday Blog Link-Up tomorrow. Simply add a favorite photo from your blog (it’s okay if it is part of a post) and share the linky-love.
Cheers!

Jaimie - Adorable!! Thanks for the inspiration, as always!!

Lauren - Oh my, I love this sooooo much! It’s perfect!

Katy Apicello - Can you make a video of how to use the gypsy gripper? I don’t get it. :X

janet C - I have one of these lamps too, waiting for a makeover. It was my grandma’s and no one wanted it.
THANK YOU for posting the name of the Gypsy Gripper. I’ve seen it in your pictures and wondered what it was called.

Kristin S - Darling. About 8 years ago a friend snagged a given-to-me brass lamp in my home and spray painted it black. People always comment on it in my home. How much more fun would pink be!??!?!
I love your shade too.
Meg, this is so random but…. I realized today that I always wait to read your posts until the end. When your posts pop up in my reader, I save them. I save my favorite food till the end too. I always want to finish “blog reading time” with one of your colorful (literally) posts. Thank you for being you!
CAn’t wait to fam see paint fight pics.

emily hope - love it! makes me want to go hit up all the local thrift stores today, even though I have a million other things to do 😉

Tiffany - Beautiful…love the colors!

Lisa M. - Yourlamp turned out beautiful! I have to admit, I am not much of crafter. At all. I NEVER would have thought you could spray paint shiny brass lamps!! I probably have two stuffed up in my attic somewhere! I have two rocking chairs I bought at Cracker Barrel years ago that are peeling and two shelves from Pottery Barn that just aren’t the right shade of wood anymore and I was going to re-paint/re-stain both as projects this summer. Never did it. And admittedly, it’s too intimidating for me. I keep wanting to take them to the local paint store and ask for some advice (i.e. stain them, paint them, what kind/type of paint). UGH! Very overwhelming to me. I guess I just need to take the plunge and do it. I’m sure I can fix anything that goes wrong…maybe? Anyhow, thanks for the inspiration!

Kerry Wiebe - Hot glue gun sewing my favorite kind of sewing!!! Love it! You always do an awesome job! I miss seeing you!

Lennie Jackson - Love it! I have one at home that will getting a makeover this weekend!!!

sara @ it's good to be queen - could not love this more. LOVE that fabric…love the pink. love the cheap. looks so great in that room!

Beth - LOVE this Joel Dewberry fabric! I used this same fabric as inspiration to paint a flower on the front of a dresser that will be used as a changing table in baby’s nursery! Mama’s using this same fabric for the crib bedding (only with the sky blue background instead of the yellow).
Here’s the link if you wanna check it out!
http://www.sawdustandembryos.com/2012/03/tutorial-painting-furniture-using.html
~Beth @ Sawdust and Embryos

Jen Brandt - Very cute!

Kate - Super cute!

Kimberly - Yay indeed! Turned out beautiful!

northern cottage - gorgeous – thanks for sharing the covering tip…I have several shades similar to this one waiting in the wings & I admit I was a bit intimidated….now thanks to you I might just get my behind in gear to get them covered! thank you!

Amber Filkins - .L.O.V.E. this! ♥

Krista - BEEEEYOOOUUUTIFUL! I love it!

Lanny Lou - love the lamp miss megan … I love redoing lamp, it brightens up my day (hee hee)

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decorating.

July 27, 2012

so…i have a been a mom kind of a long-ish time now.
17 years is long enough to have gained a bit of experience i would say.

i have learned that at about 10 years old (4 of mine have done this…) kids want their rooms the way THEY want.
no matter how perfectly decorated you want it…they always want their own flavor to their room.
and by now…17 years in… i am all for it.

talby and annie share a room.
they were upstairs quite awhile the other night and then came down so happy to say "we cleaned our room…COME SEE!!!"

it was SOoooo clean.
i said "let's take pictures in the morning."
they were so proud.

(name pillow made by the fabulous chrissie grace)

i thought i would share these with you because when this first happened with lauren 7 years ago i kind of freaked out.
i didn't want her covering her very cute room that i had designed with magazine pictures.
not at all.
i let her but i didn't like it.
and i probably commented every time i was in her room about it not looking nice anymore.
cringe.
then my son did it and then my next son did it and i realized something…
OHhhhhh…they are growing up and want THEIR style.
not mine.

and now i get it.
i am completely on board with my kids decorating their own rooms.

if they want to hang up more posters of justin bieber… i help them find the tape.

because really….it is their room.
why should i be trying to decorate it for them?
they know what they like.
they enjoy the freedom to change it, choose what they like and make decisions on their own.

if the piano bench looks better to them covered in a blue cheetah blanket…GREAT!

so i guess i am saying today…. i know that better homes & gardens isn't going to come knocking on my door to photograph my kids awesome bedrooms.
and i don't care.
perfect bedrooms for my kids don't work.
pottery barn kids is not happening here.

and it's not a battle worth fighting to me.

why would i want to stiffle creativity?

as long as they clean it up on saturday mornings…
they are free to decide on their wall art & what is on their shelves.

and just outside their door i have my giant jesus picture from my mom.
i really love that giant jesus.

🙂

happy friday peeps!

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Mrs.B - Love this post and the giant Jesus! I REALLY love the giant Jesus!
🙂

Rosemary Watson - I just discovered your blog today following links from facebook. What a beautiful home you have! We have alot of the same tastes in decor too 🙂 I love the giant Jesus picture also. Are you on pinterest or etsy? I saw where you had things for etsy but don’t see a link. Do you allow any of your photos to be pinned to pinterest?

Katie - good thoughts…I try to steer most of my kiddos “decor” to the inside closet doors!! it does not all get there! I am cringing at the pop star poster stage, especially since I try to shelter my kiddos as much as possible from all that junk – but it is dang hard when they go to school and come home singig things like “i am sexy and I know it”….I kept thinking they were saying “i am sassy and I know it”…anyhoo I am digressing here – good thoughts, kiddos need to not have every decision made for them – even when they are 2 yrs, they love to have “choices” through out the day – do you want the pink or the green cup – it helps for when I make the call! love your Jesus pic too!

Maggie Rose - From when I was about 8 until when I officially moved out at 19, I constantly was rearranging my bedroom and the cat posters on the walls and all that jazz. Luckily my parents let me do pretty much whatever I wanted if they didn’t have to spend money on it (except a gallon of paint (mint green) for the walls and a new dresser when I was 12). Creative freedom! Now at 27, I own my own decorating business. You never know what you’re fostering when you let them express themselves!

Rebeca Flores - This is exactly what we’re going through too with our 8 year old…she has all kinds of stuff taped to the walls and her door but we’ve let her make it her own even though it doesn’t look like a magazine picture. But right now she wants to transition from light pink that she has to hot pink and purple…I’m trying to find how to help her make it her own and also make it cute and organized

Deb Meyers - oh the things we do to our first-borns! I read a humor writer who said: “the reason the first-borns in the Bible got all the land and titles was ‘payment for damages rendered’ “.
Love your perspective.
Deb Meyers

Alyssa - Love it, not there yet, but I am glad you shared this because it will be kind hard for me too I think! BUT they did a wonderful job, it is so cute and I so remember doing this and my mom ordering me a tie die comforter to complete my “look” You and your girls will stay close since you are giving them their wings, my mom is my best friend and was my matron of honor! She said she knew from the time I was little she had to give me my space or she would push me away, and it worked. So cheers to you, you will be blessed by this, and from your words I think you probably already were 🙂

Lindsey@ Piecefully Home - yep, i loved redecorating my room all the time when i was a kid. i remember at one point, i moved my bookshelf to the middle of the room and my parents let me keep it their. 🙂 i let my kids have a say in their room and last year i let them pick the paint colors, too. every time i see perfectly styled kids rooms, i always wonder if the KIDS like it or is it just the parents.

Kat - Oh I so hear you. My oldest three share a room (a girl and two boys) and littlest has her own room.
My kids room is far from a magazine spread, but they love it and like you I am learning to just go with it.(btw my oldest is 10, then 7.5, 5.5 and 3.5.)
It’s the clutter I can’t stand from Miss 10, but that is another story!!

se7en - Love it… Your kids are so creative!!! Better Homes and Gardens could learn quite a bit about decor from them!!! Have a fun week!!!

Katherine - Love it! Thank you!

nat - i love this post and it came at just the right time. we are changing some things in my almost 8 yr old’s room. i want it to look put together and cute and magazine worthy. he wants tiger woods posters and star wars hamsters on his wall.

Katie - Thanks. This was so good to hear. I just had a major freak out session with my 8 year old. I guess this is a mole hill that I am making into a mountain.

Katie - This was so nice to hear. I JUST had a major freak out session with my 8 year old daughter. She has trinkets set out EVERY where you look. I want the nice magazine look. I guess this is really a mole hill that I am making into a mountain.

Prairie Jenn - Yay for letting them decorate their own rooms! I’ve always let my girls do their own thing too…even when my oldest was five and picked out creamsicle orange for her room’s paint color. It’s all good:)

Valerie @ Chateau a La Mode - Good girl Meg….mine are 21, 20 and 16 and Better Homes and Garden aren’t calling but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nicole Q. - Love this post Megan. You might have just saved some kids from having a room their “mom wants”. I’ve so had these same wrestlings. Still do. But you slowly get over it and focus on the areas you DO get to decorate with your style.
Hang dumb Angry Birds posers on your wall… whatevs …. just not in my living room. ha.

Mary - hhhmmmmmphhhhh.
i’ll admit it.
this is hard for me.
the control freak in me wants to make it just so, but you are right.
and i don’t like it! 🙂
great post, girl.
thank you!
xoxo

Su@TheIntentionalHome - I teach this class on home organization and decor. . take ladies on a tour of my home. And when we get to my kids’ room (I have 5 ages 5-15). . I always remind them that the kids’ room should make the kids go “Ah, this is the life!!” It should not make us say that. We want a place that our kids feel nurtured, at home, free to be themselves. Your post reminded me of this. . .
Here is a picture of my girls’ room if you are interested:
http://www.susoutter.com/2011/06/my-girls-new-bedroom-giveaway.html

Renee - when i was 14 my mom let me paint my room bright teal and purple, knowing we’d have to use 3 coats of primer and paint to get rid of that in the future. true love 🙂

Chrissie Grace - Thanks for the reminder Meg. I too, get caught up in the pinterest hype. It is so important.that the kids have the freedom to express themselves. What a confidence boost too for them when mom appreciates and respects their styles
Oh, and it made my heart swell to see their pillows…. 😉

Chrissiegrace Grace - Thanks for the reminder Meg. I too, get caught up in the pinterest hype. It is so important.that the kids have the freedom to express themselves. What a confidence boost too for them when mom appreciates and respects their styles:)

Chrissiegrace Grace - http://www.mixedmediamama.etsy.com. 🙂

Laurie - I really needed to see this…thanks for putting it in perspective.

Johanna - Love-love-love!!! This is a good reminder for me… I have done the “cringe” too… need to let the creativity flow:)

Tanya H - my favorite part was the “cringe” about freaking out at Lauren. THAT’s the part I needed to hear!! I AM an oldest child, you’d THINK I would catch on…nope. I fight and demand control and then the light clicks on and “ohhhh….this is what HE needs right now…whoops.” my 10yr old did get to pick the color we painted his room, and we just strung up a thing for him to clothespin his own art on his wall with… But thank you for the wonderful reminders and lessons you learn and share! 🙂

Cory - My mom has that same picture of Jesus in her room. I am hoping to inherit it some day… 🙂

elz - I think the same thing. I’ve told my girls that they can do whatever they want to in their rooms when they are 10. I want to give them enough time to grow up a little so they can decide what they want, but they are still young enough to involve mom.

Jennifer - I could not agree with you more! Ladies get so hung up on having their homes decorated just so. And for what? Having beautiful bedding in your kid’s room doesn’t ensure they will find fulfillment in life. Letting them be who God made them to be, does. I don’t have a picture perfect home, I don’t spend time scouring catalogs for the coolest trinkets, and there is definitely dog hair on my bathroom floor right now. But my home is filled with laughter and happiness. And my son doesn’t care that the peach velvet wingback chair circa 1984 is in the living room looking quite worn and needing to be recovered (I can’t decide on a new fabric). It really is pretty hideous but we had a great day at the beach today and no one gives a rip about that chair anyway.
Kudos to you for this post, and for telling the ladies who don’t know, that it is really, truly ok to have a regular home that doesn’t look like something out of a magazine. Living your life and loving your kids, and letting their unique personalities develop is more important. I love your words and I love your kind, real heart that comes through in your posts.

Amy Mak - Love your style, love theirs. We are just beginning this in my home…thanks for inspiring me to let go and go with the flow. Everyone is happier.

Jessica P. - Where did you find those beautiful pillows on the girls’ beds (the ones with their names and scripture)?

Carrie - Okay, I get that however my almost 5 year old is starting to do this and it is driving me nuts. She draws pictures to tape up in her room. She frames them with various colors of painters tape. She is actually a very good artist for her age however when she decides she is making pictures for her room it is quantity not quality that is important to her. I am going to surprise her next week while she is at Vacation bible school one morning with some decorations in her room, including a magnetic spot on her closet for all of her pictures. Hopefully that will be a good compromise. As for my 20 month old luckily she could care less at this point as long as I do not move the books she likes to keep on the spare twin bed in her room!
At age 8 or 10, I am ok with creativity driving what goes on in the room but 5, I am not sure!

Kelly - I thought you’d probably love this video. I thought you may want to post it. It reminded me of you.
http://www.charitywater.org/blog/rachels-gift/

Michelle From Australia - The first time I had thought about this was when I listened to the late Professor Randy Pausch talk about how his parents had let him paint his room. I just found a link to it – http://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/room/
Thanks for reminding me about it again Meg. Great post!

Michelle Whitlow - oh man, I am totally there with my oldest! It’s so hard to let go & let them ‘decorate’ when I have so many cute ideas!

Molly - Hi Meg,
I am glad you posted this. When my daughters were adopted at ages just 4 and 6, they shared a room. Then we split them up and they had their own rooms. We decorated a bit before they came home, but as our rooms were spare room and office, we hadn’t really painted, etc. We let them pick paint colors and painted a year after they came home. Now at 10 my oldest daughter wants to make her room her own. She had tinkerbelle up on the walls and now wants to change it. I think I will be looking at a great big Justin Bieber poster soon. LOL. But it’s time for her creativity to come out. For her birthday this fall she can pick out her new comforter and sheets, and what to put on her walls, maybe another bean bag (the dog ruined the first one) new furry lampshade, new dresser knobs, bookcase, etc. It will be fun to see what she chooses.

Amanda M. - Long time reader first time commenter….. This is exactly the post I needed to read today. My sons are 2 and 4. I wanted them to have the perfect bedrooms. One is tractors and all things John Deere and the other is trains in bright bold colors. Now as they have grown to love more and more things I struggle with wanting their rooms to look like those on blogs I read or magazine pages. So what if my son wants tractors, diggers, legos, world maps, tools, animals and all sorts of treasured collections in his room. It is his room not Pottery Barn’s. I let out a huge deep sigh of relief when I read this. Thank you so much.

elizabeth highsmith - Soooooooo glad our Jesus is GIANT! ; ) Love your spirit here hope to adopt the same attitude should our Giant Jesus ever grace me with my own motley crew! Also I love that your Read room received such rave reviews in blog land even more knowing this is your decorating philosophy! love your light filled photos both literal and spiritually!

Sabrina - You’re an awesome mom! My parents let me decorate my room and when my kids are wanting to decorate their room I will let them. My cousins though, had a different experience. All they wanted was Motley Crue and Poison posters on their walls. My aunt would have none of it. Instead she let them pick one poster and she went and got it framed!!!!

Janet @ Ordinary Mom - THanks for posting this. My son has been wanting to add to his room and being my first I am hesitant to let him. But you are right. I need to let go. Thank you for sharing.

sullyj - You always post exactly what I need when i need it…how do you do that? I have been struggling with my soon to be 9 year old on how she wants her room. Trying to find the balance between letting her have some control and still looking cute (it’s not working) This post made me realize it’s time to let go 🙁 Goodbye cottage style bed, hello loft bed!

seriously sassy mama - My girls do what they want. They are creative little bundles that explode color. I love it. I am around to just organize the chaos into some form of sanity on the wall.

Michelle - This is exactly what I needed to read today. I did allow my daughter to “posterize” under one condition….I could at least straighten them so I wouldn’t cringe every time I walk in. Perfect agreement for us.

Lisa - You have no idea how much I needed to read this! With my daughters it started about age 5. My beautiful, magazine-perfect-but-not-reality visions of their room are constantly foiled by their pipe cleaner and scotch tape creations and dog calendar pages taped to every wall. And why shouldn’t their room look that way??? I have a whole house to decorate just as I want it. I needed permission to chill out and let them have total license to go for it in their own space. Thank you!

plumbing - Kid’s nowadays wants to be independent. Independent when it comes to choosing for their things. Allowing them to choose what they want decorations and style in their let them to be mature thinking. At early it is better to learn how to manage their self and their things.

Stephanie - This post made me cry…literally. I am so there. I always have had a say in their rooms, and slowly that is changing. I love how you embrace this stage of life and I pray that I can let go…just a bit to let them be who they are. I love your heart attitude. WONDERFUL!! And then I cried that you have a Jesus Calling devotional book like I do. Love.

Theresa - THANK YOU! I really needed this post today! My oldest is 10 and wants to put up every poster she got in her FIRST tween Mag! I am not ready but now know it can not always be the way I want it! I need to let her have input in what she wants in her room!

Sharla - I had an entire door decorated with a men’s cologne ad (can’t remember which one) . . he was so gorgeous. 🙂 Thanks for posting this – we just moved and have yet to situate my boys’ rooms (6 and 8) and I know my oldest would love to put his own spin on it. Have a great weekend!

Robyn Farmer - This is soooo good. We all need to hear this in a “pinterest world.”

Cari - Love it! We are about to move and in my head I want to use that as the perfect time to decorate the “perfect” rooms for my girls (11 year old twins). But I know they’ll have their own opinions and I needed this reminder to let them! Thanks! And giant Jesus is awesome! 😉

Alicia @ La Famille - i love it. it’s hard for me too. my oldest is a boy and he’s 10, but hasn’t really expressed interest in decorating his room. so i do it. and i love it. i did create a section to show off his Lego creation, so maybe he’s satisfied with that. thanks for the good mom wisdom 🙂

Heidi C - I sure needed to read this today. My girls just bought their very first “teen” magazine and proceeded to rip out all the pictures and hang them up on their walls. :O I was slightly horrified. Thanks for reminding me that it’s not my space. 🙂

Charlene - This post couldn’t of come at a more perfect time! My daughter is away and coming home Monday morning. We are making over her bedroom while she is away! I know she will love the new turquoise walls and some of the things I have picked out…but I will make sure not to freak out when she starts adding “her touch” lol.

Jenny wells - LOVE the Jesus picture!!! Reminds me of Sunday school as a child!! Great post too, I know how hard it is for me to let go of the smocked dresses for the cheetah print neon ones she chooses (cringe). Ahhh I’ll be a mess when it’s her room too!!

beth - my perspective on this is that it’s a compliment to you. you’ve raised kids in a creative environment, where your kids have learned that one way people express themselves is through their environments and by surrounding themselves with things that speak to them, and bring joy to their hearts. it’s cool that they actively chose to decorate their own ‘homes’ (their rooms) just as expressively and creatively as you decorate your family home! i think it’s fantastic! that’s my 2 cents from vancouver island bc canada : )

Shannon - I remember the days of taping new kids on the block posters all over my walls 😉 I completely agree with you on letting them decorate their own room but I will admit that I am sure I will cringe when I see what my girls have done in the future.
I think they did a great job though and it does look like a fun happy place!

Tiffany - if they want to hang up more posters of justin beiber… i help them find the tape. {tear}

Katie - What great advice! I love the jayhawk pillow pet, but I’m kinda biased 😉

kelly - This actually made me cry! I know you didn’t write this to toot your own horn , but you are a great mom!!!!
My boys are 1 and 4, so I have a while before we get to this…but thanks for the heads-up! Jesus is working on my control issues, so maybe a 6 year advance warning that this is coming is good for me to hear now!! 🙂

Heather Crawford - Ha…Yep, my son will turn 10 in November, so it was good to read this…it’s true..I remember loving MY room when I was little..and my parents pretty much let me do whatever I wanted, so I need to remember that with my kids…it’s hard though b/c I do like things “decorated” and neat…but realizing I’ve got to let them express themselves and love THEIR space..thanks for posting 🙂
and by the way, I had two Jon Bon Jovi posters above my bed 😉

kirsten - i never get past decorating the nursery…my son started decorating his own room at age 3. he loves it. i, on the other hand, can’t be in there more than a few minutes at a time without being over-stimulated, lol!

Sarah - Love this Meg!!! It’s so true. As much as I would love the kid’s rooms to look straight out of a magazine…no way is that going to happen. I do like neat and clean and uncluttered…but I settle for semi neat and clean, and I have two kids who don’t mind clutter a bit. I bite my tongue on that one. This is why we all love you..because you are REAL and live in a REAL house with REAL rooms and REAL decorating.

heyruthie - great post. i think it’s so important to purposely have rooms in the house not decorated by you–or even undecorated–especially if you have kids. my kids’ rooms look just like yours. now, if only MY parts of the house looked as good as yours do 😉

Kate - Love it! So true…
Cool story – here is the post about Julia’s room:
http://songskatesang.typepad.com/songs_kate_sang/2011/12/julias-room-fall-2011.html
And apartment therapy decided it was a-ok! LOL
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/julias-room-mix-of-sun-clouds-165054

Jillbeth@aol.com - AMEN!!!

Sarah{Handbags*N*Pigtails} - Yup, we’re there. My oldest is 8 and a collector(Oh Jesus, help me!) She was just given beautiful Ashley white cottage bunkbeds…twin on top, full on the bottom. We’re trying to figure out how to paint her walls because her Suzy Zoo nursery theme still adorns the walls, per her choice. She’s not a big fan of change, unlike her momma who re-arranges furniture every few days somewhere in the house:)
I needed to be reaffirmed that they need their own space too. I have the rest of the house, right? Right? {sniff sniff)

seriously sassy mama - My daughter is 8, and loves to put her room together her way. I love it. My two younger girls are not their yet. I always ask them what they want in their rooms, and we go from there. No pottery barn kids for me either, I cannot afford it.

Kimberly - I have an 8 & 6 yr old girls & they are already like this. I have a BA in Interior Design, so it is hard to see their rooms looking very “un-designed”, lol

happygirl - I know what you mean about kids wanting to decorate their own rooms. My son wanted to paint his room black. No, I wouldn’t go that far. Anything but black (or very dark) paint. whew. Cute room. Great giant Jesus.

sarah - This was odd for me too! I just painted my sons room and no sooner did he want to cover it with Pokemon posters and lay his odd things all around. Now I just hand him the tacs and let it roll. My daughter is just starting this. She somehow has a collection of fake flowers placed just so around her room. I’m learning to love it.

Kelly - Your grown-up kids will thank you for this one day! My mom was the mom who took down what I put up and told me I couldn’t do certain things in my room. Not in a mean way. We’re just very different. To this day she cringes at some of the things I do in my house, like letting the boys pick orange for the color of their bathroom walls or tearing out all the cabinets in the kitchen to put up shelves instead. 🙂 All 3 of my boys share a room and they have yet to want to “decorate” it any differently than how I have it now but I’m sure the day is coming.

sara @ the land of ozmabomb - i love that you are passing on this ‘awakening’ to your readers! i’m not gonna forget this, because i can totally see myself not liking it either (when the time comes). you’re a great mom!!

Carey - This was a hard lesson for me to learn as well. But once I let go of the control of their rooms, peace was restored! 😉 As long as they keep them clean, I’m happy!

Trish - good eye opener… my girls (8 & 6) share a room too. we just painted their walls a pale pink. My 6 year old is the more artsy fartsy of the two and she was not happy about it at all… she wanted a different color on each wall :/ you are a great mom to give them that freedom and not freak out about it!

Michelle - Love it! I am right there with my (very close to being…) 9 year old daughter. Would you please share where your daughter’s name/scripture pillows came from? I’d love to get one for mine! Happy Friday!!

Dani - Thanks for this post! My daughter is a crafty diva! Her room overflows with the pictures she paints, the quilts she sews, etc. I get so upset b/c she wants it all to be seen. This post was just what I need…. except I just can’t do Justin Beiber…. he has to be hung in Abbey Beth’s closet haha.

bethie.horton@gmail.com - Hi Meg. Going thru the very same thing today as I am painting my daughters room DARK GREY! It does look a bit elegant tho – will be lots better with the lime green and bright purple added it. Love your blog – miss Piece of cake but glad we still have you!

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the yellow striped floors.

May 26, 2012

the floors in this room were really beat up.
so i could pay a bunch of money to fix them OR i could have some fun with them for practically nothing.
i chose the second…obvs.

first i primed the floor with KILZ.
then i painted white stripes with the white semi-gloss trim paint that we had.
i just used the lines of the wood planks to determine the stripes….i did 8 planks wide per stripe.

THEN i added yellow stripes with paint from Ace Hardware called ButterCream.

i thought "whoa that's bright" when i opened it.
yellow is a hard color.
so after i painted the stripes and let it dry a day or two i went back and it was definitely brighter than i wanted.
so…i took white paint and added water….maybe equal parts paint and water?

then i used a dry rag and wiped it into the yellow stripes.

i wiped it on and rubbed it into the floor until it was the color i was looking for.
it was practically dry immediately.

much better.

this week i will put polyurethane over it and seal it all in.
and fill it up with beds again for happy craft weekend girls!

🙂

happy floors.

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Andrea Hunter - Can you let me know the wall color too? Thanks!

Flooring Tools - Painting a wood floor is an affordable way to give life to an old wood floor, and it’s fairly easy. Plus, painted wood floors complement any style of decor.

Cori - This is absolutely GORGEOUS.

andrea - Love it! You are so creative! Would you mind sharing the wall color with me?

sarah kate branine - As everyone else said, those stripes are so beautiful! Way to go. Your wall color reminds me of the color that we painted our bedroom in our old house. It was called “sweet georgia brown” and I loved it so much. We are currently renting and keeping everything white for now, but I can’t wait to use that color again!

Talysa - Love this. Do you mind sharing the wall color as well?

Jenna@CallHerHappy - When I think about what I want my future house to look like…it looks like your house!

Annika - That looks fantastic. The only thing that I love equally as much as natural wood floors is painted floorboards!

Vicki - So fabulous–totally worth the effort!

jeannett - LOVE LOVE LOVE.
yellow is a hard color! i think that yellow and red are the hardest to get right. sooo many undertones!
i wish i lived in an old home where you can do fun stuff like that…but my 2006 build is hard to add character to. i’m trying slowly but surely, but most of it has to be through furniture and accessories because it just doesn’t work right to get all fun and funky like painted floors.
sigh…someday…we will build our dream house…and it will be kitschy and fun and eclectic and NOT cookie cutter vanilla.
someday. when i win the lotto.
or lucy wins a beauty pageant.

misty - are your floors hardwood or laminate? do you think this would work on laminate?? I LOVE this & it just makes me smile : )

Mary - Yowza! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!

Kim - Yellow is a tricky colour! I painted our living room in our first house yellow. It ended up being too bright as well and so I did the same as you – white washed the walls. It was such a happy room.

Angie Knopp - I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! That is all 🙂
XOXO,
Angie from Ohio

Andrea - So pretty! Good job adding the white–totally made it warm and cozy!

Wendy - I love this idea! What a great color of yellow too! So sunny!

Alicia @ La Famille - brilliant! simply brilliant! love this 🙂

Sarah - I LOVE the yellow stripes!!
I actually painted a very similar striped floor mat in my nursery… http://fivecamels.blogspot.com/2012/05/ding.html
…which, by the way, you completely inspired my color palate in that nursery. Every time I picked a color in there I thought, “What would Meg Duerksen do?” 🙂 Thank you for the permission to use happy colors. 🙂

kathleen - you are awesome! wow! that kind of stuff I feel just totally unable to do…I always blame it on all my kids (6) and it being too hard, but you have 5 and get so much done! It’s inspiring the way you work so hard and make things so cute and lovely. I love the floors and the wall color! and can you explain the polyurethene(i have no clue how to spell) process when you’re done. If time allows of course! If you did it in your own home, would you have to leave while it dries? And how many coats? Etc. I would love to paint hardwoods one day, and it’s the sealing part that scares me the most…I want it to be easy to clean…you know, with all these kids running all over them! Thanks for showing and blogging, i love it so!

sharron - mama likes!!
great idea to tone down a color too! 🙂

Tracy Fisher - Simply FABULOUS! -tracy

Tiffany - Love the floors.

jaimie Cahill - Absolutely LOVE the floors and the walls!!
Was wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing the name of the wall color?
I recently painted a room with Timberwolf (Ben Moore)…and it looks more blue…where I was hoping for a more true gray color.
This wall looks like a great color!
Thanks in advance!
LOVE your blog, style, etc…

Jenn - Love, love, love gray and yellow! Love the floors! Hope to see them in person.

Kimberly Dial - So pretty! Love the floors – good job!

Stephanie - Totally happy!! Love, love, love! Great job.

Susan - I love the yellow, but I struggle with it for the same reason. My daughter’s nursery was yellow and I had just the right color in mind but really had trouble finding why was in my mind’s eye! Then my step daughter told me she read that yellow makes baby’s fussy. I finally found a color that I loved and wouldn’t you know is was SW silent yellow!

Suzanne - Oh my goodness! absolutely love it!!!

Chantelle GivenMuch - I bet this was a hard job on the knees, but looks adorable! 🙂

katey - Love it!!! I know that was time consuming and the fumes!! Great job.

Missi Smith - Incredible!! I love how these turned out and what a great idea on toning down the yellow. I would be honored to stay in this room!

hayley penny - How gorgeous are they? Nice to see someone taking a risk and the results are stunning. H x

Staisha Klein - Really fun! I think I liked them bright and faded a bit. So happy. Happy weekend to you!

Christy K - The floor looks great… it turned out so well! Now I REALLY want to tear out all my carpeting and put in hardwood. So inspiring! Hope you are having an awesome weekend! 🙂

Angela Atkins - So pretty! Thank you for posting how you did that. I’m still trying to decide about painting our hallway. We never sanded and refinished it when we did all the others. It doesn’t show dirt like the white would but it looks terrible.

Makila - So great!

Lisa - Seriously awesome. And beautiful!

christine ishmael - One day I’m gonna see it first hand! Love how it turned out!

Lindi - I totally want to live in that room!! Amazing job!! 🙂

Holly - I love painted floors. We painted our upstairs hallway a couple of years ago and they have held up so well! Good job!

E. Hills - Fabuloso!!!!! I love the finished project but i still loved the bright yellow too 🙂

Curious Details - it’s perfect!

TonyaElise - Love the gray, white, and pale yellow. Those are the colors that I’m doing in my baby nursery. Gray and white striped walls with yellow accents in the room. And I’m still trying to pick the fabric for bedding – so many choices with those pretty colors. Beautiful job!

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Meg this is amazing!

Laura Phelps - you kill me.
absolutely kill me.
you actually have ideas…and DO THEM.
my ideas don’t leave my head.
can I borrow your time and motivation?????
and talent.
your talent is key.

elizabeth highsmith - Love them!!!! BravOOOOOOOOOO!

Robin - yum – buttercream heaven.

Kerstie Pederson - Love, love, love them. Can’t wait to see the complete room. 😉

Kimberlee Jost - Happiness all around.
🙂

CathyC - I LOVE this!!!

Sara Torbett - Love the after but love the bright before too 🙂

lucky penny love - Love, Love, Love the striped floors! I need to see your craft house one day. You have the best ideas!

Laine - Oh. my. word. I LOVE your floors. That was brilliant, and it looks so beautiful! Great job!!

Terrie G - lucky craft weekend girls!!!

stephany - I love it!

amy - …mmm….deliciousness. 🙂

happygirl - What a great idea. So much more reasonable than refinishing the floors. Gorgeous.

Peggy in TN - So pretty! I love the grey, yellow and white color combo. I wish I had your energy!

Brooke - oh wow! The stripes look great!!! Isn’t it fun when you take a risk and it works? Well done! 🙂

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