Lazy Days

Lately I've been feeling a bit lazy and this morning,

one of my most devoted followers (that would be Steve) questioned me on my lack of posts.

I told him that beach walks and sailing adventures have cut into my productivity.

I have been enjoying the last days of wonky views through our wavy 1920's windows - replica windows have been built and will be installed soon.

I bought some beautiful sunflowers and set them on the windowsill - Steve liked the sunlight in the picture and asked for a copy of it.

He liked my last photo of sunflowers, painted it and sold it on the same day he posted it on Facebook so I can't wait to see how he paints the sunflowers in the window.

I made a few changes on my desk in the guest room,

 broke my rule of nothing new in the house - I couldn't pass up that blue box 

and freshened up the cart in the entry.

Then I remembered the biggest project of all - the headboard Steve built for me last Tuesday.

The bedroom is in transition - the yellow walls will be painted white as soon as the new living room windows are installed.

When Steve asked me why I hadn't posted, I thought I had been lazy like this little one, but I guess I did accomplish a few things.

Ordinary

Sometimes I feel like I don't have an original thought of my own and I simply capitalize on the thoughts of others, 

but when I saw this quote on Instagram, it resonated with me.

I was a happy child

and I am a happy old lady.

  I attribute that happiness to my daily celebration of the "ordinary".

Each day in our garden brings a smile to my face.

The sight of fortnight lilies in full bloom this morning

was the perfect opening for another ordinary day.

Steve and I get quite giddy when we spot more tomatoes on the vine and can't wait until they ripen.

These pretty yellow flowers, or maybe they are weeds, are part of the ordinary view on our morning walks.

I enjoy an ordinary day on the beach

as much as a spectacular one.

I was talking to a friend recently about everyday life

and I told her I was content to simply watch my flowers bloom.

I'm Hooked

All it took was 1 little can

click here for a great tutorial

and I was hooked.

My first project was an old table

followed by an old stool.

This morning I decided to attack the top of my sewing machine base and since several people have asked about Saltwash, I thought I would show you how easy it is to use.

Saltwash is a powder you can add to any paint and I prefer to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

I wasn't sure how much I would need for the table top and I probably could have used a little more paint.

The paint mixed with Saltwash goes on quite lumpy.

My first two projects I mixed the Saltwash with Pure White and used the darker color as the top coat - this time I used white as the top coat.

When shot from above the table, after sanding, the green pops through the white,

but from a side view, the table top looks white.

I like how the table top turned out, but whatever my next project is, I will use white as the undercoat.

 I'm having fun using Saltwash - it's simple, quick and gives a fresh new look in the house and garden.

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Join me at

Poofing the Pillows for Thoughts of Home Thursday

Paint On My Hands

 

A rusty old watering can

and this cute little can of Saltwash occupied my day last Friday.

Actually, it wasn't the watering can, but the bottom that rusted completely off and I saved for some inexplicable reason.

But, then I saw this cute sign and all of a sudden saving the rusty circle seemed to make sense.

My can of Greek Blue paint was out so I slapped a coat on that rusty piece

and rearranged the porch shelf to show it off.

The blue paint was out because I was transforming an ugly duckling of a table into a swan using Saltwash and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

@ilovesaltwash

I learned about Saltwash on Instagram and I was intrigued with the the bumpy, weathered look the Saltwash creates so I ordered some online from Amazon.

The first thing I painted was the top of a stool using an undercoat of Saltwash and ASCP in Pure White followed by a top coat of Antibes. 

I love the crackled look after sanding.

This table had seen better days,

and I am so pleased with the way it turned out.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint dries quickly so the whole transformation, from mixing the Saltwash into white paint to the final sanding, only took about 3 hours.

When you look at the before and after photos of the kitchen, you can see that I painted one more thing - I'm reducing the amount of red in the house so the farmhouse table got a coat of ASCP Pure White.

Today there was no paint on my hands and it wasn't as much fun - I washed every pillow and slipcover in the house.