Top 5: updated bunks

We love bunk beds, bunk rooms, bunk houses.  Today we are sharing with you our top five favorite bunks from around the web...

 

1. This custom built-in bunk is adorably cute, sweet and perfect for a little girl.  And that "drawer" that pulls out to be a step - brilliant!  Try our colors cuddle and touch to get this soft pink, dreamy look:

 

These built-in-bunks make the most of the available space and the bright white makes it perfect for a guest space... something about white speaks to cleanliness - always a plus with the guests.  And that touch of turquoise on the top rail?  Love! (from here)

Try our bright white whisper with a touch of torn skirt for this look:

 

I love this one.  It's a new take on the classic boy's bedroom with hunter green great lighting. Try our color Minnow to get this look:

Oh stripes, how I love thee.  The pop of yellow is perfect on these toe to toe bunks. (from here) Try perch, whisper, and buzz:

  

and finally, a pop of our favorite bold color: orange.  (from here)

Try our color Jump to get this look:

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6 Great DIY Paint Projects to try.

 Happy Monday.  Today we have some great projects to share with you from creative people all over the web to get you inspired and painting.  

1. Painted Piano

Isn't she a beauty?  I love the creamy white color chosen, but if you are a color lover, there is no reason you couldn't choose a brighter hue. 

2. A Painted Runner:

Spruce up your stairs with a painted runner.  The color options are endless...  in fact, I think I'll do a little tutorial on this Wednesday.  Stay tuned! 

3:  Painted Kitchen Cart

I recognize this cart.  It's from IKEA.  But look at how great it looks with a fresh coat of paint! (found here)

4. Painted Rug

I always have a hard time finding the right rug.  So why not create my own?  Check out this DIY Rug...  and try it for yourself! 

5. Painted Dresser Makeover:

 

This makeover shows just how big a difference a coat of paint can make... (from here)

6. Painted French Doors:

And finally, a little color to separate your spaces...  an easy DIY that will be a real crowd pleaser.  (from here)

Check out our range of non-toxic, VOC Free Paints here and get painting!  Free samples available! 

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spring eternal

Good Morning.  So here we are, a day away from Spring and it is snowing.  A lot.  Many are complaining, even cursing the poor old ground hog who predicted an early spring, but I don't mind it.  I've always been of the mindset that if it is going to be cold, it might as well be snowing.  Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not ready for spring...  We had a really mild weekend a few weeks ago and I awoke to the birds chirping, a sound that immediately makes me think of spring.  It was such a welcome sound and got me really looking forward to warmer weather.  But like I said...  as long as it is this cold, let it snow. 

Today, I wanted to share with you some simple ideas to bring spring into your home, whether it has really arrived or you are just hopeful it isn't far off:

To me, spring is all about color.  The world once again becomes full of it and so should your rooms.  The yellow of the walls alone is enough to remind me of spring, but add light and airy drapes, flowers and fruit and you have a room that is perfectly spring. (housetohome)

Of course, if you don't feel like painting your entire room there are smaller projects that will make a big difference. 

You know I will paint anything.  An easy project that speaks to spring is painting a few framed mirrors or photos in a bold spring color and layering them.  Not only is it simple, but it can easily be changed with the season or your mood.  This pink is perfect for spring.  And of course, always include some beautiful flowers. (ciaonewportbeach)

Don't toss out those drawers when it is time for a dresser upgrade.  Add some paint and hang them on the wall for some unique, spring-like storage.  (shelterness)

My new favorite project:  paint those stones you collect while walking on the beach and display them throughout your home.  Check out the full post for more beautiful ways to display these beautiful stones. 

If your child is eagerly awaiting spring, why not surprise them while they are out at school by painting their bedframe in a beautiful, bold color.  Add some fun pillows and have it all made up for when they get home.  I'm telling you, they will love it (and you!).  

Pour a little paint into an old mason jar and swirl it around.  Let is dry and enjoy custom colored mason jar vases. (etsy)

And finally, add a splash of color to your dresser by painting the drawer fronts.  (projectnursery)

What do you think?  What do you do to bring spring into your home?  

Check out our palette of non-toxic paints inspired by spring:

pottingshed

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Andi's Bookshelf Makeover.

 As promised, today I wanted to share with you my own bookshelf makeover. 

It's a start...  I never knew how many orange books I had until I started this process.

Anyway.  I'm embarrassed to admit that this is how my bookshelves looked yesterday morning:

They became a catch-all for photos, books and pictures with no rhyme or reason to how it was displayed.  I wanted to change that. 

I started by clearing everything from the shelves.  A blank slate. 

There.  That is better.  Upon doing so I realized the the shelves were in pretty bad shape - they really needed a paint job.  I had wanted to paint the backs of the shelves anyway, so I picked a color and got to it. 

I went with our color celadon, from the loft palette.  It's a cool gray, green that I thought would work well with our wall color (spool). 

In this in-progress shot you can see the difference between the painted side (right) and not-painted side (left).  

Rigby always like to help when I paint.  You can also see how dinged up the shelves are...  So I gave them a quick once over with our white, whisper.  

While the paint was drying I did two things...

First, I organize all the stuff I had on the shelves previously. 

I guess that doesn't look too organized, but it made sense to me. 

Then I decided I needed something for the top of the shelves that wasn't just "stuff".  These built-ins are unique in the fact that they do not extend all the way to the ceiling (or even to the top of the window) so you are left with this awkward space to fill. 

I remembered I had some letters from the local craft store and grabbed them.  I wanted to spell out bibliotheque, but I didn't have two Bs, so I went with Library.  In hindsight, I don't think bibliotheque would fit anyway. It really bothers the boy that there are four letters on one wall and three on the other.  It doesn't bother me so much - thoughts?

Once I decided I liked the idea,  I painted the letters to match the back of the shelves. 

Then I slowly started filling the shelves with books, art, photos...

I didn't go shelf by shelf.  Rather I tried to balance the shelves with color and shapes.  If I found I had a lot of orange on the right side, I tried to balance it out with bold colors on the left side.  

Slowly I filled the shelves until they looks like this: 

I was pretty satisfied, but there were some things that need tweaking.  It was really helpful to look at them through the camera lens... 

After the final tweaks: 

left side. 

right side. 

Rigby seems to like them.  What about you? 

This project took a total of 4 hours from start to finish.  Painting the backs of the shelves was maybe the easiest painting project I've done in awhile.  And I used a brush for it all, so if you used a small foam roller it would take even less time.  

What do you think?  Time for a bookshelf makeover of your own? 

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bookshelves: inspiration

Today, my bookshelves are getting a makeover.  I am a lover of books.  Real books.  While I understand that kindles and the like are convenient and probably more environmentally friendly, I just can't give up actual books.  I often find myself jealous of the boy when we travel who just carries his ipad, while I lug around numerous books and magazines.  But like I said, there is just something about them.  Not to mention if I didn't own books what would I fill my bookshelves with?  It's such a nice feeling to have a well-stocked bookshelf.  When friends come over, they always end up perusing the titles and inevitably borrowing something they haven't read.  Who can give that up?

Anyway.  Like I said.  Today my bookshelves are getting a makeover. Currently they are a mess...  no order and very top heavy.  I'll share a whole post with you including before and afters tomorrow, but in the meantime here are some photos that I used as inspiration for the makeover:

If only I had built ins like this.  I don't but I love the mix of books, photos, and accessories and will definitely be incorporating that into my own shelves. 

Color.  Love color on the back of the shelves.  I think I'll choose a slightly more subtle color for mine, but the idea is the same.  How do you feel about hanging mirrors over shelves?  I've seen a lot of that lately and can'e decide whether I am a fan...

This one I love for the layering.  Photos, boxes, and dishes layered in front of each other give the shelf depth.  Mine will be more about the books but I will definitely show some layering. 

This one incorporates all of the above: variety, color, and layering.  

I saved this one for the color coded books.  My shelves are currently organized like this and I'm thinking of keeping some of that element in the new design. 

And finally.  I love these shelves.  They are organized and I love the way the magazines are displayed (or hidden).  

Stay tuned for before and after shots of my own bookshelves! 

Photos:

1. Pinterest

2. houseofturquoise

3. amberinteriors

4. recentlytheblog

5. dehnbloomdesign

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house tour from lonny

This week my days have been full to brim with color.  Sample orders have been flying out the door, thanks to this article reprinted on yahoo.com, and we thank all of you for the interest.  It's made for a fun few days of painting more than usual but I am eagerly looking forward to the weekend...  what are your plans?  read more »

morning spots

Even typing hurts.  Yes.  Typing.  I am so sore.  I recently started p90x.  The insane workout video for people who are already in shape.  Muscles I didn't even know existed hurt.  Mostly my armpits.  Is that wierd?  Anyway, I'm trying to start a new health kick.  When we aren't off staging houses, doing photoshoots, meeting with customers and other businesses or meeting with eachother I work from home.  It has it's definite perks...  like being able to stay in my pajamas all day and feeling like my dog has a pretty happy life.  But it has it's disadvantages, too...  like being able to stay in my pajamas all day.  Because everything I need to work is right here in my home, I found myself getting into a habit of waking up, grabbing my computer and diving in...  then around noon when I come up for air and food I realize that I am still in my pajamas.  So.  The new morning routine involves waking up, avoiding my computer (I still can't kick checking my phone for emails though), a little workout, shower, THEN work.  I have to say it feels nice to do something for myself before diving in.   read more »

meet emma.

Today is a fun day for us because we get to share with you something new.  Something we have been working on for a few weeks now and that we hope you love as much as we do.  It's a new color. 

We call her Emma.  Lisa and I began discussing adding an emerald tone to our collection before the new year.   Almost immediately after Lisa started mixing, Pantone announced it as the color of the year.  Since then, we've been seeing emerald everywhere and we've been anxiously awaiting to add our own to the mix. 

Well, today it is ready.  Our take on emerald is strong, deep and beautiful.  It's the perfect color to bring a little intensity to your space.

Emma can be found in our home collection along with the other stunning colors of the Estate palette.  

   

   

  

I'm currently painting the stairs that lead to my office in this new color.  I can't wait to share the results with you. 

What would you use Emma for? 

A living room?

Dining room?

Your little one's nursery?

A fine piece of furniture? 

Get Painting! 

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painted tv trays.

Good Morning!  We hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Today we have a post from Jamie detailing a project she completed in her own home to add a little color in her living room.  Enjoy! -Andi

_____

I’m on a budget. I have never been on a budget before in my life, but now hubby and I are on a budget. It’s a great thing, though, because we are on the same page about finances for the first time in our relationship. It does, however, make redecorating our house a bit more challenging. I’m forced to utilize items we already have around the house and jump-start my creativity side instead of taking the easy (and usually more expensive) way of buying new.

We’re currently working on updating our living room. We’re looking at some grey/green shades from the QHP palettes to brighten the room, while still coordinating with our vibrant kitchen. I bought a new entertainment center and bookcase that I felt were priced appropriately. When I looked at the side tables in the same set, they were about $90 each. No way was I going to spend that $180 on two side tables. I’ll find something at a yard sale I can repaint, I thought.

So, when we were cleaning out (mostly) my husband’s junk in our office closet, I saw these babies:

(from target)

Boring, right? I know, but these were exactly the trays I had been hoping to find at a yard sale or on clearance at Target! I knew that some primer and a couple of coats of paint could turn these trays into the pops of color I wanted to brighten up our living room. So, with a quart of QHP primer (which is VOC-free and non-toxic just like all our paints) and a quart of Pool, we were able to go from bland to grand.

Here is how we did it…

First, we took apart the tables and sanded them to rough up the surface a bit.

Then we primed the pieces with one coat of QHP primer.

Lily Claire wanted to paint, too, so she came out and helped us paint the cardboard.

Each table then received two coats of Pool in satin finish with 2 days in between each coat for drying time. We wanted to make sure the paint thoroughly cured to stand up to the wear and tear of daily use.

  

After the tables were done, we placed them on either side of our love seat, and I was so happy with how they turned out! I love that we were able to take something we already owned and repurpose it into something beautiful and functional. It is nice to not have to set our drinks on the floor anymore, and I can’t wait until we get the living room painted… the color is going to stand out so much more! I hope to update you with the finished living room pics soon!

What are some repurposing projects you are planning to accomplish in 2013? 

  

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warm up.

Seven. The number of houses I lived in growing up. A lucky number.  The largest number of animals I had at one time (including horses and a cow).  The number of days in the week.  The title to a really great movie.  A brand of jeans.  The number of Roman Emperors.  When preceded by 00, a really handsome man.  Seven is a lot things.  But today, to me, it is only one:  the temperature outside my front door.  Brrrrrrr. 

(this is my puppy.  she has nothing to do with the number seven, but she does illustrate how cold it is rather well.  and i like showing her cute face whenever possible.  oh and she is also no longer a puppy but i think i will call her one forever.)

That's right, folks.  It's cold outside.  And yes, I know.  It is colder elsewhere.  And yes, I have lived through colder temperatures.  But today, looking at that measly seven on the thermometer, it doesn't feel like it.  It's the kind of weather that makes you want to make a fire in the fireplace, move your chair directly in front of it and wrap yourself in a blanket.  New item on the to-do list?

So, since they are on my mind.  How about it?  Some pretty fireplaces today:

Like this traditional masterpiece, showcased by that beautiful, rich gray.   (from style at home)

Or this?  Traditional frame, made unique and wonderful with a coat of bright yellow paint.  It's my kind of fireplace.  (from bleuepiece)

Blue is fabulous on its own.  Mix that with some warm yellow and creamy whites all surrounding a great fireplace and it's perfection.  (from jpmdesign)

Try it? 

catnap/cuddle/bolt

And this lovely place made special and sophisticated with a coat of shiny black.  (from houzz)

Try truss on the walls and vintage tux on the fireplace:

 

OK, so this one won't necessarily keep your warm, but it will keep you entertained! (from unclutterer)

You only need one color to get this look:

one of my personal favorites, Torn Skirt. 

More yellow... (from this old house)

Try buzz and bee together:

Love this one... the bright white with this perfect blue makes me smile.  (from mymodernmet)

Try Pout with Whisper:

 

And finally:

Don't feel like painting the whole fireplace?  Why not try just the screen? (from MadebyGirl) 

try spash:

Stay warm today! 

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