Progress Update, and I'd love your opinion ...

Our home is open concept so it's hard to take pictures of updates when we are working on both the kitchen and living room.  Frank has been busy working away while I'm at the office, we're almost there!

Here is a quick peak at the Distressed Kitchen Cabinets, I will apply a coat of Minwax poly to the finished cabinets.

Next, Frank has been working on the faux brick.  I have not been able to capture any action shots since I have been at the office while he's creating.  He is applying drywall compound to the walls then carving out the brick, these are not perfectly straight bricks, we wanted something that was going to look more rustic and old.  Here is the wall with the drywall compound applied ...

Painting of the brick and shelf are on the agenda for this weekend.
Here is the shot of the fireplace and the wall.

It will be so different once the painting is complete, here is the before again

Here's where I need your opinion, last week I mentioned a deal I got on the Home Depot website for a chandelier.  We put it up on the weekend, it's smaller then we imagined but we are OK with it for now. (It's so much better then the Boob light).  Here is a pic.

 I just realized I never got a picture of the Boob light while it was up, I have to get a shot of it before it goes to it's new home ... where ever that may be.  It's actually a Nice Boob light as far as they go, just not my preference.  So my question is .... Shades or No Shades?  I took a shot with one blue toile shade on it, I'm just wondering if the light is too small for shades.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Jo

We've finally started the painting!

Boy life gets the in way when you have a long list of DIY's!
Well I'm excited to say that the work started at our house yesterday and the best part is I was at work while it was happening.  How cool is it to start checking things off the list when you don't even have to lift a finger (except for picking up the Subs to feed the boys at the end of their busy day)

Here's a quick preview

Wood Stove shiny burgundy wall - Before

Here is the wall primed! Ahhh, can you say relief.  We will be doing a faux stone treatment behind the stove ... full details on that project will be posted when complete (or during if I get impatient)

Kitchen burgundy Before, well at least this pic is kind of neat since this is the day we took possession of the house.

And here's the kitchen primed, yep it's messy but it's so much brighter!  The end wall colour is going to be a butter cookie yellow, I hope to get the cabinets painted and distressed this weekend.  I'm so excited! 

Stay tuned!  Lots more pics to share as the weekend progresses.

** I do want to add that I hope to get better pics as we progress, I rushed with all of these pics and clearly time of day and camera settings are different from Before to After which doesn't tell the best transformation story ... I aim to do better with that as we complete the project.

Finished Tray

It's done! I didn't put an expression on it in the end, a last minute decision.  It's true that you need to "feel" the project as you go.  So here is the before ...

It was a sage green which no longer goes with our decor so it became one of my first projects using the  amazing paint from Caromal Colours.

And here is the After ...

 

Here are some up close images of the finish,  Caromal Colours paint is thick and adds an aged texture to any piece you apply it to and it sticks to almost anything!  Once the paint was applied and dry I used my handy dandy sander to smooth and distress, then I applied the aging toner, for a finishing touch I stenciled a decorative accent and sanded it back to appear old and worn.  The final touch is Liberon past wax in neutral .... Whaaalaaa!  done.

Fun with Paint!

Last night I started to play with some Caromal Colours paint.  This paint is so much fun!  We are going to be using it to paint our kitchen cabinet so I wanted to get used to the feel of the paint.  I started on 2 mini projects ... a piece of board that was calling my name for a sign and a tray that I finished with crackle medium 12 years ago.  Here is a pick of the tray "before".  Isn't it pretty (not!).
Here is what the paint looks like, it's thick and blobby (is that a word?)  This paint has been specially formulated for distressing and easy refinishing projects.

I'm using the colour "parchment" and will sand, distress and age with a burnt umber.  Below is a photo of the plank I worked on, I just played with the paint, sanded and appled a Welcome vinyl expression that I had.  I did not age the plank ... I was to anxious to finish something ... I know I have to learn patience but I'm trying to cram in a lot in my 2 days vacation.  I promise to be patient when I finish the tray ... stay tuned.  Watch out, you never know what I will paint and distress next ... maybe the chair or pot in this picture.