It's a paint party

One of the first things we did for this theater room is to prime and paint everything white. I always use either Kilz, or in this case, I used Zinzer brand primer. It really neutralized that horrible blue color.  The can lights are in and waiting to be painted around, and all the molding is done and painted  in a pure white satin paint.  My hubby built the columns the go along the wall, and even added a little bit of light in them for a fun touch. He found LED lights that you can cut and have adhesive backing so he could stick them in the openings of the columns.  The shelves and console at the end of the room are going to be white, and the walls are going to be painted a smoky gray.

I always paint my ceilings. I think that they are as big of a feature as the walls, and I wanted this room to be no exception.  I chose to paint the ceiling the same butter yellow color that I  painted  in the rest of my basement.
This is a view towards the other side of the room. We kept the room as an actual theater room. It already had the step up for furniture, but the step went all across right to the doorway.  We decided to cut it out and make it curved to make the room feel less choppy.

I am really happy with both the color and the moldings. The columns my hubby did are awesome,  and I love the dark gray against all that white. Pin It

Covering that color!

We bought this house with the intent of remodeling everything. Some rooms in the house are better than others. There are defiantly two that tied for the worst. The girl's bathroom, and our theater room. We decided that the first level we are finishing is the basement, and the theater room is on that level.  Here is the beautiful before...the day we moved in picture of this lovely room.

The picture seriously isn't doing the room justice. The color is so dark, and the only lighting in the whole room are those sconces. It is a long dark dungeon.

We put can lighting in the ceiling, and went to town priming and repairing those walls.

I can't believe how much brighter the room is! We decided to keep the room as a theater room instead of a traditional family room. The room is long and narrow, and we decided to put the TV on the far wall. My hubby built the shelves to store equipment, and we found the console for an amazing price at the DI.  Can't wait to show off my painting project for that fun piece of furniture. So far the room is a lot brighter, and really coming together nicely! Pin It

Pop of color

We moved into this house two years ago with the intention of re-doing just about everything. This is not our first house reno and we are very seasoned DIYers. This house is just taking longer to complete than I hoped it would. There were a lot of not so fun projects that we needed to take care of first.  I was prepared to be patient, live with the house the way it was until we got to each room, but I couldn't do it any longer. I had to make a minor change on my main level to stay sane this winter.  I had to do something with the dark brown accent wall in my family room.  I majorly dislike the color brown, and I could live with it no longer.  I needed COLOR! So for the cost of one gallon of paint, shopping around the house, and some spray paint in the garage, I have a new room!

Here is the room before. Not bad, but the brown just bugged me. I loved the color of the shutter on the mantle, and decided that I would paint the brown wall that color.

Can I just say, so much better. It really lightened up that room and made it feel less like a dungeon. So with that project done, I needed a little more color other places.

I found this ottoman at an antique store, and had to bring it home.

These frames were in the basement, and decided to do a collage above my couch.

I sprayed them to add some color.

The room came together great. Quickly and without spending a lot of money. It no longer feels like a big brown hole, and I actually like spending time in that room. It is funny what a difference a little color can make. Pin It

All wrapped up

I can't believe that the start of school is approaching. It always has a way of sneaking up on me.  I start to panic when I think of the start of school, because that means that the holidays are just around the corner. For the past few (a lot) of years I have had issues with storing my wrapping paper. With the completion of my craft room, I was determined to have a place to both organize and store all my wrapping supplies. I have seen so many wonderful ideas on pinterest and I was debating on whether or not to incorporate the wrapping station right into the room, or have a separate area for it. I decided to go with a separate wrapping station that I could roll around to any room I want it in since my favorite place to wrap is in my family room in front of a good show.  Here is what we came up with.

We found a wooden microwave cart at Fred Meyer. The price was good, it came with wheels, there were drawers for tape and scissors, and it would be cheaper to buy than making it ourselves.  We put it together, then added the fun touches.

I had this container already for my wrapping paper and we just attached it to the side using jute for the top, and screwed it on the wood on the bottom. Oh yea, the wood came from an extension on the top we weren't going to use.

There was a towel bar that came out of the side. We cut the middle out of it, kept some wood for stops, and it became the perfect bag holder.

Storage in the bottom for boxes and bows.

A drawer for labels, scissors, and tape.

We now have a fun and way functional space to both use and store wrapping supplies. I now have a great solution that I can store away in the closet, pull out when I need to, and have all my wrapping supplies organized and in one place ready to go. Pin It

Go Bold

It is pretty and hot here today. Put me right in the mood to show my bright additions to my yard.  If you are scared of color, the yard is a perfect place to start playing and adding color to your home.  I wanted to go bright this year and decided to use reds, apple greens, turquoises, and yellows to make my yard pop.  The yard is such a fun place to add color because it is easy to do, and easy to change. I change colors every year by just using spray paint.

We sprayed the black table red and found these way fun cushions at home goods. The sun that is hanging on the window on my shed I sprayed green, and the pots in the corner, yep, I sprayed them too. It is a happy place to have dinner for sure.

I had these chairs on my porch last year and decided they would look great on my little patio area by my shed. I just sprayed them turquoise for a fun pop of color.

I even brought the bright colors to the front and sprayed the clock turquoise too. It is metal, easy to paint, and if I want it a different color next summer I will just spray it again.

I even brought the color over to the side of my porch as well. It is bright, fun, and really livens up my yard and is a great accent to all my flowers. 

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Some words, a vignette, and a runner

I have been showing some finishing touches I have done to my craft room lately. As I came down the bottom of the stairs it was plain and lacking some personality.  I had hung pictures in other parts of the room and basement, and I didn't want the space to feel like a gallery.  I decided to get on my silhouette, and with my hubby's help, I found my favorite quote and cut it out with vinyl.

Most of the words except the word create were cut out in Navy blue and I decided to do the word create in a gray color with a different font. I love this quote, and I found it very appropriate for my room.  I also needed a table for a lamp and some fun accessories, and I found just the one at Hobby Lobby for a great price. I packed it up in my car and it became part of my room.

I had bought a lace book mark in Belgium the last time I went, and I had an old frame in my storage room.  I sprayed the frame and cardboard in the back gray, and pinned the book mark into the frame.  We made a lamp out of that pretty gray vase. We just put a light bulb base in the bottom and screwed an Eddison bulb in  it, and it is awesome when it is lit up. I loved how the area turned out, but I felt it was lacking a little color.  I had some extra fabric from my curtains, and decided to make a runner out of it to add color.

I didn't feel like getting my sewing machine out and sewing it, so I just frayed the edges and ironed it.  I love the pop of color and how it unifies the whole room.  I love walking down and seeing that fun display. It makes me smile every time. Pin It

Zucchini Bruchetta

It has been so hot around here lately and that means that the gardens are growing and producing all kinds of vegetables. I am sharing my now favorite way to prepare zucchini.  I was visiting Rome a while back and was served several different types of bruchetta. When I tasted the one topped with zucchini, I about died. So dang delicious! I had to re-create that recipe at home for sure.  This is what I came up with.

Zucchini Bruchetta
Two medium zucchini diced
Two or three cloves of garlic (your own personal taste)
1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
salt to taste
Olive oil to coat
1 to 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (to taste)

Combine the diced zucchini, garlic,salt, and chopped thyme in a bowl. Coat with desired amount of olive oil.  Spread ingredients onto a cookie sheet and roast in  a 450 degree oven for five to ten minutes or until zucchini is tender.  Take out of the oven and let the mixture come to room temperature. Pour the zucchini into a bowl and drizzle the balsamic vinegar over it. Serve at room temperature on slightly toasted sliced baguettes.

This recipe is so delicious, and such an easy way to use up that garden zucchini.
Enjoy!

*Most of this recipe was just eyeballed and tasted as I went.  I did not use exact measurements, so taste and enjoy along the way to get the desired product that is delicious to you!* Pin It