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Three dimensional flowers and embroidered leaves embellish this over-the-top beauty from MacKenzie Childs.
"Poppy Fields"
This week's Pillow of the Week can be found here.
An oversized lumbar pillow, 36 x 15, is $$$$ but what a dramatic statement it would make.
It's fun to dream.
xoxo,
P
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I bought this red Lack table from IKEA a couple of months ago thinking I would do something with it for The Traveling Door.
Well, I can't believe it but our sale is only a week away.
Oh the pressure.
I am feeling the time crunch for sure.
So with that in mind this post will be short and sweet.
I haven't done much with bright red yet so when I saw this table I thought that it would be a bit outside my box.
My base was there. Now all it needed was the BeColorful treatment...
over sized flowers in yellow and that black and white bordered apron.
Tally up another project as finished.
Since I took the picture I added a bit more of a darker green to the "grassy" legs.
I thought they looked a bit like flames...not the look I was going for.
If I get time, and that is a bit if, I might paint up a wooden lady bug and add her to one of the legs for that added element of whimsy.
So onto the next piece.
Thanks for stopping by.
XOXO
P
I will be sharing my red number here:
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Welcome to Motivated Monday
I have been so busy getting ready for The Traveling Door Market
that all my posts seem to be about painting projects
but if you are waiting for more decorating or a life's milestones type post I will be back to mixing it up again soon.
For the next ten days, though, it is all about the manic painting phase I am in.
I feel like a painting machine.
I won't sacrifice quality of work so it means for longer hours.
I participate in two sales a year with The Traveling Door. One in the Fall and one in the Spring.
Last fall I did this word clock.
I wish I could get my hands on half a dozen of these large round, wide frame clocks because I had several people wanting to buy this last one at the last sale.
So when I found this bad boy on clearance a couple of months ago,
I snatched it right up.
( Finally remembered the before picture)
I primed it, painted it, and glazed it and then I added the words.
I decided to go with a cream on this clock.
I like the lighter look for a Spring and Summer market.
I hope you all had a happy and blessed Easter.
It was rather uneventful here.
It was more fun when we had Easter Egg Hunts and little Easter outfits but then again, the peace and calmness of today was fabulous.
Now, for Motivated Monday...
There was so much to ooh and ahhh over last week.
Did you see these photos at The Ugly Duckling House?
I am a sucker for great pictures.
I liked them all. It was hard to decide on which one to use for a feature photo.
I also love this art work that I spied from Playing Sublimely.
I did a similar piece last year when I made my chair art for over the fireplace but I love the metalic look to this canvas andthe subject matter just made me smile.
Seeing this makes me want to do something else along this line.
I need more days in my week.
Sharing my wordy clock at the end of his post at these fun parties:
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Haha.
Seriously no Picasso aspirations here but I do think it is curious that I have been doing so much with blues and aquas lately.
I've been painting like a manic woman to get things ready for the upcoming Traveling Door Market.
So these aren't pieces that I am doing for our home. No, with these items I am free to create in any color scheme. Turquoise, though,is where my heart has been leaning.
This obelisk was a fun piece to pull together.
It was just a plain, solid colored, gray/brown sedate looking sculpture element until I got my hands on it.
Yes, I forgot to do the before picture.
I looked in my Susan Sargent book for some color scheme inspirations and I'm so glad I did.
I never would have thought to pull that darker blue in too but
I like the dimension it adds.
I spray painted the entire piece green and then took it from there.
This elongated bowl was a TJ Maxx find.
Alas, again no before picture but it was a stained wood piece.
I loved the shape and couldn't wait to recreate it.
I would love it filled with apples.
I finished this little lidded bowl earlier this week.
Again, I went with the blue palate.
I'm a fickle girl though.
Sworn to fun and loyal to none.
I saw a really pretty yellow on the paint shelf.
I think I'm feeling a bit sunny now.
:)
Happy Easter.
XOXO
P
Linking up my blue creations at these fun parties:
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Tangerine Orange,
It isn't a color I thought I would ever embrace.
I always thought of orange as that late 70's color that was combined with chocolate brown and olive green.
Then a few years ago I started seeing it in a bit lighter shade.
It was being paired with pinks, limes, and aquas.
It took on a completely different personality for me and now I find myself wanting to incorporate it into my own decor.
Now I know that the consensus on peach was a big fat resounding, "No way" but open your minds. This is not your grandma's orange....
Tory Burch
( I think this has my name all over it btw)
Last year my daughter and I put on a bridal shower here at home and we used this color exclusively.
That was Liz's idea.
She sent me this inspiration board and I was immediately hooked.
I felt like I was late to the party though.
I figured tangerine would be a bit hard to find but it seemed to be every where.
Who knew it would be so easy?
Orange had made a comeback. It was better than ever and its name was
Tangerine.
In this softer shade tangerine can be a salient accent to any space.
When combined with other brights or to liven up an all white room
tangerine can be spectacular.
unknown
Martha Stewart
House to Home
Elizabeth Kimberly
Lauren Leiss Interiors via Houzz
( I had to sneak that one in) :)
unknown
Elle Decor
It is fantastic with pale aquas and turquoises.
Studio Ten-25
Tobi Fairley via Studio Ten-25
Urban Outfitters
Tangerine Orange, it's a shout out to Spring.
lovin' it.
xoxo,
P
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Kim Parker.
I love her bold floral patterns and color combinations.
Susan Sargent is another source of mojo for me.
I have two of her books and when I am feeling uninspired I pull them off the shelves and soak in all of her lively happy patterns.
Even the overdone Ms Engelbreit can still thrill me with her designs.
Somehow it still has that uplifting effect.
I have been working on a trio of tables that belonged to James.
They were typical college type pieces that started out looking something like this.
Even though this little trio was meant to be a set
I don't do sets.
I painted each one with an element like the other but each is totally unique.
I wanted them to be compatible if they ended up all going to the same home but I wanted them to also be bold and sassy enough so that individually each one could become a statement piece.
The striped legs on this one
are like the striped apron on this one.
and the legs and apron on that one are like the legs and apron on the Kim Parker inspired coffee table that I just finished.
It's totally wack. I know.
But crazy is as crazy does.
:)
Seriously?
It just makes me happy.
xoxo
P
I will be linking up my grooviness here:
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Totally transcendental, is how I would describe
this turquoise and lime lumbar temptress.
Trina Turk's design have that bold California graphic design and this pillow is no exception. Measuring 26 x 14.
You can buy it here.
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I can't believe that April is already half way over.
Just today did I finally start pulling out some of my spring decor.
The snow covered berries weren't cutting it anymore ...
even in Iowa.
It is so fun to change up the looks of our rooms for the different seasons but Spring is probably my favorite.
It is where I can layer all of the florals and bright colors that I obviously embrace.
I feel like the house comes alive after its winter hibernation.
I'm not finished but here are just a few of the tweaks I made to our home today
to welcome Spring.
This breezeway or sun porch is an easy place to let the Spring flair fly.
I leave these lamps out all year but I especially like them this time of year.
Our family room is also easy to flamboyantly dress for Spring.
Sometimes it is as easy as changing out the throws and pillows.
I also like changing up my statue of Puck in this room with the holidays and seasons.
Some day I will have to post about that. :)
Sorry for the blurry photo.
I'm not sure what happened here.
I'm also hoping he doesn't look like a Playboy Bunny.
:)
That was not the look I was going for.
I have been so busy getting ready for The Traveling Door Market that is coming up in a couple of weeks that I need to keep my decorating change up simple this time.
An Easter topiary complete with a bonnet was an easy way to welcome Spring in the dining room.
Seasonal change ups, they're a fun way to express your creativity.
Feel free to Link up whatever you are proud of or motivated by today but if you have done some Spring shake ups at your place too, well, I'd love to see them.
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You may remember the two little side tables I talked about in an earlier post.
They both started out looking like this.
I could have done something sedate and sweet...
but that just isn't what I do.
This was the first one that I did last week.
I didn't want them to match exactly but I thought that if they ended up in the same room it would be fun if they coordinated.
I painted the second one earlier this week and when
I finished it up and this is the end result.
There is a coffee table too to complete this trio.
I'm working on that now...
I will be using some of the same colors and patterns
but dialing up the crazy even a bit more.
Here is a sneak peek.
Hopefully I will have this wild garden table finished up by tomorrow so I can share it on my Motivated Monday post.
xoxo,
p
Linking up my garden tables at these parties:
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Start with one of these
and add one of these.
Grab yourself some fabric paint and a tiny paint brush.
Then channel your motivational side.
Voila! An Enlightened bit of Wisdom to highlight your world.
xoxo,
P
I will be linking up and partying here:
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It has probably been a month since we painted my hub's office.
It is a large space for a home office but he uses every inch of it.
We call it command central.
I wish I had closed that closet door on the right tightly before taking the picture.
Photographer fail.
In an earlier post I wrote about the drama of adding onto a home that is nearly 100 years old and the logistics of having the new space blend with the older part of the house.
It took us two years to complete this project with the hubs, my father-in-law, and brother-in-law doing a large portion of the work.
This office and the additional garage space below were added to the back side of our home in 2000.
You can see that the roof over the family room to the left used to be a shed style roof. That part of the house was added on in the 1940's and our architect convinced us to remove that roof and replace it with another 12 12 roof that would blend better with the rest of the house.
So off came the old roof.
It was daunting to say the least.
It was quite a feat but it did finally all pull together.
It seems I am always taking pictures in early spring before everything leafs out.
It is so much prettier when there are leaves on the trees.
There are a few signs of spring in the yard though.
A few more warm days like today and this part of the world will look entirely different.
As for Mike's office it remained the same from when it was built until late February or early March when we decided to give it a new coat of paint.
We went from a pale yellow called parchment to this charcoal gray.
We were both happy with this new bold look.
There are still things to be done.
That cubby above the right closet used to have a television in it.
We never used it so when they took it down to paint we decided it wasn't worth the effort of putting it back up there. It was a ten year old set and seemed like it weighed a ton.
I may do some sort of sculpture piece up there instead or something organic looking.
We also are ready to change up the rugs for something a bit more contemporary.
Most of the wooden or case pieces in this room are one of a kind hand made items from Amana Furniture.
No China furniture here. :) ... just electronics.
I think he needs a bigger monitor.
The Amana pieces have a finish that is unbelievably smooth and it doesn't hurt that they are made only about thirty minutes away from where we live.
Mike put a lot of thought into planning this office space and the conference table has a hole in the middle to hide all the wires for the conference phone set up.
The table, an Amana piece, is solid mahogony. We did put a glass top on it to protect it from the rigors of business.
Mike's dad, a builder and woodworker, said it was built like a tank and we could probably land a 747 on it.
:)
The closets hide the ugly stuff - copiers, shredders, files and the like.
The Herman Miller chairs were Mike's idea.
I thought he was crazy at the time but I'm so glad that is what he went with.
They are a timeless design, have held up wonderfully, and are amazingly comfortable.
So what took me so long to post these pictures since we didn't really make any changes?
Well that TV I mentioned was sitting on top of a file cabinet in the middle of the room for almost four weeks until we bribed someone to take it off of our hands.
Then we were able to move the file cabinet back into the closet.
That and this place is usually buzzing with activity which is code for it usually looks like a bomb went off in here.
I did talk my big guy into editing some things out of the bookcases which can be a real catch all for all of his treasures.
We also removed the bumper stickers, I'm not kidding, from above the doorways,
and the Wake the F Up bag of coffee beans from the credenza.
I wanted to find a cool club rack to hold his collection of putters instead of his solution of lining them up all willy nilly against the wall.
I'm still looking for just the right thing so for now this is our compromise.
I do want this to be his space and I think it still is.
From the magazines he loves
to the posters that are a nod to the business he is in
There are momentos of personal achievements and fond memories.
The shots of Patron are what he calls "swing lube"
One for the front nine and one for the back :)
Because a guy can't work all the time.
Everyone needs to have a fun side and my big guy definitely has that going for him.
So now, on to Motivated Monday...
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Move another item into the "done" column for the upcoming
Traveling Door Market.
When I purchased this 30 " candlestick it didn't look anything like this.
I almost forgot to take the before pic but remembered just as I was putting on the first coat of orange paint.
( Reality shot of the studio
when I am in my manic creative phase)
I don't usually have a master plan in mind when I start a project like this.
All I knew starting out was that I was going to be going with a pink and orange theme in various patterns.
I started by painting random sections of the candlestick orange but the paint wasn't covering very well. I hadn't bothered to prime this piece because I was thinking it wouldn't get a lot of hard use like a table top or one of my lazy susans. I should have though because I think the paint would have covered better.
Then I remembered reading on one of the other funky painting blogs that they painted everything white first so that the colors were brighter and clearer. I decided to give that a try and it worked wonderfully.
After painting the rest of the candlestick white I went back in and strategically added sections of raspberry and green.
Then the fun begins.
Adding checks swirls and stripes,
florals and polka dots.
Pull it all together and you have a BeColorful Candlestick.
Pam style.
I wasn't sure if I liked the candlestick with the candle or the rattan globe so I took photos of both. :)
Make it a great weekend.
XOXO
P
I am linking up my funky candlestick at these fun parties:
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Last week the color of the week was peach.
I shared that I had a visceral reaction to the color.
It makes my skin crawl.
I felt only marginally better about it after looking for flattering images of peach decor.
Apparently I am not alone.
The response was basically unanimous.
NOBODY LIKES PEACH.
I will be sure not to paint anything in that hue for the upcoming
Traveling Door Market.
:)
So this week I thought I'd go with a color that is currently enjoying a fair amount of exposure and popularity.
This week's Becolorful Color of the week is turquoise.
House of Turquoise
Five years ago this color wasn't even on my radar.
I've never been a blue person.
Come to think of it, is turquoise blue or is it green?
Anyway, now this vibrant shade seems to be everywhere and
in doses big and small.
Decor Pad
via Sweet Pea
decor pad
House of Turquoise
House of Turquoise
Shelterness.com
Martha Stewart
As for me, I prefer it as an accent color.
I especially like it combined with green and other bright colors -
Curtain Wizard Design Blog
Coastal Living
or as a brilliant splash of color against the drama and glam of black and white.
This room just makes me happy.
I love love love that rug.
House of Turquoise
This is a color I would like to bring into my green family room as a spring accent color. Maybe just pillows and a vase or two.
What about you?
Is turquoise calling you?
XOXO,
P
Linking up with some great blog reading here:
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The Traveling Door Market is one month from today.
That means it is officially "crunch time" for me.
I always promise myself I will be better prepared for the next go around...
and I never am.
As usual, I feel like I am way behind where I had hoped to be.
I'm lining up my completed projects, though, and this is my latest.
I actually have a pair of these little tables but I won't be painting them exactly alike.
That isn't the beColorful way.
:)
I'm just starting on the second table now and I'm thinking I will make the two compatible if somebody wanted to use them both in the same space but I want each of them to be unique and a one-of-a-kind creation.
They both started out looking like this.
The upside of James moving to Asia is that I inherited a couple of his castoffs.
I could see this sassy striped number nestled in between a pair of adirondack chairs or rockers on the porch
because...
nothing says Welcome Spring like a pop of color.
PS. I am still having button or badge issues. All suggestions welcome.
PPS. If you haven't linked up yet at Motivated Monday there is still time.
As for me, I will be linking up my little table here:
XOXO,
P
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Welcome to another Motivated Monday.
I know my post is late.
I've had issues.
Maybe one of you can help but we'll get to that in a minute.
First off I want to showcase a Motivated Monday link from last week that was especially eye catching.
Did you see this brilliant pinkalicious credenza from Chrissie's Collections?
Color me awed and inspired.
Now I want to paint something in this spectacular shade of pink too.
As if that first image wasn't enough, I become all out giddy when I see how she treated the interior with a black and white polka dot fabric.
Genius!
This kind of artistic flair is one of the things I love most about the blogging world but that is only part of the story.
I also want to say here that I am absolutely overwhelmed with how fabulous bloggers are.
Seriously.
Applaud yourselves. You are all rockstars.
I have been repeatedly touched by your concern when our son left for Japan right before the earthquake and Tsunami,
impressed by your compassion for how Alzheimer's has touched our family, and
buoyed by your support and advice concerning my artsy and decorating flops and successes.
Your comments and advice are invaluable.
This week, though, I was absolutely blown away by
Cheri, a blogstress extraordinaire, at Cheri Quite Contrary.
If anybody is passing along awards this week you need to give them all to Cheri on my behalf.
Last week Cheri noticed that my blog button wasn't working correctly.
I had made a change a few days earlier in an attempt to spruce the place up a bit - never again.
If I ever get this thing working I will never ever mess with it again.
I love the whole writing and creative side of blogging but I struggle with the technical stuff.
Anyway, instead of just blowing it off, Cheri took the time to contact me and let me know about my button issue and offered a suggestion to fix it.
Well, the fix didn't work.
She offered another suggestion and another and another.
We had like eight exchanges.
In all honesty, I wonder if I would have been this nice or generous with my time.
I'm afraid that after the second suggestion I would have said something like,
"Gee, I'd love to help you but I have to run. My house is on fire. "
She is much nicer than I am though and has hung in there with me.
I'm amazed.
I think we should all go over to her blog and become followers.
:)
I was gone over the weekend and away from my computer so I still don't have my problem fixed.
I don't want to bother her again.
Maybe one of you will have an idea of what I am doing wrong.
The button design I inserted on my blog last summer is on the top of my right sidebar for now so you can all see what I'm talking about.
It has that funny little extra piece of code that I don't have a clue how to get rid of and it doesn't line up right.
Cheri's image lines up great but it doesn't have the code scroll box.
Maybe it doesn't need one but I am wondering how you can put it in your posts to link back?
I have put the button Cheri helped me with in my right sidebar.
So I'm throwing out a bit of an SOS if someone is tech savvy and knows of an easy fix.
Enough of that...moving on.
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So far it has been an unusually cool spring in the midwest.
Part of me is grateful not to have to bare my arms or feel the need to bust out the bronzing gel but the part of me that likes to walk outside, the part of me that is forever spray painting, and the decorator part of me are all longing for sunnier warmer days.
So even though it has only been in the 40's around here this week I decided to start bringing out my Spring tweaks - starting with this door candy from last year. I'm packing away the twigs and berries, the heavy throws, and winter accent pillows. Maybe bringing a little Spring inside will entice my favorite season to make a grand entrance outside.
I think a Spring Bling Linky Party would be fun here at BeColorful.
I need to figure out a button issue but let's plan on April 17th.
Link up your Spring decor. We all work hard to make our homes reflect the seasons and our personalities so what could be more fun than to share our flair with others that can inspire us and appreciate our efforts.
Hope to see you on the 17th
xoxo,
P
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