Becolorful

It's All About the Pink

 

 

 

 

It's all about the pink today.

For starters I would like to finally thank Sabrina at

Pinkytopia

for this thoughtful award.

 

It is so rewarding to have that confirmation that someone values what you have posted.

As the recipient of this award I am supposed to tell you seven things about myself.

Hm-mm. This is the hard part.

After blogging for three years I feel like you all know everything there is to know about me, my house, and the fam.

I am an open book and I have nothing new to say at parties.

:)

So here are a few random tidbits...

 

1. I despise cheap toilet paper

2.The trunk of my car is an extension of my purse.   

3. I really do throw like a girl

4. I sometimes get in such a hurry that I forget deodorant so I have a back up in my car ( see 2)

5. There is a bathtub in my hallway that has been there for two months now. I bet it will be there another two months.

6. I don't have one thing ready for the November Traveling Door show that I participate in. Yikes.

7. I work well under pressure. See 6.

:)

I am also supposed to pass this award on to fifteen newly discovered blogs. I will have to get back to you on that. It is hard to narrow it down to just fifteen.

Thank you again to Sabrina. I hope you will stop by her blog and check out Pinkytopia.

 

Keeping with the pink theme, I did finally add those needed touches of raspberry to the breezeway.

After painting the oak piece in this unexpected shade, I knew I needed to balance it out with some pink on the other side of the room.

So this is what I came up with.

Pillows were a no brainer way to add color for not much money.

I found these at Younkers and TJ Maxx.

and this one matches a throw I bought last year. Score!

 

 
I painted up a small plant stand I had in the garage in the same shade of raspberry. The watering can coasters were also something that I had already.

This uplifting artwork from Kathy McCullen also brought in that lively touch of color I was needing.

 

Flowers, a funky placemat from Pier 1 and my latest issue of House Beautiful completed my look.

 

 

  

 

As soon as I get a chance I think I will curl up in one of those chairs with that magazine.

:)

 

For now, I am off to pull together a fall door candy idea for the front door.

I hope you will join me here on Sunday night for Motivated Monday.

I thought it would be fun to do a theme this time and that theme will be Fall Doors.

Hope to see you this Sunday.

xoxo,

P

Linking up my Pink Punches here:

Kathy McCullen Came to My House

Well not really.

Kathy McCullen didn't come to my house but her art work did.

 

How lucky am I?

I found Kathy's blog, Amusing Muses, about three years ago when I first started blogging and I was looking to pull together my own studio.

I fell in love with her and her studio first and then her artwork.

These two pieces arrived last week. Just in time for our party.

They are both mixed media pieces.

I need to ask her how she gets that layered bleed through look.

It is something I would like to try my hand at too.

Maybe it is a trade secret.

 

She also added some paper elements that give the piece that great added dimension and texture.

 

For me to fall in love with a piece of art it has to evoke some sort of emotion. These two pieces did just that. They both are just happy exhilarating  pieces that reflect the feeling I want in our home.

Second of all, they need to showcase the space where I intend to put them. For example, I knew I wanted one bolder more dramatic piece of wall art here as opposed to several smaller pieces. The subject matter was traditional enough to lend a feeling of sophistication but the colors were vibrant enough to give this piece and the entry a touch of whimsical light heartedness that I am drawn to and striving for.

Then, as an added bonus the black and white pattern in the canvas seemed to reflect the rugs and the oranges and pinks were a nice repeat of the copper ceiling in the living room and the raspberry dining room. 

I wouldn't choose a piece for that reason alone but it was nice how it worked out that way.

Someday I may move things around again and hang the two paintings together because they compliment each other so well but for now the smaller piece is in the breezeway.

Again, another uplifting piece that seemed to have the perfect vibe and colors for this space.

I just wish I didn't have to look at that thermostat.

I think I will be framing the smaller piece but I'm not sure about the larger one. Sometimes I like the look of an unframed canvas. 

Kathy McCullen,

Google her or just click here or here to see more of her work.

Don't buy it all now. Leave something for me, won't you?

xoxo,

P

Dining Room Update

 

Is is just me or does everyone feel the need to polish and update their home before a party in an almost manic way?

It started with a deep cleaning of the chandeliers.

I was a bit amazed myself how much better they looked after I was finished.

Guess they need to be done more often than every two years.

:)

I also added a new accessory to the room.

I saw this tray at Phelan's and knew it would be perfect on this sideboard because it had the weight and substance that this space called for. I also liked that it had that vintage feel that is a nice contrast to the more modern touches I am hoping hoping to bring in.

It is true that we are in the middle of a design update here and I knew the new look would not be completed before our little soiree but I did feel the need to bring it as far along as time and the budget would allow.

 

So I was totally stoked when the rug I had ordered for the dining room over the 4th of July weekend finally arrived.

 

 

The old rug looked like this.

Also notice the chairs.

 

 

It was absolutely acceptable but where was the wow factor.

No shrinking violets allowed here on BeColorful.

If I wanted some wham bam damn I would have to start with the rug.

I had gone with the black and white in the foyer that leads right to the dining room so the two looks needed to blend well.

So I limited my searches to black and white and I needed a 9x13 for something less than the national debt.

I found this one and I liked it. It was a bit traditional but also had that wow I was looking for.

The price was good. After buying all of those Karistan rugs the first time around and selling them for a fraction of what I paid for them, I knew I didn't want to make that kind of investment this time around. I am too fickle. I only want to be married to my husband not my rugs.

So after I found this rug on an internet rug site I googled the style number to come up with all of the retailers that carried this design.

I was amazed at the price variance and guess where it showed up for the least amount of money?

JC Penney's!

Never would have thought to look there but don't rule them out.

They had this rug on sale for 40% off.

That had my attention. Delivery was a bit steep but even then I couldn't beat the price.

The next problem was the chairs.

Those gold and red stripes on the side chairs and the gold and red floral on the Host chairs just wasn't working. In fact, it was a huge detractor.

So, with less than 48 hours to go until show time I went to the fabric store and purchased a neutral fabric, loaded up my staple gun and went to work.

 

The problem was  I have ten of these bad boys!

These chairs are Ethan Allen and I was a little less than impressed when I popped off the cushions and found that most of them only had  only two or three screws holding them to the chair. Then when I tried to put them back together I discovered why.

None of the holes in the seat line up with the braces in the chair!

So much for more money getting you better quality.

There were more than a few expletives thrown around

As my friend Sally says, to listen to me you would have thought I have Tourette's.

But get it done I did.

I'm not sure how committed I am to these chairs so I went right over the old fabric that is upholstered much better than my hurried job.

If I sell them I will just take my coverings off again.

All in all, though I am pleased with the look.

I am thinking about losing the window treatments in the dining room.

Not sure we need them and the windows themselves are rather pretty.

I would like to change out the mirror with something with a bit more of a Dorothy Draper feel.

Also, I am looking at a new wall color to replace the red that I have lived with for thirteen years.

Time to mix it up a bit.

I am still thinking a brighter pink.

Although a silvered purple

has been on my radar too  I think looking into this room that probably the pink would be better companion.

Thoughts?

 

I have so much to share.

Too much for one post so this week I will try to bring you up to speed on our living room update, new artwork I am so thrilled with, and the pops of raspberry I brought into the breezeway. I also have some temporary wall decor,  a bedroom failure and a workable temporary fix. Just so much.

Then there are the functional art projects I have been working on.

Too many post ideas, too little time.

I hope you can stop back.

There will not ba a Motivated Monday this week but I hope you will be here next Sunday night with a front door decor post.

I am thinking Fall already.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

xoxo,

P

 

I will be linking up my dining room update here:

Party Thoughts

This past weekend we had a cocktail party here at the house for roughly fifty business clients and close friends.

A lot of you have asked for more party pics.

Apparently we had a good time because there are very few pictures except for these of the set up before the party started and when the first handful of guests began arriving.

We had two tents. One for food and one for the bar.

I bought my tabletop items the day before the party at Pier 1

Nothing like last minute.

Because the party was at night and I didn't want to use the flood lights I knew that it would be more important to have candles than flowers.

Lanterns seemed like a good solution and something we might be able to use again.

I couldn't get enough of any one thing this late in the season so I mixed and matched using blues and greens.

I think that worked.

On the bistro tables I used margarita glasses filled with white sand and a candle. It was a cocktail party after all. :0

Tiki torches and strings of lights helped give us the ambience we were looking for.

I wish I had taken more night pictures because it really looked prettier after dark.

I even did some of the tables with Christmas lights underneath so they had a great glow going after the sun went down.

Oh well, trust me, it was pretty.

Mike and I had fun stringing lights the night before and doing the whole lighscaping thing.

He is a fun guy to throw a party with once you get him involved. He is always a little reluctant at first but as ithe party gets closer he totally gets into it.

Usually Liz is on top of the photography but she became engrossed in conversation and the mojitos too so it wasn't until quite late and after a number of the guests had already left that we remembered to take photos.

This was also  after what was probably more than a couple cocktails.

A bit blurry.

:-0

Hehe. Actually, it IS hard to get pictures in this low of light without a tripod.

These were better.

 

 

The food was amazing.

Thank you Cibos.

It only sprinkled very briefly.

Thank you God.

The house is in the middle of a do over but even so I was proud of how we pulled it all together.

This week I will show you some of the new design items that made it in time for the party and the temporary solutions that we used for those that didn't or I couldn't afford yet.

When we threw our very first party here thirteen years ago we hadn't even moved in yet.

We took decorating suggestions from our guests, borrowed lawn furniture to sit on and drew pictures on the blank walls.

The house will never be done and even though we talk about selling it from time to time, everyone says we never will.

Why would we? This house was made for a party.

The next one?

It will be awhile. 

A fall party would be fun, we've never done that, but definitely not this year.

:)

xoxo,

P

Motivated Monday August 22

I'm sorry that my Motivated Monday post is so late today.

I've been pretty busy getting ready for this party.

It took more time than I thought but it was a lot of fun to pull together.

It only sprinkled for about twenty minutes. The rest of the night the weather couldn't have been better. We would just dive under the archway or the bar or food tents, so it was all good. 

:)

 

Pretty amazing when you think we had to come back from this in three short weeks.

Well done Rosie. We did it.

:)

Liz suggested I share my itunes list with you and I will revisit the party in some upcoming posts but for now it is Monday and time to get Motivated again.

 

I didn't have time to write all of you individually and thank you for your fantastic submissions but each and every one of them was inspiring it their own way.

There was such a great variety this past week. For example...

You wouldn't want to miss this

One minute peanut butter cake from

Extreme Personal Measures

If I weren't trying to cut back I would give this a try today.

Did you catch this fun dress and headband project with pattern over at

Blissful Sewing for Your Little Fashionista?

I love the added texture of the flowers.

If you wear make-up, you won't want to miss the vanity organizational post from

DIY Designs.

Don't you just love her vanity?

There is some pretty valuable info here regarding how long we should hold on to some of our make-up.

In the furniture catagory I thought this key themed coffee table from

This and That From Tami was a novel idea.

and who doesn't love LUCY and her amazing endtable turned Doggie Beds?

She had me at the leopard print. Then add the polka dots and I may have to go get a dog. :)

Finally, last but not least, were these junk mail creations from

Home Sweet Homemade.

After I get a couple of things done for clients I am thinking things should calm down for a bit now and I am going to give this art form a whirl too.

In fact, I have been giving this some thought and I think that it is time to simplify just a bit and at least for the next few months I will be dialing back the Motivated Monday posts to the first Monday of each month.

I hope to have two catagories. The general catagory that has been here every week where you can submit any type of post of something you have created, photographed, written, or designed that you think might inspire others. The second catagory will be something special for that month.

For me, turning that calendar page over to September seems to signify fall. So for the September 4th Motivated Monday party I thought it would be fun to see what you are doing to decorate your front doors for fall. Be thinking about it.

So forgive me for bowing out this week. I'm taking a little me time but I hope you will be back on September 4th with some fabulous front door candy and or anything else you have been working on. Maybe we will have more than 50 posts. That would be fun. :)

Thanks for visiting.

I love seeing everything you are working on and creating. You inspire me and motivate me constantly but my head is swimming with ideas and I want to have some time to get to work on a few of them. I know as bloggers you will all understand.

If you were featured today I hope you will feel free to take the Motivated Monday featured button with you.

Happy creating.

xoxo

P

Wedding Clock

This is a post I did earlier this week for Lemon Tree Creations.

Tonight I am sharing it with you.

Recently I had a friend ask me to paint a clock she had purchased as a wedding gift.

She was very specific in that she wanted something in the Stick's vibe.

If you are unfamiliar with Sticks it is a company that does amazing one-of-a-kind painted furniture and accessories in a very distinctive style.

It was fun to try my hand at this.

This is the clock as it was handed over to me last month.

 

It was a great piece even with the missing knob.

The flat surfaces made for a relatively easy design layout.

I also liked that it was painted black. I did not prime this piece because I like the look of the black peeking through just a bit when I pull the brush through the paint.

I will have to give it several layers of top coat, though, to protect it.

I haven't done that yet. I'm letting everything cure first.

 

I started by painting the top

  

 

 

Then I worked out the sides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend had a number of elements that she wanted incorporated into the face view of the clock, including the names of the bride and groom, the wedding date, and words that were significant to the bridal couple.

This is what I came up with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This piece was perfect to pull in that surprise element I so love.

The clock opens up and is also a jewelry box.

How great is that?

So I stayed with the love theme and this is what will greet the bride when she pulls on that discover knob

 

and then again when she opens the drawer down below.

 

I hope she likes it.

I thought it was fun and definitely unique.

To see the site that inspired this piece click here.

Their work is absolutely amazing.

xoxo,

P

I am linking this post up here:

 

 

 

 

A One of A Kind Wedding Gift

I am guest blogging today over at

Lemon Tree Creations.

It is my first experience at guest blogging.

Thank you ladies for the opportunity.

To see my post click here.

xoxo,

P

BeColorful On Houzz

I must admit, I felt a little bit important today when I saw my home office on Houzz.

They were doing a feature on home offices for their Ideabook of the Week post.

My two photos are toward the end of the article but hey,

better late than never.

I am sure it was the wild watermelon color or maybe Sherri's pillow that got my space noticed.

:)

What can I say?

This girl loves color.

 

Cultural Differences

This weekend our son, who is going to school and working in Japan sent us this video.

I know, who has time to watch, but take a moment.

I promise it is prety amazing.

 

Then on an entirely different note,

I was working on my laptop the other day with the TV going in the background.

I looked up to see a commercial and I was intrigued.

What were they selling?

So officially I'm shocked.

Right?

In reality, it made me laugh and thank goodness for Tivo because I rewound it and played it again.

Maybe I'm a bit twisted.

 

 

Cultural differences?

xoxo,

P

Motivated Monday August15th

Thank you so much for all of the glowing comments you left on my 

Raspberry Pink Commode.

Your praise left me blushing.

:)

That said, I want to welcome you today to this week's

Motivated Monday Linky Party.

 

 

 

If you missed last week then you missed some of these

awe inspiring and colorful submissions.

Like the gloriously girly pink dresser from

Making It Homey

Love that color and the detailing.

I hope you can stop by her blog to see more images of this fun and feminine piece.

Then again, I loved this Tiffany Blue powder room submitted by

Lemon Drop Dreams

Not only did she paint her powder room

- she embellished those freshly painted walls with her own designs.

Stunning.

Finally, I was also intrigued by 

Decorating My World With Color's

gift bag art.

Now seriously, how cool is that?

You'll have to read her blog though to find out where she found these great bags.

:)

 

Yes, I Painted My Antique Commode Raspberry Pink

 

 

 

Oh yes I did.

Avert your eyes if you have issues with painting perfectly good antique pieces,

because that is exactly what I did.

Horrors right?

Please don't un-subscribe.

:)

 

 Until this week this was a  golden oak commode that I bought back in the 80's.

( Behr primer + paint)

Back then I didn't have a car that it would fit in so my dad picked it up for me and helped deliver it to my apartment.

That's just what dads do.

I know a lot of you are shaking your head in disdain that I painted this piece at all and as if that wasn't painful enough, I had to commit my sin with a raspberry pink.

I must say,

I'm not sorry.

It was the right decision for me.

 

In my defense, when I first bought my little oak piece she was coated in a very ugly shade of green.

I went to work laboriously stripping it down to bare wood and then staining and varnishing it.

The detail work was a bear but it is what makes the piece interesting.

 

 

I was so proud of my work but alas, things change.

Styles change and my home has changed numerous times.

I stripped it myself so I felt entitled to paint it again if I wanted.

 

 
I went back and forth between pink or a bold green or yellow.

For now I am happy with my pink choice.

It does go kind of red in the evenings though, and yes,

I even painted the back so it looks good from the back in front of that window.

:)

I could have sold this piece as it was but it had some memories for me including the one of my dad who is no longer here.

Over the years it stored my china. We had a small wedding so early on I didn't have much to store.

Then for the first six months of Lizzie's life it held toys.

As the toys multiplied we moved on.

For a while it contained an overflow of video tapes.

Later on it stored booze.

A few years after that we must have started drinking more and decided we needed a built in bar.

:)

So this little commode was relegated to the place where I keep extension cords, light bulbs, batteries and candles.

Just recently I moved it out of the media room and onto the breezeway.

I wasn't sure at first if I really liked it here.

I didn't like the look of the oak but I hated to give up a storage piece.

Then it hit me,

I was ready to take the plunge.

I would paint it and feel not an ounce of guilt.

I didn't want my usual multi patterned look, just a solid color this time with some new hardware.

 

 

Yes, painting the commode was the perfect solution.

I still have my memories, I still have my storage but now I also have a fresh pop of color in this formerly demure green yellow and white room.

 

Hmmmm. Now I'm thinking I need some raspberry pink and red pillows on the other side of the room to balance things out.

Well that settles it.

Gone shopping.

xoxo,

p

 

 

 

Room By Room Party - The Foyer ( Half Dressed)

Today I am joining Rene over at 

Cottage and Vine

for a Room By Room Party.

This month it is foyers.

Too bad mine is in the middle of a makeover.

We moved into our house a little over thirteen years ago and I thought this old house needed a more formal and traditional approach, so that is what I did.

Then about a year ago I knew it was time to change things up in this old house of ours so I started with the front door and painted it a bright yellow.

I had this epiphany moment.

Just because this Linden Lady of ours is rapidly approaching her 100th birthday doesn't mean that she needs to be a stuffy old broad.

No, it was time to sass things up a bit.

The only pictures I have of the foyer before I began our update were from  this past Christmas.

 

So here are the befores...

Looking down the front hallway towards the dining and family rooms.

 

Looking back towards the front door.

Then earlier this year I took the plunge and sold most of the first floor rugs.

These pieces just weren't jiving with the look I was striving for.

So it has been looking pretty naked around here.

 

 

Our foyer has some nice architectural elements with those archways so it doesn't need a lot to dress it up but while the space was emptied out I took the time to clean the chandelier and rethink the artwork and accessories.

So Welcome to our home as she looks today -

think of it as in her dress but without her shoes and jewelry.

:)

Come on in!

 

Looking down from above.

What I see as I come down the stairs in the morning.

This view just makes me happy especially now that I know the living room chairs will be delivered next week - before our party. Yay!

Today's job - find some tables for those lamps. :)

 

It's a start.

I still need to do something with this mirror.

Paint it cream or paint it black.

Maybe move this one to the living room and replace it with something a bit smaller.

I removed the table that was in front of this mirror but it may be coming back.

I like the openess of not having it here but this winter I will miss the little table lamp that I put here.

Maybe it will be a seasonal change up.

:)

I'm also still looking at art work for inside the door.

I think all of these pieces by Kathy McCullen are saucy and welcoming.

It all comes down to size...and money.

 

 

I love her work. You can see more of it here.
 
Thanks for visiting. I think Rene's house parties will be a regular stop for me and maybe will help me to keep progressing forward.

xoxo,

P

 

Motivated Monday August 8th

Welcome to Motivated Monday here at BeColorful

I relish looking through all the links you send this way and showcasing a few every week that are especially noteworthy.

 These were just some of the many great projects that I thought were worthy of a second look.

First up I was incredulous when I saw the makeover this old rejected rocker got over at

Domestic Imperfection

How perfect is that fabric? 

It looks like it came out of an Anthropologie or a designer furniture catalog.

Nicely done.

 

Next up was this pretty privacy project that Cathy showed us over at

My 1929 Charmer

Isn't that just oh-so-pretty?

I oohhed and ahhed out loud when I saw it.

Plus, she throws in a tutorial too.

Gotta love that.

 

Did you see this necktie to headband tutorial submitted by

Love Notes by Lauryn?

How fun and clever is that?

Again, with a tutorial.

What a great gift idea.

Her post is all about accessories and it is full of inspiring ideas.

You should really try and stop by and give her a visit.

 

For all of you that linked up, thank you.

If you haven't joined a linky party here at BeColorful I would love to have you be a part of the action.

Motivated Monday is open to any type of creation or for whatever motivates you.

It is true that I am partial to painted furniture and functional art but I have also featured weight loss successes, sewing, writing, photography, recipes, and organization projects.

 

 

 

Violin Love

 

For those of you that follow BeColorful for the painted furniture and functional art, I just want to say I haven't changed course.

I may be a bit distracted with my first floor make over and hosting a party in a few weeks but I have also been painting.

I am actually working on several projects this week but nothing is finished or far enough along to really post about.

So, I went through some of my projects from earlier this year and remembered this festive feature.

I have a color loving client ( my favorite kind) that brought me this violin shaped tray and gave me carte blanche.

Gotta love that.

Knowing that she loves the bright happy hues and isn't afraid of mixing pattern I allowed myself to pull out all the stops, gave it the mixed media treatment and Voila!

I thought it was a fun representation of her.

 

Hopefully, next week I will be able to show you a finished vanity chair and some progress on a clock and game table.

Things are very busy here at BeColorful.

:0

To link up to the Motivated Monday Party here at BeColorful click here.

xoxo,

P

I will be linking up my artsy fartsy creation here: