Becolorful

Neglected Entry Way

 
 
 

Our home is nearly one hundred years old and it is unusual to have a walk out basement but we do.

The house has a stone foundation that was later covered in brick.

You can not get cell phone reception in our basement even if your life depended on it.

I hope it never does.

Then again, the walls are just so thick I think you could survive just about anything down here.

This is the part of the house where I have my studio.

We have lived here for thirteen years and I know they gave us keys to this door when we moved in but we misplaced them. Then, finally,  last month, after thirteen years, we finally found the key that opens this door. Yes, it has been locked and deadbolted the entire time. Consequently, my family, friends and clients always had to enter down here through the garage doors to the right.

This meant they either needed to know the garage code or I had to watch for them to let them in.

Kind of annoying but whatever.

We probably could have changed out the locks but that would have been too easy.

I always call our house a big old rambler and what I've learned is that with big houses there come numerous neglected projects. This entry way has been one of ours but now that I can use this doorway again I want to spruce it up and give it a fresh coat of paint before it gets too cold.

I've never been shy when it comes to color. 

Our front door is a golden yellow and I have never regretted that decision so I will be equally bold here.

I need to consider that there is a lot of brick back here. Even our driveway is the original brick. It's pretty cool. I love the sound of cars coming down the drive. It makes this great low rumbling sound that I just associate with home.

So I've been looking at some paint options lately and these are some of my faves.

I love this corally red shade. It is probably my go to color in the crayon box.

This paler turquoise is pretty and would definitely be a break out color for me. I think I could get by with it on the back side of the house.

Then again, maybe this brighter version is better.

I find myself drawn to this color lately and can't wait to paint SOMETHING this color even if it isn't this door.

Pale pink is pretty. Again, unusual, but I'm not sure this is where I would want to use this shade. I'm just trying to have an open mind with myself. :)

 

I love these brighter pinks but not sure I would like them against the brick.

 

I did love this picture of the inside of the garage door.

I use one garage stall that is directly off my studio for spray painting and to store larger pieces of furniture. How fun would it be to do this in that garage?

But that is another project for another day  month. 

This Periwinkle reminds me of The Traveling Door.

It would certainly be approrpiate for my studio entrance.

I am also drawn to some two tone ideas

like this pink and white

or even black and white.

Oh the options.

I need more doors.

:0

xoxo,

P

One of A Kind Game Table

Let The Games Begin

 

Earlier this summer a color loving client gave me this game table to paint.

Her only request was that it coordinate with her vivid pinks, greens, and blues.

Color me inspired.

When I first laid eyes on this little number it was a sedate combo of blacks and browns.

 

There were a lot of surfaces to this piece and

I grossly underestimated the number of hours that the project would take.

The inset of the table was set up for backgammon and the top is designed for chess.

 

I taped off the backgammon template and began priming.

By the middle of August it was looking more like this.

 

Quite a change up already.

I wish you could know the client.

She worships at the alter of bright colors and whimsical patterns. As I said, other than the color direction, she gave me a free hand in the design. 

To give myself an inspirational jumping off point, I took some images of the inside of her home.

This bright and bold pairing stand sentry in the foyer.  So, right from the get go you know that while you are here you are going to be in for a colorfully visual treat with a real sense of fun.

 

This delightful duo along with a raspberry pink sectional will be in the same room as the game table. 

 

These elements make it obvious that this is a client that is fearless when it comes to color and pattern.

Gotta love that.

:)

So I went all out on this one.

It is difficult to take pictures in my studio with its overhead lighting but it was raining outside today and I wanted to get these photos taken because I am sure my client is anxious to have her table back.

Okay, maybe I was pretty stoked to share it too.

:0

So without further ado,

Drum roll please.....

.......

The table without the top -

 

 

 

 

 

and now with the chess board top on.

The customer wanted more aqua in this piece and I think it pulled together well with the raspberry pinks and  lime greens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really liked how the legs turned out.

Sometimes I never really know where I am going.

These pieces often seem to have a will all of their own.

This table was no exception.

I can tell from this close up picture of the leg that I need to go back in and touch up the under side of the table a bit.

Oops. 

:0

So I will do that and top coat the entire piece and then I will be able to turn it over to its new home.

Even in that flamboyant space I think this lively one will be able to hold its own.

Yes, another BeColorful project out the door.

It's like coloring the world one piece of furniture at a time.

:0

xoxo,

P

LInking my fun little table here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motivated Monday September 26th

Sunday night here at BeColorful means it is time for me to feature some of the great posts from last week's link party.

I never cease to be amazed by all of the ingenuity out there and this past week was no exception.

Among my many faves was this great jewelry project from

Patty Trends.

I have seen quite a bit of this style of jewelry out here in blogland but her easy to read and comprehend tutorial and the simplicity of this project have me definitely motivated to give this idea a whirl. 

Did you see this nod to the UK table from

Sweet Girl Expressions

Every room should have that one element that oozes with personality. Painted furniture is an easy way to do this and this piece really takes that idea to a whole new level. In a word, delightful.

Another great furniture project with personality to spare was submitted by

It's So Very Cheri

This is just a hint at what it looks like. You will have to check out her post to see the entire project and sign up to win a kit of your own.

:0

Shifting gears a bit, I was blown away by this whimsical purse made of paper from

Ricochet and Away.

A fun post of trial and errors but with a tutorial and an obviously great outcome.

Then the week wouldn't be complete without a design post so I wanted to include Judy's three bathroom makeovers at

DIY By Design

There are some great ideas here for wall treatments, color combos, faucets and lighting.

Be sure and stop by all of these links. They are all worth a look see.

So on to this week's Motivated Monday.

Colorful Tchotchke aka One Down

The Traveling Door, an art group I participate in, will be having their Holiday Event in less than seven weeks.

I have been busy working on pre-sold pieces and haven't had time to concentrate on pulling together things for this sale.

Panic is beginning to set in.

It always seems to be this way.

This week I finally was able to pull together my first piece, albeit a small one, for this fall show.

 

 

I don't even know what to call it.

A candy dish?

An ornate lidded box?

Dream Keeper?

I'll just call it colorful tchtochke

:0

xoxo,

P

The Cabinet That Only Took Me Three Years To Paint

I purchased this sweet little cabinet several years ago from a consignment shop.

I notice a lot of people remove these wire insets but I thought these were what gave this piece a unique charm and probably the element that enticed me to buy it. 

When I first brought this piece home blogging wasn't even on my radar so I never even gave a thought to taking a before picture.

Just know that it was basically brown with some black accents.

Three years ago I gave it the BeColorful treatment.

  While my brushes were loaded with paint, I decided to redo this piece too.

Somebody had already painted this one white and I left it like that for quite awhile but sometimes the spirit just moves you. Unfortunately for me, this is usually just hours before I am expecting company. This time I was supposed to host our book/cocktails club that night.

I don't know why, but I usually decide to tackle a paint project the day of a party. You would think I would have learned by now but I am still doing it.

It was while I was painting these two pieces that I learned that my dad had fallen and was going to require surgery.

Needless to say, book club was canceled and I threw my brushes in a cup of water to soak until I could get back to them.

Life got crazy for awhile and this little cabinet looked like this for the next three years.

 

 

 

You will notice that the right side is just a muddy green.

Whenever I posted pictures of this room on the blog it wasn't from this side. No, the picture was usually taken from this angle so you, the reader wouldn't notice.

:0

Occasionally you saw this view.

Well it took another party and rearranging the furniture in this room to get me to recommit to this project.

Finally, last month,  I revisited this striped, harlequined and floral creation.

I was feeling good about myself that I was giving myself enough of a window before the party that the paint would be dry.

This time I was madly recovering ten dining chairs while waiting for the caterer.

It's a sickness.

Anyway, I wanted to bring a bit more red to this side of the room so this is what I came up with.

 

It probably took me less than an hour to finish this up.

Geesh. Sometimes I wonder about myself.

Maybe the next thing I will do is finally finish the back side of that other piece.

( The last side is still unfinished)

It must be a Freudian thing.

:0

xoxo,

P

Motivated Monday September 19th

Welcome all to Motivated Monday.

I was away from my computer this week while taking a short trip to Galena with my youngest and then driving into Chicago and Ikea for a bit of shopping.

It felt rather good to be unplugged for a few days but the catching up has taken me longer than I thought it would.

Today I carved out some time and was also able to have long Skype and phone chats with my other two babies.

I really am okay with and have actually embraced the empty nest thing as long as we can still stay in frequent communication.

:0

I have neglected the blog this week but it was fun to come home to all of the amazing links here at Motivated Monday. It has been so hard to narrow them down to a few features though.

So, consider yourself warned. That many fabulous posts left me dizzy and as a result there are more than the usual number of highlights this week.

I simply need more days in my week because I was so inspired that now I want to redo my closet, repaint the laundry room, skirt a table, paint a piano, recover something in pink chevron, make a wreath, decorate for fall, and create a memory wall art with maps.

Check these out for yourself and you will see what I mean.

I flipped for this Posh Closet makeover  and the laundry room submitted by

Worthing Court

 

I thought the color palate was so happy and optimistic and  that adding artwork was the exclamation point on a great design sentence.

 

This green and red combo is a favorite of mine and I love that oversized pear on the shelf. To see more of this laundry room click here.

 

 

 

Have you seen the tulle skirted table on Pinterest? Well I thought this one complete with a tutorial from

Miss Madison's Charmed Life

is another great example of this delightful design look.

 

Then when this turquoise piano showed up at the party I just oohed and ahhed out loud.

Those who know me know I love, no REQUIRE color in my world so is it any surprise that this just had to be featured here?

:)

I am crazy for that shade of turquoise.

You can read more about this great painted piece here.

 

I am also a fan of unusual door candy so this fun wreath made out of diapers definitely caught my attention.

Erin, from How to Nest For Less,

suggested that it would be the perfect to hang on the door of the new mama's room at the hospital and then in the nursery at home.

 

Stacy from Stacey Embracing Change stole my heart with this pink chevron chair.

 

Chevron plus pink, it just doesn't get any better than that.

:)

Cherish Dream Live

reminded me that as I look ahead to decorating for fall that some of the best elements are the simplest that don't need to cost a thing.

 

Isn't that just so great in that beautifully understated way?

Finally, you really need to check out this absolutely perfect anniversary gift posted by My So Called Green Life.

Kellie created this gift for her husband to commemorate their life together.

She cut the hearts out of maps of places they had traveled, lived, or were significant to them then arranged them in a one-of-a-kind meaningful wallart.

 

 

Now you can see why I need more days in my week right?

So what have you been up to or what has been inspiring you?

 If it is creative, colorful or inspiring then bring it on.

For the first Monday in October I will be hosting a Fall Decor Link Party so be readying you Fall Decor Home Tour posts. That will be our theme then. For today bring on whatever creativity has been consuming you or an image that is spurring you on to redo, makeover, paint, or design.

Foyers Foyers Foyers

 

One of the best things about blogging is discovering other people that love the same things you love. For me, one of those things is home decor and design. So when I saw that Diane over at Home Sweet Homemade had done a blog post linking her foyer to a home design party featuring foyers at  Abode Love, I was all over it.

Late to the party, but here goes nothing.

I started a first floor update of our home exactly a year ago. I feel good about the progress that I have made but I am far from finished.

With that "work in progress" thought in mind, I would like to say, 

welcome to our nearly century old home.

The previous photo is looking in from the front door down the foyer hallway  towards the back of the house.

The rugs are Paul Thomas runners in ebony.

If you would make a hard right beyond the front closets you would walk into the library.

 

 

To the left is the new mixed media media painting from Kathy McCullen and a vista into the living room.

 

 

Art work is, for me, an essential element of decor. It is the soul of a home.

At the other end of the foyer are these two significant pieces that we purchased in San Francisco almost ten years ago. 

 
 

Art makes such a terrific souvenier. Don't you agree?

Looking back towards the front door this is what you see.

 

 

 

I'm still undecided what to do with this mirror.

Leave it, paint the frame black, cream, or silver, or replace it with something a bit smaller that allows me to put a small table and lamp here?

 

This tile right inside the entry also needs some attention - like replacing.

It is so 80's looking, dated but not old enough to be cool yet.

It was here when we bought the house and I have just covered it with a rug for the past thirteen years. The wool rug that was there didn't work with the new runners so for now we are just having to look at that tile.

Perhaps when we redo the master bath I will address this issue too but for this winter I am thinking a more compatible rug.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you will check out all of the foyers at Abode Love.

xoxo,

P

Motivated Monday September 12th

Welcome to Motivated Monday September 12th.

Last week I thought it would be fun to showcase some fall door decor and you didn't let me down.

I think the front door is a perfect place to welcome a new season, to hail a party, or acknowledge an event. 

Apparently I am not alone in that thought.

These were some of the great ideas that you came up with last week.

This first one is from Flower Child Designs.

Great colors, great texture and I love the burlap bow.

Then there was this more traditional wreath from

Easy Peasy Grandma

Who doesn't love hydrangeas? Again the colors are gorgeous and this one comes with a touch of Halloween... an unintended spider and web. 

:0

Finally I think it is so fun to see team spirit on a front door and

The Crafty Scientist

pulled this off in such a fun way and with a tutorial so you can make your own version for the team you are rooting for.

No doubt who this family is pulling for and I think it just goes to show you that fall door decor can be done successfully in nontraditional fall colors.

So what's up for this week?

Well, anything goes this week. Decor and painting projects are my faves but recipes, photography, and writing are also right up the BeColorful alley too.

 Be thinking about your fall decorations. The first Monday in October I will be hosting a Fall Decor Home Tour Party so be readying you Fall Home Tour posts.  For today bring on whatever creativity has been consuming you or an image that is spurring you on to redo, makeover, paint, or design.

We Will Never Forget

9-11 Ten Years Later

We will never forget.

 

God Bless America

Dressing Up The Vanity Bench

Chalk up another project in the completed column.

Or so I thought.

I recently dressed up this vanity chair for a client.

When it arrived here in my studio it looked like this.

I almost forgot to take the before picture but here goes the primer coat.

I have done this hydrangea pattern a number of times and this client liked it on another piece of mine so I incorporated that design into the back but thought a vanity chair needed something a bit more glamorous to sass it up a bit.

Leopard print goes with everything so I thought it would be the perfect compliment for the red floral pattern.

To pull the two looks together, I striped the back of the chair combining the two concepts.

 

 

 

Now that I look at the photos, I wonder if I need some black and white stripes around those braces and a bit more gold striping down the front of the legs.

Hmmm. I just can't seem to ever be satisfied.

xoxo,

P

Linking up my Vanity Chair at these great parties:

In the Rear View Mirror - My Summer Reads

Earlier this year I read some meatier reads including Sarah's Key,

all of the books in The Hunger Games Series, Room, and Oxygen.

With summer, though, I usually opt for lighter reading.

I started out with a humorous read by Claire Cook titled

Best Staged Plans

More Lifetime Movie than Oscar winner, I would still recommend it if you are looking for that quick fun read.

This is the relateable tale of a boomer generation house stager that is ready to downsize her home and is anxious for her twenty something son to get a plan and move on with his life so she can move on with hers. Although the plot is rather predictable and this is one of those stories that will fade from my memory in a few short years it was also one that made me laugh out loud as I saw pieces of myself and my own indecision as to what to do next in my life. For all of us decor minded bloggers, there are some fun design hints and ideas and some easy meal concepts and recipes ala Trader Joe's. Add in the life lesson to be grateful for what you have and you have the book that is Best Staged Plans.

Meaty? No. Fun? Absolutely.

 

I followed that book up with the saucier and definitely original

Georgia Bottoms.

 

Now Georigia Bottoms is one of the more intriguing characters I have run across in recent years. Her family has definitely seen better days and better financial times but Georgia is one resourceful southern cookie that wants to keep her family's misfortunes private. She is often referred to in book reviews as a modern day Scarlet O'Hara. In short, Georgia sets up an elaborate schedule of prominent men from her small community that each visit her on a different night of the week. None of these callers know about the others and although she never asks for money from her gentlemen friends, she is always grateful for their "gifts". If it happens to be money? Well that suits her just fine. Everything is going according to schedule until one of her "guests", the Baptist minister, decides to confess his sins to the congregation. Georgia takes the necessary steps to avoid this debacle and so the story begins.

Hilarious at times and totally fresh. This is a book they absolutely have to make into a movie. Who could they cast as Georgia? Mark Childress, the author suggested Sandra Bullock or Reese Witherspoon. I can see Sandra but as I was reading I kept seeing either Cameron Diaz or Julia Roberts. Someone closer to forty than thirty. 

As much as I enjoyed the book, the ending left me a little disconcerted. I feel like the story is only half told. What happens next. Georgia is one of those characters that maybe deserves a sequel.

I read my books on an iPad but I still rather look through the bookstores when I am considering a book. While at Target one day I perused one of their book end caps and ran across several titles that looked interesting so I pinned them. Don't you love Pinterest? When I got home I read some of the reviews of the books I had pinned and decided to go with The Island by Erin Hildebrand.    

This is the story of four women that spend an entire month together on a way too primitive for me island. The characters are a mother, her sister and two daughters. Each of these privileged white women bring their own emotional baggage to Tuckernuck and the outcome in the end was just a bit too nicely wrapped up for me. Maybe if I had a sister I would be able to relate better to this book. As it was, I enjoyed reading it but a year from now I will probably barely be able to recall the plot. I felt like the book was a bit too contrived. Even the names of the characters: Chess, Tate, Indie, and Birdie seemed borderline ridiculous. The story line of the daughter who breaks off her engagement and then hears that her ex fiance has fallen while rock climbing was a bit intriguing and is probably what kept me reading but ultimately I felt like this was a fluff piece that was trying to disguise itself as something much deeper and significant. I would probably give it 2 1/2 out of five stars.

The most recent book I read was the darkest of the four. That should have been obvious from the title.

The Murder's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers

This was a book that I didn't really like but still could not stop reading. I do have a completion fetish but I am learning to close that book that I am getting nothing from. So, there was obviously something here that kept me turning the pages. It is definitely a compelling study into the psychology of how differently people deal with tragedy and the character's were complex enough to be intriguing but fortunately the subject matter is far removed for most people. The murder of these young girl's mother by their father takes place in the first chapter and the rest of the book that covers the next thirty years of their lives follows how these two girls turned women cope or don't cope with the tragedy. I found myself definitely identifying with the behavior of one sister over the other and that made me think that even though this book was disturbing at times it would make for an interesting book club discussion. If I were going to rate it today I would probably give it three stars. It is well written but still, like I said, not a book I really enjoyed reading but one I would not discourage anyone from picking up.

So what next? I have a friend that used to be in my book club and I always loved the books she chose. Two of my favorite books, Olive Kitteridge, and Mrs. Kimble were also her suggestions so I am pretty well convinced that this title that she sent my way, The Kitchen House, which tells the story of a white servant girl in a plantation house,

will be a winner too.

I'll get back to you on this one.

I am always looking for good titles so I'd love to hear what you have found to be noteworthy reading too.

Switching the subject, have you done any fall decorating at your house? If so, think about linking up to Motivated Monday here.

xoxo,

P

Front Doors Take On Their Fall Decor

 

Front doors.

What does yours say?

Do you like to decorate it for the different times of the year?

Some of us look forward to these seasonal opportunities to express our creativity  and others are just plain old daunted by the effort or lack of ideas.

Front door flair, though, is like make up.

It is the dressing that creates a first impression to our guests and this flair can actually be a relatively easy and inexpensive change up that doesn't have to require a lot of effort.

Did I consider Fall door candy when I painted our front door yellow?

I don't think so, but it sure worked out well for me.

We live in the land of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Around here we bleed black and gold so my yellow front door is a natural for a 

Fall football theme.

 This summer my front door looked like this -

I like that black and white cone because it goes with anything and if I am lacking the resources or creative energy, I can change it up easily by just introducing new flowers or greenery.

Last year I also went with a Hawkeye door design but I tried something new this time.

This year I still used that cone but I covered it with a Haweye pendant.

The pendant extended beyond the cone so I just used some black duck tape at the tip to hold it taunt.

Next I added the fall leaves and a Hawkeye football that I cut in half so it would fit easily between the door and the storm door.

Then I embellished it some more with the beads, pom poms, and a Hawkeye liscense plate.

 

 

 

 

I felt like it still looked just a bit under dressed so I added the black and white feathered globe elements too.

 
There is no doubt that this is the home of Hawk fans.

 

Last week when I was putting this door candy together the temperature was climbing well into the 90's.

I felt like I was rushing the season.

Then again, maybe not. Yesterday the Hawks played and won their season opener  and today I'm sitting out on the porch in a zipped up hoodie.

Ah, Iowa.

That Fall feeling is in the air.

Summer, you were spectacular and I will miss you and our nights on the back deck with Rosie and a vodka tonic.

Never the less, I look forward to the football games, lower light bills, and cool nights around the firepit with a glass of wine or a B and B.

When I was shopping for some new elements for our black and gold themed door I found this little treasure at TJ Maxx for $12.99.

 With a bit of tweaking and some black sparkling leaves, I'm thinking October's door design.

:0

It's a sickness. What can I say.

How about you?

What is gracing your door these days?

Or what have you decorated around your home to welcome the season?

Nothing? Show me that blank door or mantle.

It will make us all feel a bit better about ourselves.

:0

Or show us all what you did last year.

Have you come up with something novel and unique?

I would REALLY love to see that.

Were you inspired by someone else's Fall door candy or decor post?

I'd love if you would share that too.

When linking up to Motivated Monday please link up your post's URL.

I would appreciate if you would copy my button into your post or in your side bar and please be kind and comment on some of the other links. Everyone likes to have visitors and comments.

I will be featuring some of the posts next week.

If you are featured or have been featured in the past please grab a

Becolorful Featured Button.

Linking up my fall flair post here:

No Wall Flowers Here

 

One thing I've learned while pulling this post together is that photos taken in my studio at night with the overhead lighting either with or without a flash are not especially flattering or true to color.

So consider yourself warned.

That being said, I have a number of clients that are collectors of all things boldly and brightly colored.

These kinds of projects without boundries are among my favorites to do and an excuse for me to ramp up the color combinations and volume.

So in between decorating projects and party preparations I have been working on these two lively and extroverted pieces.

 

 

 

I started with this footstool.

In the beginning it was a sedate cherry finished piece with a traditonal crewel work upholstered top that I did myself sometime in the late 80's or early 90's.

I saved the crewel work and I will repurpose it somehow.  In the meantime, I decided to give this footstool a radically new look that would be appropriate for the upcoming Traveling Door Open House and one of the color hungry followers that I hope to see there.

 

I still need to attach the hinges but other than that I am considering it done.

 

The colors and patterns in the fabric of the footstool inspired the candlestick.

 

 

 

 

No wall flowers allowed here. It's a BeColorful thang.

:)

 

 

Tomorrow night is Motivated Monday.

This week's theme is Front Doors.

Show us yours won't you?

Is it decorated for Fall yet?

I know, it's early. I didn't get my summer door candy up until somewhere around the first of July. So I understand if you aren't there yet. Maybe you could link up a picture of your front door inspiration if you haven't gotten around to actually dressing your door for Autumn.

Front door candy. Link up tomorrow night or just visit.

I love having you stop by.

xoxo,

P

LInking up my colorful creations here: