DIY Turquoise Pepper Mill

I got this vintage salt and pepper shaker set last year while Annivertiquing.

That's antiquing on your Anniversary.

It has become a tradition and can I just say that I fall in love with my man all over again when he takes me Annivertiquing?!?!

This was also back before my iPhone made me a lazy photographer.

Anyhoo, the pepper mill had gotten to where the grinder did not work well so I've always just kept our old wooden pepper mill for easier, faster use.

This week that old wooden boring beyond belief pepper mill was getting to me.

It was screaming, "For the love of Pete can't you see I need some color in my life?!"




So I grabbed my go to paints and got to shakin' and sprayin'.



I put tape over the hardware that I did not want to paint, and I stuffed the cavity of the pepper mill with paper towels so that paint would not get into the areas that the peppercorns would be stored.



I'm pretty much in love with it and make excuses to walk by it all day long.

Red and turquoise...don't they make a fabulous couple?

Got a wooden pepper mill in your kitchen?

Add a splash of color to your kitchen and paint that thing!

--------------------------------------------------

I'm linking up at these fabulous blogs:

Robyn at Mingle Monday

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Ladder Love {DIY}

Since sharing my turquoise ladder at Christmas, I've had numerous folks ask about it.

I figured I'd share a few of the details.

This was a ladder that my kids used to climb into their clubhouse...so it isn't your typical size.

It is 77 inches long and 14.5 inches wide.

The distance between each rung is 9 inches.

Depending on the size you are looking for, Jennifer can walk you through making your own here.

The wood on the ladder was raw so I started by spraying it with Primer.

I chose not to sand it down because I didn't want to lose the ruggedness of it.

And because I'm all about skipping steps like that.

I covered it with 2 coats of Krylon's Blue Ocean Breeze.

This color is the perfect turquoise in my opinion.

Speaking of skipping steps...the entire back of the ladder never got painted.

That's just how I roll.

Here it is at Christmas.

I loved it so much I decided to keep it up once the holidays were over.

Love how it frames the silhouettes.

So go find yourself a ladder and invite it into your home.

Just don't blame me when you never want it to leave.

I'm linking up at the fabulous blogs:

Robyn at Mingle Monday

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Paint is a Pain

I need help.

This kitchen is becoming a thorn in my side.

It haunts me.

Since painting our cabinets white I have not been able to decide on a wall color.

The reason?

My countertops.

They are weird.

A greenish/grayish color.

There are tiny specks of gold in them.

Yellow/Gold kitchen.

Been there.

Done that.

Which explains the "Bon Appetit" towel on my oven.

It has somehow managed to escape the Goodwill pile all this time.

Besides, they say yellow increases your appetite.

That is the last thing I need people.

I'm basically trying to decide between the color "Crabapple" (RL) that you see in my living room (and also on the rest of the kitchen...the wall you see is a chocolate accent wall)

And a gray/blue/green color like "Comfort Gray" that I have on the swatch above doorway.

I love the Crabapple. It is to me what Tobacco Road is to The Nester. It's one of those colors that changes all day long. Sometimes it's a mute brownish color. Sometimes I see a greenish tone in it. Other times I see some red in it. Definitely a warm color. I know it would match my backsplash almost to a tee but I wonder if that is boring?

See my turquoise tea kettle? It looks nice against the Crabapple. So of course I have visions of accenting with bright fun splashes of color if I use the Crabapple. But see that orange tea kettle there? (Don't ask why I have two...I may need a tea kettle intervention)

It would look smashing against that Comfort Gray wouldn't it?!?! And reds and yellows would as well.

See why I'm so stressed?!?!

This is where you come in.

1.Does the Comfort Gray clash with the countertops???

2.Does it clash with the Crabapple since it is a "colder" color???

3.Would the Crabapple give a boring look to my kitchen or add a seamless look as a whole to my house? (You can see my sitting room, foyer, and half bath all at once...think a circular colonial floorplan around the the staircase in the middle of house)

4.Is there a blue/green/gray color that is "warm" that I should try???

I welcome your answers, opinions, and suggestions.

I beg for them even.

If you have other colors that you think would work please do share.

More pictures of my kitchen and countertops before we painted cabinets here






"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

A Schoolhouse in the making

*** I've been up since 5:30am and I'm too lazy to write up a whole 'nother post about our school room with big pretty pictures and all. It pretty much still looks like this...and it is still "in the making".

I posted this a while back...in fact before Darcy got her hands on my blog and filled my world with pixel power.

Be sure to click link below to see more Homeschool Rooms over at Heart of the Matter***

This room is located over our garage and in most houses would probably be dubbed "bonus room". Having three kids and all, it became a bedroom when our family moved in. We painted it to match the Nashville Predators comforter that my all things hockey teenager wanted from Pottery Barn. After being in this room a couple of years Tyler decided it was too cavernous for his liking and decided he wanted to bunk with his little brother. My husband and I agreed to move him out of the cave and into Aidan's room...we were so dumbfounded by the fact that they actually liked each other enough to share sleeping quarters, we never even stopped to consider the task we were taking on.

Once it was empty, I knew that I wanted this room to be our schoolroom. Ours was officially in the formal dining that we never used..not for dining anyway...unofficially all over our living room. ;-) So other than the fact that I would have to hike up and down the stairs for school, this space was perfect. Actually, it's a win-win now that I think about it...My husband gets a clutter free (most days) living room and I get legs of steel... One could hope right?

Before:

After:

I wanted it to have an "old schoolhouse" feel to it...without the boring pasty white walls I endured in school.

Paint: Porter Paint "Golden Ecru" (Bottom pics are more true to color)
Vintage Style clock: Target
Curtains: Pottery Barn
Square Table with Green and Blue Chairs: Target ($30 bucks off!)
Brown desks: Wal-Mart
Red Desk: HomeGoods
Little Silver Pails: $1 each at Target


There is still more to be done...I want these for displaying artwork on the wall...but will have to wait till they are on Ebay or till my hubby takes me on a road trip to Atlanta since they are not sold online. I'm not holding my breath for either. And I want another table for the room that will be our "nature" table. Hoping to find a good table at Goodwill just begging for a paint job.

This room may be the place in which we will read books, diagram sentences, and learn algorithms...but my job and the classroom itself spills over into the hallways and all the other rooms of our home. It's there that school is always in session. When I'm talking to my husband...kind or unkind. When I'm talking to my children...with patience and understanding or without. When I'm cooking a meal for someone in need...or glued to my computer wasting hour upon hour of my time. When I'm reading my Bible...or reading blogs. When I'm on my knees in surrender...or stressed over all details of my life. Yes,we may have a new "classroom", but I'm being reminded more and more everyday that school...learning to love others more than ourselves...to focus on the needs of others first...to live each day in complete surrender to God's will for our lives...that class is ALWAYS in session. After all, example is the the ultimate teacher. It always wins out.

We have been in this room for the last month and we LOVE LOVE LOVE it! And guess what??? No books in the living room....well, not as many. ;-)

I'm linking this post to:
Sweet Shot Tuesdays at Darcy's

and


and


"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Help me paint my kitchen cabinets!

The kitchen was never my favorite thing about this house...I prefer a square kitchen to a galley style. (Truth be told I am still in mourning over the loss of my big gorgeous roomy island I left behind in Pennsylvania. Yeah...I probably need to let that go and move on since it's been 7 years.) But I loved the house overall and the neighborhood was priceless so I knew the kitchen and I would have to make amends. It's a nice kitchen, don't get me wrong. The previous owners had remodeled and put in beautiful floor tile, tile back splash, and Corian counter tops (which I despise because they are so fragile and hope to replace down the road) and sink which are a greenish color that I am so not fond of. So I am certainly not by any means needing to renovate here...just hoping to enhance, brighten, and make my own.

One of my biggest issues is the lighting in this room. It is dark. Really dark. We have huge trees that surround our property and windows only grace one wall of this room. The best light comes in during the evening hours when the sun is setting in our backyard. That is when these pics were taken to give you the best idea. Told ya...dark. We have decided that one thing we could do to brighten it up is to take the plunge and paint our kitchen cabinets white. I blame it on Edie. But I blame the fact that I am now torn between white or black on Emily. She did "dare" me after all. Love this look. So rich and inviting. Just not sure my room is conducive for such color since it's already dark.

That's where you come in. I would love your input on whether to go all white...white with a dark glaze (thought that might look nice against the tile back splash)...or white top cabinets and black bottom cabinets. Or white with just a small section of black bottom cabinets over by the oven area....OR just all black? Confused yet? I sure am!

My cabinets have exterior hinges so I'm also curious about the best way to handle those...paint over them white? Replace them to match my new handles? I sorta hate that black spotty look that they give against the white but oh well. Cue a certain Rolling Stones song here about getting what you need.

I'd also appreciate any suggestions on wall color you could give since the painter will be here in 2 weeks. The room is currently "Crabapple" by Ralph Lauren with "Coffee Bean" brown painted under the chair rail. I also put the Coffee Bean color on that wall leading into the Living Room (which is also crabapple) to break up the two rooms. I regretted that decision immediately but left it. I'm beginning to feel like a lighter neutral color all over (maybe with a golden undertone) would be better? I've fallen in love with Dunmore Cream over at Anne's. Or should I just paint that accent wall the Crabapple as well and leave the coffee bean under just the chair rail? What is the rule for chair rails anyway? Should they be a different color on bottom? Are there chair rail police? I'm so clueless.

The view from our door leading into kitchen from garage.

View into living room

View of oven area from table

A closer look at the tile.

This is the view from the Living Room end looking back towards the garage door end. This is a testimony to how boring I am I think...way too "blue/brown." Way too matched. I don't like this look but it's what I always seem to produce because it's "safe" I think. I am trying to brave enough now to create in my home what I love in my head without worrying about whether it's "right."

While I had you pros lending your opinions I thought I'd ask about one more room. This is Maggie's room. It is currently green with pink accents and white furniture (which I'm open to painting). She's outgrown this scheme. And the ballerina picture has to go she says. She wants a more transitional room now that she is about to turn 10. That's her own original artwork on that easel by the way.

She picked this black and white damask comforter from Target all on her own. I LOVED (and still consider stealing) it so I couldn't believe that she actually liked it too. But I didn't waste anytime questioning her. I bought it before she could pick something that I hated. It has a teal border around it that I didn't show here. It's about the same teal as her painting. The only thing about it that I really didn't care for. And the thing that makes me not quite sure what to do here with the walls.

Any wall color ideas for this room? Blue? Off White?

Again, clueless.

Please feel free to be as specific and detailed as you'd like with these. In fact if you have a paint name that's even better.

All suggestions are so very much appreciated and I will have "after" photos.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"