Happy Friday everyone! Have a great long weekend!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Calligraphy Styles
Last spring I did several calligraphy projects for clients and friends. Here are some pics. I have to say, I'm my own worst critic when it comes to my calligraphy but the more I delve into my own signature styles, the more I like it. My favorite style of the bunch is the last handful with the stamps. But I might be partial; they were for Cam's birth announcements!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Surprising Home Depot Finds
I've found some great accents for our living room from Home Depot, surprising, I know! These Home Decorator Collection pillows are for the outdoor patio but they totally matched the color scheme of our living room so I couldn't pass them up. They are the perfect size and I love that the outdoor fabric makes them super durable. They are a steal at $10.00 each.
I also found this sunburst mirror by Martha Stewart Living for Home Depot. It was another bargain, only $35! I had been looking for for a sunburst mirror for the longest time but could never commit to the $100+ price tag. This is perfect because it totally has the look I wanted but I can simply switch it out when the sun+mirror fad dies. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the gold or paint it a different color but for now it works.
Slowly things are starting to come together. A sectional sofa has been ordered and I'm starting to source fabrics for the curtains. I'm hoping a living room reveal will be in order soon!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Mailbox Makeover
The other day I decided to give our mailbox a little makeover. It had some small rust spots on the hinge and the numbers were just your run-of-the-mill hardware stickers. It definitely needed a little sprucing. Sadly, I forgot to take a "Before" shot (I'm out of practice with the blog!) so we'll have to jump right into the spray painting phase.
I bought a can of Hammerite Rust Cap spray paint that encapsulates rust and sprayed the entire box.
While that dried, I designed the letters and numbers on my computer. I was inspired by Blueprint's first cover so I tried to pick fonts that looked similar. In the end I downloaded Gold Plated from DaFont and used Bodoni for the numbers.
I printed it out to size on my printer...
And then shaded the back with pencil. This creates a mock carbon paper so you can use it to trace.
Which left this outline:
I couldn't find any black paint in my stash until I remembered I had my old art kit. Seriously, I think it's from the 70's. Surprisingly the paint still was in good condition so I just used the acrylic paint to fill in the outlines.
I bought a can of Hammerite Rust Cap spray paint that encapsulates rust and sprayed the entire box.
While that dried, I designed the letters and numbers on my computer. I was inspired by Blueprint's first cover so I tried to pick fonts that looked similar. In the end I downloaded Gold Plated from DaFont and used Bodoni for the numbers.
I printed it out to size on my printer...
And then shaded the back with pencil. This creates a mock carbon paper so you can use it to trace.
Next, I taped the design onto the mailbox and traced the letters and numbers with a pencil.
Which left this outline:
I couldn't find any black paint in my stash until I remembered I had my old art kit. Seriously, I think it's from the 70's. Surprisingly the paint still was in good condition so I just used the acrylic paint to fill in the outlines.
And here is the finished version! Just need to spray a top coat of clear sealant and we're good to go.
I love the way it turned out and it makes me smile every time I walk through our gate!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
It's been a sunflower kind of week...
Some shots from a trip to our local sunflower field. I didn't even know this existed until some friends told me about it. Beautiful!
(And no, these pics haven't been photoshopped... they're straight out of the camera!)
Monday, August 20, 2012
Black Sunflowers
I just bought these black sunflowers... aren't they gorgeous? I had never heard of or seen them before until I read one of Jenny's recent posts. And lo and behold I found them today at our local farm store. Apparently, sunflowers are the latest rage!
Friday, August 17, 2012
.JPG)
Thursday, August 16, 2012
A New Chair Project?
I'm going to take a look at this chair today. It's a craigslist find (a steal at only $25!) and I'm thinking it would be the perfect desk chair in our guest room. Envision it upholstered in a really fun graphic fabric and the wood painted white (of course). What do you think? Not that I really need another chair project... I have two in the basement that need to be redone as well, but I just can't help myself. I'm addicted to chairs.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Driftwood Sailboat
Now that I'm living in an actual seaport town, I'm excited to incorporate a few nautical things in my decor. One of my first nautical purchases was this driftwood sailboat from the White Flower Farmhouse. I love the rustic simplicity of it. Lori Guyer, the owner, is also the author of Frugal Farmhouse Design. Before Cam arrived I spent an entire afternoon reading through her blog. (Those days are long gone now!) She does the whole beachy-farmhouse-shabby-chic thing so well and has a ton of great ideas for decorating.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Where I Left Off...
I can't believe it's been over seven months since I last blogged! The time has flown and so much has changed. First off, Cam has gone from this little bean:
to a giggling, curious, happy and super active little boy. While it isn't always easy, being a mom is the best job I've ever had by far.
The other big change in our life is... we bought a house in Newburyport! It is actually Mike's parent's house that they have lived in for the past seven years. My in-laws decided that they wanted to move to to a 55 and over community. We were sad to hear that they were moving because we loved their house and had so many happy memories there. Then it dawned on us that we wanted to buy a house in the next few months and we should buy it from them. The timing just worked out perfectly! Never in a million years did I think that we'd be one day be living here. It hasn't taken much for the place to feel like ours and I hope to share all the changes with you on the blog. Sadly, I never finished showing you the rental apartment but while it had a lot of character, it wasn't all that comfortable. Our new place definitely feels like home.
Navy is doing great too. He's loving life in Newburyport although he is adjusting to life as a big brother. In short, life is great and I can honestly say I've never been happier in my life. Thanks for continuing to follow my blog, your readership means so much to me. I promise there will be lots of posts about our new house and our life in Newburyport. More to come soon!
to a giggling, curious, happy and super active little boy. While it isn't always easy, being a mom is the best job I've ever had by far.
The other big change in our life is... we bought a house in Newburyport! It is actually Mike's parent's house that they have lived in for the past seven years. My in-laws decided that they wanted to move to to a 55 and over community. We were sad to hear that they were moving because we loved their house and had so many happy memories there. Then it dawned on us that we wanted to buy a house in the next few months and we should buy it from them. The timing just worked out perfectly! Never in a million years did I think that we'd be one day be living here. It hasn't taken much for the place to feel like ours and I hope to share all the changes with you on the blog. Sadly, I never finished showing you the rental apartment but while it had a lot of character, it wasn't all that comfortable. Our new place definitely feels like home.
Navy is doing great too. He's loving life in Newburyport although he is adjusting to life as a big brother. In short, life is great and I can honestly say I've never been happier in my life. Thanks for continuing to follow my blog, your readership means so much to me. I promise there will be lots of posts about our new house and our life in Newburyport. More to come soon!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Navy Friday
hello... anyone there?
Hi, it's me. I know, I know, it's been AGES since I last blogged but I've been thinking it's high time I jump right into it again. So here we go!
I'll be back on Monday with a full update. SO much has changed and life couldn't be better. I've missed you all terribly and I can't wait to get reacquainted. It feels good to be back!
xoxo,
Janis
