619 miles

hello June 2013

I just updated my desktop image to this super cute image from Nicole's Classes.

It reminds me of my iPhone case. It was a gift for my birthday from Amy... I have the best friends!

 

making progress: painted fireplace complete

I finished the painting of the fireplace and I am loving it.  Despite the old doors it looks so fresh and new with the white paint. The paint can says it will fully cure in 7-10 days, so I'm going to hold off on decorating it for another week. I don't know about you, but I've put stuff on a newly painted piece of furniture thinking it was dry, only to come back later and that item be stuck. No bueno!

It reflects so much more light now, which is nice since I don't get a lot of direct light coming in throughout the day. Now I can move on to another one of the gazilion projects I have waiting in line.

This is a super easy project. If you can hold a paint brush you can tackle this one! I wrote about my process and color choices last month. 

Related articles

making progress: painted fireplace

casa CALIFORNIA: exterior inspiration

sneek peak: Kerry's 62 Shasta Airflyte

Last August we introduced you to Kerry's new "Baby", her 1962 Shasta Airflyte. 

In the last post Kerry said, "I went with the name Fifi, after the WWII WASP mascot Fifinella. She was the Disney winged gremlin that would taunt WWII pilots and mess with their aircraft causing trouble. I know this gremlin will be a labor of love fixing her up, but well worth it in the end."

Well Kerry and her amazing husband, Andy have been working up a storm on what has truly become a "labor of love." I can't wait to see it in person. Kerry and Andy sent me a couple new photos that I wanted to share.

Before Kerry deployed she whipped up some new seat cushions as well as did a really cool epoxy resin treatment to the table top and sink counter. She used this fabric from the Parson's Gray Line. 

 

While she has been gone, Andy has been hard at work on the exterior. I'm in awe of what they've done and I cannot wait to see it finished.  

The Blue Ridge Parkway NC

One of my favorite places in NC is the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have visited it many times in various locations throughout Western NC and it it so beautiful. On my recent girl's trip with Lisa, I took her on a scenic drive up the Parkway. We went north from Asheville and despite the crazy wind, I think she enjoyed it. I personally can't get enough of the gorgeous views. 

InstaLife: 11-14 May 2013

I recently made a Blurb book from all of my 2011 Instagram photos and it turned out amazing! I really love it and I will definatley be making more. Here's what I've been Instagramming from a recent girl's trip with my amiga Lisa. The photos with text were made using my favorite new app Typic. It's super easy and I love all of the fun options. I purchased the Pro version since I had a b-day giftcard.

 

 

casa CALIFORNIA: exterior inspiration

There has been A LOT of rain in NC this spring and the gutters at my place just aren't cutting it. The one on the front of the house pours water from behind the gutter and down one end all along the side of the house wall, which is no bueno. On the back of the house there aren't even gutters in some spots!

the view from the end of the driveway

view a little closer.

The main entry is set back in the darker space. I'm looking to re-work the deck so the entry steps lead straight up to the front door instead of past the sliding door that goes into the kitchen. I'm having the house power-washed and gutters removed and then I have to see if any of the cedar boards need replacing before the new gutters go up. With the gutter removal I'm thinking about changing up the exterior paint scheme of the house. I think it looks like a battleship in it's current state and I'm not really a fan.

The lot is very wooded and forest like, despite being in a neighborhood. I'm torn between these options which I love all in their own way, but I'm trying to determine which would be best for my little ranch nestled in the trees. Do I want to keep it light since the lot is fairly shaded or do I want to go with something darker and more saturated?!? Decisions. Decisions.

source: Craft Design Studio 

source: House of Turquoise

source: The Estate of Things

source: The Estate of Things

Any opinions on which you would think best?

making progress: painted fireplace

I knew immediately that I wanted to paint my blah brick fireplace. I also envisioned a chunky wood stained matle to top it off. My house faces North and the living room is on the back of the house (the south side) so it doesn't get a lot of direct sunlight despite having a large sliding door, glass door AND large window. The darkness of the brick was just sucking in the light, so I wanted to go bright to help bounce more light around. Ideally I would LOVE to have 2 skylights installed, since there are no overhead lights in the living room side of the room.... but due to budgetary contratints I will have to make due with a bucket of white paint for now!

Here is a look at the before, as in before I painted anything in the room. I think this is from my first viewing of the house.

The living room was one of the first rooms I painted. I painted the walls, trim, windows and doors.

All colors are Benjamin Moore

• walls: Cumulus Cloud 1550
• trim: Chantilly Lace 2121-70
• doors & window: Black Beauty 2128-10

I primed the brick with Zinsser Allprime and then applied two coats of the trim color and here is how it looks now:

I had originally ripped off the mantle and planned to strip the paint off, but after looking at my fireplace pinterest board for inspiration, I decided I liked the white brick with a white mantle look. Once I made that decision I was regretting my decision to take the mantle off in the first place! However, I did remove all the gunky caulking that the previous owner did and added another small piece of wood trim to help tidy up the transition between the mantle and the brick. 

Everything has been filled with wood filler and is waiting for me to sand and then repaint the mantle to match. Lesson learned... before demo make sure it is what you really want! Turns out that the mantle was solidly built and installed (like most everything in this house) and I could have saved myself a lot of time and trouble had I left it alone in the first place!

I think the brick might need just one more coat (I'm not a perfectionist or anything) and then it will be ready for some styling! Since I can't transport my favorite designer/stylist Emily Henderson to NC to help me finish this off, I will have to settle for watching her video again for inspiration. She rocks, don't you think?!? 

 

The view from up here: 1100'

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day. It was in the high 80s and the sun was shining. It was a great day for flying. I had a fun crew and it was an overall pretty awesome night. I love my job. I am so lucky.

Too bad the weather isn't as nice today, however I am kinda enjoying the sound of the rain and thunder.

A lovely spring saturday

This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous. The sky was blue, the temperature was and I was itching to get out and explore. I was tired from a week of 4am wake-ups, but I couldn't sit around in my room all day and I really needed a break from studying.

Despite being in Little Rock AR since March, I haven't spent many of my weekends here, so I haven't been out in the local area much. With the weather so beautiful on Saturday I knew I wanted to get out and do some more photography practice while I still had Amy's DSLR. I thought that since it was spring a botanical garden would be the perfect place to visit. Thanks to google I discovered Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs AR. It was a quick hour drive and not only was there a beautiful garden, but there was also an incredible chapel nestled into the wooded landscape. I love architecture, so this was an added bonus to all the beautiful flowers.

I ended the day on the river in Little Rock having dinner with some co-workers/friends. It was a very enjoyable day. 

all you need is love & a dog

I am helping my amiga, Kelly, at her business The Highland Dog. We are giving away this print I designed in a nice frame for anyone who subscribes to her newsletter. If you're in Louisville and you love dogs, sign up and you could win this cute little print.

And while we are on the topic of loving dogs, here are a couple of cute shots of my dog Reese. I left her with Andrea while I'm out here in Little Rock for training and I miss her tons! My friend Kelly and Amy also helped out and I'm so thankful to have such awesome dog-loving friends!

I took these photos a week ago with my friend, Amy's DSLR. I really am going to have to invest in one soon. I love that last shot with Andrea's colorful dress and rug. Ol Reese loves laying in that spot... especially when anyone is preparing food!