Etsy ♥

I am loving... industrial style lighting

Via Earth Sea Warrior

Via Damien Weaver

Via Southern Lights

Via Overspray

Via Industrial Artifact

Via Vintage Art Industrial

Via Benclif Designs

Amy

I ♥ comments...

Etsy ♥

I am loving... funky modern lighting

Via Earth Sea Warrior

Via La Casa de Coto

Via Earth Sea Warrior

Amy

I ♥ comments...

Etsy ♥

I am loving... vintage enamel

Via Cute Old Things

Via Whats New on the Mantle

Via Neli Studio

Via Curious Lula

Via Neli Studio



Via Anna Lou Vintage

Via Sunday Brocantes

Amy

I ♥ comments...

Etsy ♥

I am loving... white ceramics

Via EcoElements

Via Songbyrd Vintage

Via EcoElements

Via Atelier Gilet

Via Mud Puppy

Via Harriette House

Via Duck Drake Studio

Amy

Etsy ♥

I am loving... chalkboard prints for the kitchen.

Via Say It Sweet

Via Oliver Rue

Via Chris Loves Julia

Via Print Press

Via The Word Shop

Amy

Oh Canada!

Via Weavers of Southsea

Via artyMAPS

Via Children Inspire

Via Fanfare Designs

Via Wordology

Via English Muffin Shop

Via The Owl Shop

Happy Canada Day!

Amy

On the Walls

In the six years we lived in the house prior to renovating, we never really had much hanging on the walls. Our ugly red/yellow/green/brown walls never inspired me to hang much beyond our most treasured pieces - like Scout - and that was more for safekeeping then anything. I kept telling myself that it was a not worth hanging pictures when one day we were going to renovate/paint/decorate for real. For six years.

Needless to say, I am super excited that we finally reached the point in the renovation where I can justify hanging things on the walls.

We decided to start with the IKEA Lillholmen Key Hook and antique vent-cover-turned-mail-slot at the front door - the same two things we had hung up in the house as soon as we moved in. Of course, Murphy's Law, Dave managed to break the wall anchor when he was installing the mail slot and we had to patch the drywall and start all over again.

For a splash of colour, I added a cute bird print I found in enrouge's etsy shop. A boring frame didn't seem to do the print justice so I mounted it on a 8" square canvas that I purchased from Michael's. I painted the edges using three shades of Martha Stewart metallic craft  - Gold, Bronze and Rust. One shade is never enough for me apparently!



We are the World by enrouge



The little birds are so cute and cheerful - the perfect welcome to our home - and perfectly compliment my blue door!

Amy

PS Apartment Therapy stole our mail slot idea! Well not really... but... I can dream that they did. I definitely like the copper patina on our mail slot better than the painted look.

How to: Stencil Wallpaper

Even though David vetoed the use of wallpaper anywhere in the house, I still wanted to add some interest to the wall behind the bed in the master bedroom to help anchor it against the high ceiling. Therefore we compromised and decided to create "wallpaper" with paint and a stencil. 

There is a fantastic selection of stencils available on etsy, I purchased my stencil from Olive Leaf Stencils. We went with the Spring Buds Abstract pattern.

I wanted a subtle tone-on-tone look with just a little bit of shimmer so we used General Paints Powderface (CLW 1034W) as our background colour (the same colour as the rest of the house) with Roman Decorating Amor Metallix in Bianco Pearl for the pattern. I found the Armor Metallix at Bejanmin Moore.

Materials:

• Stencil
• Paint
• Paint tray
• Painter's tape (we love Frog Tape)
• Spray adhesive (optional)
• Small foam roller
• Small paint brush
• Paper towel
• Water

Step 1: Preparation

Paint the wall with your background colour. Ensure your base coat is fully dried before proceeding with stencilling. Mask out the area to be stencilled using tape.

Step 2: Stencil

Position the stencil at the top left corner of the wall, ensuring it is plumb and level. Use tape sparingly on the edges of the stencil to adhere to the wall.

Pour a little paint into the paint tray. Apply the smallest amount of paint to your roller. Remove excess paint on a paper towel until the roller is "dry". Too much paint on the roller will cause the paint to bleed behind the stencil and cause blurry edges.

Roll the paint over the stencil with medium pressure - again too much pressure will cause the paint to bleed behind the stencil. Also take care to make sure you do not roll beyond the edges of the stencil.

If you do not get enough coverage, allow the first coat to dry for a couple minutes and then roll on a second coat. It is better to do multiple light coats then thick coats.

Step 3: Repeat

Allow the paint to dry for a couple minutes, then gently remove the stencil from the wall.

Reposition the stencil to the right, taking the time to line up the pattern. If your stencil does not line up perfectly it is ok. As long as the pattern is not too far off it will not show up in the end - just be careful not to repaint over the edges that do not line up. It is important to remember that walls are almost never perfectly straight (especially in a 100 year-old home like ours) so it is better to follow a level line and not the ceiling line or your pattern may end up crooked.

When you reach the corner, gently bend the stencil as best as you can and roll the paint as close as the corner as possible. If you do not get all the way to the corner it is ok as you will be able to fill in the missing pattern in the next step.

Step 4: Touch-up

Using a small paint brush (I used an art brush), fill in any gaps in the pattern by hand.

Remove any tape and enjoy the finished product!

For more helpful tips, check out Centsational Girl and Cutting Edge Stencils.

From Denmark with Love

As a surprise for David I ordered a handmade enamelled house number from Ram Sign in Denmark.

I wonder if the postman will approve?

Amy