Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter!

Hope all of you are having a wonderful Easter.  We flew up to Ohio for the weekend and are having a great time with family.  Ill have lots of pictures to share tomorrow.

BEBE #2 WEEK 27

Friday, March 29, 2013

{Before & After} Mint Green Ombré Etageres

A couple weeks ago when my parents were here we finally tackled painting the etagere shelves that I picked up at at yard sale [back in August] for just $20!!


The shelves are from Bombay Company and are solid, well constructed pieces.  They were a dark wood (with a reddish tint-yuck!) with metal bars that had a shabby finish.


Here they are in their perfect spot in the dining room. (Sorry for the crappy dark photo)


Months ago, I used Rub n Buff Gold Leaf on the metal bars and love the finished look.  It was a huge improvement, but the shelves needed to be freshened up as well.  I had some inspiration for mint green, mainly this chest.  (Thanks Treff!)

{via Pinterest}
I love the bold color and of course the brass is icing on the cake. I could not trace this pin to find the actual color, so I started a search for just the right mint green.  I came up with these 2 color pallets from Behr paints.

I love both of these, however, the palette on the left is more turquoise, which I have done before.  I wanted to try something new! Something minty and fresh!  Plus this [more minty] palette really goes nicely with my living room inspiration piece! Remember my painting?


I bought small samples of each color.  Once I had them home, and did a little test on paper.  I knew they would work perfectly.....all of them!
{Behr colors- window pane, sea foam pearl, reef green, intense jade}


Nope, I couldn't pick just one.  Look how pretty they are together.  I had an idea.  Ombré!

Ombré, is a French word that literally means gradation.  We have been seeing this trend for a while now, and I have always been a fan.  Here was my chance to do it!

This wasn't a quick project.  I had twelve shelves that all needed sanded.  I broke out the electric hand sander and it sped up the process considerably.

Next step was to prime them.  I used oil-based Zinsser.  This stuff is great, albeight stinky!  Make sure you are painting outside.

To save on paint I actually ended up using the small samples.  I bought 2 of each ($6 each color, $18 total).  This was enough to give them three coats. They come in a flat paint, but with a glossy polyurethane topcoat (which I already had a can leftover from a previous project), it worked perfectly.  
I layed them on the deck and used a foam roller.  It was a very quick process.  Flat paint dries quickly.


Polyurethane on the other hand, is very slow to dry.  24 hours between coats (I put two) Plus, after it is dry to the touch, you still need to wait a few days before setting anything on the furniture.  This painting and waiting to cure took me about a week to complete.

So, so worth the wait!

I must say, they turned out so beautifully.  I am loving them against my light gray walls.  There are 6 shelves, so I used three colors. (two shelves each)  Starting with the lightest at the top, the mint gets even minty-eri at the floor!

I have yet to style them up, but that is on the agenda for next week!!

We are getting on a flight for Ohio this morning to spend Easter with my family.  I can't wait!
Hope you have a great weekend too.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

A Belly Comparison & Ultrasound Pics

Although this pregnancy has been a walk in the park, just like my first, there has been one difference.  While pregnant with Mateo,  Ernesto and I were in a serious workout regime (Crossfit) and unfortunately, now my "workouts" consist of a walk in the park.  Literally.  (and...walking is not a workout in my book)  Still, despite the lack of sweaty workouts, I feel really good, but probably a little more tired this time.  Its not like "I need a nap" kind of tired, I sleep plenty.  Just somethin' different.

I can blame it on the fact that Im running after a toddler or that Im 2 years older, but I know it is the lack of workouts.  Last time, I worked out and was busy doing stuff all day... but then sat around with my feet up too and slept a ton.  I don't remember being tired at all.  More workouts = more energy.  Period.

I have gained 16lbs so far which is right around where I was last time ....yet I feel heavier.  Again,  the workouts.  Workout = eat what you want = feel slim.  True.

For my week 25 belly shot,  I wore the same outfit as I wore every week during my first pregnancy...just to see if there is a big difference in how I look.  The pics are almost the same, but maybe my belly is a bit bigger??


Other similarities include this baby's liking to the Frank Breech position.  Last week I had another ultrasound.  Notice how the leg is straight up past the head in the pic below.  Yes, that is also how Mateo positioned himself two weeks before he was due.
Luckily, at this point the baby's position is a non-issue.  S/he weighs less than 3lbs and there is a lot of room for moving around.  In fact just a minute later, the leg was not up there anymore.


This picture is cute.  Look how the baby's mouth is open here.
Can't see it? Lean your head on your left shoulder and you will be looking at baby straight on. So cute.
We are going to get a 3D ultrasound too in a month or so.  I would hate for this baby to not have a 3D pic when Mateo did.  Everything must be fair and square from this point on.  Isn't that how it goes when you have more than one kid?  Haha!   Yeah, right!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Living Room Inspiration

Im excited to say that my living room is really coming along.  It's hard trying to pull everything together, especially if you are like me and can't pinpoint your style or decide on colors.  This changed when I found my inspiration piece: a large painting by Jane Johnson.  I met the Chicago based painter at the Atlanta Arts Festival last year,  (her booth was a few down from mine)  and we decided to do a jewelry-for-art swap.  What a brilliant idea, right?

It was a tough decision, but I finally picked this...
I love all the colors she used in this abstract.  It has orange, yellow, blue, green and gray.
I think it makes a great palette for my living room.  I will post progress pics soon.

Did you guys have an inspiration piece for decorating one of your rooms? It really helps, right?


Monday, March 11, 2013

The Fireplace Reveal {Before & After}

When we moved into our house in 2011, we were so happy that is was move in ready.  We literally walked through it once and decided that we would like to buy it. Done!  (Of course I was 37 weeks pregnant so we were not all that picky after house hunting for 9 months)  Luckily, we ended up in the best house for the money.

The whole house had 'builder-boring' written all over it.  We did a lot of cosmetic changes our own, but with the [just our luck!] water damage at the beginning of the year, we were able to change a lot most of the things we didn't like.

Tile was a major part of that! It did nothing for the house style wise.
It was in the bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room and right here on the fireplace, smack dab in the middle of the living room.  Ugh!

Notice the ichy paint color on the walls and the reddish wood floors too. Not a good combo.

Well......has all that has changed! Take a look at our new fireplace surround!
I know you can't see the rest of the room in this picture, but [trust me!] it changes the whole feel!  Yes I will be posting more pictures soon, I have a lot to share actually.   My parents just left this weekend after being here for a week and we got some serious painting done! 

Monday, March 04, 2013

New Lighting for Dining Room & Kitchen

Ok, things finally feel like they are coming together in our "new" house.   I'm sure you have heard or experienced this before, but wow, what a difference lighting can make in a space.  
After much much deliberation, I ordered the Europhase Piquito pendant lights in black. 

Even though I knew the measurements, I was pleasantly surprised at their substantial size when we took them out of the box.  I know now how these can be sold for hundreds less than the Tom Dixon originals.  They are not a heavy hammered brass.  In their defense though,  it's hard to tell the difference once they are hanging.  They look like they cost much more.  The gold interior puts off a warm glow that is romantic!

(When the kitchen cabinets get painted white, the black pendants will really pop.  Also to-do, add new 
  [hopefully brass] hardware and change out other appliances to match our stainless refrigerator.)

 We added a few of these white bar stools to the island and I love that we now have the perfect hang out area for watching Neto cook. Ha! They are surprisingly comfortable and the backs don't come over the counter, which I really like.
Our dining light had been bugging me ever since we installed in several months ago.  I never even showed it here on VivaCindy because I was always planning to change them. (black fabric with gold interior)
Well, it never happened and now they will be listed on Craigslist.  I knew it wasn't right in the space, but with the new pendant lights, it was really wrong. 

I had been searching for a simple drum pendant that would not break the bank, but the largest I was finding was only 25" across.   Friday morning I was doing a product search on Houzz (awesome resource, by the way) and found the oversized equator pendant lamp from Cb2.
It was much less expensive than anything I had seen and the 32 in size sold me right away.  I called the store to make sure they had one in stock and drove there to pick it up.  Ernesto installed it that night.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, what a difference lighting makes! 

We also replaced our ugly ceiling fan in the living room.  I was actually against replacing the ceiling fan all together and wanted to add a cool fixture, but Ernesto likes to clear out the hot peppers when he's cooking so I  searched out a fan I could live with.  This one from Overstock is sleek & simple.  Plus, with a coupon it was only $130. Done and done!
We are still in search of a little light for the powder room and the master bath light fixture/s.  The bathroom construction is finished, other than the light, so I will be posting pictures of that real soon. 

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