weekend warriors

well it's been a while but finally the banquette is stained. and yes my designer in training husband was right there to guide me step by step of how to accomplish the above look. i am very pleased with the way this turned out. it's the first project that i actually did by myself (kudos to me!). I am also happy because my designer in training husband surprised me with a flat screen TV for the kitchen, so that I can enjoy cooking that much more (yeay me!). well, gotta run and start cooking :)

until next time....
Cheerio!

table pour deux

while i try to move on from my mourning of not being chosen has Michelle's decorator, i forgot to inform you of my other let down and mission. a couple of months ago i was reading the Nest magazine and I came across the image above. notice my stolen table by the banquette {this was the best picture i could find of the table}! i have been wanting the exact table for our kitchen. would you believe they will not give it back and the furniture store {room and board} is out of stock. so now i am stuck in a rock and a no table for my kitchen type of place... i know it's hard to see the entire table, but if you come across something similar, you just let me know... i will keep you up dated on the developments....

it's good to be Mr. Smith right now

the Obama's have chosen their decorator, no, it's not me, unfortunately, but they have chosen the next to best! Michael S. Smith. i see why the Obama's chose him, he's an excellent designer with a style and passion for beauty. his decorating style is a collaboration of all era's. an eclectic style! i wonder what he has in store for the White House? with Michelle's style and Michael's talent, i am sure it will be fabulous! click here to get a taste of the style and beauty that is to come to 1600 pennsylvania avenue.....

project ungava

i interrupt my special posting of "trends for 09" for a special broad cast.... step one and two of my banquette has been accomplished. step one, find paint and antique agent. step two, test out paint and antique agent... the above picture is the finished product of step two. i must say, i am good... i absolutely love the way it turned out... but if you asked my husband {designer in training}, he will inform you, the paint needs a bit more beige... as if! i had to politely remind my husband who was the designer and whose bright idea it was in the first place to antique the banquette. I also had to remind him he didn't even know what antique was until he married his beautiful wife... and so tonight i will be working hard at antiquing our banquette...and since we will be having house guest in a couple of weeks and the stain takes forever to dry, i better get started...

those of you who would like to try this method on you own, see reciepe below;

1 quart of creamy white paint, by glidden {you can use a darker color, perhaps something with a little more beige}
1 can of stain {I used Minwax stain in satin antique walnut}, you can use a darker or lighter shade if you would like
1 paint brush
1 lint free rag
1 sand paper
1 glass of your favorite beverage :)

first clean the surface you are painting. If the item needs to be primed first, prime it and wait until the primer dries. Paint the surface {i only use one coat of paint} and let it dry fully, about 4 to 8 hours. once the item dries, lightly sand the surface. you can sand it a lot or very light, depending of the looking you are going for. using a paint brush, wipe away the dust or you can vacuum it or use a wet rag {but make sure the surface is dry before continuing to the next step}. dip a clean paint brush into the stain {making sure you do not put too much stain on the paint brush}, gently brush your painted surface with the stained paint brush. using your lint free rag to gently wipe away the stain. depending on the look you want you can wipe most of the stain off to give a faint antique look or a more heavier antique look.

* the stain takes quite some time to dry, possibly 8 hours to overnight
**also i would test the technique out on scrape wood before actually using it all over the item you want to use it on

enjoy and i hope you like it as much as i do!

out with old and in with the 9

and so the story of 08 has ended and a new chapter opens with 09 and in making sure you are ready and prepared for what this year will bring, I leave you to ponder over a couple trends for 09!

1. mixing the old with the new (i know, we have been doing this for years, but i guess no one was listening)




2. go green
it is becoming more of a trend to be environmentally conscience of the materials we use in our home. and for 09 we go green with more organic and environment safe products. happy decorating for 09... more trends to come!