Mix & Match

Do you have an opinion about mixing and matching kitchen cabinets???  My husband and I are brainstorming about new cabinets (He will make them) so I have been scouring photos in magazines trying to find inspiration.  On Saturday I was watching HGTV's Most Bang For Your Buck and there was a stunning kitchen.  The bottom cabinets were dark oak and the top were white with frosted glass inserts.  It looked great!! They had a white painted floor (I could not live with that) and we have cork so I don't think the dark stain would look good.  However, I love the frosted glass inserts for the top.  I admire those of you who have glass insert cabinets... I couldn't keep my cabinets that neat!!

Anyway... What do you think about mixing and matching??

image via www.hgtv.com

Changin' It Up

One of my favorite things is PAINT!  It is such an easy and affordable way to change an entire room.  As you all know I painted my room a beautiful orange last year and it's time for a change.  Let's see... we have lived in our house for three years and this will be the third time I am painting our bedroom. Hmmmmm.

Anyway ~ I love the orange but it's just too dark.  I need to go with a lighter neutral wall color with orange & turquoise accents.  

BTW... this is my weekend project.  I'm painting the walls and ceiling an off white and the trim is going to stay bright high gloss white. 

Here's some inspiration Pictures

1) www.housebeautiful.com 2) www.decorpad.com 3) www.charleswhyte.blogspot.com 

4) www.thelennox.com  5) www.decorpad.com  6) www.updatedallas.com

7) www.designedtothenines.com  8) www.harvestfurntiture.blogspot.com

The New Cafe Curtain

I rearranged my guest room a couple months ago and then ran out of time getting it finished (as usual.)  But I am now back in planning mode and the first thing I wanted to do was to cut the "to the floor" curtains down.  The reason I wanted to do this is that I moved the bed underneath a window and it was a pain to close the curtains while the headboard was right there.  So my solution... cut them off.  I call it a new twist on a cafe curtain. 

Can not even begin to tell you how much bigger and better the room looks.  And the curtains close with such ease! Anything to make it a little easier for a house guest.

PS ~ That is my childhood chandelier hanging

and my great grandmother's green lamps (with new shades.) 

Gotta love the sweet mementos of life!



And Now Closed...

Arts & Crafts

What a dreary weekend!  After we totally cleaned the house I needed an indoor project so I decided to paint the birdhouse I made a couple weeks ago.  My mom used to paint these and sell them when I was growing up and I got my ideas from her.  I'm going to slap some polyurethane on it and hang it outside our kitchen window.  

 

Q&A

A special Shout Out to Anonymous in TN! Thank you for loving The Roost and I am so glad I can give you inspiration on small DIY projects for your Ranch!!  

The comment she posted yesterday was:

Just discovered your blog - LOVE it! I live in TN and own a 1950's rancher. I lucked out in my master bath with white tiles and black trim. The guest bathroom is not so fortunate: pale yellow and pink. I am interested in how you glazed the tiles white - would you mind sharing some info on that process?

She is referring to our glazed Guest Bath  (see below)

ANSWER

First of all... I'm so glad you lucked out with the black and white tiles in the Master.  I love the combination and it will never go out of style!!

And now to the pale yellow and pink guest bath.  I'm not going to lie... we had our pink and blue master bath glazed by a contractor before we moved in.  They used a sprayer and honestly they did not do a great job.  I had to ask them to come back and spray a second coat.  However, my friends loved our glazed bathroom and decided they wanted to do their guest bath. So they bought a glazing kit and had their painter hand paint the tile and it turned out amazing! I don't have any pictures of their bath but below are some pictures to help you figure out what you need.

I bought this Kit at Home Depot and it comes with complete instructions.

A side shot of the box... everybody loves a before and after ;)

This is a shot of our Guest Bath... we knocked out the soap dish and toothbrush tiles and replaced them with white tiles (SO EASY!!)  Now I need to touch up.  Also around the sink the glaze did not take because of the epoxy that was used to attach the previous sink.  I am going to use a drimmel tool with a buffer on the end to remove the epoxy and then re-glaze.  Maybe I'll do that this weekend!!

Good Luck TN!! Hope I was able to help you!

Indoor Trees

I noticed from my last post that you can see my indoor rubber tree in the background of some of the framing pictures.  Poor little thing... it is not in good shape.  It is supposed to look like this



I have done some reading and I need to cut back the leggy branches just above a node to encourage bushing out.  I also need to fertilize.  We have had this rubber tree for three years so maybe I'll figure out how to take care of it one of these days. 

What I really really want is a fiddle fig leaf tree.  My friend put in an order for three at our local nursery and one of those is for me! The only thing is they are a little pricey...  I'm going to have to put some thought into it.  Here's a pic.

1) www.imxbluebell.com 2) www.gardenstew.com  3) www.boddricksroost.blogspot.com

DIY - Framing

Happy Monday Friends!

This weekend was a big work weekend around our house... well, let me rephrase that.  Saturday was a big work day- Sunday was a relax day.

One thing on the list was to frame this original painting (see below.)  I had the painting and I had the frame I just needed to install the painting in the frame.  Of course I had my husband help but this is so easy to do you need no assistance.  Before I dive into how I did it let me give you some information on the painting itself.  My dad gave me the frame and the painting which both belonged to my great Aunt Martha.  She was an amazing painter and the painting means so much more since she painted it.  We believe it's a copy of a Jan Van Huysum.  Google him.

On to the DIY project.  It was so simple.  I went to my local Michael's and purchased metal clips.  Start by drilling pilot holes to prevent the frame from cracking.  Then simply screw in the clips, we did two on each side.



What you'll need... clips and a drill

Oh, and a way to hang it.  We picked up a kit at Home Depot that included two metal hooks and a wire.  Can it get any easier??

And we're done!

Change it Up

A budget friendly way to change up your house is to rearrange your furniture.  This is the easiest way for instant gratification.  Make sure you find a focal point and plan the room around that starting with the largest pieces of furniture. If you don't like how it turns out keep playing until you find a layout that suits your room.  Some floor plans are below for inspiration!

1) http://www.addictedtodecorating.com/  2) http://www.elledecor.com/ 
3) http://www.deardesigner.blogspot.com/  4) ) http://www.foodandhome.com/

BHG

I love to garden and I have been thinking about what to plant this spring.  I was searching the web when I stumbled upon Better Homes & Gardens.  The website provides you with a beautiful drawing and you can download the actual plan and the plant requirements.  Even if you don't follow the plan exactly in can introduce you to new plants! It doesn't get any easier than this.

Corner Garden

Drought Tolerant Slope Garden



Small Space, Easy Care Summer Garden

Beat the Heat Summer Garden

Oceanfront Garden

all images http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/easy/15-no-fuss-garden-plans/#page=12

Thoughts for the Foyer

One of my favorite things is slate floors!!! I would kill to have a foyer with slate installed like the picture below:



Slate can come in any shape or size and the color can vary from charcoal gray to hints of brown or rust.  I particularly like this pattern and color.  You can get slate at any local stone supplier and therefore could be a do it yourself project.  Our foyer isn't right for slate but maybe in our next place!

I also have been wanting to paint my foyer wall with Koi fish.  I saw it in a magazine several years ago and it has stuck with me.  Again, my foyer isn't right for this design but maybe in my next pad...

 

1) attractiveflooring.com/beauty-of-slate-flooring/  2)www.orientaloutpost.com/proddetail.php?prod=kf135

8,000 And Counting

Over the weekend Boddrick's Roost hit 8,000 total pageviews!!!

Currently at 8,213 - WOW!

Design Style

One great element of design is that everyone has their own style... some are traditional and some are contemporary.  Some are neutral and some love color.  Some are formal and some are relaxed.

To know your style is unbelievably important.  After living in my own home for a little over 2 1/2 years I understand our style... it took that long.  There is no formal living room in our house and there never will be.  I don't want a room that kids and pets can not enter. 

We aren't crazy about a formal dining room... ours is pretty casual and livable.

And we have worked to buy good pieces of furniture that will stand the test of time for our family room and we can take with us if we ever move.  That was great advice from my boss... buy the best you can so you can have it always.

I have had people describe our house as "homey" and I will take that any day. 

On the other hand I have come to appreciate other styles of design.  Even though it's not my personal style I can see the beauty in different styles.

Below are pictures of different styles designed by a few of my favorite designers.  I am showing just one picture from each but either designer could design any style for a client... that is why they are professionals!!

Patricia McLean Interiors, Atlanta, GA

Traditional Bedroom

http://www.mcleaninteriors.com/

Teri Thomas Interiors, Charlotte, NC

Contemporary Lounge

http://www.terithomasinteriors.com/index.php

What is your style?? Have you decided yet??

FINISHED

Got the Pillows and Now I'm done.

My mom had the idea to stash a couple of garden seats under my end tables to fill in the void.  Love that they don't match and that completely finishes our living room!!



Exciting News

My Husband and I are going to PARIS for our Birthdays this year!  Airfare has been purchased, reservations at a hotel, and I am in full planning mode!! This will be my first trip to Europe and I am ecstatic!  The trip is a few months away but I'm in full planning mode (as usual.) 

Check out these cute things I picked up while my mom was visiting...

(we are going while it will still be a little chilly)

Everyone needs a cute bucket hat to help keep warm and we thought this one was adorable! There was also a hot pink hat with a black bow but that would have been a little much, don't ya think??

If you don't own any Cuddl Duds get in your car and drive to Belk while they are still 40%off!! I got a turtleneck, long sleeve shirt and some leggings.  Boy Howdy do they make a difference!

And we'll be here very soon!!

images via www.beautifulplaces.com