Summer Art Workshop at Selah

Hey you.  Yes you.  Do you want to join me for an art workshop in Las Vegas?  I'll be teaching an all-day interdisciplinary art class on June 8th at Selah - a brand spanking new art salon for creatives!  Registration begins on January 20th, so I'll post the link when it goes live. Until then, read more about the workshop HERE and mark your calender if you're so inclined.  I'd love to meet you and make art with you.

Read more about  

YOU ARE YOUR OWN MUSE

and get to know

SELAH {an art salon}

DIY: My Dining Set Makeover on Houzz

I'm so excited to share my latest article for Houzz.com.

Its a DIY story about my dining room chair makeover!

From the article:

When my husband and I bought our Dallas ranch house, we also became the owners of a dining set the previous owners had left behind. It wasn't our style, but it was sturdy and comfortable, and as my dad says, "Love the one you're with." After living with the hand-me-down dining set for three years, I was ready for a budget-friendly upgrade. Here's how I took my dining chairs from blah to bold one weekend.

Dining Set Makeover: Paint and Tea-Tinted Fabric Make Old Chairs New

Tools and materials needed:

• Staple gun
• 3/8-inch staples
• Screwdriver or drill
• Spray can of B-I-N Shellac-Base Primer (I used two cans for four chairs)
• Spray paint in your chosen color. (I used two cans of glossy Apple Red from Rust-Oleum to refinish four chairs)
• Spray can of polyurethane clear gloss topcoat

Seat cushion materials:

• Box of tea to stain upholstery fabric (I used 10 bags of Earl Grey)
• about 1/2 yard fabric of your choice per cushion, depending on seat size
• Plastic bucket, sink or soaking tub

Again, from the article:
I love the look of script, so I chose this typographic fabric from Ikea. I covered five cushions using less than 3 yards of fabric. The fabric was too white for my dining room, so I altered the color with a simple tea stain.

 

Ta da! I love the bright red chairs against our dark dining rooms walls. All in all, the job was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I can't believe I waited so long to paint and reupholster them. If you've got some old chairs that need a lift, don't wait!  Find a bright color you love and go to town!

Click HERE to read the full article 

and get all the details about my dining chair upgrade!

Bathe

Some of you are going to think I'm a crazy person with no self respect. However, those of you with young children will just nod your head knowingly and think to yourself, "Yep, that sounds familiar".  I have not bathed in ten days.  Why?  Because I haven't had enough time.  Sure I've had "time", but not enough time and not all at once to wash my hair, scrub my skin and shave my legs.  I've rinsed my hair in a sink, wiped my armpits with a diaper wipe (I know... gross, right?) and I've washed my face before bed on one or two occasions, but a full bath... not happening.  But TODAY is the day. Today, much to the relief of my family and others who must be in close contact, I will shower and feel human again.

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Play Time

I love weekends with my family.  My husband has an academic schedule, which means that most Saturdays and Sundays are completely ours. Our favorite thing to do is throw the boys in the car and head for a quick coffee stop. Then, lattes in hand, we visit one of Dallas' parks (there are hundreds of them) for play time. Here are some photos of me and my boys last weekend braving the chilly weather. What does your weekend hold?

Bed Frames and Head Boards

I stopped by a few estate sales last month, not looking for anything in particular - just browsing. I kept seeing wonderful old bed frames and head boards for sale. They came in all shapes and sizes and the asking prices were very reasonable.  There was one in particular I wish I had purchased on the spot. I certainly don't need a new bed, but I would change it out in a heartbeat if the price was right.  Here are some styles I really love:

The iron ring canopy...

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Traditional brass bed...

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Upholstered velvet...

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Upholstered tufted...

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And I wouldn't say no to this Art Nouveau museum piece...

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Below is my bedroom. I love the look and feel of it, but I'm starting to get tired of our Ikea bedframe.  Maybe I'll just paint it like I do everything else and give it another five years.  Gold leaf might be fun. So would a high gloss black lacquer. 

Evolve

A friend of mine once asked why I constantly change my space. At the time, all I could offer was, "I don't know - because I like to."  Now I realize the ever-changing ebb and flow of my house requires that I move things around from time to time.  I'm also a seasonal person. I want my home to reflect what's happening outside the house. Another reason that I enjoy freshening up my decor is that I work from home.  This is the place that shelters my rising, my prep, my mothering, my cooking, my cleaning, my work, my writing, my painting, my children and their childhoods, my husband, my marriage and a host of other very important components of happy living. These things are always shifting and I want my home to nurture transformation. I know it might seem a little over stated, but this is why I sew a new pillow cover or switch lamps from the bedroom to the living room.

Speaking of change, I've switched up the layout of my blog so that most of the navigation can happen at the top of the page.  Please browse around and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section! 

More of my home HERE.

Red Dining Chairs

Remember last spring when I posted THIS?   It must have made an impression because last weekend I painting my dining chairs apple red. But I didn't stop there - I also reupholstered them! I'll be posting a DIY article about the process on Houzz.com, but until then, here's a little eye candy and a sneak peek of my finished product!

I'll post the full article from Houzz.com later, but until then

here's a little peek at my handiwork...