bold2boss

here are some more of the treasures I collected on my impromptu shopping excursion… I love this elegant glass candle lantern mixed with the organic softness of these treasures my new favorite spot to start the day with my morning coffee

Change of pace yesterday!   I shed my reno gear and headed out into the big world to complete my errand list.  This turned out to be much more fun than I expected…as I just happened 😉 to bump into some tempting sales that ended up in very satisfying impromptu shopping and decorating! Look at these beautiful candle holders! I love the three of them together…so adorable with the fairy lights…

I love the textural organic rustic feel of brick…and big statement brick fireplaces, like the huge 14’ x 10’ mid-century modern fireplace in my living-room…but I don’t love how the dark brick color sucks all the lightness out of the room.  You know how much I love light, airy spaces! To lighten up our brick fireplace while keeping its beautiful textural feel, I needed a solution….so many options… …white painted brick; whitewash…kind of hard to keep from looking a bit pinky; and oh so many complete overhaul options involving sooooo much work….cement facade, tiling, drywall… …Hmmmm… I finally settled for my ‘tried and true’ plaster finish which I’ve used before and still love it.  It has the look of mortar-washed or limed brick (there is a proper name for this technique…anyone know what it is??) or of brick that has been exposed after having the plaster chipped away. I love that beautiful texture and distressed feel.

Finally, with the boys help, I’m finished the cement flooring in the living areas! Ever since moving into our new house, I have been trying to find the perfect flooring material for the upstairs living-room area – something that looks great with the marble flooring I installed elsewhere and that works with ambiance and style… something that has that tactile organic (and functional) vibe. While mulling, I painted the plywood sub-floor a creamy white with flowing paisleys (pictured below)…such a fun project with a lovely ethereal effect.

I want to share with you the results of our redo on these adorable children’s bedrooms.  I love the soft airy lightness the rooms have and their simplicity. The dormer ceilings lend a lovely cottage-like vibe perfect for a child’s room The rooms are situated side by side, joined by a jack-and-jill closet, so the little ones can have their privacy or leave the door open between them. the jack-and-jill closet, with sliding barn doors, provides a perfect peep-a-boo view into the second bedroom soft fluffy pillows and stuffies provide a snugly reading spot I love these pineapple lamps with their soft grey shades, perfect for the simplicity and airiness of the rooms …all that’s needed now is some messiness…a wee bit of real life. I still have so much more of this little rancher reno to share with you… livingroom, bathrooms , kitchen and more!) have a beautiful week! xo shelley

I hate hate hate popcorn ceiling (although truth be told, I am trying  to embrace the popcorn texture in our master bedroom…and I don’t cringe at the delicate popcorn on our high vaulted livingroom ceiling, but maybe that’s my poor eyesight). I think popcorn-texture ceilings are one of those design ‘features’ that instantly makes a space look dated and UGLY…but it’s sooo much work to remove – not too terribly if it hasn’t been painted, but oh my, after it’s set with paint!  And let me tell you, I have removed way too much of it (the ‘silver-lining’ is the amazing shoulder work out you get removing it!). spraying and saturating sections about 3′ wide with water.  I have researched (and researched…) and experimented with oodles of approaches to removing the popcorn-texture once it has been painted over (if it hasn’t been painted, it’s super easy – light water spray and scrape!..*Remember to wear protective equipment as most popcorn-texture contains some asbestos product whi...

Wow!  I have finally started tiling our master bath and it feels amazing to have conquered the looming fear that has kept me procrastinating for weeks. …that looming ‘ugh’ sensation during the planning/prep – recognizing that once that thin-set is mixed, there is no turning back from hours of careful and heavy work…the first tile needs to be set right…the slope accounted for…the unforgiving nature of the tile…the ‘time-crunch’ of thin-set… Somehow, despite all this procrastination and pain, I do actually love the process…and the beautiful inspiring results (made easy with the bonus of Sam’s expert thin-set mixing and encouragement). got to talk through the planning:) not at all messy I absolutely love the mix of Carrara and Rosa marble; the taupe and white combination is amazingly fabulous…I was hesitant to mix these until seeing the array of mixed-marble flooring at the Vatican…and I love the effect.  This is the view from the entrance area.   These little heart-shape t...