tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91977575954316211522024-03-13T00:47:22.621-04:00The Colorful Life with Studio of Decorative ArtsOur studio is a creative company that uses color, design, pattern and texture to transform spaces. With decorative painting, faux finishing, floor and ceiling designs, window treatments, fabric selections and more - we can totally transform any space from Blah to Ahh!Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-65193728287464360832012-08-16T18:25:00.004-04:002012-08-16T18:28:47.535-04:00A New Name and a Re-designed Blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Hi everyone! I wanted to let you know that very soon I will have a new blog name and a new, re-designed site on Wordpress. After being on Blogger, which I found very easy and it got me into the blogging world very quickly, I soon realized that I needed to have more functionality and my own hosted site on Wordpress. After seeing many bloggers that I admire - Marian from <a href="http://www.missmustardseed.com/" target="_blank">Miss Mustardseed</a> and Susan from <a href="http://www.betweennapsontheporch.net/" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch</a> - make the switch, I figured that I should too.</strong><br />
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<strong>The name of the blog...The Colorful Bee. I think it sounds more "bloggy," colorful and fun. I am planning on doing a lot of tutorials and giveaways, so I hope that you will stay with me and follow me there as well. Here's the new logo...</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_4M_mVZEuILVNpm0vWW-WFiUrsvDw6sl7d4LJ-h8ZNqWfSRKJi51TEuXEdgPJfuItT3yTX0XrvQG8h-Yyn-8ZEl5Rch2haRuzGRQlosLpGg0RkZ5CrnR41Cb0clGU36bXkY9XkCrwEpN/s1600/a+colorful+bee+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_4M_mVZEuILVNpm0vWW-WFiUrsvDw6sl7d4LJ-h8ZNqWfSRKJi51TEuXEdgPJfuItT3yTX0XrvQG8h-Yyn-8ZEl5Rch2haRuzGRQlosLpGg0RkZ5CrnR41Cb0clGU36bXkY9XkCrwEpN/s400/a+colorful+bee+logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>The web address will be </strong><a href="http://www.thecolorfulbee.com/"><strong>www.thecolorfulbee.com</strong></a><strong>. I will email all of my followers, so that you don't lose track of me. I will also have a link redirecting to the new site from Blogger as well. </strong></div>
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<strong>In the meanwhile, you can follow me on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thecolorfulbee." target="_blank">Facebook Page.</a> to see some of my latest projects.</strong></div>
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<strong>See you soon with the new and improved blog!</strong></div>
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<strong>Linda</strong></div>
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Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-16127363973988892232012-07-27T13:42:00.000-04:002012-08-14T13:01:18.455-04:00Evolution of a Powder Room: Removing Yet Another 70s Era Wallpaper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>When I married my husband, I moved into a house with a lot of 70s type wallpaper. For a decorative artist like myself - that's like being in purgatory (or worse!!!).</strong> <strong> Now, I love wallpaper...well-done, handpainted or beautifully textured or patterned wallpaper. But - the living room, the powder room, the kitchen, the dining room - the upstairs baths and all the bedrooms had 70s era wallpaper....and I just couldn't live with it.</strong> <strong>So, slowly but surely, I began to remove all of it. I will feature more of the before and afters in coming months. I only have one last wall of wallpaper to remove - a camouflage paper (spare me) in what will become a nursery for my new grandchildren,</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfsBOKEhmDog4GvH7A7tp-1wxn-4CCj-kT-dGAspqFN1rZ7hX8Pg7C5lux1lhCvmXd9Sf7unq6jNWwct4tTTuwmxKfARlUsvaPfDCHg3ZpxpugJuZtPirZtIi_qSv_At2UA5Wfse8IfBV/s1600/our+powder+room+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfsBOKEhmDog4GvH7A7tp-1wxn-4CCj-kT-dGAspqFN1rZ7hX8Pg7C5lux1lhCvmXd9Sf7unq6jNWwct4tTTuwmxKfARlUsvaPfDCHg3ZpxpugJuZtPirZtIi_qSv_At2UA5Wfse8IfBV/s640/our+powder+room+e.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<em>Can you tell that I like monkeys and pineapples??</em></div>
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<strong>Here's a picture of our powder room right after I did the last transformation...first removing all the wallpaper, then oil priming, painting and doing an embossed stencil and tissue finish.</strong> <strong> I say "last" transformation because the finish was the same - only the room was, at first, painted an antiqued gunmetal silver - which I really loved. But as I was re-doing my home, the colors of adjacent rooms were getting warmer and warmer - so the silver just didn't go with the palette I was coming up with.</strong> <strong>I chose a softer and warmer metallic color - called Veridine (from Faux Effects). Then I gave it an antique bronze glaze. I covered the switchplates also - to give it a more uniform look.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOttTMRONuQGVx3Q8ZRguHYl2Q-q04DG7D1bSQ-K1WaZwOPKuJXXfWiQkjsn3wX4VKzTvCjMndQlDEHE0xWWzdhH6xBDXdJVlLTh6_q_NL4KcehC853mDcVSwXfkGyCb78LOUnBZ3pNCf/s1600/our+powder+room+1+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOttTMRONuQGVx3Q8ZRguHYl2Q-q04DG7D1bSQ-K1WaZwOPKuJXXfWiQkjsn3wX4VKzTvCjMndQlDEHE0xWWzdhH6xBDXdJVlLTh6_q_NL4KcehC853mDcVSwXfkGyCb78LOUnBZ3pNCf/s640/our+powder+room+1+e.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<em>A view of the vanity and counter - which were chipping and peeling orange/yellow oak</em></div>
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<em>My inspiration photo done by Melanie Royals of Royal Design Studio</em></div>
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<em>Here is the first color of the powder room finish - a gun metal silver</em></div>
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<strong>The vanity and countertop were really horrendous and way past their prime - but my husband didn't want to buy anything new because the vanity hid all the pipes underneath (which also include some pipes for the washing machine in an adjacent room - don't ask!). This powder room has 7 sides - it's really an oddity and I could have gutted the whole thing and started over - but that would have been too much $$ for my husband to handle. So, I made do! I sanded and primed...painted and glazed...and clearcoated the vanity and countertop and it's held up beautifully over the years. </strong></div>
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<strong>I don't have a before picture of the powder room - but I do have a snippet of the wallpaper. Was it horrible?...not really. But it was dated and it did't really say anything about me and the spirit I wanted my home to portray. This room and the wallpaper were someone else's idea of beauty - not mine. So, I had to change it.</strong></div>
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<strong>It was perfectly nice - but it didn't say "me." And coupled with the peeling, orange yellow vanity and countertop - it had to go!</strong></div>
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<strong><em><u>About the Wall Finish:</u> </em></strong><strong>The one thing that is difficult about doing this finish is the amount of time and patience it takes to do it. It's not an overnight sensation...and trust me - I needed a shrink during and after the process. When you are doing an embossed, raised stencil on a wall - you first have to stencil most of it on the wall first in a light tone. Why? Because when you do anything raised/embossed on a large surface - you can't easily go from design to design in a row...because the plaster or whatever you are using to make the design raised - is still wet. So, you have to jump to another section that's dry in order to do your next raised/embossed area. So, in this design that I decided on for this room, I first had to make the design "stripes" level and equidistant - I had to stencil just about everything in a tint on the wall before I could trowel any material through the stencil to make the raised design. I hope I didn't lose anyone here yet!! You also have to do this to make sure your vertical design is level and not "off." So - it's a process...that takes a lot of time. </strong></div>
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<strong>Whenever I price this for a client, they always look at me a little crazy because they see the finished product and think "Oh - that's beautiful...I want it." But when I explain how much time and precision it takes to pull it off...they back off. Only interior designers so far have said "No problem - I love it. Let's do it!"</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiCU_nnCcTkSkQxyqZgpppkSVoUTvR4hxUDuVCwTvnrlM1RZ6HdNgcE7DNx2vivAPDsQMmWeJTWuAhkftHdef56dXQVGk_2r4NgudmLcyoLknPoaHzwRWEoKGTA8fM9ZtO2lz6mQjoZVm/s1600/close+up+by+sink+jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiCU_nnCcTkSkQxyqZgpppkSVoUTvR4hxUDuVCwTvnrlM1RZ6HdNgcE7DNx2vivAPDsQMmWeJTWuAhkftHdef56dXQVGk_2r4NgudmLcyoLknPoaHzwRWEoKGTA8fM9ZtO2lz6mQjoZVm/s640/close+up+by+sink+jpg.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<strong>A closer look: You'll see the slight wrinkled texture on the wall. You don't "have" to do this...but I laid gently wrinkled gift tissue over the entire wall as I was painting the color on the wall. One of the reasons I did this was because my surface was not 100% perfect - it showed some leftover wallpaper lining and I just wanted to give the wall a little extra texture. If your walls are perfect - you do not have to do this step and I wish that I could have skipped it!!</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvankBzJnTthke8MhUAh-vfmKyNv0ZuISlV8YLJvphrmV74L2HXp9KeM3-HT8lVV05IY6os-XvukW4RzLwyFBgMxzypcp1kr6hcZ1vAoz7MFgbWB6ZR3koRBQYggBwwWknv7CckFJebdTr/s1600/with+monkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvankBzJnTthke8MhUAh-vfmKyNv0ZuISlV8YLJvphrmV74L2HXp9KeM3-HT8lVV05IY6os-XvukW4RzLwyFBgMxzypcp1kr6hcZ1vAoz7MFgbWB6ZR3koRBQYggBwwWknv7CckFJebdTr/s640/with+monkey.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<em>A closer look at the wall finish - see the slight wrinkled texture?</em></div>
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<strong>One very important note about doing an embossed stencil design with a tissue finish: Once your tissue is on, you have to make sure that the tissue lies flat next to the raised part of the design. I had to flatten out the tissue many times and I also had to pin prick some of the bubbles that this finish naturally creates. Did I get every single one perfect? No - but overall it looks good and you can see every part of the design. Next time I do this, I won't choose such a small stencil design - you can see it above to the left of the larger design. That was a nightmare to get all the tissue to lay down around the design. So - don't do this! Choose larger designs to emboss - much easier!</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQ9GW6WCQ5pGSepMyUSFVH4u1VpvDyHla_u6IdvArxtGwPmuOEzrgcaonrh9L4iBk1r9VELYqfPeSEDOFjhXBqYktFSlAgNxlXxlZGyx4iqMY6M3onsLgAGm-UlZDdNe_7oxi2TbFR58W/s1600/through+the+corner+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQ9GW6WCQ5pGSepMyUSFVH4u1VpvDyHla_u6IdvArxtGwPmuOEzrgcaonrh9L4iBk1r9VELYqfPeSEDOFjhXBqYktFSlAgNxlXxlZGyx4iqMY6M3onsLgAGm-UlZDdNe_7oxi2TbFR58W/s640/through+the+corner+e.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<em>And another tip - if you have to go through some curved surfaces like I did...pick a simpler design!!</em></div>
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<strong><em><u>For the vanity and countertop:</u></em> I first sanded any chipped spots, then oil base primed it and then painted the base in Off White from Faux Effects. To antique it, I used a brown and gold glaze. The countertop - I sanded it (A-LOT!!!) and then I oil base primed it in a tinted dark brown primer - and then I did several coats of Modern Masters' Statuary Bronze. I then did several coats of Faux Effects Satin topcoat called Varnish Plus. I cannot tell you how much I love this product. I used it on this countertop and while I was re-doing my kitchen, this powder room became my "slop sink" when I was doing any other type of painting or cleaning or washing dishes. The countertop stayed clean and beautiful after a TON of punishment!!! Enough said - go buy it!!!!</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_MepxRCbnhSQa1TWWqSpjEixKw_PbhAlvrZrC2c0e4HaGpPoKsxhDIWPv0_XMMeDAqwNVXfLzmuhOri7hAZj5l6eXwxEqXKdJBnAnoKTHCDVs5CkxM2tbCpv3rcO89CwLbDXRetKFB9h/s1600/vanity+e+DSC_0150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_MepxRCbnhSQa1TWWqSpjEixKw_PbhAlvrZrC2c0e4HaGpPoKsxhDIWPv0_XMMeDAqwNVXfLzmuhOri7hAZj5l6eXwxEqXKdJBnAnoKTHCDVs5CkxM2tbCpv3rcO89CwLbDXRetKFB9h/s400/vanity+e+DSC_0150.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>For the interior section of the vanity, I painted it the Veridine color and then stenciled Royal Design Studio's Small Victorian Grille. Modern Master's Statuary Bronze surrounds it - but I sanded it back to age it. I kept the same knobs - only I painted them in the Statuary Bronze. I plan on changing them soon. Anyone have any suggestions? In my kitchen I have the French Birdcage ones in oil rubbed bronze and I love then - so that's a possibility. But I would love some other ideas.</strong><br />
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<strong><em><u>Future Changes:</u></em> I am also going to do some other changes to the room. I'd love to put something different in that center panel in the vanity. A handpainted monkey or pineapple? Or is that overkill? I also want to perhaps get a new stone or granite top for the vanity...plus a new sink, faucet and light fixture. I would also love to do a raised design on the panel right below the countertop - I think it's calling out for something! And finally, I'd love to do something special to the ceiling. Right now it's a mid tone sage green, which is nice - but it needs some pizzaz! I'd like to add some moldings as well on the top but with 7 sides...it's a challenge. I had though of spray painting a thick rope in bronze and then attaching it.</strong></div>
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<strong>Would love to hear from all of you on what you'd like me to do with the room...and then I'll post the changes.</strong></div>
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<strong>Thanks for coming by to see this project! For another project I did with raised stenciling, <a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/2012/04/another-decorative-idea-for-wainscoting.html" target="_blank">Click Here.</a></strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.missmustardseed.com/" target="_blank">Miss Mustardseed</a>; <a href="http://www.redouxinteriors.com/" target="_blank">Redoux Interiors</a>; <a href="http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shabby Nest</a>; <a href="http://www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">French Country Cottage</a>; <a href="http://www.romantichome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Romantic Home</a>; <a href="http://www.betweennapsontheporch.net/" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch</a>; <a href="http://debtfreemommyblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Making Space Mondays</a>; <a href="http://www.domestically-speaking.com/" target="_blank">Domestically Speaking</a>; <a href="http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/" target="_blank">My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia</a>, <a href="http://www.houseofhepworths.com/" target="_blank">House of Hepworths</a></div>
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Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-91413329506678896792012-07-19T23:48:00.000-04:002012-07-30T15:31:14.564-04:00Revamping an Old Chair for a New Purpose<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>This week I was asked to stage a vacant home in Malverne NY. It's a lovely Dutch Colonial that has a great, homey feel to it. When I looked at the home for the first time, I jotted down my ideas for which furnishings to bring to make this house feel even more like a home.</strong> <strong>I usually know pretty quickly - but I knew that I might be missing one or two things that would make the staging complete.</strong><br />
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<strong>The home featured an enclosed porch that's adjacent to the living room. It's a narrow room, so I knew that I had to bring a loveseat. But what should I place on the other side? It needed a relaxed feel but the piece had to be a bit compact. A wing chair would be too formal and too large. I had an idea what to use...but it needed a little work and an OK from my husband.</strong><br />
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<strong>This is the piece I used...but it didn't start out that way. It was dark and ugly but you didn't see much of it 'cause my husband's clothes covered most of it! I convinced him I needed it for a job and that I had to lighten it up and make it prettier. He said "Why?" and I just looked at him and then he said "OK!"</strong><br />
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<strong>This picture would have looked funnier if I had taken it with all of his clothes racked on top of it - but at least I got a before (OK - with a few paint marks!). I had to finish this in a hurry - like a half day - in order to get the staging job done. </strong><br />
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<strong>I used Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Cream. I didn't have enough time to do the waxing but I add some nice stencilled French words, a motif or two and some distressing and the chair was ready to go. I used several word and graphic stencils from <a href="http://www.maisondestencils.com/" target="_blank">Maison de Stencils</a> to make the job go quickly!</strong><br />
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<strong>Here are some other shots of the home I staged...</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY8enm-RXXaf6qy46pq9H4pRf69jx0rzslGcwaDXN_h-tcgzPv_YvwhoAcKbpI_StMmQu56WC-d1mm-ZYqPG3t8RLtYnTBOFgFMzVrBkwZeTy9Krqo1il3mSaP7jk2_MQgaB-nhy9cH9r/s1600/Collage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY8enm-RXXaf6qy46pq9H4pRf69jx0rzslGcwaDXN_h-tcgzPv_YvwhoAcKbpI_StMmQu56WC-d1mm-ZYqPG3t8RLtYnTBOFgFMzVrBkwZeTy9Krqo1il3mSaP7jk2_MQgaB-nhy9cH9r/s640/Collage+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCycCE2f2k2AX4w4WITItlj9S8SLdOJxK0alHkMSNGt9Txz_aC6qcPN-BnQmRiA17lB5tRN2ZYHAbw6wypjGtGM_oAjEItRaAc_AjD9eyfG7BGZadyoTqi273ILjqvUeNKC4w8q8v9uQS/s1600/Collage+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCycCE2f2k2AX4w4WITItlj9S8SLdOJxK0alHkMSNGt9Txz_aC6qcPN-BnQmRiA17lB5tRN2ZYHAbw6wypjGtGM_oAjEItRaAc_AjD9eyfG7BGZadyoTqi273ILjqvUeNKC4w8q8v9uQS/s640/Collage+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong>It was a fun job - except for the fact that the air conditioning was not really working well (and it was about 100 degrees outside!). But we managed to get all the furniture, lamps, rugs and accessories in - without dying of heatstroke. One of my great workers, Lyn, suggested to the realtors that perhaps they should take the winter cover off the air conditioning units. That worked...alas too late!</strong><br />
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Sharing this project with...<br />
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<a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/" target="_blank">Under the Table and Dreaming</a>; <a href="http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/" target="_blank">Funky Junk</a>; <a href="http://www.atthepicketfence.com/" target="_blank">At the Picket Fence</a>; <a href="http://www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">French Country Cottage</a>; <a href="http://www.iheartnaptime.net/" target="_blank">Sundae Scoop</a>; <a href="http://www.betweennapsontheporch.net/" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch</a>; <a href="http://www.becolorful.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Be Colorful</a>; <a href="http://www.boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Masterpiece Monday</a>; <a href="http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/" target="_blank">Home Stories A to Z</a>; <a href="http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/" target="_blank">My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia</a>; <a href="http://www.domestically-speaking.com/" target="_blank">Domestically Speaking</a>; <a href="http://www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savvy Southern Style</a>; <a href="http://www.knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Knick of Time</a>; <a href="http://www.thesoutherninstitute.com/" target="_blank">The Southern Institute</a></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-91870328913818312082012-07-18T18:59:00.001-04:002012-07-18T18:59:27.669-04:00An Inspiring Seminar from Larry Laslo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYY2BbrBkwZVoDc395MTIF_D0CUP3RvZ6yhVCC2ndjLJZQL1SkecSJr7lecVL60-OY4cb2-SYiBrRHAYOnYL3weqyLdAWFxAptsRsGu3uH6T3PugWUhxxoO17Sr2iqsZ-Vs6hXqiqs7VW/s1600/Larry+speaking+1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYY2BbrBkwZVoDc395MTIF_D0CUP3RvZ6yhVCC2ndjLJZQL1SkecSJr7lecVL60-OY4cb2-SYiBrRHAYOnYL3weqyLdAWFxAptsRsGu3uH6T3PugWUhxxoO17Sr2iqsZ-Vs6hXqiqs7VW/s640/Larry+speaking+1e.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<strong>This morning I attended a wonderful seminar by designer Larry Laslo that was held at the Robert Allen Showroom in Woodbury NY. After hearing Larry talk, I can see why he is so successful - he is so down to earth, funny and warm that I can see why his well-heeled clients love him. He gave a slide show of many of his projects and showed how he went about designing the spaces. Some of the homes were so huge that you have to have a mastery in the art of scale and balance in order to pull it off successfully. </strong><br />
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<strong><em>Here were some of the images he shared with the designers in attendance...</em></strong><br />
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<strong>Most people would think that using dark and bold colors on a wall would make a room seem smaller, but in Larry's hands the dark colors actually expand the sense of space. I loved his use of padded charcoal gray walls with the black and white theme. </strong><br />
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<strong>In the above room he also mentioned that he chose just one light fixture instead of two sconces on either side - for a neater more functional look for his client.</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQpOM8c7qh03HXyUpMMRfkT1HsVjbctqJ8LzzKjQFjPM7G3k5NJ8LGbJKVw0mAHkAh80j2M5tvaNFBOT6G3ogGNWEMaNXaFWq8h6XYJjMkPuHLIPfzE648vv_BUrGHY1IR_nsek9-C_0R/s1600/larry+laslo+bath+with+carrera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQpOM8c7qh03HXyUpMMRfkT1HsVjbctqJ8LzzKjQFjPM7G3k5NJ8LGbJKVw0mAHkAh80j2M5tvaNFBOT6G3ogGNWEMaNXaFWq8h6XYJjMkPuHLIPfzE648vv_BUrGHY1IR_nsek9-C_0R/s640/larry+laslo+bath+with+carrera.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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<strong>Speaking of black and white, Larry loves to use Carrerra marble because it creates its own pattern. He kept the rest of the space simple because of the busyness of the pattern.</strong><br />
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<strong>He also showed us several rooms that had beautiful mosaics, as in the bath above. Several thousand small tiles make up this beautiful feature wall.</strong></div>
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<strong>Larry is a master at mixing genres and styles. These Christopher Guy dining chairs have antique damask backs and white patent leather seats. Many of his rooms feature a hearty mix of now and then - mixing old and new. </strong></div>
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<strong>What was really wonderful though was that he said that if you have the talent for using color - don't be afraid to use it and be confident about it. Just because your client might be timid about it - if you know it's the right thing to do you really need to do it. I really took this to heart because I have felt that I pushed the color envelope with my clients and I felt a little bad about it (although I knew it was the right thing to do in their homes). I felt validated and it was a freeing message that he sent to us today.</strong></div>
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<strong>Above, a small collection of his fabrics that I picked up today. I can't wait to use them. I have some great ideas for using these gorgeous designs. The largest sample in the above collage is called Scrolling Art. I have plans to use this on two chairs. I love how he isolates a motif so that you can use the fabric as a central design on a chair. </strong></div>
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<strong>It was great to connect up with other designers I have known for awhile and to meet some new and talented people as well. I learned some great tips even after the seminar from other designers in attendance. We talked about getting together to network and to help each other. </strong></div>
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<strong>And besides all that...the seminar was catered and the lunch was fabulous! You can't beat that. Everyone had a great time - so thanks Larry for your inspiration and Robert Allen Fabrics for hosting!</strong></div>
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<br /></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-4498238606340939122012-07-08T16:49:00.000-04:002012-07-08T16:49:27.625-04:00Happy Summer's Day: Some Butterfly Pics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>Just wanted to post some pics of some Monarch Butterflies that were in my backyard. They are my favorites. </strong><br />
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<strong>True to their name - this particular Butterfly loved the Butterfly Bush.</strong> <strong>But just a few minutes earlier, I was able to capture a younger Monarch Butterfly in another part of the garden - with my IPhone. This guy preferred the Coneflower.</strong><br />
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<strong>Later in the season I will post some other Monarch Butterfly images - when they do their trek from Fire Island. It's a sight to behold - seeing swarms of these beautiful creatures hovering over the Great South Bay.</strong><br />
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<strong>Hope you enjoyed these. If anyone has some Monarch Butterfly (or other) pics to share I would love to see them! </strong><br />
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</div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-56777023925773469552012-07-06T10:59:00.000-04:002012-07-06T11:37:43.856-04:00Deck and Porch Decorating for the Fourth of July...and a Recipe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>I'm two days late with this post, but I thought I'd show everyone how I decorated my front porch and back deck for the Fourth of July holiday.</strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The Front Porch</span></strong></div>
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<strong>The main staple of the porch is always my antique church pew.</strong> <strong>It's from Connecticut, circa 1870s and supposedly once belonged to Skitch Henderson (so said the man who sold it to me - no real proof, but it's a good story).</strong> <strong>Skitch was the original conductor of the Tonight Show band before Doc Severinsen. I added some colorful pillows and my favorite piggy bank that I bought many years ago on a trip to Maryland - on Assateague Island. I added some red, white and blue sunglasses for a touch of humor.</strong><br />
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<strong>My granddaughter and I made some pinwheels in red, white and blue and placed them in a plant stand. The little red chair, which I bought at the NY Gift Show in January, was a perfect perch for red and white striped petunias in a holiday pot. The red star was a $3 purchase that I painted in Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint - Emperor's Silk. The antique red watering can I found at a garage sale several years ago and the planter was a gift from one of my best friends, Alex.</strong><br />
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<strong>Here's the full view (sorry about my van and me showing up in the window!!) I purchased the buntings from <a href="http://www.independence-bunting.com/" target="_blank">Indepence Bunting and Flag</a> - which is a great company (not a paid endorsement) and they carry many different decorations for all holidays.</strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The Back Deck</span></strong><br />
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<strong>OK - yes those are red plastic plates! So sue me! I have a family that doesn't always help with the dishes...so it's a time saver for me. Besides I had these red babies on hand - so it made perfect sense. I found a great outdoor table runner at Home Goods ($7 - thank you very much) that has a velcroed (is that a word now?) opening for the umbrella hole. For those of you who sew - this is an easy enough thing to do for your outdoor tables. </strong><br />
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<strong>It looks like my family had a great time! (Note that the sangria pitchers on the table are just about empty...save for the fruit!)</strong><br />
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<strong>Even Cassidy - my daughter's dog!</strong></div>
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<strong>Hope everyone had a great holiday!! In case you might be interested in the Sangria recipe I used...here it is. Combine all ingredients and let sit for an hour or two at room temperature to blend all the flavors. Chill and serve with ice.</strong></div>
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<strong>Large bottle of Red wine</strong></div>
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<strong>1 1/2 cups of Orange Juice</strong></div>
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<strong>1 cup of Club Soda</strong></div>
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<strong>1/2 cup of Orange Liqueur (I used Patron's)</strong></div>
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<strong>Cut up peaches, cherries and strawberries</strong></div>
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<strong>Sugar, to taste</strong> </div>
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I'm linking this up to:<br />
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<a href="http://www.betweennapsontheporch.net/" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch</a>; <a href="http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Designs by Gollum</a><br />
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<br /></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-39859930646947719202012-07-03T18:37:00.000-04:002012-07-03T18:37:23.863-04:00Happy 4th of July Tablescape<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>I have to admit that my family used to be lucky 1) if I served anything more ambitious than a hot dog on a bun and some salad on July 4th and 2) it was always served on paper plates (and they were lucky if the plates had some red, white and blue on them. Plain old white ones were the norm). With single motherhood, energy and money had to be placed in other areas.</strong><br />
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<strong>But since I've remarried and have a blog...my family gets to have better decorated holidays!</strong> <strong>I</strong> <strong>was always so busy decorating other people's homes - that mine suffered for quite awhile. So, I spent today decorating. My granddaughter, Meghan, came over to help and my husband put up some stars and stripes buntings for me on the porch and did some other odds and ends things that helped me out a great deal. A big thanks to both of them!</strong><br />
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<em>Meghan - with holiday specs and pinwheels we made</em></div>
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<strong>One of the toughest things for me this holiday was trying to find red, white and blue things. I used to be a "blue" person back in the 80s, so I had a few <strike>next to none 'cause I sold most of them</strike> accessories that would go. I've had the blue pitcher/vase since the mid 90s - I bought it in La Conner, Washington during the annual tulip festival. I never missed a festival while I lived in that state - it's a gorgeous vista that I could never get enough of.</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.tulipfestival.org/galleries/gallery/april_29_tulip_photos" target="_blank"><em>Via</em></a></div>
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<strong>I collect teapots - so I have a good supply of blue ones. The rest of the items I had on hand because of my home staging business. Placemats, plates, napkins, napkins rings etc - you need to have those items on hand at all times. The red plates were a bargain ($3 a piece at HomeGoods) - couldn't resist! The red mercury candle holders - were from Christmas...but the color was perfect!</strong><br />
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<strong>I hope that everyone has a safe and happy, healthy Fourth of July! I am hoping that the weather here on Long Island will hold up for a barbeque. We're grilling chicken, salmon and corn on the cob. Hope it won't have to be done with an umbrella over our heads!!</strong><br />
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<strong>Have a great holiday!</strong><br />
</div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-61491270200555269462012-07-01T17:22:00.000-04:002012-07-02T20:39:19.872-04:00Antiquing Kitchen Cabinetry in New York City and a Surprise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>A short while ago I had to help a client in Manhattan who had had a flood in her kitchen - which marred the cabinetry that I had painted and antiqued nearly 6 years earlier. The only day I could go was when President Obama was in town. That meant I was going to experience some <strike>nerve wracking, heart attack inducing</strike> traffic as I live on the eastern end of Long Island and the drive to Manhattan can take over 2 or more hours. But the slow traffic allowed me to take some shots along Central Park West while I was waiting to move uptown.</strong><br />
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<em>Heading uptown:The large pic on the left is the famous Dakota building, where John Lennon lived</em><br />
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<strong>My client's small NYC kitchen had looked darker and smaller with mid toned maple cabinetry - which was in great shape but the somewhat dark tone of the cabinets didn't help the small space. I wish I had taken shots of "before" but who knew then I was going to have a blog!!</strong><br />
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<em>The finished cabinetry</em></div>
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<strong>The flood had damaged two major areas in the kitchen and all along the baseboard as well. We first primed and repainted the areas with the same paint we had used - an off white. After that was dry, I looked at my recipe that I had used for the antiquing and made up a sample glaze. I used the exact same measurements of tints - some Van Dyke Brown and Raw Umber - but the glaze wasn't matching. I guess it could have been that the cabinets aged somewhat in 6 years. I had to add a touch of a warmer brown to match it exactly.</strong></div>
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<em>Before...and the application of the glaze with a chip brush</em></div>
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<em>All the glaze is on...just needs to be manipulated and smoothed. What's that on the right?</em></div>
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<em>Moving and smoothing the glaze first with cheesecloth and then - a badger brush to smooth out</em></div>
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<strong>Pardon my fat, old unmanicured fingers - but I thought it would be helpful to new faux finishers/DIY homeowners to see how how I gently age a painted cabinet. The cheesecloth is great for moving the glaze around - you have more control of how much you want to remove. The cheesecloth can also help you push some glaze into crevices etc to get the look of built up dirt and age. The badger brush - which should be in everyone's arsenal - softens and smooths out a glaze. It helps to give the cabinet a more natural, softer look.</strong><br />
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<em>The right side panel now blends with the rest of the cabinetry</em></div>
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<strong>While I was antiquing the cabinetry 6 years ago, the powder room in the apartment was one of the tiniest I had ever seen. I suggested to my client that while I was painting and antiquing the cabinetry, I could have one of my artists come in and paint a quick, impressionistic mural that would help make the room seem larger...more expansive and interesting. She agreed - and so it began. Here are some images from the room.</strong><br />
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<strong>See how tiny this powder room is? You really need something interesting in here - or else you'll get claustrophic being in this space!</strong><br />
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<strong>So, after a day's work it was time to fight the traffic again and head back home. It took nearly 3 hours to drive back but I felt great that the day went well and that my client was happy! I took some parting shots while driving (bad girl), but I thought you might like to see them!</strong><br />
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<em>"Slow down, you move too fast!" Going over the 59th Street Bridge!</em></div>
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<strong>Hope you enjoyed my day in New York City. Let me know if you have any comments or questions - would love to answer them.</strong><br />
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Sharing this project at...<br />
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<a href="http://www.betweennapsontheporch.net/" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch;</a> <a href="http://www.niftythriftythings.com/" target="_blank">Nifty Thrifty Things</a>; <a href="http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/" target="_blank">Saturday Nite Special</a>; <a href="http://www.iheartnaptime.net/" target="_blank">Sundae Scoop;</a> <a href="http://www.becolorful.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Be Colorful</a>; <a href="http://www.boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Boogieboard Cottage</a><br />
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</div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-40308460067626819842012-06-23T16:59:00.000-04:002012-06-24T15:04:02.939-04:00A Boat Tour Around My Neighborhood on Long Island<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>I'm changing things up a bit today. I thought some of you might want to see the beautiful place I call home. I think I live in one of the prettiest spots on Long Island - Great River, NY. It's a small town and we even have to pick up our own mail instead of having it delivered. But that gives this place an old timey feel and I really love it.</strong><br />
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<strong>We have a sailboat that we're on most weekends. My husband, Richard, is a diehard sailor and he feels more comfortable and at home on his boat than anywhere else. Sailing is a stress reducer. When you're aboard, life's worries seem to melt away.</strong><br />
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<em>My stepsons, Tim on the left and Dennis, right;</em> <em>My step daughter Megan (without makeup, I must add, right) and brother Dennis...and</em> <em>Megan's so stress-free that she even allows a picture of her toenails and nails in two different shades!</em><br />
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<strong>When we pull out of the dock where we have our slip, you can see one of the beautiful homes on the water...and look at that sky!!! How gorgeous is that??</strong></div>
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<strong>As we make our way on the Connetquot River (it's actually part of the Great South Bay and Connetquot mean Great River in an Indian language), we see lots of boats and beautiful scenery left and right.</strong></div>
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<em>I love sailboats...but I wouldn't mind a spin on that nice yacht!</em></div>
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<em>And here's a cat boat, which only has one main sail. My husband almost bought one of these. You can see that the water was a bit choppy - one of the reasons we only sailed with the jib that day!</em></div>
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<strong>There's a lot of eye candy - housewise - along the way. Everywhere you look, there's a beautiful home and lovely scenery. I'm glad I don't steer too often because we'd topple over if I was in the driver's seat. I only steer and tack (change directions with the jib) when my husband is doing something else!</strong></div>
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<em>The large photo on the left shows The Bayard Cutting Arboretum and the main house on the property (a must see if you ever visit here) . The home styles on the water vary - from Miami Vice-esque modern to traditional and Hamptons beach homes.</em></div>
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<strong>You never know what you will see - maybe even a bird that's not native to the area. As I was snapping away with my Iphone I spotted this bird that was floating and then he submerged himself completely for a really long time (a Houdini bird??) and then only had his neck showing above the water. This was a first for me!!</strong></div>
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<em>There's the bird - in researching it I believe it's a Anhinga (or snake bird) and it's native to the southern part of the east coast of the US.</em> <em> This is the first time I've ever seen this bird.</em></div>
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<em>There he is again - with only his neck sticking out! Amazing! And what do you think of that gorgeous house on the right? I saw that home being built over the past few years. When I walk down to the end of my block - there's a small dock on the water there - and that's the home I see.</em></div>
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<strong>Some of the other sights you'll see on the Connetquot River are Dowling College and the View Restaurant (that used to be called the Riverview and was once part of the William K. Vanderbilt estate).</strong><br />
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<em>Dowling College pics - and The View Restaurant, upper right.</em></div>
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<strong>There's always a lot of sporting activity on the water - kayakers, the crew team practicing, waterskiers, upright paddlers.</strong> <strong>They give kayaking lessons near where we have our boat slip and sometimes it takes a little while to be on our way because of some inexperienced kayakers...but we don't mind - we wait.</strong><br />
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<strong>Here are some more pics of the lovely homes that I see every week...</strong><br />
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<strong>I hope you enjoyed this little tour! Let me know what you think of it - and if you've ever been to Long Island to visit!</strong><br />
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<em>Sharing this with...</em><br />
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<a href="http://www.thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Charm of Home</a></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-32447253340534870802012-06-08T21:28:00.000-04:002012-06-13T13:12:00.752-04:00A Commercial Range Hood Gets a Beauty Treatment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4EyxyNR-I4HTpn462L40iHJEp9hJCywbjVds6deEErow8GfbDObD4xQKV3f-BPHuzcoxTYnogBZ9OyBE34iYi5I8-iWxoGmOgSXUWs7k0MnxA1-nzGz84PLxpZ5_qx8Xd2luVPd8BQLq/s1600/Staci+range+hood+after+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4EyxyNR-I4HTpn462L40iHJEp9hJCywbjVds6deEErow8GfbDObD4xQKV3f-BPHuzcoxTYnogBZ9OyBE34iYi5I8-iWxoGmOgSXUWs7k0MnxA1-nzGz84PLxpZ5_qx8Xd2luVPd8BQLq/s400/Staci+range+hood+after+e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>One of my long time clients, Staci, had a commercial range hood installed in her kitchen. She loves to cook (she's Italian and a great chef!) but she never loved how her residential range hood performed in terms of eliminating cooking odors. She's still be smelling the dinner she cooked for her family that night when she went to bed upstairs. So, in other words, it wasn't working!! Her kitchen is quite large and her cooktop is on the kitchen island and so an exhaust duct (not sure what you call that) would have a long way to travel in order to work properly. </strong><br />
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<strong>She was loving how the commercial range hood was eliminating cooking odors - but boy it was ugly!! So she called me to see if I could help her. Feast your eyes on this monster!</strong><br />
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<em>Lovely...right?</em></div>
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<strong>So, I had my work cut out for me. First of all, it's pretty difficult to paint on a shiny, stainless steel surface because it's hard to get any paint to stick. You can't just use a primer, then paint it and voila! No - you need to degrease the surface (I cleaned it with Krud Kutter, a non toxic cleaner) and then you need to use something to etch into the surface so that it will give you some tooth (painter-speak for "it's OK to paint'). I used a product by Faux Effects called PrimeEtch. I had used this only one time before when a client had asked me to paint and antique her bathroom vanity which was finished with a very shiny factory finish.</strong> <strong>I have to thank Cat Faust at Faux Effects in Florida for telling me how best to apply the primer (thinly, with a sponge brush). I then let it dry overnight to work its magic. When I had first used the product, I was in a hurry so I only let the primer cure for a few hours - but luckily everything worked just beautifully. This stuff is like liquid flypaper (that's what I call it) because it really gives you a great surface that paint can stick to.</strong><br />
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<strong>As always, I did some samples for my client. I had done a lot of work in her home before and I knew her favorite colors and what she liked. </strong><br />
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<em>Sample Board for color and ideas for design</em></div>
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<strong>I also did a sample on the stainless that her installer gave her - to see how the PrimeEtch would work.</strong> <strong>It worked on the sample - so the project was a "go."</strong></div>
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<strong>I blended a 50/50 mix of bronze and copper metallic paint for the basecoat. Copper alone would have been too bright...and bronze alone would have been too dark - so this was the perfect solution.</strong></div>
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<em>Range Hood with the basecoat, without antiquing or design</em></div>
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<strong>I suggested a few decorative motifs from </strong><a href="http://www.modellodesigns.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Modello Designs</strong></a><strong> - which I've talked about before (see the post about how I used an intricate one on my ceiling <a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/2012/04/fifth-wall-importance-of-decorating.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Here</span></a>. This company makes one time use stencils that are truly gorgeous and intricate. Staci chose a lovely wrought iron gate looking design, which would go with the look in her kitchen. She has a lovely piece of wrought iron artwork over one of the doors in her kitchen, so the design would pick up on that. The placement of the design on the hood is perhaps one of the trickiest parts of the process. You have to measure and measure again to make sure the stencil is level and not lopsided. The adhesive on the underside of the Modello is pretty darn tacky...so if you make a mistake - it's not all that forgiving. So - measure twice...place once!</strong></div>
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<em>That's me and my knee up on the scaffold</em></div>
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<em>The design done with dark brown, copper, gold, verdigris and black</em></div>
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<strong>Looks lovely, huh? You always need to do a sample with this method because it's very hard to see what you are doing. Unlike a stencil, which you can lift up to see how light or dark your design is, you can't lift this up until you are done.</strong> <strong>But the designs are so beautiful, it's worth the extra effort to make a sample so you don't overdo or underdo (is that a word?) a color. I wanted to effect an antique wrought iron look, so I started with an overall dark brown - and then I floated in some copper and some pale gold - and then some verdigris color. To finish it off I added some black to help pop the design and give it more depth. Then I gave the entire range hood an antiquing glaze of brown and dark brown...just enough to age it gently and to cut down on some of the shininess of the metallic base.</strong></div>
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<em>(I promise I am going back to take better pictures next week!!)</em></div>
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<strong>I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. So, if you have a range hood like this - don't despair. It can be made beautiful! Let me know what you think of this transformation!</strong></div>
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<strong>Thanks for looking! Please leave me a comment or a question.</strong></div>
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<strong>I will be linking this project up to...</strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.missmustardseed.com/" target="_blank">Miss Mustardseed</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.redouxinteriors.com/" target="_blank">Redoux</a></div>
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</div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-77296750641415106862012-05-31T13:59:00.005-04:002012-06-29T15:36:36.339-04:00Welcoming in Summer! Transforming a Mantle to Celebrate the Season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Although we had a wonderfully snow-free winter (almost, except for the freaky Halloween and one other little storm), I always look forward to the warm weather, swimming, barbequing, sailing and just enjoying going outside without a coat! I've already been in our pool - the water temp got up to 79 degrees (and I know that most of you have to wait til it's high 80s and above) - but I just had to kick start summer by jumping in.</strong><br />
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<strong>So, my house had to get a summer thing going on...and the first place is the mantle! Since we live a block and a half from water, I had to add some sea fans, starfish and coral. And - the birds are a must. My husband's favorites are the small piping plovers, which are endangered here on Long Island.</strong><br />
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<strong>I picked up the bird carvings last summer when I went to pick up an outdoor rattan seating group on Craigslist. The young man selling me the rattan told me that he had some other items from his dad's house that he needed to get rid of and so...of course I had to take a look. The carvings, done by his father, were sitting in dusty boxes but I could see they were wonderful. In fact, one of them got an Honorable Mention in a National Decoy Show.</strong> </div>
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<strong><em>Here's the winner! My husband's favorite.</em></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCifzSLoCvUa1Ow0n8uRv_t_hHu9JaOBuE2THaE7UxE92CfsjG1NWgdv6gELJYc_twqnuBh6bcb9RIqimLZMbEyOJwb5irDL8bt1M0jQWstEBqid4iHemsWsLDGSQaUYHPdO0dEae1jhdR/s1600/summer+mant+badge+photo+ee+to+the+right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCifzSLoCvUa1Ow0n8uRv_t_hHu9JaOBuE2THaE7UxE92CfsjG1NWgdv6gELJYc_twqnuBh6bcb9RIqimLZMbEyOJwb5irDL8bt1M0jQWstEBqid4iHemsWsLDGSQaUYHPdO0dEae1jhdR/s320/summer+mant+badge+photo+ee+to+the+right.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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<strong>And whenever I decorate anything in my house, there always has to be things that jog my memory and bring me back to a different time in my life.</strong> <strong>One of these is the centerpiece, the framed antique print. I've had this since about 1979 and I bought it in Manhattan at the Argosy Bookstore on 59th Street. The <a href="http://www.argosybooks.com/shop/argosy/index.html" target="_blank">Argosy</a>, still in business after 87 years, is a treasure trove of old prints and books that I always loved to browse in. Back then I only had a little bit of money to spend on artwork - but this wasn't too expensive and it reminded me of myself with my children. I was a single mom then and this image helped get me through some hard times.</strong></div>
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<em><strong>The title "The Good Mother" gave me solace when times were bad</strong></em></div>
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<strong>I didn't even have the money to get it framed but years later a wonderful boyfriend got it framed for me. It was done beautifully with an gold and antique blue frame - which used to go with my living room furniture. But in my home now, I had to re-stain the frame in an antique green to blend better with the decor on the mantle.</strong></div>
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<strong>And the urns? Well, these were the first things I bought at the New York Gift Show when I went into the design field.</strong> <strong>They look antique (although they aren't) and the landscapes on them seem to go well with my antique print. </strong></div>
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<strong>So, I hope you enjoyed my little homage to summer (with some of my memories thrown in!).</strong></div>
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<strong>You might also enjoy reading how I created the mantle and gilded and antiqued it.</strong> <strong> </strong><a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/2012/04/gold-leafing-and-antiquing-fireplace.html" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to read about it!</strong></a></div>
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<strong>I am sharing this project with....</strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.theletteredcottage.net/" target="_blank">The Lettered Cottage</a></div>
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<a href="http://cherishedbliss.com/" target="_blank">Cherished Bliss</a>; <a href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savvy Southern Style</a>; <a href="http://www.diybydesign.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">DIY By Design</a>; <a href="http://www.redouxinteriors.com/" target="_blank">Redoux Interiors</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Shabby Nest</a>; <a href="http://www.romantichome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Romantic Home</a>; <a href="http://www.504main.com/" target="_blank">Tickled Pink</a>; <a href="http://www.tatertotsandjello.com/" target="_blank">Weekend Wrapup Party</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">French Country Cottage</a>; <a href="http://www.ourdiydiaries.com/" target="_blank">Our DIY Diaries</a>; <a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.net/" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch</a>; <a href="http://www.niftythrifythings.com/" target="_blank">Nifty Thrifty Things</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.linesacross.com/" target="_blank">Lines Across</a>; <a href="http://www.boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Boogie Board Cottage</a>; <a href="http://www.sumosweetstuff.com/" target="_blank">Market Yourself Monday</a>; <a href="http://www.notjustahousewife.net/" target="_blank">Not Just a Housewife</a>; <a href="http://www.tipjunkie.com/" target="_blank">Tip Junkie;</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/" target="_blank">Sugar Bee</a>; <a href="http://www.cherishedbliss.com/" target="_blank">Cherished Bliss;</a> <a href="http://www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Diamond in the Stuff;</a> <a href="http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/" target="_blank">Reasons to Skip the Housework;</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.passsionatelyartistic.com/" target="_blank">Passionately Artistic;</a> <a href="http://www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our Delightful Home</a>; <a href="http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/" target="_blank">Home Stories A to Z;</a> <a href="http://www.thediydreamer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The DIY Dreamer</a></div>
</div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-3438757310134949092012-05-14T09:16:00.003-04:002012-05-22T13:36:49.389-04:00The San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2012: Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>As promised, some other images and ideas from the Showcase House in beautiful San Francisco, CA. The Showcase was situated in Laurel Heights, which is one of the most beautiful enclaves in SF. There's a lot of history in this area - and the surrounding houses show it.</strong><br />
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<strong>One of the most lovely areas was the upstairs terrace. I could have stayed there all day! It had views that went on forever of the area but the decorations on the terrace itself were so incredibly gorgeous.</strong> <br />
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgx9rlKkKH0klcf7y3Wce83BlOJYTng7D0LQRJz0db137ytCE4GD_m8F1ljIckt78KlhtGUuF2TYpU0a6cQ-JrsMEEXFnfK6vm7OYVpQg03FFD1QtEve-7OCXHA7qRlnqf9SSCNw4Y_ET/s640/upstairs+porch+photo.JPG" width="480" /></div>
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<strong><em>The "Roof Terrace" by </em></strong><a href="http://www.frankholbrookdesign.com/" target="_blank"><strong><em>Frank Holbrook Design</em></strong></a></div>
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<strong>I just loved this furniture from the Barlett Collection with these tiger striped ottomans with the green and coral fabrics.</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22uRYEZWdofDV80-wYT7Ui91x15yCZjlhXmINMF11INY1gv5jV0kyyPA8Qr2ZOg8CPqXK-Modq1hsCGhyC0gputZSFCbn3JBxr1McNc5vsO6SQQN-eHssIbYtwAiWGPv1yhdBg3KtnBF7/s1600/porch+3+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22uRYEZWdofDV80-wYT7Ui91x15yCZjlhXmINMF11INY1gv5jV0kyyPA8Qr2ZOg8CPqXK-Modq1hsCGhyC0gputZSFCbn3JBxr1McNc5vsO6SQQN-eHssIbYtwAiWGPv1yhdBg3KtnBF7/s640/porch+3+photo.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<strong><em>The plantings on the terrace were so colorful and sumptuous (and more purple hues!)</em></strong></div>
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<strong>I loved this 1920s marble console, which the designer aged by painting over the original brass base. Purists would say "Don't touch it!" but I think it looks great and in keeping with the theme and color fo the terrace. Beautiful job! I love the old watering can with the hydrangeas spilling out - I have been thinking of doing this with an antique red watering can that I bought recently at the New York Gift Show. </strong></div>
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<strong>Look at the views and the wonderful table setting! Woudn't you want to just sit here, </strong></div>
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<strong>relax...and have a cocktail?</strong></div>
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<strong>Some of the more unusual designs at the Showcase, included this really unique and beautiful elevator in the home that was inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Designed by <a href="http://www.lawannacathleen.com/" target="_blank">Lawanna Cathleen Endonino</a>, the outside was a nailhead studded keyhole on the faux ostrich door. </strong></div>
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<strong>The picture above doesn't really do it justice - but it was a lovely vignette with wallpapered walls of Osborn & Little/Designer's Guild <em>Nubucco Gold Watelet</em> Wallpaper. Once inside it was difficult to tell which was was in and which way was out! There was soft music playing and wonderful mood lighting. I loved it.</strong></div>
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Another unusal room was the upper floor powder room. I stayed inside this room for a while because it was really so unique. The mirror was a work of art.</div>
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The designers, Joe McGuire and Sophia Kabler Cowley of <a href="http://www.kcsestates.com/" target="_blank">KCS Inc</a>, wanted to blur the typical lines of mirror and vanity and so they created this mosaic of tile and mirror on the wall. The mirror cuts away to reveal "Tacciato Diva" tile by Walker Zanger. This artistic feat must have taken many days to do - it was really beautiful.</div>
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Another unusual room was the first floor bathroom. This was a" bathroom as gallery." created by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.maisonry.com" target="_blank">Ma(i)sonry</a> designers, Michael Polenske and Carissa Duncan. It featured a chandelier made of an umbrella with "airport-confiscated" scissors hanging from it and a clawfoot tub filled with scissors.</div>
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<a href="http://photos.mercurynews.com/2012/05/celebrating-35-years-of-the-san-francisco-decorator-showcase/9695/#5" target="_blank">Via</a></div>
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This room also featured repurposed fixtures and petrified wood - as well as antique books and other treasure (notably a sculpture made from book pages). </div>
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Another very unusual room was the Dining Room. I could have stayed there for hours, just eyeing all the beautiful changes and designs in this room. Created byMarysia Rybock of <a href="http://www.scavullodesign.com/" target="_blank">Scavullo Design,</a> this very clearly grand, Victorian architectural space was transformed into a modern and informal place to eat and entertain. Also note, the room was sporting some high chairs and splashes of purple/lilac - which I found in many of the rooms in the Showcase.</div>
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The use of multiple resin tables makes the room more playful, modern, as well as informal and functional. I loved the creative use of reindeer moss on the stone fireplace that was beyond repair. This was a stroke of genius - and it adds to the whimsy of the room. Another modern touch was on the traditional mural that had some "bubble quotations" from the figures, i.e. "I never looked so good." </div>
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Another fabulous room that was out of the ordinary was the "Teen Only Hang Out Room," designed by Emily Meghannam of <a href="http://www.emdesigninteriors.com/" target="_blank">EM Design Interiors</a>. Just one look at the ceiling's removable wallpaper and the funky chandelier, you knew you were in for a unique treat.</div>
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I loved the sofa pit idea - my kids (and I) would have loved a room like this. I thought that the heart shaped photo collage as a focal point was a great idea - something I would like to do in my stepdaughter's room at home. I also loved the retro use of the bar cart and the neon sign saying "You Only Live Once."</div>
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More images coming soon!!! Hope that you enjoyed this. For more information go to <a href="http://www.decoratorshowcase.org/" target="_blank">San Francisco Decorator Showcase.</a> The show runs until May 28th. The location is 202 Jackson St in San Francisco. It's so worth a visit</div>
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Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-28771705341538586482012-05-09T17:24:00.000-04:002012-05-22T13:45:49.488-04:00Here are a Few of My Favorite Images from the San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2012: Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Hi everyone...I had the pleasure of attending the San Francisco Designer Showcase yesterday with my daughter, Jessica. We stole some precious "girl time," since daddy was going to mind my little granddaughter, Peyton.</b><br />
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<b>Most of the pictures, taken with my iPhone, were a bit rushed because even though I was technically allowed to take photographs because I am a design blogger - it seemed every docent in the Showhouse hurried me on when I was snapping away...and there was always someone in my way!! Anyway - the people at the Showhouse were much more lenient than any I've experienced in New York.</b><br />
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<b>The first thing you saw was an entire green wall, made from beautiful succulents, designed by <a href="http://www.livinggreen.com/" target="_blank">Davis Dalbok</a> of Living Green as well as Plants on Walls. I would love to do this in one part of my backyard. This is gorgeous.</b><b><br /></b><br />
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<strong><em>The beautiful sculpture just adds to the serenity</em></strong></div>
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<b>The entry hall, by <a href="http://www.dararosenfelddesign.com/" target="_blank">Dara Rosenfeld</a>, was beautiful. I gravitated to the zebra Porter chairs that flanked a very stately fireplace first. I had blogged about Porter chairs before - the history of them and how they are being used now. You can read that post <a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/2012/01/today-i-am-lovingporter-chairs.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTO7MF1VEboexbAFIdZpWpqdYJHcpkQxEaupwVTJxnFxEmVowexs-Ygo1v4wmnGB3Cz2jxNI5RCAOqi7ZBde4sR6SWyaUBvpAEPa0FHfD4-6CAzbKZnYehtK5-0_ieIkI7mj8MgFE4Rm1/s1600/Zebra+Porter+chairs+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTO7MF1VEboexbAFIdZpWpqdYJHcpkQxEaupwVTJxnFxEmVowexs-Ygo1v4wmnGB3Cz2jxNI5RCAOqi7ZBde4sR6SWyaUBvpAEPa0FHfD4-6CAzbKZnYehtK5-0_ieIkI7mj8MgFE4Rm1/s640/Zebra+Porter+chairs+e.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i>The zebra hide Porter chairs are drop dead gorgeous!</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ahY8_PE5FQUEWJah9_kQOi3jHcGW09TZLlqiAkpJs_jF0EGelKEYg2SHxN3szVE8yYy89Q91mEcBMN7n-u-AkIqMns4-qoCZdfZ-Mpp_dn4ihTGrRFIPzndspEDe3vPUsq8Slf3NausN/s1600/hall+mantle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ahY8_PE5FQUEWJah9_kQOi3jHcGW09TZLlqiAkpJs_jF0EGelKEYg2SHxN3szVE8yYy89Q91mEcBMN7n-u-AkIqMns4-qoCZdfZ-Mpp_dn4ihTGrRFIPzndspEDe3vPUsq8Slf3NausN/s640/hall+mantle.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<i>The gorgeous fireplace mantle in the hall is original to the house</i></div>
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Other trends at the Showcase House...</div>
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Besides these chairs, many rooms sported other kinds of tall chairs. I also saw several striped rooms, but instead of vertical...they were horizontal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv4xCELrBSFKE0odf92Fyl5dwFyNrnRW0eC2D_ercEGuOfk3ahB5Zmpr1z1JFUBdEeocUmNPdMqVDjkPdTJtxoSqoPJIwQCqrM1Z1FIdI3id_6lxZYQd98znD9MrwMnNrTuV2042b-JSu/s1600/bedroom+with+horiz+stripes+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv4xCELrBSFKE0odf92Fyl5dwFyNrnRW0eC2D_ercEGuOfk3ahB5Zmpr1z1JFUBdEeocUmNPdMqVDjkPdTJtxoSqoPJIwQCqrM1Z1FIdI3id_6lxZYQd98znD9MrwMnNrTuV2042b-JSu/s640/bedroom+with+horiz+stripes+2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I love how the designer, <a href="http://www.heatherhilliard.com/" target="_blank">Heather Hilliard Design</a>, just ignored the panels (and the fireplace columns, see above) in the room and had the decorative artist - Willem Racke - stripe right over them. Trust me - that is not an easy thing to do because the woodwork etc. will tend to get your stripe off kilter. It seems to lend a sculptural quality to the room and it blends so beautifully with the other elements in the room. (And speaking of sculpture - look at the fireplace screen!) </div>
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Even the custom headboard was striped - this increases the peacefulness and the serenity of the room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPTTMs-xEcCnaqdE6cl3c81XHV4zqAqnZggMaUH4XaCcZfXgvpn3DRBRYx3_LPyLwxyZbvPY3peLASpQDGX7WXrG2wG16P5sejJ0S9H-yhYrBYU40a0DN9EeQXTXl8d5DOVeODePvIaOG/s1600/bedroom+with+horiz+4+JPG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPTTMs-xEcCnaqdE6cl3c81XHV4zqAqnZggMaUH4XaCcZfXgvpn3DRBRYx3_LPyLwxyZbvPY3peLASpQDGX7WXrG2wG16P5sejJ0S9H-yhYrBYU40a0DN9EeQXTXl8d5DOVeODePvIaOG/s640/bedroom+with+horiz+4+JPG.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b>I've heard that some people don't understand horizontal striping - but when done beautifully, as in this room, it lends a peaceful quality to a space. You know how calming it is to look at a horizon? That's the effect that horizontal stripes have in a room. And you feel peaceful in this bedroom - so it really works. </b></div>
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<b>Another trend I noticed was the use of natural materials - burlap and linen and fabric, in general, to cover open shelving, as below. </b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWCcpreJ6v0JhA1pa6ghfRWLxWHw1VLJxRGe4RY1p2mghR3d1gPKXpmgnyRMwvAvqYll2XdSZIEL7CssrzKPxJ68CHL29bsl5vqpoY_8J4UJj_hZAPf7Li1sBB7_l_rzXbsD8FulQ0qwX/s1600/closet+with+nat+curtain+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWCcpreJ6v0JhA1pa6ghfRWLxWHw1VLJxRGe4RY1p2mghR3d1gPKXpmgnyRMwvAvqYll2XdSZIEL7CssrzKPxJ68CHL29bsl5vqpoY_8J4UJj_hZAPf7Li1sBB7_l_rzXbsD8FulQ0qwX/s640/closet+with+nat+curtain+1.JPG" width="480" /></a></b></div>
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<b>Fabrics were used to cover unsightly items - like the washer and dryer below in the "Press Room," by <a href="http://www.lisabakamis.com/" target="_blank">Lisa Bakamis Interior Design</a>.</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhXpAJp43oZEDlDIxiAjypZN9CnvdOCo_Z057lq2moumxO3_cz1VA4dpwcBTh0tJMecxvpxP-P4xfqTPtZr3aBcXuvy1fhnYjaqgU3AE4RuebF9unIew89ZfGO82rsZi8TtzWGIdSZxGY/s1600/press+rm+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhXpAJp43oZEDlDIxiAjypZN9CnvdOCo_Z057lq2moumxO3_cz1VA4dpwcBTh0tJMecxvpxP-P4xfqTPtZr3aBcXuvy1fhnYjaqgU3AE4RuebF9unIew89ZfGO82rsZi8TtzWGIdSZxGY/s640/press+rm+3.JPG" width="480" /></a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqoJew5kegi2avnihAvbtRARkoWsn-bvyI6qACSSePlmO1hF8X7nzA3DSB913DNI9evzsCjFjrK3zs-fQgybF48WC7ftCCo7UQmla3inSkQQOVvHjSinJ85sVJrjCrkifhVObx9h6kcGt/s1600/press+rm+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqoJew5kegi2avnihAvbtRARkoWsn-bvyI6qACSSePlmO1hF8X7nzA3DSB913DNI9evzsCjFjrK3zs-fQgybF48WC7ftCCo7UQmla3inSkQQOVvHjSinJ85sVJrjCrkifhVObx9h6kcGt/s640/press+rm+4.JPG" width="480" /></a></b></div>
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<b><i>More of the Press Room - using some of the other trends...graphic, trellis wallpaper and mounted black and white photos (love the "black strip"s over the eyes - a humorous touch)</i></b></div>
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And fabric - this time an Hermes scarf, was used behind glass paned cabinets...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicyVw6MFGsvONPZXhKXAXd6UFhSIS7cbSaTeQrJA0Nij3Fu-nU5GrplZ2ry_QyckkRz8UUXxumlzJmrgeT-kvTFeeudUvY8FDl90AEYpzxUOFlEmbURTUCnLuai4HJzFFGzyHLhxqgcXl/s1600/fabirc+behind+glass+closet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicyVw6MFGsvONPZXhKXAXd6UFhSIS7cbSaTeQrJA0Nij3Fu-nU5GrplZ2ry_QyckkRz8UUXxumlzJmrgeT-kvTFeeudUvY8FDl90AEYpzxUOFlEmbURTUCnLuai4HJzFFGzyHLhxqgcXl/s640/fabirc+behind+glass+closet.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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From "Her Office," designed by <a href="http://www.catherinekwong.com/" target="_blank">Catherine Kwong</a></div>
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There was also a lot of purple and lavendar fabrics and colors being used in the Showcase. I was really taken with this lovely bathroom by <a href="http://www.artisticdesignsforliving.com/" target="_blank">Tineke Triggs</a> of Artistic Designs for Living.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4z8WWrB494hx5Steb-Bs-QeohTOKPp3G6iHeFoZ6UvKd_RTjJL0XDB7MrGZT40JjYxNZOhpzmFqnsRdD9OfVIcOQ4uWXjjPnfHLhKSQ6zV1a234GuQEU3QABGfbEVMG2YNaDVnGuk7ky/s1600/bathroom+wall+with+sconces+and+sunburst+mirror+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4z8WWrB494hx5Steb-Bs-QeohTOKPp3G6iHeFoZ6UvKd_RTjJL0XDB7MrGZT40JjYxNZOhpzmFqnsRdD9OfVIcOQ4uWXjjPnfHLhKSQ6zV1a234GuQEU3QABGfbEVMG2YNaDVnGuk7ky/s640/bathroom+wall+with+sconces+and+sunburst+mirror+e.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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The sconces, by Visual Comfort, lend a sophisticated elegance to the room. I just adore the pattern on the wall. It was taken from the designer's favorite fabric - but blown up and stenciled on the wall by Laura Smith Blair. It looks a little like Jane Shelton's Vermicelli Square - but I'm not 100% certain. Anyone know this pattern?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9YQl73Ffsi-ViSBzujknHCU0KQvaWKfCklwLw22_iL53ICaS-GCj85Zu4rKkTRHADeKFMuF9m8Rt8QdedUrnTYvGRuFmUnISbN47LGKh9hp9tq1FoSnaaqNgUNzV0YqW3VkI1P2_oCo7/s1600/ceiling+with+stencil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9YQl73Ffsi-ViSBzujknHCU0KQvaWKfCklwLw22_iL53ICaS-GCj85Zu4rKkTRHADeKFMuF9m8Rt8QdedUrnTYvGRuFmUnISbN47LGKh9hp9tq1FoSnaaqNgUNzV0YqW3VkI1P2_oCo7/s640/ceiling+with+stencil.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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And the ceiling in this bathroom, featuring a beautifully stencilled design in gold, was made more lovely with this chandelier, from DeSousa Hughes, which echoes the sunburst mirror.</div>
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Other touches of purple include...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4SYj3W7NbIoGc9RJAV89rRPiXKBZcPFSN89r81tcpUj5kOwdKlXAmBoF6FX0QP5NXNZ4yfnJQxamUf9Wxd7-Egmf7udb0SC4Z0g87h2oh68aWqgvQ2zd034RqY17rr9uAsQw0xZHB9E4/s1600/Chanel+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4SYj3W7NbIoGc9RJAV89rRPiXKBZcPFSN89r81tcpUj5kOwdKlXAmBoF6FX0QP5NXNZ4yfnJQxamUf9Wxd7-Egmf7udb0SC4Z0g87h2oh68aWqgvQ2zd034RqY17rr9uAsQw0xZHB9E4/s640/Chanel+e.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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From "Her Office" by <a href="http://www.catherinekwong.com/" target="_blank">Catherine Kwong</a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlvlhGEg7FOgpeeTpdMJ2vvgVzJD5HY-BNKpRs9BF_3vOeIPIbeMGEQVlLhOV0bOXSCl3ZGAq2u6jeBXO2ewCrghSuNXfGc00gZxw3lg4hXeF2UMCqX2G6TBHuuC4aw6TaohvqbDla6OE/s1600/bedroom+upstairs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlvlhGEg7FOgpeeTpdMJ2vvgVzJD5HY-BNKpRs9BF_3vOeIPIbeMGEQVlLhOV0bOXSCl3ZGAq2u6jeBXO2ewCrghSuNXfGc00gZxw3lg4hXeF2UMCqX2G6TBHuuC4aw6TaohvqbDla6OE/s640/bedroom+upstairs.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Guest Bedroom by <a href="http://www.mattmurphystudio.com/" target="_blank">Matt Murphy Studio</a></div>
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More images and trends from the Showcase in the next post!</div>
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Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-38569472945049652572012-04-28T12:23:00.000-04:002012-05-22T13:27:33.166-04:00Another Decorative Idea for Wainscoting: Raised Stenciling Over Stried Texture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Hi Everyone...</b><br />
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<b>I just wanted to do a quick blog post while I'm away in CA. I have to go back to this home to take better photos...but I thought I'd share another idea for panels in wainscoting.</b><br />
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<b>A friend of mine, interior designer, Rosemarie Spratt, wanted something very special for her entryway - she wanted it to be drop dead gorgeous! Oh boy - not too much to ask of me, right? We first used a cinnamon color on her walls - and then troweled on a metallic plaster in a brown suede color from Modern Masters on her walls.</b><br />
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<b>1) For the wainscoting panels - y</b><b>ou can use any texture you'd like, but I used a mixture of two products from Faux Effects - 1 part PlasterTex and 1 part Softex. I rolled it on and then I took a wallpaper brush and stried the texture to form a vertical design.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJdv7WB8lqST1QS-3xoiHdvTbE2w6vRrsSWrVpmQfbWmGycz3hKdh0n_D2vAr_OM6xS8btGoTKOcm-Rr2qH27s77IH6NkMzglA-ivUnYf2qlbIKUkl9Upp1g-vW_DpfaelexmnuMI3wCn/s1600/Rosemarie+before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJdv7WB8lqST1QS-3xoiHdvTbE2w6vRrsSWrVpmQfbWmGycz3hKdh0n_D2vAr_OM6xS8btGoTKOcm-Rr2qH27s77IH6NkMzglA-ivUnYf2qlbIKUkl9Upp1g-vW_DpfaelexmnuMI3wCn/s640/Rosemarie+before.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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Before...Nice, but Plain!</div>
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<b>2) Then, after it was dry, I did an embossed stencil. I used two designs from Royal Design Studio - <a href="http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/collections/motif-stencils/products/delicate-floral-panel-a-stencil" target="_blank">Delicate Floral Panels</a>. Size-wise, they fit these panels perfectly. To get the raised design, I used PlasterTex as the texture. Then, I let it dry.</b><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>3) I painted all the panels with a bronzey/copper metallic paint. Again, you can use any one that you'd like but I used two mixed colors of Faux Effects' Metal Glow paint.</b></div>
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<b>4) When that was dry, I antiqued all the panels with a dark brown glaze.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kVpSpdxCPItUFVoztLvVs5dcdAoqXE7UBcMcTVnCku2XcK23J63oeGZkA5AG0aXMpOFabikDuUa76gGBm49oUg3QnlQDDpZE881THo2cYRdMa2zGAi0Vjw3rQp6dfZnSV9FJJdBY1wqx/s1600/Rosemarie+entire+entry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kVpSpdxCPItUFVoztLvVs5dcdAoqXE7UBcMcTVnCku2XcK23J63oeGZkA5AG0aXMpOFabikDuUa76gGBm49oUg3QnlQDDpZE881THo2cYRdMa2zGAi0Vjw3rQp6dfZnSV9FJJdBY1wqx/s640/Rosemarie+entire+entry.jpg" width="479" /></a></div>
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The Entryway After</div>
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<b>5) For the final touch, I antiqued all the moldings with the same dark brown glaze. </b></div>
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<strong>Here are some other pics from the project...</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub4QTnm2-NV2Nyzwe2G45U9HDdGt27ofAt5ZxjZZerr67TrNV205HQ1UpkF6pp1UhBBeV1ZMIm2_7D2JAhtta-v6LGGghCuxlQPR_Ild2xIMMDrTlVdul8PwtL9Jt3WP-jNjUVhKO0M4t/s1600/Rose+Marie+closeup+2+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub4QTnm2-NV2Nyzwe2G45U9HDdGt27ofAt5ZxjZZerr67TrNV205HQ1UpkF6pp1UhBBeV1ZMIm2_7D2JAhtta-v6LGGghCuxlQPR_Ild2xIMMDrTlVdul8PwtL9Jt3WP-jNjUVhKO0M4t/s640/Rose+Marie+closeup+2+e.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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And here's a peek into her powder room, while I will blog about very soon!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VH_B28rEaaHzCbKCQENvu1vXxDM6l-I6k6D0__xvE0593AkdyH42jEbc_Eh_Th8PRr9b-cUuEIeMV2BPN8apEd0zn6903ntYBSEzylh8HMgjBY_xXeSQDWB-kJggGk2-c6EMPk-2DCGu/s1600/Rose+Marie+entry+and+bath+e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VH_B28rEaaHzCbKCQENvu1vXxDM6l-I6k6D0__xvE0593AkdyH42jEbc_Eh_Th8PRr9b-cUuEIeMV2BPN8apEd0zn6903ntYBSEzylh8HMgjBY_xXeSQDWB-kJggGk2-c6EMPk-2DCGu/s640/Rose+Marie+entry+and+bath+e.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
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<b>This was a fairly huge entryway, so the entire project took about 8 days to do. But - it was so worth it - Rosemarie loves her entryway - and that's the most important thing, right? </b></div>
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<b>I promise to go back and re-shoot this project. So, please return again soon to see more pictures of this gorgeous room.</b></div>
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<b>Thanks for looking! You also may want to see another way I decorated wainscoting - with burlap...<a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/2012/02/glazed-burlap-inserts-in-faux.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b></div>
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<b>I'll be linking this project up to...</b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.missmustardseed.com/" target="_blank">Miss Mustardseed</a></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.redouxinteriors.com/" target="_blank">Redoux Interiors</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.atthepicketfence.com/" target="_blank">At the Picket Fence</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ourdiydiaries.com/" target="_blank">Our DIY Diaries</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savvy Southern Style</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.domestically-speaking.com/" target="_blank">Domestically Speaking</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.romantichome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Romantic Home</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.504main.com/" target="_blank">504 Main</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Shabby Nest</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/" target="_blank">Under the Table and Dreaming</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Brambleberry Cottage</a></div>
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<br /></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-26222099042718399472012-04-27T12:21:00.000-04:002012-04-27T12:22:14.414-04:00My New Little Masterpiece<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Hi everyone...</b><br />
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<b>As some of you know, I am out in California visiting my new little granddaughter, Peyton - who is the most precious little bundle of joy. I thought I'd post a picture of her that was done professionally. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8I_Cq9-q35Cd6GErs_TvYxrkHmCgCjfIH3IdQkuQx8BI7vT4nLRYK6WDGmRM4UL6588vGAXigw7e8XttOwP0_Cca4vW_Ys1vxgzi-xTSU3CinI5ZO6lKj4f2-tLKMRaCwB0P185Y7m2W-/s1600/Peyton+4.13.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8I_Cq9-q35Cd6GErs_TvYxrkHmCgCjfIH3IdQkuQx8BI7vT4nLRYK6WDGmRM4UL6588vGAXigw7e8XttOwP0_Cca4vW_Ys1vxgzi-xTSU3CinI5ZO6lKj4f2-tLKMRaCwB0P185Y7m2W-/s640/Peyton+4.13.12.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<b>She's such a great baby too. She was a bit fussy last night - but she finally went to sleep at 9:45PM and didn't get up until 5:30AM. </b></div>
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<b>I love her to pieces!!!</b></div>
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<br /></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-62690191661423033152012-04-23T18:45:00.000-04:002012-05-10T13:55:37.634-04:00Creating an Elegant Powder Room<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>A friend, and now a client, wanted a beautiful powder room. She hated the dark color that was on the wall (originally a maroon hue). She also disliked the glass shower door in the room and so when I asked who takes showers here...she said "No one!" So, I asked her if she'd love to have a beautiful window treatment instead. "Yes," was the answer. </b><br />
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<b>The flooring in the room was the one thing that could not be changed (at least, not budget-wise) and it was a pretty strong blue-green with silvery taupe overtones. I found a few fabrics that blended beautifully with the flooring that the client loved - one in particular she adored. However, when I went to call up to order it - it was no longer being made. Darn. So, back to the drawing board.</b><br />
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<b>The floor color was a very difficult color to find a fabric for. Either it was too blue or too green. It was maddening! But, I finally found a gorgeous fabric at Robert Allen that fit the bill. After that, I started to create some sample boards for the wall finish. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyRRfKnLdNvsU_FcFQ5gCWPPTCME4_waQsgjB83tGINUmVFk918mlMVpRNbnER4iUN9mAg6_1c2d2VVtFsgSp3NRZwdiHnIjziVSz9Tly89w7B-bLQbA7acFscD0tujD1N9nCR6I6Y5Q-/s1600/1)+base+paint+on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyRRfKnLdNvsU_FcFQ5gCWPPTCME4_waQsgjB83tGINUmVFk918mlMVpRNbnER4iUN9mAg6_1c2d2VVtFsgSp3NRZwdiHnIjziVSz9Tly89w7B-bLQbA7acFscD0tujD1N9nCR6I6Y5Q-/s1600/1)+base+paint+on.jpg" /> </a></div>
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A Blue-green (Staffordshire Blue from Benjamin Moore) was painted on the upper wall and white painted beadboard was added to the room that used to be a dark maroon.</div>
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<b>I suggested a blue green wall color but with a pearl glaze with some added silver streaked in - stried. The client was purchasing a mirrored vanity that had all polished nickel fixtures - so the silver glaze added would bring a little bit of that tone on the wall.</b> <b>A vertical strie would help the room seem taller</b>. <b>A strie (or "stripe" in French) is a glaze or a texture that gets put on a wall or molding/furniture - and then removed or manipulated with a brush to create "striations." This finish adds a touch of elegance to a room.</b></div>
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Off came the shower door... </div>
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Yours truly....doing the stried finish on the upper wall</div>
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<b>The toughest part of doing a stried finish is trying to keep the lines straight!!</b> <b>You never end up with something 100% perfect, but you can get very close...at least visually. The other thing you have to be careful about is where the tape meets the molding (especially, in this case, by the beadboard). To avoid a build-up of glaze, after you do your downward stroke, you should sweep back up gentl</b>y.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxI4Q5qVf874qw4xjKHeoSDs2w1chGZSPDJfjnABVBolXysWcdJ2KdU_ySG9ybIAUy7TZ1DfUuUZJTNBnwb9wSg0cpO_lUvDzdZsn5x2i_O0JLK_qEdxB91B9q_hrfTLpOk8rQxIYeoq3/s1600/during+antiquing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxI4Q5qVf874qw4xjKHeoSDs2w1chGZSPDJfjnABVBolXysWcdJ2KdU_ySG9ybIAUy7TZ1DfUuUZJTNBnwb9wSg0cpO_lUvDzdZsn5x2i_O0JLK_qEdxB91B9q_hrfTLpOk8rQxIYeoq3/s1600/during+antiquing.jpg" /></a></div>
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A Closeup of the Stried Upper Wall and the Beginning of Antiquing the Beadboard</div>
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I<b>nstead of keeping the beadboard white, I suggested that we antique it to blend better with the fabric that was chosen for the "window treatment." I mixed up some Dark Brown and Van Dyke Brown into a Silver glaze. </b></div>
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The Finale!</div>
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<b>And, here it is! II wish you could see the fabric better - it's gorgeous...and the tassel is to die for! It was a bit tough taking a picture of this room - I couldn't get enough light - but this is fairly close to the look. </b></div>
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<b>I just have to place some decorative items inside the shower. I will post pictures of the mirrored vanity and the beautiful light fixture purchased for the room when it arrives!</b></div>
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<b>I'll be linking up here:</b></div>
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<b><a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch</a> </b></div>
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<a href="http://www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savvy Southern Style</a></div>
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<a href="http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/" target="_blank">My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.redouxinteriors.com/" target="_blank">Redoux</a></div>
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<br /></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-13555576281540146192012-04-23T13:10:00.001-04:002012-04-23T13:10:47.752-04:00Happy Birthday William Shakespeare!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare. I was an English major - way back when - and I have always celebrated The Bard's birthday in one way or another. Today - he gets a blog post! One of favorite English professors, Dr. Leonard Albert at Hunter College, used to remind us that "Shakespeare was a true genius. He was born and he died on the same day!"</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rBGvNpUN8Cg2l98LOw0Gi7ZPjlvAbvtgjq1IGLekbbzz-CYFocqYRnJxwu_xybSYwfL56Gx8v_2a9bTOpD7XwgZzu8hLX6Qqv8hNp1oruqopecbI1h5WpOuS3dLyRAT2-mWgc6GLHxKW/s1600/Shakespeare+estock_commonswiki_304015_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rBGvNpUN8Cg2l98LOw0Gi7ZPjlvAbvtgjq1IGLekbbzz-CYFocqYRnJxwu_xybSYwfL56Gx8v_2a9bTOpD7XwgZzu8hLX6Qqv8hNp1oruqopecbI1h5WpOuS3dLyRAT2-mWgc6GLHxKW/s640/Shakespeare+estock_commonswiki_304015_l.jpg" width="450" /> </a></div>
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<b>I usually read passages from Hamlet, The Tempest or MacBeth or from his sonnets and I honor the man whose work has been questioned as his own recently</b>. <b>I still think his words are his words and I will continue to be in awe of</b> <b>how he changed the English language forever. He painted with words and very few writers have come close to the mastery that I believe is his alone.</b></div>
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<b>In the summer of 2001, my future husband and I went to France and while we were in Paris I just had to go to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. The original and very famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore (the store today is the second incarnation) was started by Sylvia Beach, an ex-patriate from New Jersey. It was frequented by Hemingway, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Joyce, among others. It was a bookstore and a lending library as well and it was here that you could borrow the banned <i>Lady Chatterley's Lover </i>by DH Lawrence. Ms. Beach was also famous as the publisher of James Joyce's <i>Ulysses</i> - one of the world's most famous banned books.</b></div>
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<b>The interior of the bookstore is something to behold. Books are all over the place (see the picture below) - piled up in stacks and stacks and it's amazing to think that people actually find things that they are looking for here. But the store is a wonderful tribute to the love of books, which I'm sad to say has been waning in this ipad and e-reader age. </b></div>
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<b>So, Happy Birthday Will. May your words live on...and may printed books continue to be published and continue to fascinate and inspire us.</b></div>
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</div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-75065847313447021172012-04-20T17:17:00.000-04:002012-05-06T19:37:48.439-04:00Gold Leafing and Antiquing a Fireplace Mantle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>When I finally convinced my husband that we needed a kitchen renovation, I figured that if I got him that far...let me see if I can also get another room added on - a great room, off the kitchen. Amazingly he said "yes!" This was a few years ago - and I have been working on this great room since then. It's been a work in progress.</b><br />
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<b>Since my laptop is in the repair shop (my hard drive was damaged...so I won't have access to a lot of my pictures til next week or so), I'd like to share the pictures I do have to show you the work I did on the room.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXbP5yrXX5TUougm6-hqOCfRyKiir5woFpmrqp9HmKDQA9fvciB-3Jd1ot1sQ03iiv946H1CNzUNflWBUxgOl6ZqVqvlxDjcpsIP-ezHCt69bz5XqjZJ04Zly6Sy_jNun0X7fAESCWdpH/s1600/a+our+great_room-before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXbP5yrXX5TUougm6-hqOCfRyKiir5woFpmrqp9HmKDQA9fvciB-3Jd1ot1sQ03iiv946H1CNzUNflWBUxgOl6ZqVqvlxDjcpsIP-ezHCt69bz5XqjZJ04Zly6Sy_jNun0X7fAESCWdpH/s640/a+our+great_room-before.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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First Incarnation...<b><br />
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<b>I was happy to finally have a fireplace and mantle in my home - yippee, something else to decorate! (And that tree was supposed to be on our deck then - sorry about that one). But having the mantle so stark white really wasn't doing it for me. I had done a nice sueded plaster on the walls in a cinnamon hue - very Ralph Lauren-ish kind of look and feel (without it being Ralph Lauren material!)...and I loved the warmth of it. </b><br />
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<b>So - what's a girl to do to make it all come together? Add some decorative onlays, gold leaf them and then antique the entire mantle.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUkeLQPvGqdu-CevIx_rFDZoQf7hO-SCWpCEeKCMAXizDgOhwUyKCsTvFGmmDZXKxsyWjFNBmGsJOLVaGgFqsq1DDrJSQuu5L87gdPmNVkBG0S95u4ccig3FVSjQ2mqTfKc2Ay5oWzTgz/s1600/our+great-room-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUkeLQPvGqdu-CevIx_rFDZoQf7hO-SCWpCEeKCMAXizDgOhwUyKCsTvFGmmDZXKxsyWjFNBmGsJOLVaGgFqsq1DDrJSQuu5L87gdPmNVkBG0S95u4ccig3FVSjQ2mqTfKc2Ay5oWzTgz/s640/our+great-room-after.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b> Mantle...After</b><br />
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<b>The gold leafing (or gilding) of the onlay gave the mantle more distinction and character, I think. And the antiquing gave the onlay a nice patina - and now the tone of the painted wood blends so much better with the finish on the wall.</b> <b>Before the white just shouted at me - I am so much happier with this look.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vP_gbnJfWg3D5MSzczUKXXfF-VXN5GlAmh03KJr-R8QKEQ-GzL2E7o8tTDtWXZ5DAQ866j958FplD6Cj7WEtVJZ_YGtoQrI47Ve_aAY3WTI1sUXZIgpSsCUhEIPT-kyxRa3UcFHjrsHa/s1600/mantle+1+edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vP_gbnJfWg3D5MSzczUKXXfF-VXN5GlAmh03KJr-R8QKEQ-GzL2E7o8tTDtWXZ5DAQ866j958FplD6Cj7WEtVJZ_YGtoQrI47Ve_aAY3WTI1sUXZIgpSsCUhEIPT-kyxRa3UcFHjrsHa/s640/mantle+1+edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Closeup of gilded and antiqued onlay</div>
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<b>GILDING TIP: I first painted the onlay with a yellow gold paint - this will help you out later...because not every piece of leaf will stick! I used Gold Leaf sheets from Michael's - nothing fancy. But after you put on the size (the glue that makes the leaf stick to what you are gilding) - let it come to a tack</b>. <b>Don't put the gold leaf on when the size is still wet. Never place your finger on the size to check if it's ready - use your index finger knuckle to check it.</b> <b>Once it's ready, place the sheets on your object and tamp them down softly with a soft artist's brush. Once everything is on your onlay (or whatever you are gilding), take some cheesecloth and start to take away the gold leafing that didn't stick. You can use an artist's brush to get into any crevices etc.</b></div>
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<b>Once that's done, use your cheesecloth to burnish the gold leaf - you'll begin to see that it starts to get shinier. Now - the leaf sold at Michael's and elsewhere is not real gold leaf...so the leaf will look a bit too brassy. But after you antique it (as I did - with the rest of the mantle), it will lessen the shininess. In addition, I took an artist's brush</b> <b>and took some dark brown tint and brushed it on to age and darken it. You can also use a dark wax (Annie Sloan's or Liberon etc) to do this as well - and that will protect and seal your work!</b></div>
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<b>So - hope you enjoyed this. If you'd like to see a few more pics of this up close...click the links below to my website. </b></div>
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<b>Happy painting!!!</b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.studioofdecorativearts.com/studioofdecorativearts/gallery/residential/slides/c.soft_Venetian_plaster_and_antiqued_mantle.html" target="_blank">Closeup of the Mantle Finish</a> </b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.studioofdecorativearts.com/studioofdecorativearts/gallery/residential/slides/d.gildedandantiquedonlayonmantle.html" target="_blank">Closeup of the Gilded Onlay</a> </b></div>
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<b>Linking this project up to...</b><br />
<a href="http://www.elizabethandco.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Elizabeth & Co</a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.missmustardseed.com/" target="_blank">Miss Mustardseed</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.redouxinteriors.com/" target="_blank">Redoux Interiors</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shabby Nesr</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://romantichome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Romantic Home</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.serenitynowblog.com/2012/04/weekend-bloggy-reading-link-up_20.html#more" target="_blank">Serenity Now</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">French Country Cottage</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.atthepicketfence.com/" target="_blank">At the Picket Fence</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Funky Junk Interiors</a></b><br />
<a href="http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/" target="_blank">Home Stories A to Z</a><br />
<a href="http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/" target="_blank">My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia</a><br />
<a href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savvy Southern Style</a><br />
<a href="http://www.staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Embracing Change</a></div>
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<b><a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/p/favorite-link-parties.html" target="_blank">And some of these great parties as well</a><br />
</b></div>
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</div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-59409068896721158822012-04-19T16:52:00.001-04:002012-04-19T17:02:26.891-04:00Weekly Faux Finishing Column Idea: What do you Think?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>I am distraught today because I don't have my laptop - it's in the shop getting a little overhaul (and I hope it's "little"!!). So I thought I would try something different for a blog post and see what kind of reaction I get. This morning, I took some pictures of some sample boards that I've done and I've uploaded them to my husband's laptop. </b><br />
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<b>I am thinking of doing a weekly column called "Sample Saturday...or Sample Sunday." So, please comment below and let me know if you think you'd like to see something like this weekly! </b><br />
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<b>In the column, I would show you a faux finish or a furniture finishing idea - with a recipe. I'm going to start out with a troweled faux finish that I love - it's a little difficult, but I will show you how you can make it simpler.</b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Now, embedding a stencil can be a little difficult (especially this stencil because I used one with 3 overlays). You can make it easier on yourself if you use a stencil with just one overlay! Or you can just do a a regular stenciled design over the metallic plaster. If you are a beginner, do a single overlay stencil. But, as with any new technique, I would do some practicing on a sample board (like I did on this one).</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>I would encourage you to try to do a troweled finish like this - it's easier than it looks. It just takes some practice. I used a product called LusterStone from Faux Effects. It can be ordered online - but there are many Sherwin Williams dealers throughout the country that carry this product. It's the same product that I used on my <a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/2012/04/fifth-wall-importance-of-decorating.html" target="_blank">Ceiling Design</a>. There are several metallics on the market - Modern Masters makes two different kinds - Shimmerstone and Metallic Plaster. You can also use any of the faux suede products as well...but I love the luscious shimmer that the metallics give you.</b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>FIRST LAYERS</b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1) First, roll two layers of a good latex paint in a color</b> <b>that is the closest to your plaster color. I used a Terra Cotta color because that's the color I used for the plaster.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2) Add about 10-15% water to your metallic plaster and mix fairly well. With a small roller (Whizz roller i.e.), roll this mix haphazardly - don't do it like you are painting (up and down). Do some strokes diagonally, vertically and horizontally - for a little movement. Let dry.</b><br />
<b>3). With a stainless steel trowel, apply the plaster full strength. But don't put it on too thick or it will crack. It's a fairly easy material to move and it stays moist for quite a long time. Aim for about 85% coverage - leaving some areas of the first layer showing. This will give some textural interest to the plaster. Let dry.</b><br />
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<b>EMBEDDED STENCIL LAYER</b><br />
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<b>4) I used the Rinceaux Fruit stencil from <a href="http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/" target="_blank">Royal Design Studio</a>, but you can used any design that you'd like. I used some spray adhesive on the back of the stencil - but I also taped all the sides. I mixed up several different colors for the fruits - some yellows, greens, plums. One thing that's great about using the LusterStone is that it comes in many different colors - but they also have a tinting base (which I used here as well). You can add tints to the tinting base to get the color you want for the plaster. So, instead of buying many different quarts of the metallic plaster to do the raised designs...you can buy a quart or so of tinting base and create your own custom colors. You can use Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore tints (yes - the same ones they use for their paints). Just ask your paint dealer for a quart of tint only...not the paint. Put a few drops into the plaster - and build up to the color you want.</b><br />
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<b>5) You want to have the stencil on very well because you don't want any leakage from underneath the edges of the design. For my "trowel" I cut a small square of a piece of styrene board and then I lightly sanded the edges to soften and round them a bit. Pick up a small amount of your tinted plaster onto your "trowel" and trowel lightly into the design areas of the stencil - green for the leaves, purple for the grapes and plums etc. You will have to place some tape over the areas you don't want "green" for instance. If you are doing a multi-overlay stencil, you have to make sure each layer is dry before you put the next overlay on. </b><b>If you are doing the above stencil or something like it, you can give it a little more realism by adding shading to the leaves and fruits. </b><br />
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<b>Tip: If some of the plaster has seeped out a bit - don't worry! Use a Q-Tip to remove the plaster that leaked out. It doesn't have to be 100% perfect because you will be suffusing the design with another layer of plaster.</b><br />
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<b>THE FINAL LAYER</b><br />
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<b>6) Once your stencil design is completely filled in with the plaster and dry, you then do one more layer to "embed" it. You can use the same color plaster you used in step two (the watered down version). But I used a lighter, more neutral color - Champagne Mist. I just put maybe 5-10% water into the plaster. I put it on first with a brush - and then I took my stainless steel trowel to move the plaster around. It's like you are "frosting" the finish.</b><br />
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<b>So...give it a try. It's a beautiful finish for just about any room. You can even use it on furniture. A single motif embedded in the center of a cabinet door would look gorgeous!</b><br />
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<b>Happy painting!</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b></b></div></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-58614535127826483672012-04-13T15:56:00.004-04:002012-04-30T02:22:56.685-04:00Creating an Old World Range Hood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>When we finally redid our kitchen a few years ago, I was beyond happy with it. No longer was I embarrassed having people over for dinner because I had new cabinetry, granite counter tops, new flooring...in short - my kitchen was finally a place I could be proud of.</b><br />
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My kitchen was featured in <a href="http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/61556/list/French-Kitchen-Style---From-Paris-To-The-Country-/" target="_blank">HOUZZ!</a><br />
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<b>But...I couldn't make up my mind which backsplash I wanted. Nothing seemed to go with the granite (oh, it probably did...I was just very picky). So, I finally took the plunge and created my own backsplash (which you'll see a better picture of soon). Because the backsplash was very old world, textured and rustic, it made my range hood look too new, too light and out of place. So - that had to change. I took out the trowel...</b><br />
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<b>I used a product called PlasterTex from Faux Effects. It's a wonderful texture for old world effects - plus it takes a glaze well.</b> <b>I stippled the texture on first with an old brush, then I troweled it, giving it that "been there forever" type of look. In the smaller and straighter sections where I couldn't use a trowel, I stippled and then I "mushed" with my fingers (very technical faux treatment!!) Then, after it was dry, I took out a large brush and glazed the entire range hood with some Mahogany Stain and Seal (also from Faux Effects). I threw in a little bit of chestnut brown and brown</b> <b>glaze as well.</b> <b> Where it was too dark, I just wiped it back with some cheesecloth. For the onlay on the top of the range hood, I just wiped back a lot of it because I wanted it to stand out...otherwise the depth and definition of that feature would have been lost.</b> <br />
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<b>Above, not the best cropping job, but you can see the range hood a bit better. I then used the same glaze and wiped it over the lower molding on the hood. The question I have for all of you reading this - should I also do the same glaze on the top molding? I left it cream - like the rest of the cabinetry. I'm not sure...so I would love some suggestions.</b><br />
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<b>Here's a closeup of the section over the cooktop.</b></div>
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<b>I wish I could say that I painted that middle tile - but I was afraid of messing it up too much, so I had a friend who's a fabulous artist do it for me. It's a revised version of a section of a toile fabric that I had purchased awhile back. We didn't copy the toile exactly, we changed it quite a bit. I like to think that the lady is taking the wine bottle away from the man because he's getting a little crazy. In my house, it's usually my husband taking the wine bottle away from me! Oh well - in art, you can be a more glorified version of yourself!!</b></div>
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<b>If you'd like to see a few other photos of my kitchen, go <a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/2011/06/from-plain-to-beautiful.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b></div>
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<b>Hope you enjoyed this!</b></div>
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<b>I'm linking this project up to...</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.whisperwoodcottage.com/"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pszHY2RpyVE/T06vbzahBtI/AAAAAAAAJBA/i4TRE5pILJc/s1600/talent-scout-button-2.png" width="300" /></a></div>
Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-34355749224222381692012-04-09T18:05:00.018-04:002012-04-29T22:22:28.081-04:00The Fifth Wall: The Importance of Decorating Your Ceiling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>While I am awaiting the news of my new granddaughter's birth (it should happen within a few hours...I can't wait!!), I thought I'd share a project that I did in my home recently...my dining room and the ceiling.</b><br />
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Dining room "before"</div>
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Dining room "before"</div>
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<b>It was OK when it was plain...but it wasn't "me." You know that feeling you may get about a room in your house that you've decorated - but you hardly ever sit in it? Well, that's because it doesn't speak to you and I believe every room should speak to its owner! I had done a lovely faux finish a few years back and I loved it...but it wasn't enough. The lace curtains were not me - so I changed them. The ceiling and the moldings were just "so-so."</b><br />
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New window treatments, dining set, some artwork and a carpet</div>
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<b>I bought a great dining set (love it but it needs to be updated with some new upholstery and some paint and antiquing still!) But...something was missing. It needed more cohesiveness and extra intimacy (every dining room needs this!).</b><br />
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The dining room with additional moldings, painted, antiqued - plus metallic plaster finish on the ceiling</div>
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<b>But it still needed that extra touch! So I decided to go for broke in this room! I wanted a bigger statement that would be more "me." My husband was cringing when he saw that look in my eye that said "I'm still not done with this room!"</b></div>
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<b>So, I went to my favorite stencil designer, Melanie Royals' </b><a href="http://www.modellodesigns.com/" target="_blank"><b>Modello Designs</b></a><b>, and I ordered the largest stencil (a special, one-time use one) I had ever seen - and got to work!</b></div>
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This is it, on the floor. It came in sections for easier application</div>
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Starting the first part of the design on the ceiling</div>
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The completed first part of the design on the ceiling</div>
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On this first part of the design, I troweled on a different color - a Brown Suede metallic plaster</div>
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Then you add the rest of the design over that</div>
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<a href="http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/" target="_blank">Finding Fabulous</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You keep adding the rest of the design around the first part of the design (the Brown Suede)</div>
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<b>For the scrolled part of the design that was on the Brown Suede, I troweled an antiqued metallic gold plaster and then I threw some large Mica flakes onto it while wet so there'd be a bit more bling! More bling than this??</b> <b>For the scrolled parts that were on the lighter part of the ceiling, I alternated between the Brown Suede and the Antique Gold Plaster being troweled on.</b></div>
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Right after it was finished</div>
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My dining room ceiling now</div>
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<b>I love how it came out. When you sit at the dining room table, the design helps to make the room more intimate. Now when I go into this room, I'm happy! I'll even sit there and pay bills!</b> <b>It was hard to do (a lot of measuring, which is not my forte) and you do need an extra set of hands to help you place it on the ceiling (and to give you a rest when your back and neck are aching!). </b></div>
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<b>I have done many different stencil designs on ceilings before - but they were smaller and easier to do. This takes more time, patience and skill...but it is well worth it! Melanie has a lot of helpful directions on her website - so if you are thinking of doing something like this - you'll have some help along the way. Start out with something small (like a design in the four corners of a ceiling). Do something manageable before you tackle something like this!</b></div>
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<b>TIP: If you would like to read a step by step of a simpler version of this project, <a href="http://studioofdecorativearts.blogspot.com/2012/04/weekly-faux-finishing-column-idea-what.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a>.</b></div>
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<b>Baby update: My daughter had the baby while I was writing this post. Little Peyton weighed in at 7 pounds 13 ounces and mother and baby are doing great!</b></div>
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<b>Thanks for reading. I welcome all your comments and questions! </b></div>
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<b>Linking this project up to...</b></div>
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<b> <a href="http://www.addicted2decorating.com/addicts-not-so-anonymous-link-party-14.html" target="_blank">Addicted 2 Decorating</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2012/04/waking-up-porch-and-decks-for-spring.html#more" target="_blank">Between Naps on the Porch</a></b></div>
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<a href="http://becolorful.typepad.com/becolorful/" target="_blank">Be Colorful</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/2012/04/april-showers-brings-guest-bloggers.html" target="_blank">Home Stories from A to Z</a></div>
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<a href="http://todayscreativeblog.net/creative-project/" target="_blank">Today's Creative Blog</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2012/04/mop-it-up-mondays-11.html." target="_blank">I Should be Mopping</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.stringtownhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">StringtownHome</a></div>
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<a href="http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Primp</a></div>
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<a href="http://cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Clean and Scentsible</a></div>
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<a href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savvy Southern Style</a></div>
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<a href="http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Charm of Home</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.52mantels.com/" target="_blank">52 Mantles</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.fivedaysfiveways.com/" target="_blank">Five Days Five Ways.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://alderberryhill.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alderberry Hill Monday Link Party</a></div>
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<a href="http://diyshowoff.com/category/other/diy-project-parade/" target="_blank">DIY Showoff</a></div>
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<a href="http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cowgirl Up at The Farmhouse Ranch</a></div>
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<a href="http://tatertotsandjello.com/2012/04/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-kristens-custom-creations-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Tatertots and Jello</a> </div>
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<a href="http://delectablehome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Delectable Home</a> </div>
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<a href="http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Common Ground</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/" target="_blank">Stuff and Nonsense</a></div>
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<br /></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-31488689308836088952012-04-09T14:26:00.001-04:002012-04-09T14:29:28.325-04:00My Baby is Having a Baby Today!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><strong>When we got the phone call yesterday morning that my youngest daughter, Jessica, was en route to the hospital because her contractions were 5 minutes apart...I was so excited that I couldn't really concentrate on anything very well. I was able to get Easter dinner ready for our guests but every few minutes I was checking my phone to see if I got a new text message.</strong><br />
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<strong>Jess lives in California and, of course, I'm here in New York. I will be going out there to help her with the baby next week but I was wishing that I was there to help her through this.</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-1COfiC-GOmB7J9xTapv04DoNT3d6GTQ9D421uemTb12_k4VXSS8urBrAoZpaxHp7BCJ3YHFYG9ubMp4cgd4MqkrNgeMwZbhKED2KODEA1xqAlHvBIrkcETFEYvqUk2DGw6FxwrARCSV/s1600/when+I+was+pregnant+with+Jessica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-1COfiC-GOmB7J9xTapv04DoNT3d6GTQ9D421uemTb12_k4VXSS8urBrAoZpaxHp7BCJ3YHFYG9ubMp4cgd4MqkrNgeMwZbhKED2KODEA1xqAlHvBIrkcETFEYvqUk2DGw6FxwrARCSV/s640/when+I+was+pregnant+with+Jessica.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A picture of me as Matron of Honor for my friend Joanie when I was 9 months pregnant with Jessica. I'm the bulging one next to the bride! I gave birth 2 days later - after dancing the polka at the wedding!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>She stayed at the hospital for awhile but she only dilated to 1 1/2 cm, so they sent her home. Then she came back 7 or so hours later - but was sent home again becuase she only reached 2 cm. So - it seemed like this wasn't going to be an Easter baby. (I should have told her to Polka!!) Then this morning (8:30 am EST) I got a text message from her that her water broke and she was en route to the hospital again.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>So now I am trying to be patient awaiting the news. My new granddaughter's name will be Peyton. I know that my daughter will be such a great Mom. And I am so thankful that she will be moving back here in July! I am so happy and blessed.</strong></div></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-81184750611024637332012-04-05T20:01:00.004-04:002012-04-07T17:29:00.416-04:00Our Easter Tablescape<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><strong>Well...by the time I got home and finished setting the table, the sun decided to change to clouds! But I wanted to post some pictures tonight. Hopefully there will be good sunlight tomorrow, so I post more pictures.</strong><br />
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<strong>I just fell in love with the orange, green, pink and a dash of yellow color scheme. It's such a happy combination. It says spring plus warm weather ahead for me.</strong><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Maybe you noticed the little "flowers" I placed in the egg cups in the second picture. These were super simple to make and perhaps a little more fun to see in the egg cups than eggs!</strong></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just use a toothpick to skewer the gumdrops...then wind some organza ribbon around it in leaf-like folds. Secure with florist wire or rubberbands - whatever you have on hand and then place in egg cups or small glassware. You can secure several together at a time - or once you have a few in your cup, you can just place a few extra gumdrops on top.</div></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>So...hopefully the sun will be shining tomorrow, so I can post more pics! Thanks for coming to take a look!</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Linking up to....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-table-setting-with-tulip.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Between Naps on the Porch</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2012/04/sat-nite-special-127-party-ideas.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Funky Junk Interiors</span></a></div></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-47800832875000820922012-04-04T18:24:00.001-04:002012-04-04T18:30:47.044-04:00Getting Ready for Easter and Easter Decorations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><strong>I don't know where the time went...but it's almost Easter. How did that happen? Wasn't it just Christmas? Anyway, with the warm weather that we had today, I had to go shopping for some Easter supplies for my children and grandchildren. Thank goodness I was able to snag some chocolate Easter bunnies (they were all out of the regular hollow ones - that I don't really like anyway) - they were solid and they cost a fortune...but my kids are worth it!</strong><br />
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<strong>I just put the water on to boil for the Easter eggs. It gets lonelier each year doing Easter eggs, now that my kids are all grown up and they don't want to do it. There were one or two times recently that I didn't bother to color eggs - but I know that it's such a nice tradition and they are so colorful...and good for you!</strong><br />
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<strong>I am going to do a tablescape tomorrow, in preparation for the weekend festivities. But I thought I'd show you some of the things that inspired me this year. I love vibrant colors - I'm not the pastel type at all. It started with my friend Debbie who owns Honeysuckle and Roses florals in Westhampton Beach, NY. She gave me a few roses...which were beautiful.</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUhpA1OLT9fT-2Qch0444ahrgLQ93eVPxWtZGRqwNGBHD0twjN6WSPzvuCVreQSn4gUM-JpcXgqdpGjqbuld4nBtxI7M_5ao_XwjOoTtCmU4ahVT2DSWjp3HEZaIMAzqRmXZH2opgawwg/s1600/Roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUhpA1OLT9fT-2Qch0444ahrgLQ93eVPxWtZGRqwNGBHD0twjN6WSPzvuCVreQSn4gUM-JpcXgqdpGjqbuld4nBtxI7M_5ao_XwjOoTtCmU4ahVT2DSWjp3HEZaIMAzqRmXZH2opgawwg/s640/Roses.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>And then I did a little bit of shopping at Pier One and HomeGoods (with the colors of the roses in my head!).</strong> <strong>I found the beautiful table runner and the napkins at Pier One and most of the other items at HomeGoods (except that cute bunny, which I bought a few years ago in NYC!)</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAs90fiHwET-CwF50sH49rW6f9wA1K8hncx7GjEHvujWJweINgv1bN1tTsAq23-dK_r6VIHy5ArfSJPJ_CM420M1ToOBrrfFeTofiTId9u-Spex0a_Rmdl8kWdEooVNl3nOD9RWk0ck_IA/s1600/Table+runner+and+bunny+etc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAs90fiHwET-CwF50sH49rW6f9wA1K8hncx7GjEHvujWJweINgv1bN1tTsAq23-dK_r6VIHy5ArfSJPJ_CM420M1ToOBrrfFeTofiTId9u-Spex0a_Rmdl8kWdEooVNl3nOD9RWk0ck_IA/s1600/Table+runner+and+bunny+etc.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>So...I hope that you will come back to see how I did with the tablescape. Oh boy, the pressure's on! But, I will leave you with a link to one of Marian Parson's <a href="http://www.hgtv.com/handmade/how-to-make-tissue-pom-poms/index.html">(Miss Mustardseed's) tablescape projects</a> - how to make these tissue pompoms. This appeared awhile back on HGTV.com. I am going to make some tomorrow as well. If you have never seen <a href="http://www.missmustardseed.com/">her blog</a>, I encourage you to visit it!</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9558igG1FOl3Hkl8j_jIx0ZMZkqlzYvRThNYf2D13D8i_4DdXnDoTLmzNx3P1Vn_YJCplpEvPwUC4sNTWnHgTtENHGv9u6ODlfvHwf9Kt9iBCM7pPlbFl-wESyXHe3qE86jxojUjFh8Ps/s1600/Original_Marian-Parsons-spring-table-setting_s3x4_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9558igG1FOl3Hkl8j_jIx0ZMZkqlzYvRThNYf2D13D8i_4DdXnDoTLmzNx3P1Vn_YJCplpEvPwUC4sNTWnHgTtENHGv9u6ODlfvHwf9Kt9iBCM7pPlbFl-wESyXHe3qE86jxojUjFh8Ps/s640/Original_Marian-Parsons-spring-table-setting_s3x4_lg.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hgtv.com/entertaining/colorful-spring-table-setting/pictures/index.html">Miss Mustardseed</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>So...my eggs are just about done. I hope that you'll pop back tomorrow to see my tablescape!</strong> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9197757595431621152.post-47401654814910094912012-03-30T17:46:00.000-04:002012-07-24T09:31:40.416-04:00What to Do With Kitchen Soffits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>I've posted about this before on this blog and on my </strong><a href="http://beautifulstagedhomes.blogspot.com/2009/01/updating-kitchen-that-has-soffits.html"><strong>home staging blog</strong></a><strong> - but since this project has been featured on some other blogs and the topic is very popular, I thought it would be a great idea to post it once more with some additional information on how I created the look.</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-eVaglbSAmjzjctONNBBvsAvXmV874HShlIRo-HJxtRmCmUmHySxgzWyNHH4TDBido3NOFSnVtVwYxVLbc_VBr_QaOOIDU2UqQSy5oYXc5PX6ygU3QoAceYtye5ST8ctsxNeMU3lUvaO/s1600/maria_kitchen_before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-eVaglbSAmjzjctONNBBvsAvXmV874HShlIRo-HJxtRmCmUmHySxgzWyNHH4TDBido3NOFSnVtVwYxVLbc_VBr_QaOOIDU2UqQSy5oYXc5PX6ygU3QoAceYtye5ST8ctsxNeMU3lUvaO/s640/maria_kitchen_before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em>This is a sort of "before" pic, but this was after we added the crown molding</em></div>
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<strong>Soffits (or bulkheads) above kitchen cabinetry makes a home feel dated. And if you paint the soffit a contrasting color it only makes your cabinetry seem smaller and it makes the height of the kitchen less tall looking.</strong><br />
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<strong>If your cabinets are in good shape, you should add crown molding to the ceiling above the cabinets and add some trim molding to the bottom of the soffit. </strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G1dZsQvgv3o6uiejk61sFGuf_UvA3yh8hs2AbLaWbTkquZjyMCgCzIogEyjGcZMG0XYkN4plctGBojdFWqR7HceYceWGB7s9-JLiUBNnAviiMgOZeDGXoR-asuRTEkAVfgjnqa1dsxAF/s1600/maria_kitchen_during_1+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G1dZsQvgv3o6uiejk61sFGuf_UvA3yh8hs2AbLaWbTkquZjyMCgCzIogEyjGcZMG0XYkN4plctGBojdFWqR7HceYceWGB7s9-JLiUBNnAviiMgOZeDGXoR-asuRTEkAVfgjnqa1dsxAF/s640/maria_kitchen_during_1+(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em>Me...putting the first woodgraining layer on</em></div>
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<strong>Since these cabinets were in great shape, we decided to go with an oak woodgraining for the soffits and moldings. The "trick" to getting the oak woodgrain (or any faux wood) right is to try to match the underlying color of the cabinets. Oak has a glow to it so I first used a medium tone yellow base paint (1 part Woody Yellow and 1 part Neutral White basecoat from Faux Effects) and then I did a pale gold metallic paint over that (a pale wheat color from Faux Effects Metal Glow line). You could also just do a gold glaze over the basecoat - just enough to give it a glow.</strong> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwuk8RPg4lFXdThPs0gsGM1JcEMbzOJ5bzoeqxsjRYH9-XVRekcS8756fOrFGou3DlCqq1mhhFNk-MCro_k9nmKSDgEa_kvNNb7bjn6BljWJP_CLOO4gkLeg_l0ZljbWOsiG0ejjypKDd/s1600/A+kitchen+with+soffits-001+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwuk8RPg4lFXdThPs0gsGM1JcEMbzOJ5bzoeqxsjRYH9-XVRekcS8756fOrFGou3DlCqq1mhhFNk-MCro_k9nmKSDgEa_kvNNb7bjn6BljWJP_CLOO4gkLeg_l0ZljbWOsiG0ejjypKDd/s640/A+kitchen+with+soffits-001+edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em>After - doesn't this look better, more updated and...tall!</em></div>
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<strong>Then I made up a glaze for the woodgraining layer. I used Chestnut Brown and Earth Brown Glaze and went over (in sections) the soffit and moldings. I created the woodgrain by removing the glaze with a wipe out tool. I used torn pieces of corrugated cardboard. Then when it was dry, I took a paintbrush and darkened the grain to match what I was seeing in the cabinetry. I also used a graining comb for the smaller areas and around the wood grained areas (you can buy this at Home Dept I believe - or at Michael's).</strong></div>
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<strong>Then I overgrained the entire surface with the same graining material as the first layer. I had to adjust the color here and there because the color of the oak cabinets differed in various sections. Some I had to make a bit darker...some cooler. Then after everything was dry - I did a faux marquetry design on the soffit...the fun part of the job!</strong></div>
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<strong>You could use any border stencil for this. I used Renaissance Scroll from <a href="http://www.jeffraumstencils.com/">Jeff Raum stencils</a></strong>. <strong>I used some mahogany, ebony and cherry Stain and Seal from Faux Effects for this technique.</strong> <strong>However, you could also look at </strong><a href="http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/"><strong>Royal Design Studio's </strong></a><strong>line of stencils.</strong> <strong>The owner, Melanie, has many that I love - the Showcase Scroll is one of my favorites. If you'd like to try a carved wood look, try the Palermo Scroll or Endless Acanthus Scroll.</strong></div>
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<strong>It takes time and a lot of practice to do woodgraining, but it's worth it to take the time to learn. It has come in so handy so many times for me. If you don't have the time (or patience) and you'd like to re-do your cabinets that have soffits - you can paint them a white or off white and antique them and it will give you that updated look. As long as you add the crown molding, your cabinetry will seem taller.</strong></div>
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<strong>Hope you enjoyed this!</strong></div>
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</div>Linda Leyblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345437844014740242noreply@blogger.com5