Get ready for some crappy pictures y’all.
I didn’t edit these. I didn’t have my real camera. This is easy blogging. Like back in the day before the word “branding” and “media kit” and “SEO” entered my blog world. Ahhh…the good ole days. Or should I say….the lazy ole days 
For all you new-to-blogs people….photos used to be optional on blogs. And tiny if ever used. I’m a champion squinter now. Mom, you would have never survived blogdom.
Anyhoo….I found this really ugly plate. I think someone at a yard sale gave it to me as a gift. Does that happen to you? That happens to me a lot. I must attract ugly plates. SOoo..I decided to paint it for fun.
I was really close to just tossing it in the goodwill pile but then I remembered a stash of all the other random plates that have followed me home. I pulled them all out and decided to put them in the basement.
Here they are in the little basement dining room. I call it that but really it’s only a dining room because I put our old dining room table in there. We’ve never eaten down there. It’s great for storage though…of my old ugly free plates…because according to Martha Stewart…everything needs a place :) My mom told me the other day that it would be sufficient for her when she moves in. I said “Sure mom! You and Dad don’t even need to move your stuff!”
Her reply?
“Oh Daddy will be dead. I’ll be coming alone.”
Gotta love a lady that plans ahead. Like twenty years.
So now that this post has been sufficiently random and terribly illustrated….anyone wanna share what you do with random stuff people give you? I have a sickness that doesn’t allow me to get rid of stuff. Especially gifts. Even if said gifts were regifted and I know it. They were still special. Or maybe that’s just me…I’m the special one
I wish that was true…that I had a real secret room. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a little room that was hidden behind a door or an oversized mirror? Mine would be filled with extra soft blankets and fluffed pillows that had tins of fancy cookies and champagne with strawberries. There would be no toys in sight and it would have a button I could push that would turn the entire space into ‘nap mode’ where it drowned out all noise and provided a babysitter on site. It would be amazing.
But that’s not the secret room that I’m talking about. I’m talking about the dining room. I’ll explain. Here’s what it started off like, right…
and we sprayed the trim and painted the ceiling…
Then came time for paint! I knew I wanted to go dark. REALLY dark. I didn’t know if it was gonna be brown or navy or dark gray…
but in the end, the dark dark gray by Benjamin Moore called SECRET was the winner. Oh and I do like to try it on all the walls to see how it looks in different light. It’s good to test it like that because there is always that color that has undertones that might come out in the bright area or might be darker than you like in a corner.
It took me two coats (FULLY MIXING THE CANS! because heaven knows nobody wants streaks to happen again.) but in the end, it was exactly what I wanted.
It’s amazing how much it pops out against the white.
I think that in a space that has white halfway up the wall and a lot of white trim work can sport a really dark color easily. It’s probably the safest space to put a dark color in.
And some folks were asking about my high vents…I paint them. I just paint them whatever color the wall is. It helps them disappear.
This is the view back into the foyer and the staircase and reading room.
Then came time for moving back in. I flexed the girl power muscles and did it all myself. Quick tip…turn FLOR tiles upside down and use them as sliders. They work awesome!
This room is definitely a work in progress. I need a recovery drink though…something loaded with protein after that furniture moving
So now that you have seen my secret room…I wanna hear about yours…anyone with a fantasy secret room? Dish.
Our very first Spring edition of the Pinterest Challenge has arrived! Get excited! Turn yourself into a cat!
That was weird.
I’m not even a full fledged cat person. Or am I?
Okay. So considering this is a post that is just like the other three we do each year to announce the Pinterest Challenge, I figured it was time for a little weird. Plus…there is just no possible way to compete with the cuteness of the last announcement of the Pinterest Challenge.
BUT for the sake of those who are new and need an explanation, I will go ahead and do just that. Those of you who know what’s up can just enjoy me zombie-fied….
(hollah walking dead!)
Here’s how it’s gonna work….
The Pinterest Challenge is really REALLY simple. Basically it’s just a call to action. We all pin-pin…so now it’s time to DO DO. (wait that sounds wrong. unless you gotta.) Here’s some of the details on what we are doing…
- Pick your Pinspiration project. Do your own spin. Blog about it. Celebrate!
- In your blog post, we ask pretty please for everyone to share the link love! Link to the Pinterest item, the ORIGINAL source of the inspiration photo on Pinterest, and it would be soo nice if you also linked to the four Pinterest Challenge hosts below (you have no idea how much we appreciate the linkage love too!)
- Linky Party at the Bower House! Each host has the option to linky party – so if you blogged about your project, link up with us too so that we can all see your completed projects and we can share it to our readers.
- Have fun! No matter what the project is – it can be small, big, super-sized, seasonal, decorative, cooking, crafty – anything goes…just as long as it “Pinned then Spinned” you can consider us fans!
And now to introduce you to the other beautiful non-zombie cohosts…
- Emily from Sparkle meets Pop
- Renee from Red Bird Blue
- Sherry from Young House Love
So go get doing! And like always, Pinterest doesn’t know me. The zombie or cat version either. Although I am sure they would be interested in sponsoring me once they see this:
C’mon Pinterest. Everybody loves James Cameron.
Neytima out.
p.s. turn yourself into a cat here. a zombie here. and an oversized blue avatar here.
*************UPDATE: Oops! Forgot to put the date! We will come back in one week on Wednesday May 8th to share our final projects! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
