Sun room redo...
Labels:
DIY,
Interiors,
Paint projects,
Sarah,
Sarah's house,
Stencil
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For the love of stenciling....
Since buying a house in February 2011 I have learned many new DIY tricks and experimenting with new things is one of my favorite things to do. Most recently, I decided to try an all over wall stencil in my sun-room. Here is the before...
This is actually what the room looked like when we bought the house, so the previous resident had actually taken all of the items. It was first carpeted and we had the floor tiled when we did some work in the bathroom across the hall.
This project was inspired by a beautiful wall covering that I found from the Thibaut Geometric collections.
After I figured out how much the wall covering would cost (approximately $400), I started looking into less expensive options. My mother-in-law (who also happens to be an interior decorator) told me to look into wall stencils. After researching a few places online, I decided to go with an all over wall stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils since they had one that looked very similar to the lattice design that I liked. I also had to decide on a color that looked similar to my original inspiration. After debating for a long time, I decided I just needed to pick. After trying my first sample pick, I decided on Sherwin Williams "Aviary Blue".
Directions....
First, I had to prime the walls, and I chose to use a plain latex Kilz.
Next, I painted the entire room bright white with a latex paint. And, finally, after two coats of boring white, I got to start stenciling!!!!
Unfortunately, I decided to start at the bottom (just because it was easier), but after the project I learned that it would have been a much better idea to start at the top. The stencil company sends a straight edge stencil that is smaller and easier to navigate the ceiling line. Since I started at the bottom the repeat did not end at the correct part of the design to be able to use the small stencil.
After one (or a few) mess ups I quickly learned how to line up the stencil quickly and easily. I simply followed the directions provided by Cutting Edge Stencil which can be found here.
Lastly, I decided to just do the one "plain" wall in the room and finished it by painting the rest of the room blue. And, here is the finished job.
I would love to know what you think!!
Enjoy,
Sarah
Hair vs. Humidity
Anyone who has experienced summer in the Mississippi Delta
knows that you are guaranteed a few things: crops growing in the fields as far
as the eye can see, mosquitoes the size of birds (ok maybe not quite that
big—but close), and the nearly 100% humidity. In this sort of heat, there is no
such thing as “glistening”. This is the kind of heat that makes a southern lady
sweat. It makes you wonder why you just spent so much time on your hair since
five minutes after walking out the door it became a “giant frizz ball” [or for
some people it falls flat--clearly my sister and I do not have the second
problem].
For days like this, I’m a big believer in going with whatever
is natural (I have not always had this philosophy). Let’s face it, your hair
will most likely end up taking that route anyway. In my case, I have curly hair
so I just try to calm it down and keep it from frizzing.
Below are a few of our favorite products and tricks that we
have picked up throughout the years…
t-shirt… When I wear my hair natural, I “towel” dry it with a
t-shirt. I heard about this concept from other people and thought it seemed
pointless. Joke’s on me, because I tried it and my curls are much less frizzy
when I scrunch my hair using a t-shirt after washing it instead of a towel.
iSO Tamer… This is my all-time favorite curly-hair product. I
started using it in 8th grade and have tried other products several
times. More expensive products might I add. This one has two great features—it
does not make my hair “crunchy” and it is very inexpensive in comparison to
others.
Frederic Fekkai
Glossing Cream… I love to use this product after my hair has been fixed all
day and I need to make it look good better at the end of the day—or as
we call it, “spruce up.” I remember the first time Sarah told me to try this.
We were in Oxford and had been out shopping most of the day. We only had time
to run home and “spruce up” before going to dinner. Here is the pic from that
night.
UpDo’s… If I know
I am going to be out in the heat for a long period of time, I have learned to
just go ahead and put my hair up before I leave the house. This helps me avoid
the impromptu “messy bun” fiasco in a public restroom where there may or may
not be a mirror depending on the venue. A bonus—pictures typically look much
better. More to come on this topic in
the future…
Sisterly Love
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So, here we are! The glamorous farmer's daughters from Hollandale, MS. This is one of our finer moments in life on one of our infamous family vacations. I am not sure of our exact ages (or location), but you can clearly see that we had a keen sense of fashion from the beginning ;-) We still love our accessories!!!
Over the past 6 months or so my sister and I have discussed starting a blog, and today we have finally done it! We hope to bring everyone our perspectives on life in the south from topics on our own home projects to those on fashion and our idea of glamour.
My name is Sarah, and my sister is Nicole. We grew up "smack dab" in the middle of no where on a farm in the Mississippi Delta. No, we did not heard cattle or milk the cows every morning, but we did learn to enjoy delta sunsets, sweet tea, and a laid back southern lifestyle that most may never understand.
I currently live in Indianola, MS and work as a pharmacist, and Nicole is in Atlanta, GA working for a digital marketing company. We hope that we can provide a very diverse, interesting, and informative place for our readers.
Enjoy,
Sarah
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