After Kitchen/Entry Pictures

Okay, here are the after pictures. I haven't moved the furniture back yet and the stone still has a gloss to it because the enhancer/sealer is still drying. You'll notice I had them install it at a 45 degree angle. This makes the rooms feel bigger. You can also see the decorative 1x1 tiles we used on each step down.

You'll also notice that I had the railings painted black. This really helped add a classy look to the house. It looked awesome white but I wanted it to be less "traditional" and more casual. The black really added more charm to the staircase as well as making the lines less busy. This allows the faux painting to make more of a statement. Don't you think??

My husband didn't like the idea of having them painted but I gave him the decorator talk and said "trust me." He said "ok but I'm sceptical." Now he LOVES it a lot! I had confidence that it would work. Time to start moving the furniture back. The family has liked the fridge in the living room and say it's convenient for ice cream snacks. Sorry family, back to the kitchen it goes! Time to get things back to normal and DECORATE. I'm moving things around a little. Y'all know how I love change.

Travertine Tile Transformation

We decided to change out our flooring in our kitchen this summer. Our existing flooring in the kitchen is wood which I love...but with a pool and kids that combination does not work well together. The kids come in soaking wet and stand in the kitchen to make lunch or go to the bathroom and it makes me stressed having to wipe up after them. You know how wood flooring goes, one puddle of water that sits and the floor warps. I am a BIG FAN of making my decor beautiful but my priority is to make sure it is family friendly and functional. The wood floor is NOT FUNCTIONAL.

I started the hunt for what I wanted. Of course, what I want and what is out there is a whole different story. Here are the pictures of what I had in my mind. I wanted a "veranda" feel in this house. Our pool is the focus of the house and can be seen from most rooms. I thought having Mexican Terra Cotta Tile "Saltillo tile" would be perfect. Here are my favorites...

LOVE THE ABOVE FLOOR!!!

After much looking and debate I decided that the care of "Saltillo" tile is really a lot of work. Of course, they lay it first then stain and then seal. About every 2 years they have to sand it down, re stain and seal. I'm not in for that every 2 years.

We finally agreed on Travertine. I think we will get the "look" I'm looking for and I loved the natural look of the stone. I knew that the color would resemble what I originally wanted in the "Saltillo" tile. Here is the sample board of what we picked. Each size here is an example of the different colors that each tile will have. No one is alike, they are all different in texture and color. Some are more solid, some have more veining, some are gold, some resemble the color of Terra Cotta.

Here are some BEFORE pictures of the kitchen. Of course, as you can see, the wood has been taken up already. Once the Travertine was delivered, we went through each tile and decided which one would go where. We had three piles, one for entry, one for kitchen and one for rejects. Because they are all SO different, I mean different.... I wanted to make sure that we had a nice combination of all the tiles. I apologized to my tile guy and told him I hated being high maintenance. He said "oh Ruth, you are not high maintenance. The other day we had a lady order 5 flats of Travertine (she only needed one) and she picked which tiles she wanted and told us to dispose the rest, that's high maintenance." I told him I wished I knew who she was and I would have been dumpster diving that night at her house. Those of you who know me, know that I would have done that too! I would have been in disguise of course!

As mentioned above, we also decided to go ahead and do the entry. We got an amazing price on the Travertine so we went ahead with it. Here's before pictures of the entry. After they took up the wood, they found this white 12x12 marble underneath it. Our entry steps down into the office, dining room and living room so having this Travertine will stop guests from falling on the step down because it will now be a totally different floor. Now it will be obvious that there is a transition. The kids also have to pass through the entry to go upstairs so this eliminates water damage too! Yippee!

I'll post the after pictures in a few days after they have enhanced and sealed the floor. I'm excited and can't wait to see the end result! We'll compare the end result to my original desire and see if we came close.

Capture your inspiration with Benjamin Moore Paints

I recently heard that Benjamin Moore Paint has a new tool that can be used on an iPhone. I love Benjamin Moore paint! They have some amazing colors especially if you are looking for earth tones. This would be a fun tool to have and I would use it all day long! I constantly see colors that I wish I could just captivate and duplicate. Especially the colors of nature. Click on the link below to read about the software that allows you to take a photo of anything and save it to your phone. You can then later have a paint color created to that exact match.

Watch the demo here - click on "Catch a Color".

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/bmpsweb/portals/bmps.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=fa_home

Decrenew's 7th Anniversary

Thank you for all of you that have become followers of my blog. I told you that I would have a drawing on DecRenew's 7th Anniversary and today is the day.

If any of you made comments to any of my posts I put your name in the drawing again for as many comments you made! Today I drew a name and the winner is........drum roll please..............

BETH TOMLINSON!!!

Yeah, I'm so happy for you Beth. I know you will enjoy the candlestick, it's beautiful and I'm sure you will find the perfect place for it in your BEAUTIFUL home!

Thank you to all of my clients and friends that congratulated me today! I feel very blessed to be doing something I absolutely love and I appreciate all the kind words you sent my way. I look forward to serving all of you this year!

In love,

Ruth

Vacation "Welcome Home"

BEFORE

I have a client that decided to go on vacation while we had their kitchen re-painted. They were gone for a week and we painted the cabinets, textured the walls, painted wainscoting, fireplace and built in bookshelves and desk. It was a good thing they were out of town because being around while painting and texturing is going on is crazy, especially in your kitchen. I took some after pictures and the painter wasn't quite done so there are ladders and paint cans still in place.

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTERThe antique white paint with a glaze really updates and brightens up the space. The island is painted a rich slate color.

The wainscoting was painted a rich khaki color, the same as the bookshelves and desk in the adjoining living room. This warm red makes the kitchen have personality. It looked "fine" before but now it says "wow"

The fireplace surround use to be white and now it's the same color as the island in the kitchen, making these rooms flow better together. The color behind the bookshelves is the same color we used in the kitchen. Now it looks rich and inviting. Easy fix for little money.

My client came home and they were thrilled! What a fun way to come home from a vacation.

All covered in paint!

My friends all make fun of me because I'm always found with a paint brush in my hand and paint somewhere on my body. Finding just the right combination of colors is always such great fun to me. I love the process of seeing something transformed. The greatest is when you actually have an inspiration piece that you can copy or have someone else copy for you!

This week I painted this mirror. It was originally a brassy gold and didn't go with the decor I was working with. What I really wanted was for it to go with the copper wall art that I had found for that bathroom. Below is the artwork I used as my color inspiration for my mirror.

After lots of layering; Gray, black, metallic cooper and hints of metallic gold, I got what I was looking for.

Just goes to show, don't throw out or pass up old brassy mirrors at garage sales, thrift stores, your grandma's hand me downs or even attic finds, etc. Look for mirrors that have character. If they have character they can easily be updated and transformed!

Don't get stuck with things you don't like. If mixing colors to get just the right color is definitely not your thing then "spray paint" it a different color, it's better than living with something you don't like. If you go to any home improvement store they have every color known to man, including metallic, hammered and textured spray paint.

Look around your house today....find something that you aren't that crazy about any more. I challenge you to spray paint it a different color and see what you think. If you love it, send it to me and I'll post it on my blog. Spray paint will cost you about $4.50 or less and you'll have a new TREASURE!

Happy painting!

Treasured Gifts

My Nephew who is 18 gave this to me this past weekend. On my birthday he said he had something for me and would give it to me as soon as he could. I had no idea what it could be. Well, he drew this picture in his art class and thought I would be the right person for it. I WILL treasure it and love to get gifts like this. THANK YOU BRYCE! You have talent.

My friend Carolyn Ann is so very talented. She made me this amazing bracelet! She personalized it just for me. She cut out all the individual words & pictures from magazines that she thought represented me the most and decoupaged them onto this bracelet. I have been wearing it to death. It even has a Starbucks logo inside the bracelet! I love you Carolyn Ann, thank you for making this for me! What a special gift! I posted several pictures so you could see every detail!

Happy Rooms

I've been stashing away pictures throughout the year that capture me and make my heart beat faster. You probably have something in your life that makes you get really excited. Well...mine is design and I know that it is a passion because when I see a picture that I LOVE in a magazine, book or on the Internet my whole body responds. I can feel my blood pressure rising from the excitement and my imagination goes wild. I start to think about ways that I can incorporate all the details of the picture into a client's home I'm working on or sometimes to my house. I get so inspired and it makes me feel exhilarated. It's fun to have something you LOVE in your life. I'm extremely blessed that I get to do what I love everyday.

Here are a few pictures that inspired me and got me excited. Thought I'd share my favorites and why.

1. The focal point in this room is definitely the mirror that is used as the headboard. What makes it so stunning is its grandeur. It goes all the way to the ceiling. Another thing that creates beauty is the distressed look on the mirror. The aged mirror compliments the aged matlesse coverlet that is on the bed.

2. The beautiful "spa like" paint color is so restful and inviting, allowing you to see the beauty of everything in the room.

3. The draperies add more texture and height to the room because of their color and the contrast against the paint color. The bench makes a loud statement too and it brings all the colors together.

I LOVE the simplicity of this room:

1. The monochromatic colors make it soothing.

2. The cream furniture gives a simple feeling to the room .

3. The rustic wood coffee table really adds some casual character to the space.

4. The cream draperies look amazing, especially since they are hung on a black rod. The rod acts as if it were the eyebrow to the drapes, finishing it off and making them look so classy.

5. The painting is not too strong for the space but adds amazing color and interest to the fireplace, especially since there is no mantel.

6. I always say that every room should have a touch of black. The touch of black in this room is the lamp and it really looks sophisticated along with the ethnic baskets along the fireplace.

7. My favorite thing in the room is the sea grass rug, it grounds the space and gives is a nice neutral palette for the wood furniture to sit on.

Wow, talk about having black in a room. I don't know if I would be so brave as to have this room as my own but I love the way it looks. The reason the black works is because it's balanced.



1. The tall black wood headboard has some balance because of the LARGE credensa at the foot of the bed.



2. Of course they then put an arrangement on the credensa to add more height, therefore making the two work together.



3. The rich black color with the soft toille red compliment each other well and they make a good marriage.



4. I love the "modern" mixed with a touch of "upscale country".



5. The chandelier really softens the black too with it's traditional lines and crystals, adding another interesting element to the room.



6. The columns on each side of the bed as well as the painting with coordinating colors again creates the overall balance. Without the painting, the black would feel too overpowering but the painting makes it work.

This kitchen is fabulous and this is why:

1. The mix of wood finishes adds character. Putting the white cabinets above with the tile work makes the room feel bigger. Adding the dark wood gives it character.

2. The painted ceiling is the focal point of the entire room.

3. The backsplash has all the colors that the ceiling motif has.

4. The light fixture is different and unexpected.

Happpy 1st Anniversary New House

BEFORE WE MOVED IN

Today marks a year that we've been in our new house. We really love it. We did lots of projects when we moved in and then life got hectic and we didn't do much more inside. Now that it's summer again, I'm feeling the itch for projects so here's my latest.

Mantels are always such fun to redo! Here is one that I enhanced. I added corbels to the bottom of the mantel and then stained the mantel all the same color. Adding a mirror above it makes the room feel bigger. I had the fireplace surround painted black too and that really updated it. Leaning an original oil painting on top of the mirror adds some color and texture to the mix. I've always wanted to have lamps on a mantel and think that this really added a nice feel to the room. The room needed light so this was a functional solution too. I wanted a little bit of a "garden feel" so I added this candelabra and instead of putting candles on it, I used stone decorative balls in different sizes.

I found this carving in my "thrifty finds" and decided to place it under the mantel itself. The carving was made in Guatemala and I lived there when I was a child. Love to add a lot of different styles giving an eclectic feel. Not everyone would want this mix but for me it's perfect because it tells a story of who I am and what I love.
Like the difference? I do!

Renew your treasures!

Ruth

And the Oscar Goes to???

I had the wonderful opportunity to decorate the stage for my youngest daughter's 5th grade graduation. The best part of this challenge was having a very small budget. I love this kind of challenge because it makes my creative juices go WILD. I had such fun finding great ways to make the stage come alive.

The black curtains were already there so that was a great backdrop to the overall design of the stage. Black always looks so smart and gives a formal look to any occasion.

We were able to borrow this paper mache' Oscar from COMPASS CHURCH in Grapevine and he was the star of the stage. Balloons are also a great way to fill in the space. Mylar balloons are the best because they stay up longer and the different shapes add some class. We chose gold and shimmery white STARS because they are "THE GRAPEVINE STARS". Don't the colors look incredible the black background?

Thank you to my sister who works for an exhibit company and they let us borrow these ropes and stanchions from their warehouse inventory. They really added the "Oscar" feel and gave the kids a walkway to follow. Adding the red craft paper made the theme complete.

Recognize these windshield protector's. I found them at "Dollar Tree" and they were perfect for the sparkly effect of a theatre Marque.

We took each graduate's picture before the event and then blew them up and placed their picture on a star. We laminated them and cut them out. Each kid got to take their star home after the show.

CUTIE'S!!

Fun was had by all and the finished the program off with an awesome surprise for the parents. They sang an amazing song for us and I don't' thing there was one dry eye in the house. My little darling is in this picture with her teacher!

The best part of all this is that it was easy to put up, easy to take down and cost very little. I had a blast creating and spending time with my friends as we put it all together! I love it when we are given the opportunity to use our gifts to serve our children! What a privilege!

The balloons went to the pool party after the graduation and we let them go at the end. It was bittersweet as we watched "the stars fly away". Boo hoo! Middle School here we come.

And the Oscar goes to GES 5th Graders! Congrats!