Crafty.

I have this tiny vase in our bathroom, that is so cute, but I thought to myself that I needed some color in there. Flowers are out of the question, because Mika loves to eat them. (annoying)

I'm not sure if you guys remember when I posted about my Christmas decor in the studio two Christmases ago (how has that much time gone by? I am old), but these wrapped sticks came to mind, for adding some color:

So, I went out last night and harvested some sticks. :) I was able to find about five teeny sticks in our driveway. Bam.

I pulled out the yarn that I found a couple of weeks ago at a thrift shop from this pom pom DIY project, and started wrapping. Easy. You don't need to use any glue - just tie a tight knot on your stick limb, then wrap over any overhang from the knot. At the end, tie another knot, and clip close with scissors. I liked using yarn versus embroidery thread (like I did the first time), because it's thicker and wraps faster.

and here she is:

You like?

(I took this photo in our bathtub, hah. It made for a perfect little photoshoot spot. If you're into having photoshoots of sticks wrapped in yarn, tucked into vases)

There it is in my bathroom (On the counter - I'm not sure if you can even see it there. Please excuse towels draped - We don't have towel rods yet. Also excuse my gross after-work self!)

I need more accessories and to fill stuff in a bit, but the newly wrapped sticks make me happy :) As do my air plants hanging on the wall. Why do girls love plants so much?!

Bathroom Cabinet Makeover

This is a bathroom cabinet transformation that happened recently - I painted the cabinets. I used Creamy White by Benjamin Moore as my basecolor, then did a brown glaze on top of them for a little depth. 

Here they are, in their oak-y '80's glory:

and, after:

Given, they did get a new countertop, new hardware and a new faucet, but the paint makes a pretty big difference, huh? 

Here is a view of the top part, too:

you like? This is the same house as the farm kitchen that I posted about last week... here's a link incase you missed it!

Have a great Tuesday.

Happy Things.

It's Monday, and I thought I'd share some snaps from around the house. Jordan was out of town this weekend, and when I'm here by myself, I usually end up moving things around, decorating, etc. Then he comes back and is confused. :)

Here's a little tray I have on the kitchen counter. Just a pile of things that make me happy. The owl was a Ross find a few years ago (I always find good stuff amongst terrible stuff at Ross.), and the triangle tea towel was from Target a few months ago!

I found those cute basketweave napkins at Tuesday Morning. I have really started liking that place, which is funny because when I was little my mom and grandmother would drag me there and I haaaaaated it!

This is our makeshift guest bedroom. I mean, I guess it technically is a guest bedroom, but the bed is just our futon folded out, until we buy a king size for our room, and move the queen size in there. Our guests will probably be a lot happier. Anyway... I found the ikat pillow (I think its originally from Target) at a thrift shop. The thrift shop had tons of target merchandise, so I think it was a donation from Target, so it was brand new. The Kantha blanket pillow was a cool find from Tuesday Morning. The clear table pictured is an antique store find, as well as the cute MCM lamp. I've had that little orange clock forever - thanks to my old college roommate Sarah. Hey Sarah!

This is in the kitchen. I have moved artwork for that wall around like ten times, but I'm digging my "clouds" painting there now. You can also see my spraypainted gold canisters in the background, which I still love!

PS. the weird monitor looking thing is a security camera that came with our alarm system. haha.

I bought these planters at Ross the other day, too. I'm telling you - that place really comes in handy sometimes. I had been checking out planters EVERYWHERE because I couldn't find any that I liked for a price that I thought was decent. I mean, at Pike's large planters can run you upwards of like $90, and that's no fun when you have to buy several. So when I saw these two at Ross for a great price (I think the large one was $30 or so, and the small was like $15?), I snatched em up. They were supposed to live outside, but I set them down in here until I decide which plants to go in which, and now I kind of like them inside. Especially on this empty corner. My friends mom suggested getting a large plant to go in this corner, and I'm thinking that might be the route I go.

Last, look at this cute tiny lizard I saw at the Home Depot the other day. Ah! So tiny. I loved him. I safely put him back into the plants he was hanging out in, before I bought this succulent. Though, I would've liked for him to come home with me. 

Things I'm Loving

I've been sourcing and collecting images and info for when it's time to decorate the living room, and I thought I'd share some of them here today... Most are on my Pinterest boards, and some it won't let me grab. So I just grabbed the few that I could, and am going to source them as best I can! These days, it feels like it's so hard to source things correctly or give credit to the right person! I'm going to do my best.

This is a sofa I'm loving from West Elm. I'm really contemplating my sofa choice. I know some of you asked why I am getting rid of my white sofa that I had reupholstered a couple of years back. I am not! I love that thing. It'll just move upstairs - don't worry! It's too small for our living room here. I always knew it would be too small when we moved .. it fit our tiny condo perfectly, but it's a petite sofa that wouldn't work in most living rooms. I think it'll be a perfect addition to either our bedroom or my office upstairs. Not sure which spot yet! 

Anyway, Im wanting a light gray sofa for our new house. Clean lines, of course, and no skirt. I don't want chunky, but I do want comfy. Picky, picky. I have been stalking a few of them at west elm. I love this one that is pictured above. It's the Everett sofa. 

I also love this sofa, above. Very midcentury modern. 

Not sure which I'd go with. The issue I'm having now, though, is that the delivery for these sofas is 8-10 weeks. That's so long! I'm too impatient! I almost feel like I should hunt down another vintage one (I have found several since I have been on the furniture hunt) and have it reuphostered. The time and money it would save would be awesome. It's just the hassle that's annoying (transportation, buying fabric, etc, etc). Still weighing that out.

Anyway!

I'm also on the hunt for some great chairs. 

I love this from Urban Outfitters. Very cute. I know that we are all mostly over chevron, but this sort of ethnic look doesn't scream chevron to me, just zig zaggy. What do you guys think? I love it. It's a top contender. Of course, again, I have seen several out and about that would be cute to recover, but recovering chairs doesn't necessarily save $ and it is a pain! 

I love these that my friend Dayka had recovered, too. I'm wondering if I should do two chairs on one side and one larger chair on the other? This is another thing I'm heavily considering right now, too. Hmmm.... I have seen lots and lots of vintage chairs out thrifting and antiquing that would be perfect for this, but haven't bitten the bullet yet. I will keep yall updated!

last but not least, a colorful kilim is a must. I'm excited to add some bright color in this room, because right now it's a big white box. boring!

This photo from Amber Interiors is just the ticket and inspiration I am looking for. And I do still love my acrylic table from CB2, but I'm wondering if a change up is needed there, too. I'm thinking yes. I love the hairpin leg/wooden table seen here. My brother's friend makes really similar tables, and I'm thinking of commissioning one from him. I'll definitely either have him build a coffee table or a sofa table to go behind the coffee table. So many options!

Last but not least, I'm loving this bench/gallery wall/rug idea for our entryway wall. So pretty! 

(I'm finding it really hard to source this photo. If you know where it's from, please let me know and I will link it.)

OK, that's it for now! Happy Friday.

Farmhouse Kitchen Cabinets

morning!

So... I told you guys I've been painting tons of kitchen cabinets (and even more to come!) lately, and you said you didn't mind my showing them... So I am doing just that!

I did some work recently in a farmhouse that got a renovation. The whole house is wood... wooden walls, wooden ceilings, wooden cabinetry, etc. My clients (And friends!) wanted to maintain that warm feel (And the wood was very special to them, as it was built over 30 years ago, and the wood was imported, I believe), but update it to fit their young family and lifestyle.

So, they kept the wooden walls throughout, and we did some paint work on some of the other surfaces. 

Here is a "before" shot of the kitchen:

And, after:

We did the cabinets a creamy white (I think it was even called Creamy White by Benjamin Moore) with a glaze on top, and the island a greenish-khaki sort of color that I can't remember the name of! It was a great shade, though)

They put in new farmhouse lights, and a new backsplash, but kept the old corian countertops and the wooden block to hang the pots and pans from. All good decisions in maintaining the integrity of the space and the memories (they'd bought the house from a family member, so there was lots of previous attachment to the space!). 

I loved the barstool addition (shocker i know - I have the exact same ones in my kitchen in orange :))  and the new antler chandelier! i think it was a perfect way to transform the space!

St. Augustine

I just got back from a family vacation to St. Augustine. It's been quite the stressful and hectic summer... what with all the house stuff (we are still having some issues to work out with it, so needless to say, it's been about 4 months of house stress.. crazy. I will explain more when it's all over!) on top of normal life and working. So, it was nice to get away for a long weekend trip with my family. Jordan and I went with my dad and his wife, and both my brothers and their ladies and my stepsister and her husband. Dad rented a gigantic house down in St. Augustine and we all just basically chilled and enjoyed the beach for a few days. I thought I'd share a few photos with you guys from our trip, since I've not been working the past few days to show you paint stuff!

St. Augustine is a really, really cute town, similar to Savannah, GA. I'm a big fan of both. This was a photo I took at dinner at a restaurant called The Columbia House. St. Augustine is full of Spanish style houses and architecture, and it all makes for a really quaint cute vibe.

I found these jewelry pieces in a little shop in town that I discovered a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, the owner told me it's closing in August, which was a big bummer. I was able to pick up a few more trinkets on this trip, though, so that was good.

This was a photo I took on the rooftop deck of the house. It's a smallish deck on the tip top of the house that you have to climb a ladder to get up. Cool 360 degree views.

Cute little macaron shop in St. Augustine.

A picture I took in downtown. Reminded me of Game of Thrones... right?!

This is us paddleboarding. it was fun.

yesterday, before we left town, jordan and i went to this place called schmagel's bagels that we discovered last year in st augustine - it's soooo good. i had an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese and hot sauce on top. so good!

ahhh, a nice way to end the trip. 

Now I'm ready to get back to painting and deal with house stuff!

Recently Painted Kitchen

I told you guys... I am the queen of cabinet painting these days. :)

A client sent over a picture of her cabinets once she and her husband installed all the new hardware, so I thought I'd share it here, since I hadn't yet. They told me they are loving the new look and the job that I did. I think people are always pleased to see how smooth the cabinet painting is -- like a spray job. This makes me happy! I use a furniture foam roller to achieve a brush stroke-free finish. We also did some antique lines in the edges - like I did on my mom's cabinets. You can't really see it in the pictures here, but it's there.

Anyway, here is the before photo:

Perfectly nice and pretty, but my client wanted to lighten it up. She had a beautiful, perfectly decorated space, and trust me, the new look matched much better. We did the outer cabinets Navajo White by Benjamin Moore, and the island a distressed black. 

Here is the after shot she sent me:

The antique lines were similar to this:

you like?

hope you all have a fantastic weekend! 

Painting Progress.

Hi everyone,

I'm working on a canvas in the studio this week, and I thought I'd share some photos of the progress, because it's getting close to being done (needs more color though). I'm having fun using a palette knife (if you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this yesterday. I'm @kristenfountaindavis) and being a little crazy with it. 

Today, I've got to get rid of the lilac in the middle and add a bunch more color throughout. basically some of the same colors you see here, just broader, larger strokes.

here's a vine video I made yesterday when I was doing a little finger painting (hah)

Of course, that purple has to go, but the smudging with fingers was fun : )

here's a photo of my palette knife from instagram:

wasn't it looking pretty here?

I'd love to do a series of really small canvases like this. to be sold either individually, or as a group?

I'm back in the studio working on it today, along with a few other things. Hopefully it gets finished up!

Kitchen Progress.

I thought I'd show you guys some photos of our kitchen/dining area. We got blinds hung on all the windows in here (there are 7 windows plus a door, so that is quite a feat), and I think Jordan and I could be professional bamboo blinds hangers in the event of a job change need. We're getting good with these things. I hung four within an hour last night. Whereas, on our first go-round, it took us 2 hours to hang 4. bam.

Anyway... we really like the ones we selected, which were from Home Depot. They're a medium brown. They're privacy, but not black-out privacy, so I like that about them.

so this is what I'm thinking for actual curtains. long panels on either side of that big window, and that's it. with a black rod. what do you guys think? the door/window situation on the left is weird - as in, where the heck would you put curtains? I think they're a no-go for this side, and just do them on that big back wall with the four windows. I'm still searching for the perfect fabric - you know i'll be making them myself when I do find it :) 

I think it'll nice to have something soft in here. The ceilings are so tall in this house (12 feet), that I think curtains will really soften things up, not to mention absorb some of the echoes we constantly hear :) 

I also plan to maybe get some kind of skinny console or table maybe for the left side of the room. this may or may not happen. i had a bar cart there for a few days, but it started to bug me, so it may stay empty. 

Also, I realize our light fixture hangs a little high. i guess the west elm fixtures are made for a certain ceiling height (probably standard), and since our ceilings are so high, it's a little up there. i still love it. any suggestions from my interior designer people as to how to make it lower?!

This is the other side of the old kitchen. My view right now, actually:

Clearly I didn't stage this photo, or completely clean off my counters. :) The picture hanging to the right on the wall is just an old thrift store gem I found years ago. I plan to switch it out. I'll probably paint something new...Anyway, I like the texture that the blinds bring to the situation

I also got these striped seat cushions last week. I was actually planning to get white ones, but when I found these, I thought they were way more fun. Plus, they'll work if I decide to paint the chairs back to black. (which I don't plan to - I like them white now) AND, my other thought was that white would eventually (probably quickly) get dirty fast. These I found at this place called american mills outlets. They're super thick so they're comfy on the wire chairs (Which I will admit are not the most comfortable chair).

I bought matching ones for the outdoor chairs, too, actually.

OK, that's all the kitchen progress for now! Off to do some painting. 

Light and Airy Kitchen Renovation

Last week, I helped my mom out with finishing up some of the major components of her kitchen reno. They've been in the house for about five years, but the sagey green walls, light wood cabinets and heavier feel of decor were starting to not feel like "her" anymore, as she told me. It was time for a renovation. Yahooo, here I come.

I didn't take a picture before the walls were painted and the subway tile was installed, but I do have this one before I painted the cabinets:

You can get an idea of the darker feel it had. Anyway, we had the walls painted Benjamin Moore's "Light Pewter". It's the prettiest shade of pale gray that i've seen! Its kind of in between gray and cream, and all around, a really nice neutral. We'd used it in her guest bedroom, too, and I suggested it for the kitchen as well, because when she was telling me her thoughts on how she wanted to redecorate, it seemed like a good fit. 

We also had this beveled cream subway tile installed. I knew in my head what I wanted, and just searched online until I found it. We both really love the tile, but beware, shipping was really expensive, and it would've been much better had we been able to source locally.

and here it is now:

Obviously, it's not staged or decorated in there yet. I'm saving the fancy photo session for when we get some accessories and stuff! But you get the idea.

We also had new hardware installed. I can't remember the name of the line, but it was special order from Home Depot.

I did the cabinets in "White Down" by Ben Moore, because it was a nice color with the "Light Pewter" walls. Mom wanted cream, and I pushed for a whiter cream, more than a yellow cream, and we both LOVED the color. I also did dark brown antique lines (the glaze in the bevels to make lines) to go with the oil rubbed bronze hardware. I have to say - I really loved being able to pick out everything for this reno. 

I was also having issues with the new holes for the hardware, so that didn't get finished until my stepdad was able to manhandle those things ;) But, all the drawers got new cup pulls, which are really cute now that they're installed!

What do you guys think? 

Next, we need a mirror (mom found a great one from Ballard, but it was discontinued, boo!), a new light fixture, and some countertop accessories. I'm also pushing for new stools and a couple of softer chairs to flank the ends of her farm table (Which she already has). I'll post pics when we are all done! :)