Meet Chev.....

To make a long story short, we completed the chevron wall over the weekend.  Well basically we just touched up any mistakes that were made and I snapped a few pictures over the weekend. 
Speaking of the weekend.  Scott and I got to catch up with family and friends who were visiting from outta town.  It was just awesome to see everyone!  Friday night we went out to dinner with his side of the family and chatted away with aunt Lynne (Hi Lynne!) who was visiting from Illinois. I just love hearing all about her adventures and travels.  She's just so much fun to be around.  Then on Saturday we partied the night away at my aunt and uncles surprise twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.  It was such a blast.  They both were completely surprised and overjoyed with all who came to celebrate.  I cant remember the last time my grandpa was in Wisconsin.  He has really bad asthma, so a three hour drive from Illinois isn't always possible.  BUT and my grandma both came and it was such a blessing to have them here!  Love and joy was definitely in the air that night. 
Needless to say I didn't get a chance to sit down at my computer very much this weekend.  But I did want you to meet Chev! Ha!

I LOVE the chevron......just still on the fence with the color.  I'm considering painting it the same color as the door in the picture above.  We'll just have to wait and see.  Oh and I don't know if I mentioned this but I REALLY want hardwood floors and chunky white baseboards!  Like YESTERDAY!!

Next up.....more pictures of the "before and afters" and some tips and tricks on how to paint a chevron wall.

xoxo Joanna

What's a Chevron?!?

Yes these were the exact words out of my hubby's mouth when I told asked him to help me paint a chevron wall in our home.  He absolutely had no clue what it was.  So in true Joanna fashion, I wasted absolutely no time showing him all of the chevron goodness I've been pinning to my Pinterest account.  You see, I've learned that I shouldn't dare try to explain or describe anything in depth verbally when it comes to home related things.  Really, I'm sure he just tunes me out and probably sings the "I love fishes" song in his head after about the first five seconds I start vomiting words about things such as layouts, window treatments, and carpet swatches.  So when it comes to project time and I think he has somewhat of a clue.....he really has no idea!  So NOW I've gotten better at not wasting my breath and instead grabbing the computer to show pictures.  Lots. And. Lots. Of. PICTURES!! Thank goodness for Pinterest!  It's saved my marriage.

Which brings me to my point.  Last week I convinced him that the small narrow wall in the entryway was the perfect accent wall to paint CHEVRON.  Low and behold.....he AGREED!! Finally. But before I show you how the before and afters of our project turned out, here are some of my fave chevron projects I've been drooling over!

Chevron Pumpkin DIY. You still have time before the BIG DAY!  I heart Halloween.  How cute are these:

via: Social Graces

 

Accent Wall: Super cute for a craft room or even a nursery.  But man is it dedication.  The taping is the hardest part.  I think she used a stencil which is probably a bit easier:

 



via: Decor and the Dog

 

A small dividing wall just like ours.  Love the mirror and table combo.  I'm looking for furniture pieces like this.  I like the glam of the mirror but the shabby chic of the table.  That's the feel I'm going for in our house. Glam Shabby Chic....I like it:

 

 via: Apartment Therapy

 

 My inspiration photo.  I love pretty much everything they've done in their home.  One day we'll add wood floors and chunky white baseboards like theirs.  It just feels so homey:







via: 896 YDC

 

The "tutorial" I went with to paint our wall.  I love the black and beige.  The color I went with is a bluish slate color.  We already had it on hand so it made our project FREE.  I'm reconsidering re-painting it a brownish black.  Re-considering is not the same as actually doing it! Let's just make that clear. haha.  That would take effort and TIME......and right now I'm just going to live with the bluish slate:

 





 

via: East Coast Creative

 

Chevron AND burlap together?!?! Be. Still. My. Beating. Heart. I love me some wreaths and this just may have to be the next one I make.  Would be so cute for fall:

 

 

via: Our Unexpected Journey

 

 

So ya, just a few of my favorite chevron looks from around the Internet.  Man are people creative with their homes aren't they?!?  I know that overwhelmed feeling my husband gets when I babble of a million and two things I want to do to this teensy tiny home of ours.  I don't blame him for rocking in a corner after listening to me after even five seconds!  For me its the opposite than it is with him.  Pictures overwhelm me.  Its like the "thirty-one" flavors in an ice cream shop.  How do I just pick one?! I want them ALL!  Or in this case, I want to do all the projects I come across.  ALL OF THEM.  Then I tell myself, "Ok Veruca Salt pick just one thing at a time and one THEME at a time and STICK with it!".  It's not as easy as it sounds people!!  Am I the only one?!? 

 

Hope ya'll are having a great start to the week so far.  See you soon with pictures of my chevron wall! YAY!

 

 

xoxo Joanna



Halloween Display 2013

Hands down probably one of my favorite holidays to decorate for!  I feel like you can't really mess up Halloween décor.  It doesn't have to be perfect or neat.  Actually it should be the opposite of those things. Creepy, crawly, spooky and fun.  I'm the type of person that likes to decorate for Halloween separately.  So we usually display our Halloween décor in October and than transition into more Thanksgiving/Fall themed décor the beginning of November.  I know its a bit more work but I just have so much fun with the creepys and the crawlies that it's hard for me to combine all Fall décor together.  Does that make any sense?!?

 

I don't really stick to a theme or anything, its just more of a color scheme. I like it to be mostly black, white, and silver.  As I've mentioned before in other blog posts, I like to start decorating the white shelves in our kitchen.  They are small enough where its not to overwhelming and we get to enjoy the décor more since its probably one of the most used rooms in our house. 

 

 

 

 

I think the graveyard in the apothecary glass is one of my faves.  I did this last year and I'm pretty sure It'll become a yearly tradition.  Oh and the wine bottles dripping with "bleeding" candles were fun to make as well.  So actually both of these will be yearly standbys I'm sure.

I don't know this man in the picture.  It's one of those holographic pictures. When looking at it from different angles his face turns into a skeleton.  How fun?!  Both the picture and frame were dollar store finds. 

 The stacked "books" on both shelves were actually from the liquor store.  I believe my hubby bought bottles of rum that were packaged in them.  I didn't want to throw them away and figured I'd use them for something!  Perfect for my little display. 

 

The creepy crawly spiders were the only items I purchased this year.  I wanted to fill in the area between the two shelves because eventually I'm going to add another shelf in between.  This for some reason reminds me of Ron Weasley saying "why couldn't it be follow the butterflies"! Name that movie!!! 



 

 

 

So that is basically where Halloween begins and ends in our home.  A little bit of ripped up cheesecloth, some dripping blood candles, creepy crawly spiders, and one diggin (haha) graveyard sets the Halloween mood for us. 

 

Oh and P.S.: The cabinet will soon get a makeover.  I'm painting it white so it blends in and doesn't stick out like a ghost shopping in a grocery store.  Ya know?!  I'm hoping its all done before I show my Fall/Thanksgiving display in a few weeks. 

Hope you ENJOY!

xo J.D.

 

 

 



Stop and Smell the Roses

Wow!! Is this for real?? Am I really dippin my toes back into the whole "blog world" water?!?!  Long story short.....I miss it.....like really REALLY miss it and I want it back!! It's been almost one whole year since my last blog post.  Things have been changin and happenin around here and I failed to document any of it!! Makes me so SAD, but that's what happens when life gets in the way.  Sometimes you just forget to stop and smell the roses.  Which is kinda ironic.  It's really why I started this blog baby of mine in the first place.  You know....to stop and truly smell the roses!! To stop and take it ALL in as I try to document the small milestones (or should I say blessings) just as much as the really big ones. So from here on out I want to do just that.  Stop and smell the sweet sweet roses, ya know?!  To really try to remember to write about not just the Good, but also the bad.....and hey while we're at it why not even the ugly?!?  Have I ever showed you a picture of me in the morning?!?! UGLY! Haha.  So here's to a fresh new start......and baby steps.....like little itty bitty teeny tiny baby paw steps!! 

Oh and a BIG P.S.:  If you haven't already noticed, I changed the header (once again) and the name of my blog.  I figured it was more "us"!  Sweet July nights (July of 2005 to be more specific) bring one of the happiest memories of my life.  It's when I first laid eyes on my handsome (now) husband and July also marks our wedding anniversary each and every year.  So its an extra special month and I just thought it was more suiting.  No pun intended considering the blog uses to be called Suited Perfectly for Eternity!

xoxo Joanna