Painting Front Door- Interior

Painting the interior of your front door is a great way to brighten, freshen-up, create a new look and make a bold statement in your entryway. The color you choose all depends on the look you're going for, your decor and your homes lighting. I prefer a white or black door, to me it looks classic, crisp and sophisticated. It will also go with most decor. While black is more bold and will hide dirt, white will brighten the space and even make it appear larger giving you that airy-feel. For my home I choose white because my house tends to be dark (due to the large trees surrounding our home) and it's quite small cozy.

This is what I started with:

The door was dirty...

it had a nail in it...

old nail holes...

old caulk...

bare wood around the door knob...

chipped and rusted hinges...

...and peeling paint!

Step 1: Choose a color (I used Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore, it's a bright yet not stark white).
Step 2: Clean door and trim (use a damp cloth).
Step 3: Fix caulk and fill-in any holes (if necessary).
Step 4: Tape-off or cover windows, door knobs, hardware, floor, door sweep, etc. (anything you don't want to get paint on).
Step 5: You're ready to paint!

Note: Preparation can be tedious and time consuming but don't get discouraged, once you're ready to paint it goes on quickly!

Tips: Use a semi-gloss sheen, it will be more durable, easier to clean and look more crisp. Paint from top to bottom. For flush doors, roll paint on in the direction of the grain. For doors with inset panels, paint in the order of recesses, panels, horizontal rails then vertical stiles.

You may debate whether or not to take the time to tape, but the clean lines and not having to scrape are well worth it.

Make sure to tape around the bottom if you're also painting the trim.

To keep your door knob free of paint, simply wrap it with aluminum foil.

Before

After

I love how Benjamin Moore describes Chantilly Lace... "As delicate and refined as the lace it was named after, this crisp, clean white evokes images of pure silk, soft linen and simpler times." ...Now that's what I want on my walls!

What color is the interior of your front door painted?

Unique Uses: Foil on Door Knobs

Whenever you're painting a door, to keep the door knob from getting grazed, dripped or splattered with paint simply wrap it with aluminum foil.

 For a clean line, overlap the foil onto the door then trim the excess off by running a sharp utility knife around the edge.

Gardening: Get Into Your Zone

To make the most of your garden come spring use your autumn and winter months to design your garden. Before you begin selecting plants it would be beneficial to know your plant hardiness zone. This lets you know which plants can survive in your garden based on your climate conditions, such as, minimum temperature. It can also save you money buy not having to replant year after year. Although I love annuals for there colorful blooms all-season long the majority of my gardens are perennials. Each spring I get so excited to see my perennials sprouting up from the soil! It's also smart to use plants that re-seed themselves.

The temperatures are based on the average annual minimum temperature.

If this map is difficult for you to tell your zone, the National Garden Association has a tool where you can enter your zip code.

Now that you know your zone you probably want to know which plants grow well in your zone...

Try this Landscape Plant Selector and select from a list of criteria to find the perfect plants for your garden and get just the look you want!

Most plants and seeds from major nurseries and stores will be labeled with the zones in which they should be grown. At the same time some sell the same plants nation-wide, so be sure to check. 

If you live in a cooler zone, you might be experiencing "zone envy." But rest assured there are things you can do to "stretch" your zone by created a few extra growing days on either end of the season. You can do this with the use of cloches, row covers or a greenhouse. Also, starting seeds indoors will jump-start germination by several weeks.

Cloche

My dream greenhouse...

Others factors to consider: 

• Growing Season / Frost Dates (number of frost-free growing days)- this is especially important when growing vegetables and annuals.
• Amount of Sunlight: Full Sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight), Partial Sun (3 - 6 hours of sun, emphasis on minimum sun requirements), Partial Shade (3-6 hours of sun, needs relief from intense late afternoon sun), Dappled Sun (sun that makes it's way through the branches of a deciduous tree), Full Shade (less than 3 hours of direct sunlight and filtered sunlight during the rest of the day).
• Soil Type: clayey, loamy or sandy. Loamy soil is ideal, as clayey and sandy soil create challenges with irrigation. Here's a simple test you can do to find out what kind of soil you have... pick up a marble-sized bit soil and attempt to roll it into a ball, if you're successful you have clayey soil, if you're completely unsuccessful you have sandy soil and if you have some successes but it falls apart after you release the pressure you have loamy soil.

{My garden in Roeland Park, Kansas is nestled in zone 5b. Due to my house being surrounded by large trees, most of my gardens have shade... front gardens: full shade, North side gardens: full shade, back gardens: partial shade and dappled sun and South side gardens: full sun.}

Although hostas have a late, simple bloom that last only days, I love them for there foliage and hardiness. They're also great to separate and move to other places in your garden and share with friends!

Which zone is your garden located in and what plants have thrived in your garden?

Images courtesy of Wikipedia (scale), Thrifty Fun (map), The Slow Cook (cloche) and Victorian Greenhouse (greenhouse).

Wall Decor: Bathroom Shelves

I tackled yet another empty wall space that was just begging for some attention!

Your bathroom should be a place that makes you feel relaxed and peaceful. A place you can escape to for a bubble bath and melt away all the stress from your work day. To create this oasis for yourself use soft colors (pastels), plush textures (towels, rugs & curtains) and items from nature (sea shells, sand, stones, wood, bamboo, potted fern, flowers in a vase, etc.).

This is the wall space I decided to spruce up... the small corner in our bathroom.

Step 1: It all started when I found these white shelves at a garage sale just a few homes down from ours for only $2.50 a piece.

Step2: I then added a diffuser to the top shelf from Target...

...and three clear-cupped white tealight candles inside Dots Candleholder from Crate and Barrel. I love these and the best part is that they're only $0.95 a piece!

Then the finishing touches... sea shells and a large star fish. I love incorporating things from nature in my decor and I think it gives the room a beach resort feel!

Close-Up

Before

After

Tips:

1. Work with what you have! (i.g.- the sea shells and star fish)

2. If you find an item you love as much as you love the price AND it's a classic (meaning you'll love it for years to come... don't pass it up! (i.g.- the $2.50 shelves and $0.95 tealight holders.)

3. It might help to work in stages! (i.g.- I left this project at step 1 for a few days and at step 2 for a few months.  As the ideas came to me, as I came upon items I liked for the spaces and as I found the time I continued working on the space until I accomplished a look I loved!

This post was linked on Beach Cottage blog hop... BC Good Life Wednesdays!

XO,

  Jaclyn

Product Shout Out: Sidekick Stateboard-Style Stroller Board

Strollers just got a little more Hip!

My older daughter (Angelia) would LOVE this! Often times when we go on family walks my younger daughter (Chiara) is chillin' in the stroller, and Angelia wants to walk along side us. {She has become quite independent.} Though after a few minutes of pumping those little legs she gets tired and... you guessed it, wants us to carry her. With a stroller board she could catch a ride every now and then and feel super cool cruisin' skateboard-style!

Who makes it?  ...Orbit.

Do you think your kiddos would enjoy riding on a skateboard stroller board?

The Great Outdoors: Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

During labor day weekend we enjoyed some fun-in-the-sun as a family at a nearby arboretum and botanical garden! I used to going hiking and cliff climbing there as a child with my dad and brother. It's a completely different place now... What used to be just wood-chip paths and some tree signs has become a stroll through garden after garden with ponds, streams and waterfalls.

Chiara & Angelia

Unique Ideas: Yoga Mat Wall Panels

That's right... yoga mats on the wall!

"Dinning Room with a Zen Twist!"

These woven grass yoga mats are framed in panel moldings to give this dinning room a more casual feel while adding gorgeous texture!


Trav and I went to our first yoga class a few weeks ago... and we both loved it! With this idea you could reminisce those peaceful and relaxing feelings every time you walk in the room! 

Where you can get you hands one some... Pearl River.

View more photos of this "Easy, Breezy Florida Home."

What do you think of this idea?


Image courtesy of House Beautiful.

Effects of the Oil Spill: From the Seafood to the Fishermen

Is it safe to eat seafood at this time following the oil spill?
Lately, while grocery shopping I've wondered about the safety of eating seafood and what effects the spill has had on the sea-life and the fishermen. Trav and I have purchased some seafood since the spill, although probably not as much as we would have had we not had the thoughts and images of the environmental tragedy. You have to think... Have many fish become contaminated? Are fishermen fishing anywhere near the spill? What test and safety precautions are being done?

Today, I came across a post on Whole Foods Market's blog, Whole Story. It gave me some peace of mind about eating seafood in these weeks and months following the spill, at least seafood from their stores. I'm glad Whole Foods has a passion for supporting honest, hard working companies and providing safe, healthy food!



Are you concerned about the safety of eating seafood after the oil spill? 


Video courtesy of Whole Foods and YouTube.

Virtual Shopping: Pottery Barn Meets Lavender

While growing-up my mom and I always loved shopping together! So when I went off to college we did what we called "virtual shopping". Whenever one of us saw something that caught our eye we would talk on the phone about it and look at it online together.


Did you know that Pottery Barn has bath and bedding items that are exclusively online?
That's right, and their newest collection is inspired by Provence!

In Provence, France lavender is cultivated for it's flowers and oil.

~ Lavender Retreat ~

Dried Lavender Bouquet:

...vibrant purple color and soft fragrance.

Embroidered Lavender Guest Towels:

...beautiful blooming lavender motif.

Provence Organic Bath towels:

...soft, plush and organic!

Provence Shower Curtain:

More organic cotton and dabs of color!

It all comes together...

Printed Lavender Pillow Cover:

...reproduction of an original painting.

Embroidered Lavender Lumber Pillow Cover:

...bundle of blooms and stems.

It all comes together...

Create your own little 'piece of Provence'! 

For more information go to the PB site and search "lavender".

LOVE to hear from you... Leave a comment!

Images courtesy of Pottery Barn and Wikipedia.