Cote de Texas I have read and re-read Joni's recent post 'Updating Your Decor '. Great advice and insight. One thing I keep coming back to is her recommendation to paint interior doors high gloss black, especially if the doors are inexpensive/builder grade doors. I have a pantry door in my kitchen; its almost just like Joni's, above. It's a narrow door and is angled into a corner. Seeing Joni's door makes me want to update my door hardware and paint mine black...
black interior doors in Nate Berkus' office william waldron, photographer ? and here are a few charcoal gray options....
Elle Decor
source unknown Have you painted an interior door black?
Antique shops along Magazine Street My best friend and sister of my heart, Debbie, yes we're both Debs, lives clear across the country from me so once every two years or so we meet up in a different city to play for a week. We decided to meet up in New Orleans since she had never been there and of course there was magazine street to look forward too since we both love antiques. Magazine Street is well known for all their antique shops although there are fewer since hurricane Katrina.
A restored shotgun house with newly added dormer We stayed in the French quarter and played tourists and the first thing that struck me were the stunning shotgun houses. A single shotgun house is usually 12 feet wide and has 3-5 rooms in a row, sometimes only two rooms deep, front to back, with no hallways and doors that open on the front and back.
(Excuse the dates on the pictures I never learned how to set that on my camera.) Shotgun houses were popular mainly in southern cities since they occupied a small area of land, usually 30 feet wide at most, so it allowed a great number of homes to be built side by side. New Orleans housing taxes contributed to the shotgun house since taxes were based on the lot frontage. Later when people tried to take the houses to a second story known as 'Camelbacks' the houses were then taxed based on square footage. Since hallways and closets were considered rooms this type of house has no closets or hallways.
'Double-barrel' shotgun houses that consist of two houses sharing a central wall that would have allowed more homes to be built. They became known as being a shotgun house for the saying that you could shoot a gun through the front door and have the bullet pass cleanly through the back door since the doors line up on the same sides. I love the vibrant colors used for the house colors.
The houses usually had big rooms with high ceilings that helped with cooling purposes, when the warm air rises it helped to keep the lower part cooler. The shutters on the main doors helped as well since the shutters can be locked from the inside and the front door could be left open to allow air flow through the house.
This house is actually two houses the entrances being on the far left and right and each with a window and dormer in the center. The left house is for rent if you're interested.
A modern shotgun house with detailed floor plan that includes a bathroom, the original shotgun houses had no bathroom.
Interior pictures via Southern Accents, December, 2002 These interior shots are from Gerald Pierce' pied-a-terre in the French Quarter of his double-barrel shotgun house that has been turned into a single dwelling. Gerald is a designer of Jim Thompson Thai Silks in Bangkok.
If you notice the pictures hung over the windows in the living room and how far up on the opposite wall the pictures go up it'll give you a sense of how high the ceilings are, usually 14' in height.
Chimneys tended to be built in the interior so the front and middle rooms could share a chimney and each have a fireplace. Notice how slender the fireplace surround is, not much wider then the antique trumeau mirror above it. Typically there was another chimney built in the kitchen.
The kitchen, located at the very back of the house, looks to be a simple gallery kitchen hidden behind silk drapes. This is a man who obviously doesn't cook much since those drapes would get ruined by cooking grease.
If you click on Gerald' bedroom picture you can pull it up bigger to see how narrow the bedroom looks and how high the ceilings are, the ceilings do have cove molding. Notice how he kept the wood floors dark so that they almost disappear?
The bedroom fireplace exactly on the other side of the living room fireplace.
While I love the look and the idea about these little houses I don't think I could live in one since I get claustrophobic. Love the tall floor to ceiling windows and the ceiling heights, so European. I'm also thinking these homes are best for a single person since there isn't much square footage. They're such a charming part of our architectural history and I'm glad I got to see so many first hand with my best friend.
If you read home blogs at all, you will not be able to avoid the very popular trend of using chevron in decorating. What is chevron, you ask? Chevron is a zig-zag line pattern, sort of like a simplified herringbone. It is absolutely popping up everywhere- from curtains to rugs, to desktops and backspashes! It's a very bold choice and makes a big statement in design.
modern dining room design by other metros media and blogs Made By Girl
traditional kitchen design by dc metro interior designer Paula Grace Designs, Inc. Notice the chevron pattern in the backsplash?
eclectic dining room design by atlanta architect Blount Architectual and Interior Design
Even my absolute favorite home decor store, Pottery Barn, has jumped on the chevron bandwagon!
DIY Chevron Art
I, for one (and I may be the ONLY one), am not a fan of chevron. {Gulp} I confess that you will not find many geometric, modern patterns in my home. Mostly you'll see paisley or stripes- a little bit more classic in my humble opinion. But if you are digging the chevron, there is no shortage of DIY projects out there in blogland!
What's your opinion? Are you a Chevron Lover or Hater like me?
Downtown with only two streets I thought I'd tell you how we came to be living in an 18th century house in the country. My husband Rick and I were living in NYC and had been searching the suburbs for 5 ' years looking for the perfect antique house to no avail. We had quite the list of wants and weren't willing to settle. After one particularly disappointing day my husband brightened up and said time to go farther out and made a call to an old childhood friend who was in real estate.
Autumn in Our Town An hour later our fax machine started humming away spitting out house listing after house listing, talk about excitement! The house listings were in Rick's childhood hometown up in New Hampshire and one house in particular caught both our attention and Rick couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar so time to take a drive up and have a look.
Front of House at first meeting Rick had driven up alone to see the house and called that night telling me I needed to hop on a plane and get up to NH pronto, he had found our dream home. Meeting our home for the first time took a bit of imagination to envision what it could look like when brought back to life. Upon arrival to our house you couldn't see it sitting up on the side of the mountain from the road since the front forest was so over grown. But once up the drive there she was'''a cape built in 1790 sitting looking very blank and forlorn just waiting for someone to love her.
Side yard looking into the back The property was blank! No shrubs around the house, no gardens, no nothing except what Mother Nature planted. Those 'shrubs' you see at the back of the house were actually invasive weeds called Japanese knot weed or bamboo and were next to impossible to kill off.
Back of house
The property in general was an absolute mess! The side field weeds had grown part way into the side yard and calling them weeds was putting it mildly. There were huge wild rose bushes the size of a vehicle, poisonous sumac trees and giant weeds taller then a man. The only way around that mess was walking around on the road because you couldn't go through it.
Rick told me while we were touring what we termed 'the mess' that he finally knew why this house seemed so familiar, it was his old pediatricians house. My husband was born and raised right down the road from this house, talk about going full circle. Another surprise from our realtor, the old gal is buried right out back on the tier. I guess she really loved this house!
Yes, as far as you can see this is our mess!
The interior turned out to be as dismal as the outside, the whole house had white walls, not semi flat painted white walls but the white of primer paint. Yes, you read that right, everything was painted with primer white paint! While almost every trim throughout the entire house was painted that strange blue/green. Take it from me people white is not neutral it's shockingly bright!
We had seen our house on a rainy day so found out first hand that the roof needed help since it was raining on the first floor of a two story house. See the rain coming down the window shade? It's was flowing steadily from the ceiling as well. Despite the fact we were going to need a bulldozer and every surface in the house needed help the structural bones of the house were perfect and ready to stand for another 200 years.
Front forest after we cleaned and thinned it out We found everything we wanted in a property and house even if it was going to take a very strong back and many years to put right. So after nearly six years of searching we took the plunge and bought our home. Welcome to our dream!
PhotoSimon Upton Suddenly I've got this thing for black furniture and it's all Darryl Carter's fault, once I saw this picture I was intrigued. I love how the black pops against all the white really making the furniture a statement and brings out the clean lines. Less seems to be more!
voila! Then I saw this beautiful black bench on 1st Dibs and kept thinking how stunning it would look in an entryway. Before I knew it everything kept coming up black, so I'm now wondering is black the new gray?
Cote de Texas It wasn't just furniture I was seeing in black but doors as in Joni Webb's home from Cote de Texas. Kitchens and whole rooms were taking on a whole new meaning of sophistication and seductiveness.
House Beautiful
House Beautiful I love how all the white ironstone pops in this beautiful cupboard, it looks so elegant.
House Beautiful Black and white can look very classic, timeless, the walls almost seem to float.
Tate Gunnerson
Design Sponge A splash of bright bold color can keep a room from feeling to stark and adds a touch of playfulness.
Design Sponge
lonny mag
http://www.melanieacevedo.com/ So my questions are to you, is black becoming the new gray? Could you make a bold statement such as this and paint a room black? I don't think I could paint a whole room black but I'm certainly going to try it out on an interior door this weekend thanks to Joni at Cote de Texas. Baby steps for me, how about you?
'Regarded as one of the most original and adventurous collectors and dealers of our time,Axel Vervoordtrightly considers himself an eclectic collector and dealer, who treasures the timeless and disdains the trendy. Vervoordt's taste spans centuries, continents and economic strata, and his profound knowledge of this history of fine and applied arts has led him to create spaces in which his juxtaposition of objects from vastly different eras and cultures makes a strong and impressive statement on present and future interior taste. These juxtapositions should inspire contemplation and thus mental liberty.
Vervoordt cites three main strands of influence in his work. The first is that of contemporary and oriental art and arte povera, which to him signifies the importance of a life of meditation, empty space, a love and respect of nature and of human existence. The second is architecture, which represents proportion, balance and harmony, such as one might find in an 18th century library. The third strand is the baroque, either gilded and courtly, or more.'
Ladders are one of my favourite things. They are beautiful in a simple, charming way, and yet so practical. I found these lovely pictures at houseandhome.com. House & Home is Canada's #1 design and decorating magazine. Their website is like heaven for those with an interest for interior design, a never-ending source of inspirational pictures.
Last night it fell about five cm of snow. Now, if the temperature doesn't rise too much it will still be there this afternoon which would be perfect since Liseberg's Christmas Market is on tonight's agenda.
Five million lights and 700 Christmas trees greet you when you walk in the entrance to Liseberg Christmas Market in Gothenburg. This year Christmas at Liseberg celebrates it's ten year anniversary and is more popular than ever.
Northern Europe's largest Christmas Market offers, in addition to all the traditional attractions; buildings dated from the 18th century, about 80 rustic stalls brim with traditional handicrafts and seasonal Swedish treats, reindeer and ice skating. And of course, the restaurants serve Christmas delicacies.
The design and craft market offers an enviable selection of gifts from famous names such as Iittala, Georg Jensen, the Kingdom of Crystal (including Orrefors and Kosta Boda ) and Lammhults furniture. In the Lapland area you can buy unique Sami handicrafts and see the reindeer. You can visit Liseberg Ice Gallery & Bar, the interior of which is sculpted entirely from ice from the Torne river.
Christmas at Liseberg is open from mid November to 23 December.
Source: boinzo, kberberi, maj-lis, nouna andersson, sofia bystr'm ' flickr.com
Luxurious interior from Ralph Lauren. One couldn't expect less, of course. Cosy but a bit too pretentious for my taste. You probably need a huge castle to decorate this way. I love the first photo, though!!
Well, many of you have asked, so I thought now was the time to share how my hubs and I made our headboard out of an old door. It truly is a VERY easy project, and like I mentioned before, is super inexpensive! Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the process, because we did this several years ago before I was into taking pictures of everything just in case it would make a good blog post.: )
First, I just want to remind you that this project was very low-budget, using items we already had. In addition, neither my husband or I cared what it looked like behind/below the bed. It's not perfect, so if you're looking for something perfect (ahem! Monica and Eric), you won't find it here. Anyway, we started with a plain, interior door that we had removed from another area in the house (read: FREE!) I painted it the color of three of the walls in our bedroom. We measured the ends and cut off the top part of the door using a saw. We held the door up to the wall with the bed in place so we knew how high we wanted it. Then, we took a 2x4 from the random collection of wood in our attic, levelled it, and mounted it to the wall using screws and a drill.
Finally, we rested the door on top of the 2x4 (making sure that the hole for the door handle was on the bottom), checked to see if it was level, and then put two screws on either end of the top of the door into the wall. I painted the screws the same color of the door so that they blend in and you almost don't notice them.
That's it! Pretty darn easy, and it cost us nothing. Score! Need some other DIY Headboard inspiration? I've rounded up my favorite DIY headboard projects and can't wait to share them with you! Just click on the link to be taken to the instructions on how to make them. (And as always, if you attempt to make one of these headboard projects, please send us a picture!)
Southern Living I love this headboard made out of a mantel. So creative, and an awesome spot to showcase some of your favorite treasures.
Too Much Time on my Hands Monica showcased a headboard made from a pallet in this post, but here is another example of how you can turn a boring, old pallet into something fabulous!
Apartment Therapy Wouldn't it be fun to write love notes to your hubby that he could see when he wakes up (or goes to bed; ) Or, use it as a place to tell your kids how special they are to you. How about writing something you love about them every day for a year? So many possibilities!
HGTV I know I've seen shutters at yardsales or flea markets in the past, but who knew they had so much potential grouped together as a headboard??!!
HGTV This headboard can be made using 1x6 whitewood boards for LESS THAN $100! An added bonus is that you can change the color depending on the color scheme of your bedding.
Isabella & Max This padded fabric headboard makes a major statement and is the focal point of this whole room. Definitely not a beginner's project, but is worth giving it a try.
Our Vintage Home Love And finally, my favorite of all. I love this look so much that I may be attempting it soon. Stay tuned!
Which headboard can you envision yourself falling asleep under?
Have a great day!
Linking up to: Made by You Mondays, Craftomaniac Mondays, Market Yourself Monday, Tip Me Tuesday, Tutorials and Tips
When we bought our house, there were several outbuildings scattered throughout the property. There was the old sheep barn that was collapsing in beyond repair, there was an aluminum shed, a quirky wood shed, a pole barn, the barn with the guest quarters, and the sauna (pictured above). The old sheep barn, the aluminum shed and the quirky wood shed all got hauled away to the rebuild it center. The rest we kept, including the sauna.
I'll give you a quick tour. It's a small two room sauna that reminds me of the old rustic camps I use to visit in Maine.
I can tell you that Hubby was beyond thrilled when he discovered this building on our first tour of the property and imagined sitting in here after a long day of skiing. The above room is the changing room and has lots of old vintage towel racks, old hooks, a little vanity and benches to sit on.
Even Lucy was excited about the sauna. Here she is taking in the ambiance of the old steam room. Aren't the benches classic? And see the old shower faucet hanging from the cross beam?
But Hubby's dream came to a screeching halt when the house inspector warned us that the above water tank was a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. In other words, don't use the sauna in its current incarnation — ever. Hubby had ideas to update the system but when we realized that all of the wood in the steam room had been coated with urethane, we knew we'd have to reside the whole interior as to not get high on toxic fumes. The charred wall was also a deterrent — obviously the barrel stove was a fire hazard. So it sat.
Until one day a couple of winters ago, we put my old treadmill in the changing area and started using the space as a workout room. And that's when we decided that the building would serve us much better as a home gym than a sauna. Let me just say that we're not gym people. We know this because we bought gym memberships a year ago this month and pretty much never went. This was mostly due to the inconvenience of driving into town all the time. When we did go, all we used were the treadmill (which I had at home) and the elliptical machine (which we just bought). So instead of renewing our very costly gym membership, we've decided to use the funds to create a home gym, conveniently located within walking distance from the house. We'll be tearing out the wall in the middle in order to create a large one room space so that both the treadmill and the elliptical machine will fit side by side. These will go where the steam benches are now. We'll insulate the vaulted ceiling, perhaps add a sink since there's already an existing water line, and paint everything white. We have some extra tongue and groove flooring left over from the porch, which we'll use to cover up the concrete floor. We'll paint the floors historic gray as they already have primer on them. We also plan to replace the plywood door with the old french exterior door we removed from the main house. So that's the plan but I can't say for sure when the cosmetic stuff will happen! But I'll keep you posted! AFTER PHOTOS HERE!
New here? You can check out our kitchen demolition here.
Imagine with me for a minute…See this soffit?
Imagine with me that that soffit is no longer there. There would be no interruption from the countertops to the ceiling, and as a result, the ceiling would seem so much higher. Nice, right? It would be so open and clean.
I could hang the cabinets from the ceiling, which would increase the space between them and the countertop. You with me? Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Ok, good. Because here goes:
First we removed all the upper cabinets (and by"we", I most definitely mean my hubs). We were amazed at what we found behind those cabinets- apparently the homeowners before us did their own DIY with painted tiles, framed by a sharpie marker! Plus, there's a vent that was hooked up to the microwave that we realized we need to take care of, as well.
I did loads of research on removing soffits, since this is our first big demo/remodel, and everyone said the same thing: make a small hole in the drywall and check to see if there is any wiring or pipes behind the soffit. In a lot of cases, soffits have no real structural function, but are there so you could hang cabinets from them. If you notice, new construction homes almost never have soffits in the kitchen. Luckily for us, there is a recessed light in our soffit, so we were able to remove it and get a good view into the interior of the soffit.
Since it's a pretty small hole, we stuck our small digital camera up in the soffit and took a few pictures in each direction to make sure all was clear. It worked like a charm and I was thrilled to see that there wasn't anything there but insulation!
Also, a bunch of people said that soffits aren't always made of drywall, but could also be plywood, which is why we weren't afraid when we saw this:
So, we kept on ripping things out (while trying hard to ignore the mouse droppings- Eew!) Then, when we were all done, my hubs said he thought that maybe this big beam in the front might be load-bearing beam that runs along the entire length of the back of the house. Ahhhhh!!! Noooooo!!!!
This is when we called in the experts, ie: my father-in-law and my parent's genius handyman, Robert. While we waited for them to come, I spent a few days trying to decide how I felt about have no upper cabinets.
I decided that I really liked it, but after stewing over it, I also came to the conclusion that it wasn't really practical for us since I removed the upper cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. My new plan for this side of the kitchen is a combination of cabinets and open shelving that I'll share with you as we get closer to it. (Believe me, LOTS has to happen before that).My hubs also spackled the wall, and painted it the new gray/tan in anticipation of the next step.
Well, you guessed it, we did find out that the beam was load-bearing like my hubs suspected and needed to stay in place. So, (and this is so sad, and yes, I know my hubs is a saint!) my hubs went to work drywalling the soffit back in, with the help of Mo's husband, Eric. Poor guy. But, we were able to remove the recessed lighting kit and install a pendant light kit. Woohoo! I can't wait to pick that baby out!
Even though we had a really big I'll be trying to make it up to my hubs for a long time minor setback, we did make some progress elsewhere. When we moved the oven to the other side of the kitchen and slid the fridge in it's place, we were left with this small cabinet space to the left. It was not functional at all, and it really made that side look disjointed.
We removed the counter from the wall, and then moved the whole thing over to the other side of the refridgerator, giving us more counter space to the right.
There is, of course, a crack between the two countertops, that, we're told can easiliy be masked with some paint that matches the counter brushed on the crack and then wiped away. You'll still notice it, but it won't scream out at you, and we don't plan on keeping this countertop forever (hopefully not past this year!). Here's where we are right now:
I have to admit that my 3 year old took this picture, but what can I say? She has a good eye! Ok, take a deep breath. That's all for now.: )
I'm showing you bits and pieces of homes because my best friend Deb's company Village Interiors Inc. made some or most of the furnishings. I am so incredibly honored to be able to call her my friend but also I'm so incredibly proud of her and her achievements. She has worked so hard through the years in the background of others that I thought I would give her a little of her due credit here. The "Pierre" French for rock, designed by Tom Kundig ofOlson Kundig Architects
This home in Washington state is amazing, it was built within an outcropping of rocks up on a peak to capture the views, hence the name "Pierre".
While the custom furniture was designed by Olson Kundig Architects' interiors studio, it was Village Interiors that had to make those dreams a reality.
Hong Kong Villa designed by Jim Olson ofOlson Kundig Architects
This house was also designed by the same architectural firm of Olson Kundig Architects by Jim Olson who also designed the interiors, two very talented men in that architectural firm. This home is located in Hong Kong overlooking the South China Sea.
Village made all the furniture in this residence too! Isn't that view something out that wall?
Auckland, New ZealandArchitecture by Pip Cheshire, Interiors by Terry Hunziker
"Visually the house is intended to be seen as a piece of constructed jewelry amid a natural landscape,' architect Pip Cheshire says of the seaside Auckland residence he built for Sue and Peter Cooper. He collaborated closely on the project with interior designer Terry Hunziker."
While modern house design is not typically my thing I just love this house and all the elements, that fireplace surround is zinc clad! Yep, more sofas and chairs by Village, they ship far and wide!
Furniture by Village Interiors for projects of designer Holly McKinley
Deb does so much more then make furniture she also owns Storage By Design better known as SBD, a high end white lab coat, white glove storage facility for antiques, furniture and specialty furniture installations.
She also owns a pillow business called Olde World Pillows and is in the process of opening a well-anticipated shop next month. (Nope, no competition between us and our businesses since we don't really sell the same pillows, besides we're best friends!)
It always amazes me what goes on behind the scenes, like the people who have to take a drawing and create what they see and not get any credit for their efforts such as Village. If you're a designer and live in the Pacific Northwest then Village and SBD is for you but Olde World Pillows will be open to everyone and wait until you see her shop, think jewel box! Be sure to check out some of the homes listed here they're freaking amazing! Located in Seattle Washington, conveniently just two blocks from the Seattle Design Center. Village Interiors Inc. 217 S. Findlay Seattle, Washington 98108 (206) 768-9601
John Derian's home photographed by William Waldron Thanks to Emilies Interior for the link I have been in love with that second photo for a long time but had not seen the first one. I was delighted to see more of that room. What do you think of the pages-covered wall and door?
While perusing the Internet looking for a certain antique item for my new kitchen I remembered Michael Trapp Antiques and web site Here. While browsing his pages I had a look at his profile and was very surprised to find a little box right below his picture. Michael Trapp is a garden and interior designer extraordinaire, theatrical designer, antiques dealer, and trendsetter, who is well known on the east coast, is selling his amazing home in Sharon, Connecticut.
View of the house before renovation Perched on the edge of a cliff with spectacular views of the Berkshires foothills sat an unassuming 3000 square foot bungalow style house that Michael purchased for $365,000 in 2003 and set about creating a little magic.
View of the house after renovation with landscaping, stonewalls, steps and cobblestone walkway. Notice the color of the house and trim.
View of the dining room, notice the wall color, with a 19th century Spanish chandelier, the teak chairs are sold on his web site. The dining room and living room face out to the deck so the windows and French doors were all elongated to capture the view.
The antique French limestone table base and the fabulous 18th century flooring from Burgundy are all available on Michaels' web site.
The 900 square foot deck that runs the length of the house brings those captivating views home! This picture was obviously taken in the fall since the leaves are changing. Now do you understand why someone with so much talent bought such a house?
The living room is outfitted with eight dead birch trees, while an unusual decorating statement inside they would have been worse outside for a garden designer. Upon arriving for the front yard Michael found they were diseased and dying so he brought them inside. The living room is bigger in height then width so he needed something to make the scale more human like without blocking the light coming inside.
The other side of the living room noticed how Michael used black paint to mimic wainscoting on the lower half of the walls. He has another variety of tree hanging above the large clam shell, an orange tree. I love all the antique frames on the wall, sometimes they make more of a statement empty.
The master bath is tiled with late 19th/early 20th Century Spanish glazed concrete tile that are available on Michaels' site in three different colors. The sinks are all carved stone.
In the bedroom, a pre-Rafaelita painting of St. Sebastian is framed on either side with finials from a Samuel McIntire house. You can see Michaels' love of antique architectural pieces in the side tables and throughout the house.
The floors are all inlaid 18th century French Terra cotta tiles from Burgundy all outlined with bands of dark stained wood. Michael was able to open the house up and bring the light and outside in blurring the line between the two. If you're interested in seeing a wonderful slide show featuring this house go Here. If you're interested in seeing Michaels' shop with attached gardens and house go Cote de Texas Joni did a wonderful spread not to be believed. Oh, if you're interested I did buy my new kitchen a little something from Michaels' shop here....
a 16th century Italian wine vessel Happy Shopping!
You guys. Every once in a while one of my crazy ideas actually pans out and is awesome. I have to say, that in my opinion, this project is one of them. You know me, I'm a whole lot less modern than Monica when it comes to decor (and most things, come to think of it), so I surprised myself with how much I liked this wreath!! Without further ado, here's my little bit modern/little bit rustic Wood Slice Wreath:
I pretty much adore this wreath that I made from a tree that was knocked down during Hurricane Sandy a few weeks ago. We were fortunate to only have a few downed trees, but we still need to figure out what to do with all that wood! It was pretty much free, since I used materials I had on hand. That makes it even better in my opinion. Can I get an amen? You'll want to let your wood sit inside out of the elements to dry out for a while before beginning.
Here's how to make your own:
1. Cut a slice of wood from a tree trunk using a chainsaw. I'm pretty comfortable with most saws, but I stay away from chainsaws! My hubs cut a slice for me at about 2 inches thick. These pictures are a bit deceiving because the diameter of this wreath is about 1.5 feet, so it's pretty large!
(Wondering why everything looks so golden? No it's not Heaven, it's the nightime lighting in my garage. Please tell me I'm not the only one using power tools at 11 PM in the garage. My neighbors love me, as you can imagine.)
2. Using a large drill bit, drill a hole in the middle of the wood slice. This makes it easy for you to start cutting with a jigsaw.
3. Cut out the middle portion of the wood slice to create the wreath. I was lucky to have a piece of wood that had distinctive rings for me to use as a guide for the jigsaw. Make sure you have a long blade that is specifically designed to use on wood. This will make the job SO much easier! I'll be honest, this part was hard work! I had my husband hold the piece of wood to give me some resistance as I was cutting. We eventually had to switch jobs because it felt like my arms might just vibrate right off!
4. Sand the inside ring of the wood to even it out and to get rid of splinters. Easy peasy.
5. Tape off the top of your wreath and spraypaint the inside a fun color. This step is optional, but I wanted to give my rustic wreath a little bit of glam. I used Valspar Gold Metallic spray paint and did a couple of coats. Warning: because of it's circular shape and it's 2 inch depth, the paint will deflect right back at you! My gray nailpolish quickly became gold!
6. Add Self-Stick Foor Care pads to the back of your wreath to prevent scratching. This wreath probably weighs close to 10 lbs, and the last thing I want is for it to bang around in the wind and mark up my freshly painted front door. Adding pads creates a nice barrier between the wreath and the door!
7. Add your desired ribbon and step back to admire your work! Isn't she pretty? (Yes, it's a girl)
Look at those multi-colored rings! You just can't beat the beauty you find in nature.
My gold ribbon is just the right touch, don't you think?
And the gold interior ring is just subtle enough that it doesn't steal the show, but totally complements the tones in the rest of the wood.
If you want your wreath to last a long time, I recommend brushing a water-based polyurethane on all the surfaces to seal it. Because it's water-based, it won't change the color of the wood or cause it to yellow over time.
What do you think? Are you digging it like I am?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh yeah, did you hear? We want YOUR Christmas cards!!
Please please send them to us because getting Christmas cards is one of the highlights of our lives. A bit dramatic, yes, but oh so true. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
