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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Cottage8: Our Master Bedroom Reveal

Edited Monday, 11:30am PST: Last night and early this morning I was experiencing some issues with the quality of my photos, (blurry, dark and fuzzy), which hopefully is now corrected. We now return to our regularly scheduled program…

When I offer friends a tour of our home and introduce them to our “Master Bedroom” in reference to the main bedroom in our home, I think the term is almost embarrassingly overstated. It’s nothing more than a super tiny room that snuggly fits a queen sized bed. But as most small home homeowners will tell you, size really doesn’t always matter, and it’s what you do with the space that makes it a home. I personally find tiny rooms extremely charming as they seem to share a special kind of intimacy within.

When we purchased our home back in July 2008, it was evident that each room’s renovation was going to require the following: endless weekends full of projects, hard work and physical labor, countless trips to Home Depot, a massive amount of creativity, and a fully grown money tree in our backyard.

Fast forward to two years later, and while the only thing growing in our backyard may be weeds, our hard earned pennies and dedication that we’ve poured into this house is starting to show with each room we accomplish.

Some of you may remember when I shared the before photos of the main living part of our home a while back. If you haven’t seen it, then by all means please click here and here. I think it’s fair to say the previous home owners had a rather unusual affinity for sponge painting. Below is a photo of the entrance into our Master Bedroom, complete with sponge painted walls and a Superman sticker to the left side of the window. Not more than 5 minutes after we closed on the house, I rushed in here with a step stool and tore that thing down, can you blame me?

BEFORE:

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And here is our Master Bedroom AFTER:

055 We’ve done so much in here, I’m not sure where to begin.
The walls are Ralph Lauren’s “Canvas Natural”, and the ceiling and trim is Behr’s “Seaside Sand”
(same paint colors as the rest of our house).
The tie top white linen curtains are called Belle and can be purchased
here,
and the bamboo roman shade is called
Providence, from Home Depot.
The quilt cover and duvet is from Macy’s
Hotel Collection

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The bedside lamps are from Pier 1 Imports, the nightstands were flea market finds,
and the faux books are from a local shop…

1313 The headboard is actually a mantel, a really huge fireplace mantel! 
I found it on the side of someone’s house, paid them a hundred bucks for it, and painted and tufted it myself.
But I’ll save that story for another post, promise.

1111 From left to right (below):
The sailor knot ball is from Home Goods, the antique hanging clock faces are from my friend
Laurie,
the candlesticks are from Villeroy & Boch, the dark framed mirror is from Home Goods,
and the small mirror is an antique. The curious framed clock way on the left was a flea market find,
and the curly willow is from my friend
Rosemary’s willow tree. She cuts it once a year, in January,
and I wait all year for her fresh cuttings!

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This huge french linen pillow is from my friend Laurie

66 Growing up in Southern California, my parents used to take us to Disneyland every year since we were very little,
and I remember posing for the silhouette artist that would cut your profile from small pieces of black paper
in a matter of minutes. Such an incredible art form, these paper silhouettes mesmerize me
and bring back the warmest of memories and good times. 

1414 Remember what I said earlier about the need for massive creativity,
well I made the closet privacy covers from shower curtains and curtain valences, no joke.
The previous owners were apparently quite attached to their doors,
because all of the closet doors were ripped out when we bought this house…

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That branch reflection over the two layered mirrors is one of my favorite details…

191 In these past two years, I’ve learned a life full of lessons. 
I think the most valuable thing I’ve taken away from this is it’s not going to be done in one day,
it might not be done in a month, and it may even take a year until you finally feel satisfied with the result. 
It isn’t just about the destination, but the journey you take to get there.

1313 Another quick before and after shot…

BEFORE:

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AFTER:

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You guys are awesome. Thank you for being so patient with me.
I know so many of you have asked about our bedroom and have waited an incredibly long time
to see what I’ve had brewing in here. I’m really excited to finally get to share this with you!

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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving and a Private Sale!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all those you love.
We spent our holiday with family, good food, and a roomful of conversation and laughter.
My favorite way to spend the day.

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Keeping in the spirit of the holiday, I wanted to share just how thankful I am for you,
so I’m having a Special Two Day Private Sale Just For The Bloggers, to show you my gratitude!

Here are the details:

  • Today & Tomorrow (Friday the 27th & Saturday the 28th)
  • Take 10% Off ANY ITEM on my Website
  • And I should mention, I offer Free Shipping on Every item I sell, Every day!
  • Just enter promo code word “THANKS” when going through checkout to receive your discount

== == == == ==

Here’s just a peek at the unique goods and curious finds you’ll discover on my website:

QUEEN Vintage Silverware Garden Marker-Old Post Office Mail Drawer-Antique Set of 12 Fish Knives and Forks-Pair of Old Rustic Springs-

"What's in your Heart" Crown Locket-White Linen Double Pleat Pillows-"What's in your Heart" Oval Locket-4 x 6 Fleur De Lis Flameless Candle-

Old Enamel Red Cross Vessel-Old Metal Bakery Sign-Old Brass English Horn-HAPPY Vintage Silverware Garden Marker-

Old Industrial Pressure Gauge-XOXO Vintage Silverware Garden Marker-QUEEN BEE Handstamped Ribbon-Grainsack Lavendar Sachet-

And now to announce the winner of the Ramsign giveaway:

Congratulations to Minkee Baby Gifts! Please contact me at
jennifer@theoldpaintedcottage.com to claim your prize.

 

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Thank you to all who entered. I wish I could send an enamel sign to each and every one of you.
You guys are the greatest!


Have a great weekend, and try to stay warm!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Enamel Name Sign - House Number GIVEAWAY

The nice folks over at Ramsign have decided to share with one of my lucky readers
a Name Sign OR a House Number Sign of their choosing! Not only will you get to choose a name or
number sign, but there are 5 different sign styles to choose from. Here’s just a few examples:

Engelhardt: The functional design. Created in 1927 by Danish architect Knud V. Engelhardt, Denmark's first
industrial designer. With Engelhardt's ingenious sign concept, form and function harmonize perfectly.

House number shown in the Engelhardt design…

Engelhardt 12,5 cm

Highlander: The preferred design when readability counts. Black text is set-off elegantly on a white background,
resulting in a visually easy-to-read sign. Highlander elegantly compliments most any setting.

Name sign shown in the Highlander design…

Highlander 7 x 21 cm

Metropolitan: This classic design has been a standard in street signage since the days of Hans Christian Andersen. Metropolitan is simply European sign tradition at its best.

Metropolitan design shown on a number sign…

Metropolitan 11 x 14 cm

Number and name sign, both shown in the Metropolitan design below…

Metropolitan 11 x 14 cm

Arrowhead: Ramsign’s new rustically designed series, Arrowhead, combines the fine European sign tradition,
revived in classic dark green. Advantageous if you are seeking a casual yet classic look.

Arrowhead design, both name and number sign shown below…

Arrowhead 11 x 14 cm and 7 x 21 cm

Lighthouse: The charming design inspired by nostalgia of the seaside, Lighthouse awakens our romantic
feelings of carefree walks on the beach, beautiful sea shells, the fragrance of flowers,
and long summer evenings outdoors.

Lighthouse number sign shown below…

Lighthouse  15 x 20 cm

To enter this Giveaway, please be sure to do each of the steps below:

  1. Leave a comment here on this post
  2. Post about this giveaway on your blog
  3. Become a follower of this blog, if you haven’t already
  4. Extra credit question: Have you ever been told you look like someone famous?

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Giveaway ends on Saturday, November 27th. Good luck!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Stylist Crush: Sibella Court

During a recent visit to Anthropologie, Adam and I happened across the most amazing book, Etcetera, by Sibella Court. I had recognized Sibella from an episode of a show called “Man Shops Globe” I watched on the Sundance Channel , when they toured her shop The Society Inc. in Australia.

Originally, this book was going to be my Christmas gift, but there was no chance of me holding out for 39 days, so we turned the car around and drove right back to the store to purchase it…

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There is something extremely magical, even a bit mysterious about Sibella and the way she does her styling. I could just sink right into her rooms…

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I find Sibella’s work very refreshing. It’s such a different take on decorating. Exposed lamp wire cords, random items taped up on walls, loose fabric yardage on the floor. It reminds me not to take everything so seriously, and relax with it once in a while…

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That yarn covered branch on the right, I am completely inspired…

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Wallpaper rolls on the walls and wire lampshades under the sofa, I admire Sibella’s free spirited nature…

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She is indeed a true curator of curiosities and wonderment…

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Objects you may not look at twice but so impactful in a grouping, such as her interesting collection of barbed wire…

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In addition to interior and magazine styling, Sibella works with Australian paint company Murobond, where she creates a new collection of paint colors every few months. Once her paint color collection is ready for market, she pulls inspiration from her new color palette and recreates her entire shop to tell her color story. 

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I hope this has offered a little inspiration into your day. Have a great rest of the week!

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P.S. You can purchase this book at Anthropologie, and it’s also offered on Amazon.