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Welcome to The Painted Squirrel!


Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can do anything! - Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Daddy Long Legs!




Happy Father's Day Dad!
 When we were little girls, my sisters and I had to learn how to walk very fast to keep up with my Dad.  Not only is he over 6 feet tall, but he is a naturally fast walker (just like I'm a naturally "good eater")  One of his steps was equal to about three of ours and we'd gallop along beside him in our Mary Janes, trying not to fall behind.  We loved it and, truth be told, Dad was probably walking along at a third of his normal gait for us.

Now this month I've feel like I've been doing the same thing, only not as fun.  It seems that with my son's graduation, Father's Day, the end of the school year and some new projects that I've been asked to do, all I can do is run to try and keep up!  I envy those people who can get it all done and seem so organized, they are the fast walkers of our world.   I am Herve Villechaize to their Shaquille O'Neal and even though the view is great from down here, my legs are tired!  So tomorrow I am heading for the lake house for a few weeks and cannot wait to rest my aching gams!

I have several things to show you this week - potluck style since none of the projects really relate to each other.  First, back to the garden.   I wanted a little table or something to set my coffee or tea down next to the garden bench.  Back to the basement for some in home shopping!  I found this candle holder that I haven't used in years - actually the candle itself had never even been lit.

Looks pretty "garden-y" right?
I used a hack saw and removed the base, then I drilled some holes for drainage in the top so water wouldn't collect.
Then I pushed it in until the bottom "branch" was just under the dirt - this helped to stabilize it.

Perfect!

Next just a little blurb about my son's graduation party centerpiece.  I just gathered up "school" items and threw it all into the middle of the table (OK, maybe not "threw", I arranged it rather quickly though)  I wrapped a rubber band around a glass vase, then inserted pencils and crayons between the rubber band and glass.  When I was done, I tied a ribbon in his school colors to hide the rubber band and put in some flowers.   (thank you for helping with this one Mom - it was a little tedious although not as bad as your Rock Star effort icing 98 cupcakes!!)

Calculaters, glue sticks, a dictionary, thesaurus, erasers - they all look great grouped on the table with the kids photos tucked in!

My niece also graduated - oddly enough, different schools but they both had the same school colors!

Lastly, a project done by one of my dearest friends, Lisa.  Lisa decided to paint her master bedroom furniture black.  The pine was nice, but a little too country for her now.  She opted for using oil paint (cue menacing music) and the results are amazing!  She has promised to send me more photos of the room since she's now also painted the bed, night stands and had the floor changed from carpet to hard wood!  I'm still not an oil paint kinda girl, but with these results, maybe I should rethink it!
I think this is the paint she used...
Saint Andie...really, you shouldn't have! (Let's all ignore the terrible touch up job I did changing the "r" to an "i" and just go with it...)

Before

After.  Some new drawer pulls and HELLOOOO GORGEOUS!

So that is it for this week and it's off to the lake!  There is something truly magic about finding a place where you are able to let go of the hands that are pulling you along your life and just be.  I hope you all have a place like that so this summer you can take some time to relax, be grateful and enjoy all of the things you've been running to keep up with.  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

C'mon Get Happy!


 Is there a point when you just get tired of playing it safe?  For me, this is the time.   The print that my husband and I bought has actually given me the courage to change up my colors and just go for it!  Aqua and red! Wow!  The challenge for me has been using these colors and keeping the style fairly traditional - I am finding that it's very easy to make it look too youthful (think teens bedroom) or too contemporary.  I'm sure I will tweak it along the way but I am nearing completion on my quest to lighten up and embrace our more fun, fanciful side!                             


The family room - Before. 
After







The art print at last!  So different from anything we've ever had, but we just love it.  It reminds us of our family - snow people who would love nothing more than to find that we've drifted into the tropics!  I still need to get a picture light to hang over it but we all smile every time we look at.

On to the eating area of the kitchen!

The barstools - Before
 
After

The Bakers Rack - Before, forgotten on the porch (don't you love the fake plant?)
After - spray painted white
The stripes on the barstools looks great with the pattern on the seat cushions!

Moving into the sunroom.  The walls in this room have been aqua for years now.  It didn't relate to much else in the house, but I loved it so much that I've kept it all this time.  Now it looks wonderful as a backdrop to the other rooms!

I spray painted the previously brown lamps white


My husbands family wine press.  I had a huge plant in there that I've just cut way back.  Now it looks a little sparse, but I know it will come back even more beautiful!

 This week will be very busy with the last days of school and my eldest son's graduation from high school.  I'm so happy for him and so sad for Bob and I!  We are so proud of him but will miss him like crazy when he goes to college in the fall.  Have a great week everyone!


Sunday, June 2, 2013

The Way-ay-ting Is The Hardest Part...

Last week I mentioned that Bob and I bought an art print at a show.  It's still not back!!  No, they aren't running late - I'm just impatient and want to see it hanging on my wall!  No matter, I've been going great guns to get everything else done and updated.

Here are a few of the projects I've been working on.

First the bookshelves.  You can see that I'm taking the same bright aqua color on the back of the shelves that I used in my office and bringing it into the family room.  What a breath of fresh air!

Before
After


Now the kitchen table chairs.  When I first bought them on Craigslist, the original fabric was an off white - you can't see in the photo but it was dirty and stained so it had to be changed.  I don't have a before photo of my kitchen table, but the base was a dark green stain.
Original

First transformation to match my red/green decor


After!  Wow!  I used indoor/outdoor fabric so it will be more durable.  I love the bright colors against the white table base!


That's a new sisal rug on the floor.  Simple and easy to clean.


My sunroom table was a given to me by a neighbor who knows I like to get free furniture and paint it.  It's been in my sunroom waiting for me to decide what to do with it.

Before.  Great carvings and funky legs.

After - Cherry Red!  That is also a new white shag rug in the sunroom.
 Moving back into the family room, we had some World Market shelves that I use for the TV receiver.  The wood is a little dark now that I have an aqua rug in there (yes, aqua - what the heck am I thinking???).

Before

After - I also put a canister light behind it so at night the red depression glass still glows in the up-light. (For those of you who love depression glass, you'll notice there are a few imposters in the lot - no matter, they look great together!)
Another World Market table - this one I also bought at a yard sale and the wood is also a little dark for my bright room.  The new print is going to go right above it on that wall.

Before - with a little sneak peak at the aqua rug!


After


After
 Well, that is all I can show of my projects this week.  There are still several pieces being painted and they'll be done soon.  Hopefully by next Sunday I can show you the happy rooms!

Now, here's a little project my sister worked on this week.  She just moved into a new apartment and needed something to use as a headboard.  She bought two sheets of a lightweight board at Home Depot, primed and painted them ($13 for both).  So creative and I can't wait to see them hanging above her bed! (I'll post photos when she emerges from the box jungle that is her place right now.  Moving is always tough.)  Have a wonderful week everyone!



Gorgeous Sandy!