Showing posts with label Design. Show all posts

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Monochromatic Gardening

When designing a garden it can be tough to know where to begin. There are so many options! One way to narrow down the choices and create an aesthetically pleasing space, is to create a monochromatic garden.

For this garden I chose violet, but you can pick any color. Maybe it was the purple car I drove for 16 years, or maybe it's just because it's pretty, but for some reason I've always appreciated the color purple.

Here are some ideas is you too decide to create a purple garden...

The first and easiest thing to look for will likely be plants with violet hues flowers. Morning Glories are easy to grow and offer vibrant purple blooms. They reseed easily, but will take over small spaces, so give them plenty of room to climb.

Another great climber with purple accents is a Passion Flower (pictured below). These cartoonish flowers are a delight!

Salvias are hearty, don't need much water and come in a variety of purple shades.

Sweet Peas

Look for unexpected sources of color, like these Artichokes.

When left unharvested Artichokes will put on a brilliant show of vibrant purple color.

I also like to chose my flowers based on the season they bloom. By staggering them to bloom in different seasons you can create year-round interest.

Now that it's summer, my Hollyhocks and Dahlias are both in full bloom.

But as soon as fall comes, Mums and Asters steel the show.

Another thing to look for is colored foliage.

The leaves of this Japanese Maple provide two seasons of deep plum color.

Clovers and Decorative Kale are also excellent for providing purple leaves.

Lastly, look for even the subtlest of purples. The silvery violets of Lavender and Lamb's Ears work well in a monochromatic garden.

My favorite on-line nursery is Annie's Annuals. I have has good luck with their plants, and their catalog always includes a little bit of quirky humor, which I appreciate!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy gardening!

Linking up to these fun parties:

http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com/2015/07/july-garden-party.html

http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/inspire-me-monday-68/

http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/tip-me-tuesday-happy-crafters-share-7-14/

http://cornerstoneconfessions.com/2015/07/titus-2-tuesday-164.html

http://thecraftyblogstalker.com/create-link-inspire-linky-party-85/

http://www.carolynshomework.com/2015/07/the-inspiration-board-creative-party_14.html

http://ladybug-blessings.com/?p=6051

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Hayley Brentmar

Hello! My name is Hayley Brentmar. Thank you for visiting my blog! I am an: artist, designer, mother, literature nerd, daughter, sister, homemaker, wife, traveler, and teacher turned homeschooler. I am a sucker for packaging, and I suck at playing sports. Aesthetics are crucial. Please visit my professional webpage: https://hayleybrentmar.com Let's be friends on GoodReads! Find my profile with this URL: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1452367-hayley-brentmar Also, please visit my first website at this URL: https://sites.google.com/site/hayleydeeenestbio/ Professional and Educational experience: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayleybrentmar123/

Monday, July 6, 2015

Retro Kitchen Redo

When we moved into our last house, the kitchen was (in a word) gross! But, we made some quick changes (click here to see) and it cleaned up beautifully.

Still, the kitchen felt cramped and oddly arranged. Overall it was not very user friendly or functional. So after living with it for about a year, we decided it was time for a complete overhaul.

Before we bought this house, the kitchen had seen some hard days, and apparently a lot of college parties. But, I love a good project!

Before Photos:

Original "cold storage"; Before

Gas range, before

Refrigerator, before

Now, I am aware that most people probably wouldn't walk into this space and think "Oh my GOODNESS, it's my dream house!"

But, I did! I knew that hidden under all of this grime, was a charming beach bungalow (originally built in 1928). And, I couldn't wait to bring it back to it's former glory!

Kitchen corner, before

Kitchen sink, before

When it was time to remodel and rearrange I set up a temporary "make-shift" kitchen in the laundry room, and we went to work.

The first step was the really fun part. We broke out the sledgehammer, sawzall and a chisel. Because it was time for:

Demolition!

Take out your frustrations, give a cabinet a good whack with a sledgehammer!
We even re-purposed some of these old cabinets into a playhouse for our children. For details on that project, see this post.

A note about old houses and with lath and plaster walls (as seen in these photos). Unlike today's modern sheet rock, traditional plaster crumbles! Once you start chipping away at it, the whole thing just starts to crumble away. So, unless you have to remove it because of water damage, it's best to chip with care and caution. Or, better yet, just leave it alone whenever you can!

We went over the old linoleum floor with simple peel and stick vinyl tiles. I found the best price for these colors on ebay. They are super easy to install, and easy to replace if an individual one gets too worn.

*Note: We installed the floor about a year before the actual remodel. But, I had purchased extra tiles. So, it was easy to fill in any gaps later, after we removed the original cabinets.

We purchased an old classic range from Craigslist, that was contemporary to the time the home had originally been constructed. I spent an entire day scrubbing the grossness out of the range (see photo below).

I have no idea what that gelatinous gunk was, but with the help of oven cleaner and a scrub brush, I was able to get it out.

Here are the products that I had the best success with while tackling the grossness:

And, for brightening dingy chrome surfaces, it works well to scrub them with dry steelwool.

To really get in all the nooks and under the edges of this stove, I literally used dental tools to scrap out all of the gunk! They were great for the detail work.

I have a friend who's a hygienist, and she gave them to me. But, it looks like you can buy anything on Amazon these days! I've been surprised how any times it's been handy to have these little gadgets:

Finally it was time to order new cabinets (prefab white vinyl). We took careful measurements and a salesperson there helped us with the best possible configuration. They delivered them, and we installed them ourselves.

Then... countertops. Oh, how I wanted the clean smooth finish of granite counters! But, it simply wasn't in the budget.

Enter: Budget friendly 12" granite tiles!

They are primarily designed for use on floors or walls, but these tiles also work well on a countertop! We simply took the edge pieces to a local stone and marble shop to have put a "bullnose" (rounded edge) put on them. Then we on the counter installed them like we would have with any other tile.

I had a lovely granite counter, for a fraction of the cost of a slab! A small strip of white corner trim under the tiles completed the look.

We moved some plumbing and relocated the sink, so that it looked out over my garden (instead of the parking lot next door), added a small dishwasher, and reused the cabinet hardware I'd found on sale at Restoration Hardware.

Soon, we had an entirely different kitchen!

After

Range, skink, counters and floors: After

New corner with passthrough, after

After

We stayed with a style that would reflect the age and original charm of the home. But, also we did so while simultaneously adding in modern conveniences. Little things like a classic beveled edge subway tile backsplash, a black and white color pallet and red accents brought the space to life.

It was such a relief to have a shiny, new, and functional kitchen!

For more about this little beach bungalow, and the many changes we made there, please see the following posts:

Budget Bathroom Remodel

Budget Kitchen Makeover

Living Room Makeover

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to these fun parties!

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2015/07/06/made-by-you-monday-246/

http://madincrafts.com/mad-skills-party-266/

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/link-party-diy-inspired-5/

http://www.sewcando.com

http://www.thecasualcraftlete.com/2015/07/05/frugal-crafty-home-blog-hop-135/

http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2015/07/mix-it-up-monday.html

http://www.funkypolkadotgiraffe.net/2015/07/too-cute-tuesday-linky-par-tay-241.html

http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2015/07/one-project-at-a-time-july-2015.html

http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/tip-me-tuesday-happy-crafters-share-7-7/

http://cornerstoneconfessions.com/2015/07/titus-2-tuesday-163.html

http://thecraftyblogstalker.com/create-link-inspire-linky-party-84/

http://www.carolynshomework.com/2015/07/the-inspiration-board-creative-party.html

http://ladybug-blessings.com/?p=6049

http://www.pintsizedbaker.com/2015/07/two-cup-tuesday-no131.html
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2015/07/wow-me-wednesday-213.html
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2015/07/wow-us-wednesdays-229.html
http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2015/07/a-little-bird-told-me-weekly-link-party.html
http://thenymelrosefamily.com/2015/07/whimsy-wednesdays-175.html/2
http://thehappyhousie.com/work-it-wednesday-with-features-12/
http://thewinthropchronicles.com/2015/07/share-it-link-party-174/
http://thediydreamer.com/from-dream-to-reality/unique-fun-summer-projects-fdtr-175/
http://livelaughrowe.com/delicious-burger-ideas/
http://www.artsyfartsymama.com
http://staceyembracingchange.com/2015/07/09/creative-inspirations-linky-party-146/
http://bloomdesignsonline.com/2015/07/lovely-little-link-party-33.html
http://www.elizabethandcovintage.com
http://www.posedperfection.com/2015/07/creative-ways-link-party-61-and-features.html
http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/2015/07/frugal-friday_9.html
http://www.simplysweethome.com/2015/07/friday-favorites-week-276-with-ice-cream-recipes/
http://www.kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com/2015/07/kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday-link_9.html
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/2015/07/home-sweet-home-228.html
http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/2015/07/feathered-nest-friday_9.html
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2015/07/solar-powered-light-up-mason-jar-lids.html
https://easypeasypleasy.com/2018/06/07/funtastic-friday-link-party-182/#more-4285

Hayley Brentmar

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Chair Redo

When we bought our house, we also purchased some of the furniture from the previous owner. Included, was a pair of living room chairs.

At first glance they might not look like anything special. The cushions were saggy and the fabric was worn. But, I could tell that they had interesting lines and a lot of character.

It was time to recover! Since we have little kids I knew I'd need something durable. I also knew that I needed to find a fabric that would go with our (not so pretty) *green carpet.

*Please stay tuned for a future post about how I made the mint green carpet work!

Knowing that prints hide stains better than solids, I chose a pattern that included several shades of grey. For durability I decided to use and indoor/ outdoor fabric. The pattern I chose is called:

A New Twist Geometric Stripe Outdoor Fabric Caviar

I purchased A New Twist Geometric Stripe Outdoor Fabric Cavia locally here. But, the good news is that this store also does mail order!

Also, to add a bit of punch, first I spray painted the legs red.
Since I knew I'd be replacing them both, I didn't bother to protect the upholstery or the old deck.

Then, since I am NOT a seamstress, I hired a local company to recover the chairs for me. They did a beautiful job (but it wasn't cheap).
To be completely honest, in the end I probably spent about the same amount of money re-doing these chairs as I would have had I bought new ones. The advantage was that I was able to completely customize them. Finding furniture to work with the awkward green carpet is a challenge, so it was helpful to design them myself.

Before

After

This was one of the (few) projects I've chosen to highlight on my blog that didn't involve much DIY time. But since these chairs were still a result of my personal creative vision, I decided to show them off here anyway :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to these fun parties:

http://madincrafts.com/mad-skills-party-262/

http://www.twelveoeightblog.com/2015/06/inspiration-monday-party-awesome-diy-features.html

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/diy-inspired-party-no-54-features/

http://www.titicrafty.com/2015/06/bewitchin-projects-block-party-101/

http://www.sewcando.com/2015/06/craftastic-monday-link-party-plush.html

http://www.loulougirls.com/2015/06/lou-lou-girls-fabulous-party-62.html

http://www.thecasualcraftlete.com/2015/06/07/frugal-crafty-home-blog-hop-131/

http://www.funkypolkadotgiraffe.net/2015/06/too-cute-tuesday-linky-par-tay-238.html

http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/inspire-me-monday-63/

http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/tip-me-tuesday-happy-crafters-share-6-9/

http://cornerstoneconfessions.com/2015/06/titus-2-tuesday-159.html

http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2015/06/9085.html