Some of you have emailed with questions about our happy, but harried homestead. That is definitely something that I want to go into detail about but because it would require me to think and process the good, bad and ugly, it will come…in time. When it does….please read.:)
Let me say that our kids are living a dream….19 cousins growing up together….such memories.
The adults are working HARD to make it a dream,
but it doesn’t come with all Beaver Cleaver moments.
That was a long intro to say that the project below is from the home of 12 of these homesteaders (soon to be 13). They are in the process of adopting a special needs boy from Ecuador, and are praying that they can get him this summer. Since my sis knows me SO well, yes, every little detail about my life, she rolled her eyes at me in a very sweet “I love you” kind of way when I started talking about this blog and the blog world. In fact most of the people who know me did that I do believe. Since it all comes down to balance, blogging is one of those things that can get you out of balance if you’re not careful…especially when you’re just starting because you want to know that there are people reading what you post and the only way to do that is to let people know that you have a blog. The funny thing is that I still haven’t even told my “real friends in real life.” Who needs more lectures….hee hee.
I digress…..my sis now loves that I have shared all my new found knowledge of the great decorating tips that I have received because her house is being transformed. This is my first real consulting job in the decor world, and I am so proud. We worked hard at this project and it is FAB-U-LOUS!! I use the term “we” loosely.
I instructed, I inspired, I talked her into how easy this was, I let her know that my hours in blog land were not in vain, I gave her a tutorial (ok, so I showed her other people’s blogs), and then….I LEFT…for Dallas…for a long weekend. I said I used the term “we” loosely.
For a long time she has been tired of the hutch they had made for the wall.
Every day I would walk in and show her something else in the house that I think she could do.
This hutch was one of those areas that was really bugging her. When I told her the Nester scrapbook paper trick, she was sold!! The best thing is that we have a lot of kids….a lot of kids who know how to work, and letting them begin with some coats of primer is a great thing for them to do.
Again, so sorry….new camera is on the way. Just put the sunglasses on.
Guess what, there was no sanding involved.
This is one of those “consulting” things that could have gotten me in trouble.
I told her in my ever so experienced HGTV host voice, “Rach, the guy at the yard sale where I bought my china hutch told me that I wouldn’t need to sand mine if we put Kilz on it first, so I am sure that would work with yours.”
I know short cuts don’t equal quality, but when you have that many kids, sanding comes with mothering…they are the sandpaper that refines our rough edges. So why should we have to intentionally buy the square stuff when the real stuff is with us all day long.
Wow, didn’t mean to get into parenting there, that’s a MOPS talk…so what you’ve waited for…..
Here’s the before…two coats of primer and then the antique white paint.
OH MY HOLY COW….isn’t it gorgeous….didn’t WE do a fabulous job…hee hee
The full effect is fabulous. They have a really wonderful cottagey feel in their home. It’s SO cozy, and the walls are a soft green…which isn’t evident here.
She bought some fabulous “aged” looking paper at the scrapbook store. It’s such a bummer because with the Modge Podge over it, it’s glaring with my bad camera flash, but in real life…..it’s unbelievable. It looks so rich (not as in the money kind, but as in the classy kind). Shame on you camera, you just don’t do this justice at all!!
The polka dots on the sides add such a great touch.
Sunglasses of the world….UNITE!!
You can do this at home…in a day.
Buy supplies, then apply primer, paint, tack up scrapbook paper and you’re done. She decided to put modge podge just on the middle, open shelves because with so many fingers touching the shelves, she wanted the paper to be “touch proof.”
I know you all want to know what a mom of ten looks like. She took off her horns and warts and weird things that stick out of her head to pose for the picture. She is the cutest thing in the world and one of the sweetest, most gracious woman you will ever meet.We’re going to do a post (using that term loosely, she’ll will have to be corralled into doing it) of all the things you’ve ever wanted to know about having lots of children…wouldn’t you like to be a fly on their wall? It’s never dull!!
And just for starters…yes, they know what causes that.
Yes, they are all there’s,
yes, we know some people think we’re overpopulating the world (oh, I can’t leave that one alone…did you know that if you put every person in the whole world shoulder to shoulder, they would only fill the Atlanta metro area…so how’s that for overpopulating the world..:),
oh…too much fun, but must stop….MEET MY BFF!
(I think she would want you to know that…no, she hadn’t taken a shower and she wasn’t happy that I made her…she let me take a pic of her.
Wow this looks great! Very impressive.
I love how that hutch turned out….it looks happy now!!!
I truly can’t imagine having that many children and she must be a very special person. I would love to be a fly on their wall and watch how she does it all. She is just adorable.
That hutch looks great!
I wonder if I should paint my Hoosier white? Yes, it’s vintage, blah, blah, blah, lol…but really, Hoosiers are not worth a whole heck of alot of money and I paid way too much for mine, so I think I should be able to do with it, what I like, lol 😉
Your sis is beautiful!
Kilz is wonderful stuff, isn’t it?
Bella 🙂
Jennifer!!! It looks AWESOME…. so so so impressed 🙂
Yay for your new nephew hopefully coming this summer – he is going to be so blessed to join such a loving family. I need to hire out all of the kids to come work in my yard 😉
I absolutely love your blog. It is soo real. Let me start by saying ya’ll did such a great job!!! That hutch looks amazing. As for the many children, we have great friends who have 13. They are an amazing family and if I knew then what I know now I would hope for 13. We did a study at church once on replenishing the earth in Genesis. The point I came away with is that 2 children just replace their parents but 3+ children replenish. I thought that interesting. Anyway, thank you for the reminder on spending too much time on here, as I am one of those newbies to blogland.
How fun! What an eye!
Tell “Sis” I said “hi!” and praying for adoption process for the next family addition.
You all are such an inspiration!
WOW….awesome job!! I am amazed at the difference!! How wonderful for you and your sister to have such a relationship.
GREAT JOB!!!
It looks fantastic and your sister is gor-jus! The only thing I would add are new knobs…that’s my two cents…or 20 bucks depending on how many knobs you need!
Awesome! I love to paint up old furniture and make it like new! It looks so great!
ooooh! That IS pretty!
And I love your preemptive comments that you ‘know how that happens’ — and I saw a preview of The Perfect Game and it looks wonderful!
Blessings!
Very cool transformation. You are very lucky to have eachother! Your sis looks like a sweetie! cherry
“Oh my holy cow” is right! It looks amazing…job well done.
that looks amazing!! 🙂 and thanks for stopping by my place… I look forward to browsing your posts!
Cabinet looks great!
wow! that cupboard turned out simply fabulous! it really changed the look of the whole roomand the paper at the back of the cupboards is a great thing to do with those see-through doors (i don’t have to worry about that, seeing as i am in an apartment) good job girls!
YEs!!
You did a great job! Everything looks wonderful and I loved your garage sale finds too!
I am blown away! What a fantastic job! It’s amazing what some paint can do!
Good grief. I just love your blog. You are so sweet and fun and real. I’m putting you on my blogroll.
I’m planning to link to this post on Saturday if that’s ok with you.
Goodness! What a difference a little paint can make? I am loveing it…..now, can you come do mine? PLEASE?!!!!!!!
How much am I loving this transformation! It looks simply FABULOUS!! Great job.
:)Rachel
It looks great, you two did an awesome job. I think it’s wonderful that she has ten kids, my question is how is she still so skinny?
Amazing! I love the finished product!
Great color choices.
Wow! What a transformation! It looks so great all dressed up in white! 🙂 You’re awesome for convincing her to take the plunge!!!
My husband is the oldest of 12 – so I’ve witnessed the joy and chaos. But as they’ve gotten older, I’ve seen a lot of work get done – FAST!!
Great re-do. Looks so pretty in white!
I did this to my china cabinet with the scrapbooking paper…I just haven’t gotten up the nerve to paint the cabinet yet..LOL. I’m still tossing it over in my head. I LOVE your blog. I LOVE your heart for Christ…your a blessing,,a sharpening…proverbs 27:17
No sanding??? I’m in! I have been wanting to redo my kitchen cabinets for a LONG time (well actually only three years…lol) but the thought of sanding ALL of those surfaces was a bit prohibitive. I have plenty of Kilz! Woo hoo! Now I just need to finish my bedroom makeover before I start another project.