Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!!!

Photo: Full  Harvest Moon

The best costumes I've ever seen!!!!
Happy Halloween

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Color Selector

One of the most difficult decisions for DIYers who repurpose and refinish furniture is, 'what color should I paint this piece?'  Well, at least it is for me!
So, I came up with an easy tool/stick that I call my Color Selector.

It's a simple method that helps me better visualize my color choices through the chalk paint layering process. I use the largest paint stick I can find (this one is the always trusty Home Depot 21" x 1 1/2" commercial paint stick) and paint in small sections with the help of Frog Tape, sometimes mixing paint colors along the way, sanding, waxing or staining until I find the color of my dreams!!!

My first step was to paint the entire stick in the base coat I chose for my sideboard, a creamy white.  I then layered 7 different Annie Sloan Chalk Paint substitutes by Behrmixing and creating my own colors along the way.  Each of the colors are then recorded on the back for easy reference.





I then applied a coat of Min Wax Gray Stain....and voila,
my sideboard Color Selector! 


Unfortunately, my camera skills don't do the completed Color Selector justice! However, it allowed me to select the color to accomplish the finish shown in this Habersham chest.


I look forward to sharing with you my newly refinished Dining Room Sideboard in my LHD (Larissa Hill Designs) combination chalk paint color...Gray Sparrow.

3/4 ASCP Duck Egg Blue & 1/4 ASCP Paris Grey ratio

or the more affordable

3/4 Behr Gray Morning & 1/4 Behr Sparrow Ratio

Let me know what you think....




HookingupwithHoH
shabby creek cottage
Beyond The Picket FenceSomewhat Simple

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Blog Crush Wednesday

When I started blogging during my breast cancer journey, I found myself drawn to so many beautiful blogs so I thought I share some of my favorites every Wednesday in Blog Crush. Enjoy!!!

I first stumbled across A Gift Wrapped Life two years ago and fell in LOVE with Sande Chase's gorgeous gift wrapping.  Sande shares that "wrapping gifts is my passion and what I do daily for my gift website. This blog will share the beautiful art of gifting, what to give, where to find it, how to say it, and how I find my inspiration from interior design and fashion. Most of all, I hope to show you how to wrap beautifully. From the simple to the spectacular, I hope my world of gifting will inspire you to give beautifully."

Sande has inspired many to give beautifully, including myself.  She embellishes with vintage jewelry and ornaments, mixing ribbon textures, recycling, restyling and repurposing designer boxes and bags like Kate Spade and Henri Bendel. She has also been known to use wallpaper, illustrations and fashion photos from style magazines, vintage photos, feathers etc etc etc.....Each and every one of Sande's blog posts are a gift in itself.

These are a few of my favorite things....



A Gift Wrapped Life is a gift to all.  For more inspiration, visit Sande's Pinterest.

Let me know what you think....


Computer Problems

I was so excited to be blogging again and my computer decided to have a melt down!!!!

So, I'm writing this post on my iPhone and won't be trying this again.

I hope to have my computer up and running some time this week.  In the meantime, I've got projects that need to be completed and now I have the time.

Have a wonderful day!

Heather

Thursday, October 18, 2012

I've Been Busy.....

Most recently, I spoke at The Luncheon Of Hope in my home town of Sudbury,Ontario with my sister, Lori, who is also a breast cancer survivor.  We were diagnosed within one year of one another with 2 very different types of breast cancer and two different stages.  It was an amazing experience and we were honored to be a part of this annual luncheon which raised $48,000.


Sisters Heather Hillier (right) and Lori Ann Clements, who grew up on Sudbury, were diagnosed with breast cancer within one year of each other. Photo by Marg Seregelyi.
Lori-Anne Clements & Heather Hillier
Luncheon Of Hope 2012

Today, it was overcast in Pittsburgh so I decided to paint my dining room furniture.....in my dining room!!!!

I chose my favorite chalk paint recipe which involves mixing 2 tablespoons of Plaster of Paris and 1 cup of paint and voila, you have an affordable chalk paint.  I chose my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Old White substitute by Behr - Polished Pearl and this is what my sideboard with the doors removed looks like so far....and yes, I've left everything in it!


So, now I just have to choose my top coat color and these are the Behr Annie Sloan Chalk Paint substitute colors I am considering.


ASCP Versailles - Behr Outback
ASCP Country Gray - Behr Baja
ASCP Old Ochre - Behr Pecan Sandie
ASCP Paris Grey - Behr Sparrow
ASCP Duck Egg Blue - Behr Gray Morning

Let me know what you think.....

Heather