Etsy Shop - Finally Open

I FINALLY opened my Etsy shop.  I don't have a lot of inventory and I'm working on better photography but it's a long-awaited start.  Visit me at www.etsy.com/shop/OliveCoast.

Moroccan Tile Wall Treatment

I love this pattern and fell in love with a wallpaper that is WAY out of my budget range so I thought I'd experiment and recreate the pattern with a template in Photoshop, trace it a billion times onto the wall with chalk pencil, and then hand paint it in.  I'm pretty happy with it so far.  It really transforms a large and boring beige wall in our family room.

...and, in the process of moving the furniture out of the way so I could paint, I've decided on a new furniture layout for the family room too!  Steve better hurry and get the outdoor shower plumbing finished in the boathouse wall so we can get back to work with finishing the boathouse.  Since the boathouse has been on hold, I've been dreaming up all sorts of new projects!  More to come...

Boathouse Progress

It's been awhile.  We are currently on hold waiting for the outdoor shower plumbing to be installed in the wall before we can close it all up and finalize the painting.  But, since it's been awhile, I thought I would post some progress pictures.

Check out the Antiguan Sky ceiling...

And the white exterior with metal roofing...  I just divided the ornamental grasses yesterday and planted them so they are looking a little floppy.  Hopefully the one on the left will eventually help to disguise the air unit popping through the wall.  I'm still debating between hula girl shutters or blue heron shutters.  And, as you can see, the shower (which will be to the right of the boathouse) is still not under way.

Banjo Clock Make-Over

I finally fixed the glass in our 'Willard' banjo clock that was broken more than 6 years ago.  The original glass was royal blue and gold painted glass. Since I couldn't replicate the painted effect, I went with a quadrafoil clear glass for the middle section and a vertical ribbed glass for the bottom section.  While I was at it, I put a coat of paint on to freshen it up and give it a place in our brown and white dining area.  I like the finished effect and I really hope the clock was not an original ;).

Boathouse - Electrical and Lighting

I found my light fixtures and am now working out the details of the lighting and electrical plan.

I'm very pleased with the light fixtures.  They look nautical enough without being too over-the-top screaming boat theme.  And I found both at local box stores for under $30 per fixture (perfect lighting budget for a boat house).

Three of these will hang over the bar... (they look like brass in the picture but are actually brushed silver)

The garage bead board wall will be highlighted with track spot lights and we will have some sort of under counter lighting behind the bar.  Then the rest of the interior will be lamp light.

...and here are my exterior fixtures...They remind me of the lights you often see on the long fishing piers in the Carolinas.

They look eerily similar to these...sold at Barn Light Electric for $79.

The exterior lights will encircle the perimeter of the addition (2 on the back side and 1 each on the sides).  I love the fact that they provide subtle down light only, so having four of them on the sides of the addition won't be overpowering or blind our neighbors but will be enough to illuminate the way from the shower to the back garage door at night.  

Boathouse - Windows and Air Conditioner

The windows and air conditioner are in.  Thank goodness.  The heat is brutal.  Since nothing has been insulated and there's only a tarp covering the door opening, it's still pretty hot even with the air conditioner running but it's at least tolerable now and it's helping the paint dry.  I still have one more coat of paint to put on the rafters and then the blue on the ceiling.

Oh, my beautiful and inexpensive windows. Love them!

I'll have to figure out landscaping to conceal the air unit.

Sure wish the grapevine was on the other side.

Tomorrow E and Dad will work on framing the garage wall to prepare it for bead board and then the interior finishing is on hold until my electrician gets everything wired.  And the exterior is on hold until we get a break in the heat.

A Second Heron Design

Since a neighbor purchased my first heron and I would like The Blue Door to have one to sell, I created another one - this time experimenting with the silhouette to make it a little more realistic and less stylized than the first.