Adding a punch of color

Sometimes- okay, MOST of the time- when I'm decorating a room, I go with what's safe. I choose the neutral over the bold, the simple over the fun, the standard over the risky. These choices make my decor flexible (or at least that's what I tell myself), because I like to change things up so often. A robin's egg blue couch or some bold, graphic curtains would be really fun and would make quite a statement, but what happens when I get tired of it and want something different? Then what? My thrifty-minded self just can't justify making bold choices now that may cause expensive consequences later.

However, lately I feel the need for some bolder color in my life. I've started in my kitchen with the introduction of this little step stool that I picked up at the store where I sell my furniture. I couldn't resist the chippy paint and its functionality. And while red doesn't appear ANYWHERE in my house, I still had to have it. It wasn't until I saw it next to the aqua color that I chose for my island that I realized--these two colors actually look good together. Who knew?! So I set out on a quest to inject more of that cheerful red into the room with a few more little accessories. I had this big bulletin board above my craft desk at our old house, but since moving here it hadn't yet found a home. I also ran into trouble finding a good spot to post my calendar since our new refrigerator isn't magnetic on the front (??!!?) and that's where it's always lived before.

Luckily, Emily at Jones Design Company came to the rescue with the perfect tutorial for how to transform my sad, shabby bulletin board. First, it got some white primer and a coat or two of Rustoleum's "Colonial Red". I didn't have a good 'before' photo, but trust me when I say that this was a major improvement! I followed Emily's instructions and covered the tattered cork with woven strips of burlap, then covered my staples by gluing some thick jute rope around the edges. It's the perfect spot to hang my calendar... ...and to tuck other pretty little things that I might find. And soon it will be full of precious artwork, like this one. Another little project I decided to try was to make our last initial out of a fence picket that I had in the garage. I cut it down, sanded it really well, then glued and nailed the pieces together to form an "H". Then it too got primed and painted with "Colonial Red" and heavily distressed.



Looks right at home above my kitchen cabinets, doesn't it?


By the way, how is it that I never showed you my island with the stools and support leg that I added? I've yet to put handles on the middle drawers or even put anything in the baskets underneath, but even so this thing gets used a TON. I never realized what a work horse it would end up being!

There are sure to be more projects coming up that will strengthen the red and aqua theme I've got going in my kitchen, and I'll be sure to share as they get finished.