Ooooooooh, I've been BUSY in a sudden, mad dash to finish {did I say finish? I meant start} every little fantasy project on my mental to-do list. I've Rub-n-Buffed {FAIL}, painted three tables, and I have some Mod Podge in my cabinet which is totally calling my name: "Tryyyy meeeee, Aimee!" I seriously think I need to examine my caffeine intake, actually. Anyway. You remember this sexy beast, right? This was just not a good look. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the top was a mess, showing every scratch and ding. The coverage on the legs was also terrible: My second victim was this stool I bought at the thrift store for $2.99. Originally, I painted it ASCP Paris Gray, but I didn't apply the Clear Soft Wax. In case you're wondering, the wax is critical for protecting the finish. I use it as a little drink table next to the sofa, and the moisture from the glass completely ruined it. I could have just painted over it and waxed it, but gray just didn't look great in my warmer-toned family room. I used the rest of the Krylon spray paint in black {gloss} to make over this stool again, but now I am in love. By the way, that little terracotta planter was part of The Great Rub-n-Buff Mess of 2012: Happy Thursday!
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Hey all! Brian and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on Friday by taking a quick overnight trip to The Goodstone Inn & Estate in gorgeous Middleburg, Virginia {about 45 minutes from our house in Reston}. We first visited this spot when we were looking at wedding reception locations, and I've been dying to go back ever since. After driving up a steep, windy road, we arrived at the inn. The Carriage House is to the left and right, where horse stables were converted into cozy guest rooms. Straight ahead is the inn, with a living room, dining room, and bar: Next to the main inn is the pool...and it is STUNNING. The facade is actually from the original manor house, which burned down: Our suite was located in a building about a mile away from the inn, so after we checked in {at sunset} we followed a driver in a Suburban who led us to our destination: There are about six guest houses/cottages on the estate. We stayed in the Manor House: As you walk through the front door, you're greeted by this: There's a full kitchen, with a pantry...I didn't get a good photo of the kitchen, but look at those floors!!! Absolutely LOVED the sunroom, especially all the windows and the blue painted ceiling! Below is the Stuart Suite, where we stayed. This is a photo from Goodstone's website, because I forgot to take a picture before we scattered our stuff everywhere. Did I mention that we ended up with the house to ourselves? I really wish we would have had more time to light a fire, read, and just hang out. Maybe when the kids are in college in 13 years. ;-) The bathroom gave us ideas for our own master bath renovation, especially the steam shower {although we couldn't get it to work, waaah}! Seriously, I was so bummed about that. "First world problems," right? ;-) Here's the sitting room in the suite. I wonder if I was the only guest who has gone through the house pulling up the corners of rugs to try to see where they got them? Ha! Below is the barn that houses the spa...but as far as I could tell, it was only two rooms for massages and facials without any other amenities. So pretty though {and we loved our massages}: This is the spa waiting area...loving those tropical plants! Below are some of the beautiful rooms from around the estate. The exposed wood, natural floor mats, and stunning fabrics are my favorite parts {all photos from the website}: So that's it! We loved every minute and can't wait to go back!
Have a happy Thursday... :-) Sorry for the lack of posts...we've been deep in the throes of "back to school"...getting adjusted to new routines, new teachers, and in Blake's case, a new school. Yes, my baby started kindergarten. Yay! And boooo. Yay, because he is so ready, and so far he's loving it. Boooo, because he's been in the preschool in my office building since he was a baby, so I'll really miss my sweet little commuting partner. But did I mention that he was READY? Ha. Brian and I also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this week. It's definitely making me nostalgic... Sorry for the hiatus and the quick departure from home design and DIY. Thanks for indulging me, and I can't WAIT to show you the place we stayed for our anniversary...you will DIE. ;-)
Yes...I took out my wallet and paid money for this. Brian cracked me up because when he saw it in the trunk of my car he asked sadly, "So is this what we're doing now?" Ha! Hunter green, burgundy, stencils, distressing...we've got it all. It was $5.99 "FIRM," in case you were wondering. They couldn't let it go for a mere $4.99. Obviously! This is how it looked with one coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint "Pure White." ...aaaaand with two coats. My photography skills are lacking, but believe me, it still looks bad. Very bad. The top is a damaged mess, which is only exacerbated by the two coats of white paint I added. It looks like thick primer on top of a terrible paint job. But...better. Right? Or am I kidding myself?
I'm weighing the options. 1) Throw it in the trash. Seriously. 2) Trick someone into buying it off of Craigslist for $30, MAX. 3) Use an ASCP Louis Blue "wash" and then finishing it off with a soft wax. I'm leaning towards #3, but I'm seriously considering the other two. Thoughts? |