When The Donner is Away...Stephie Will Play

We have lived in our home for almost a year and I have been dreaming of paint schemes for all of the rooms from the day we moved in!!!

A couple of weeks ago the Donner was in Vegas at The World of Concrete....he got back the day before our Anniversary....that being said, I decided to surprise him by painting the Living room and revamping some pieces to incorporate into the refreshed space. Now I have labored over how I wanted this room to be.....I have a great fondness for antiques and items that remind me of my Iowa farm roots.....but we now live in Florida and that isn't really the style. I wanted to take things from different parts of our lives and have them reflect who we are now......that is where Home Goods came in.......I love browsing that store!!!!

I had spent the day that The Donner left with some friends cruising the Delray Beach Art Festival in hopes of finding something spectacular to put in the room......there was no such luck!!! So the next day I started painting....hoping that inspiration would come.....lets face it by the time I was done the only thing that was going to hit, was my head hitting the pillow!!! Feeling as though I had accomplished a great task by getting the living room painted I decided to treat myself to a little shopping spree. First stop, Home Depot....perhaps if I walked around long enough I would think of something to make....I like to create things (that can be a blessing and a cures sometimes).....wasn't happening that day. Next I was headed to Home Goods.....I wasn't finding a whole lot of treasures until.......I hit the clearance pictures and then I hit the Mother Load!!! I could not have picked a better picture to represent us and this time in our lives....it was a dog running on the beach......now if you have read some of my other posts you would see that we have 3 dogs and they are our 4 legged children.....each one of them are dear to our hearts.....even those little furry friends that have passed on. Not only was a it a dog running on the beach....now I know you are not suppose to have favorites among ones children but Raven is my husbands girl, their devotion to each other can be nauseating.....much like the relationship Sparkles (may she rest in peace) and I had.......the dog in the painting looks like Raven!!!!! Can I hear an AMAZING Wife shout out???? I found a few more treasures and then headed to Joann Fabrics....one of my favorite places to go....looking for some fabric for curtains....but like every trip I make there, I found items for another project.....I think that is my way of always needing to go back....."if I don't find it this time I will surely find it next time".

The week went on and I slowly figured out the pieces I wanted to add to the room from the enormous stash of stuff we already had....it came together and I was pleased. The question was...would The Donner be pleased....He Was...what a relief!!!!!

There are still a few things to be done and pieces to found...or made......like life it will be an ongoing process........that and I am fickle. I have posted some pictures for anyone interested in looking at the fruit of my labors.......enjoy!!!

Before

After