Creating a new look for my home

For many years my home décor has leaned towards country and although I was very tired of it, it just seemed overwhelming to start changing it. Last year I repainted the main living area in my home in a neutral gray, Revere Pewter. 

I loved the color but didn't like the oak trim with it so with my husbands permission I ended up painting the trim, doors and fireplace white. LOVE the results but most of the country décor has to go.

 After reading countless blogs and pinterest, I found myself going back to the ones that featured the French country cottage look the most. I'm really loving that shabby, chippy, distressed furniture look.

I know I can't change everything overnight, but now that I know what I like, I'm finding things around the house or in thrift stores I can transform without investing a lot of money.             

Here are a few I've been working on this winter......

I found this old frame at a thrift store for a $1.50

I gave it a coat of a light aqua paint I had on hand. This was one of my homemade chalk paints that I wasn't thrilled with but is useable.

Then I gave it a coat of the white Annie Sloan paint that I love.

I did some distressing, especially the edges and the raised ridges on the frame.

 And finished it off with a coat of Annie Sloan wax.

When I started this project I was intending to do a chalkboard with it, but I saw something similar to this on pinterest and made this instead. I printed out a B in a font I liked and traced it on burlap using white chalk and painted it. I also gave the little flower pot a coat of paint.

Just dry brushing a wood box with some Annie Sloan paint gave it a fresh new look.

Repainted a sign I found at a thrift store. Cost of the sign....$1.50 plus paint.

I'll do a future post on this flowerpot.

 Linking to: Chicken Chick