tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12547107764453400772024-03-12T23:52:57.876-05:00painterly.passionRagan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-4909833077200410392014-05-04T22:46:00.001-05:002014-05-04T22:46:24.850-05:00curtain call<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">It's obvious that I've been a little M.I.A. for a while. Life is getting so full of fun and craziness prepping for life with another baby that I have had to put work and blogging on the back burner. It's safe to say I probably won't have anything new or fun to share with you as often as I would like. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">The nursery is turning out fantastic and little man's room has transformed into a BIG man room a</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; line-height: 18px;">nd we are all thrilled about it <i class="_4-k1 img sp_8dfw2k sx_7e4b5f" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yG/r/yPn8WKWBhkW.png); background-position: -85px -92px; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></i> Other than getting ready for baby and surviving my last trimester and first few months (or years) as a mom of two, I don't/won't/choose not to have time for much else. My etsy shop has been closed for a while now, and I don't have any plans in the foreseeable future of reopening the store. I do love taking custom orders on the side (as I can handle them) and will of course always pursue a life full of love for all things art and design.<br /><br />At this time, I feel my priorities are majorly shifting as our family expands, and I want to soak up all the time I can with my babies at home, and spend more time devoting myself to my husband and my Lord. For this reason, I am posting a notice to you all that I'm officially "closing the doors" as an etsy seller and blogger, in an effort to focus more attention on the wonderful life that is all around me.<br /><br />This decision has weighed on my heart and is something I have thought through and prayed about for weeks. It has become a heavy load to keep up with the business end of blogging, producing, etc. and I have begun to stretch myself thin. I hope you will all understand that it is important for me to take a step back and concentrate on the precious gifts of fleeting moments with littles at home, devote more energy to supporting and loving my husband, and building a stronger bond with Christ my Lord.<br /><br />I must also mention that this will only be temporary. As our children grow older and I am able to spend more time and energy on my business as an artist and instructor, I am sure that I will be making more appearances, hopefully to share some fun lessons/tutorials for you all.<br /><br />Thank you all for the love, support, and encouragement throughout this adventure! I look forward to sharing more with you in the future. In the meantime, please keep our family in your prayers, and always know how grateful I am to have shared this experience with you!</span></span>Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-41370971085040603062014-03-24T15:17:00.002-05:002014-03-24T15:17:59.026-05:00I'm blue, da ba dee, da ba dieI've got little art lesson for you today that I <i>loved </i>teaching to my middle & high school students. A PORTRAIT! And probably the easiest one ever. Let's dive in, shall we?<br />
<b><br /></b>Here's a word for you - <b>monochromatic.</b> It means <b>one</b> (mono) <b>color</b> (chroma), so anytime you're going with this color scheme, you just use all different shades of a single color. The main goal for this lesson was to teach my kids about value, which describes the lightness and darkness of a color. We made really fun Warhol-esque self-portraits based on photographs the kids took of each other in class. Today I'm going to show you how to create this for yourself! You can go with a single color for the entire thing, or for most of it, adding in some contrasting colors just for fun (like I did).<br />
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The following are some screen shots of the photo editing process that I completed with <a href="http://www.picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey</a>. It's a completely free photo editing website, though you can pay a little extra each month (I think $4?) to get some "Royale" features - which I do, because I use it all the time. You can do the same thing in Photoshop or just about any other photo editing software. </div>
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Start with a photograph (preferably digital -- if it's a print, you can always scan and import it into your computer to manipulate). Here's the photo I started with:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s1UDv0ECl5Q/UyKCBzpRGMI/AAAAAAAADSo/rLLZnDqnh0I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.37.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s1UDv0ECl5Q/UyKCBzpRGMI/AAAAAAAADSo/rLLZnDqnh0I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.37.34+PM.png" height="398" width="640" /></a></div>
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First, I <b>cropped</b> my photograph into a square, because my canvas is a large square. Though this step is not essential, it gave me a better visual of how my final product would turn out.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OAhKP76rUp4/UyKCKrmCygI/AAAAAAAADTM/loMrvhXmztg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.39.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OAhKP76rUp4/UyKCKrmCygI/AAAAAAAADTM/loMrvhXmztg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.39.32+PM.png" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
The next step is to edit the photo with the <b>Posterize</b> tool. This breaks down the photo into flat "layers" of color. You can adjust how many layers, how detailed you want everything, etc. So play around with that for a little bit until you're happy with your image.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YDQWc2SgCC4/UyKCJSBEdkI/AAAAAAAADTA/JWJeMZO__Q4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.40.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YDQWc2SgCC4/UyKCJSBEdkI/AAAAAAAADTA/JWJeMZO__Q4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.40.09+PM.png" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
I wound up with 17 "layers" or "Number of colors" as labeled by the program, with 48% "Detail".<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KZtC6-j44ew/UyKCO-Peu8I/AAAAAAAADTc/zG4Lkl_dHnQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.40.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KZtC6-j44ew/UyKCO-Peu8I/AAAAAAAADTc/zG4Lkl_dHnQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.40.14+PM.png" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
Next, I used the <b>Black and White</b> tool to simply make my photograph b/w and less chaotic for my own sake when transferring the image.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wr2EdRz6kAg/UyKCPdaeIdI/AAAAAAAADTg/MDpOcrmIhaQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.40.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wr2EdRz6kAg/UyKCPdaeIdI/AAAAAAAADTg/MDpOcrmIhaQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.40.47+PM.png" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
Once totally happy with my image, all that was left was save and print!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fWl50rGoqm8/UyKCQmajofI/AAAAAAAADTw/mtvMJEsO5FE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.41.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fWl50rGoqm8/UyKCQmajofI/AAAAAAAADTw/mtvMJEsO5FE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-03-13+at+1.41.08+PM.png" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
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I printed my image to be about 4x4 inches, because the viewfinder on my projector is small. This really doesn't make a difference in the final size. Once it was on paper, I stuck it under my projector in a dark room, lined it up how I wanted on my primed canvas, and started tracing. I opted to throw the image off to the side a little bit for some asymmetry.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B9CtlgXOANc/Uy5an2CBEUI/AAAAAAAADVw/-RQGZuVZGHU/s1600/DSC03756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B9CtlgXOANc/Uy5an2CBEUI/AAAAAAAADVw/-RQGZuVZGHU/s1600/DSC03756.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Keep in mind that the number of colors you have will have an impact on how detailed your final image is, because more layers = lower contrast between each layer. In other words, some areas may be a little tricky to transfer if you have a lot of colors to work with. Even though the program told me I had 17 colors, I actually only used 8, because I decided not to transfer the background, and simplified a few areas on my own.</div>
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Here's the important part: when you are tracing the image, you have to remember to <b>outline each of the little shapes or "layers"</b> of color, in order to break it up into values for painting. </div>
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Once it's been traced, double check by putting your canvas next to your image and make sure you got every little shape. <i>(Some free handing may be required.)</i> Yes, it will look weird.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1_XtAPLDJvA/Uy5gf8yGrRI/AAAAAAAADXg/A6Y3Y4O-IqI/s1600/DSC03759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1_XtAPLDJvA/Uy5gf8yGrRI/AAAAAAAADXg/A6Y3Y4O-IqI/s1600/DSC03759.jpg" height="640" width="526" /></a></div>
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The next thing you'll do is basically create a giant paint-by-number for yourself. I assigned each shade a different number - 1 = lightest, then going from there. Label every shape with its corresponding number, depending on the shade it's supposed to be based on the photograph. Then, when you paint, you'll know your total number of values/shades to mix (I had 8) AND you'll know just where to put them. <i>Always keep the photograph close by while you're working, for reference</i>.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9jG3gZQR4bk/Uy5a0sCoB-I/AAAAAAAADWQ/10_mAoI2YY4/s1600/DSC03760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9jG3gZQR4bk/Uy5a0sCoB-I/AAAAAAAADWQ/10_mAoI2YY4/s1600/DSC03760.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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I wanted my main color to be blue. With 8 shades to create, I actually used black for the darkest (number 8) and white for the lightest (number 1), so I had 6 shades of blue to play with for the in-between. </div>
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All you have to do now is mix up paint and start putting your colors where they belong! <i>This is really easy, just time consuming!</i> The hardest thing about this step is trying to look past what you want the person to like to<b> just painting shapes</b>. It really is best to just focus on the painting piece by piece, and it turns out better in the end. Here's some photos of my work, after each "layer" or color was added. You can really see it start to come together as the photos progress! <i>Please forgive the horrible photo quality. I was painting late at night, and the best way to photograph was with my flash on!</i></div>
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After a long night, I completed all of the face and crashed in bed. The next day I would finish.<br />
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I hesitated a little before painting the frames of his glasses just another shade of blue. I kind of wanted a fun pop of color, and with further review (i.e. hubby's input), decided the frames needed to be a different, bold color. So I went with oranges/reds for the <b>shades</b>. <i>See what I did there?</i><br />
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When it came to the background, I originally planned to paint this another color, so I tried lime green. I snapped these photos with my iPhone as I tried out some different options.</div>
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Lime green: not loving it. It broke the image up too much and the face just looked weird all piecy on top of a solid background that didn't <i>quite</i> look right. You may like it, but I wasn't crazy about it. </div>
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So I went with one of the blues from my palette. </div>
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Not enough contrast - it was all bleeding together.</div>
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I needed something in the same color family, but a color that would still offer contrast without being too stark. So I went with a deep bluish aqua, and it was perfect. After that, I did some touching up, and voila! It was done. </div>
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Right now it's hanging in the playroom (and looks smaller in this image than it does in real life - the canvas is 36"x36"). Eventually I'll paint a portrait of littlest man and put it on the same wall.</div>
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What do you think?! Would you be brave enough to try this for yourself? Feel free to ask any questions about the process in the comments section below. And if you try it for yourself, send me pics!!</div>
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Thanks for stopping by today!</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-54336232743280397482014-03-21T15:59:00.000-05:002014-03-22T00:45:10.735-05:00if you like it then you shoulda put a frame on itGuys. The frames in the kids' bathrooms look <b>UH-ma-zing</b>. The best part? The whole project cost about $30 and an hour to complete. I won't go into detail on how we completed this task, because there are tutorials galore all over Pinterest and I'm sure you've seen this done before. I just wanted to give you a shot at how it changed things for us in our two hall bathrooms!<br>
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<b><i>Supplies needed:</i></b></div>
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pre-primed trim in desired width, pattern</div>
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paint</div>
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miter saw</div>
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level</div>
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liquid nails</div>
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caulk</div>
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caulk gun</div>
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blue painter's tape</div>
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an extra set of hands<br>
possibly some spacing trim (I'll explain)</div>
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<b><i>Thoughts:</i></b><br>We used 3 1/2" pre-primed trim pieces from Lowes and some liquid nails to do the deed. I bought 6 pieces of 8' trim to complete TWO mirrors. I was able to get both side pieces (42") for each mirror from one trim piece. The other four pieces were for the tops and bottoms of each of these mirrors (one measured 58" wide, and the other 65" wide). </div>
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<br>The tricky thing about our mirrors is they did NOT extend to the full width of the wall, unlike the vanity beneath it (see photo below). So I bought some 1/4" thick scrap/trim (the thickness of the mirrors), and cut them to fit in the gaps between the mirror and the wall (about a three inch space). You can see the pieces laying on the counter in the photo. I attached them to the wall with some screws and liquid nails. This way, the frames had a solid surface to adhere to outside the edge of the mirror, without wobbling, because I wanted the frames to extend the full width of the wall and make the mirrors look that big. My trim was wide enough that it could touch the edge of the wall and still have a good overlap on the mirror. Hopefully if you're doing this project you don't have to deal with this. If you do, just leave any questions in the comments section below.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sql8c4NQ2kY/UyyjG5eADiI/AAAAAAAADUc/Ij-XerS7xss/s1600/DSC03786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sql8c4NQ2kY/UyyjG5eADiI/AAAAAAAADUc/Ij-XerS7xss/s1600/DSC03786.JPG" height="424" width="640"></a></div><div>I used some white paint I already had to paint the pieces before they were cut and applied to the mirror. We measured carefully, cut, and applied them with liquid nails, then held them in place with some painter's tape while the adhesive set up. Although the tube of liquid nails says it dries fairly quickly, I opted to leave the tape holding everything together for the rest of the afternoon and overnight, just to make sure everything was set.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_I0kfNNFtUQ/UyykCftCgwI/AAAAAAAADUo/g0_gF4jCQeU/s1600/DSC03787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_I0kfNNFtUQ/UyykCftCgwI/AAAAAAAADUo/g0_gF4jCQeU/s1600/DSC03787.JPG" height="424" width="640"></a></div>
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Alsoooo... fortunately for us, the mirrors weren't being held up with any type of brackets whatsoever, they were just glued onto the wall. Therefore, I had a completely flat surface and didn't have to work around any extra hardware. Not everyone is this lucky. If you're among the unlucky ones, my advice would be to use a drimmel tool to carve out little notches in the back of your trim pieces where the brackets can sit nicely inside them and your trim can be flush against the mirror/wall. There are also tutorials for this online. </div>
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Now all that's left to do is caulk the seams and the inner edges where the trim meets the mirror, then touch up with paint. Easy peasy! <i>I decided to wait until everything was completely dry and set up before applying the caulk. </i><br>
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This is a super simple, cheap, and easy upgrade that can add major bang for your buck to your home, and give your bathrooms a beautiful custom look. You don't even have to be a pro to do it. Now I'm itching to replace the fixtures in these rooms to update them even more! Just add that to the list...</div>
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Here's one more before & after for the road. Have an awesome weekend, and come back Monday for an art lesson you won't want to miss!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0gLgEWXycGg/Uyynx0Pf_2I/AAAAAAAADVY/jV7ml9PU7yc/s1600/mirrors+b&a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0gLgEWXycGg/Uyynx0Pf_2I/AAAAAAAADVY/jV7ml9PU7yc/s1600/mirrors+b&a.jpg" height="222" width="640"></a></div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-887077535856635272014-03-11T14:28:00.000-05:002014-03-13T23:06:44.073-05:00and the winner is...It's a...<br />
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Yay! We are <b>beyond</b> excited to have two little men running around this place! And now I am thrilled to show you what I did with this beautiful Tangerine paint!<br />
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The stripes are each 24" wide. I measured down from the top rather than up from the bottom, because the bottom of the wall is usually a little more disguised by furniture, and the top of the wall is <i>not</i>. Therefore, if I had a stripe that wound up not being "complete", <i>which I did</i>, it's no big deal. If you were to see a wall full of wide stripes and the top stripe was narrower, it would be a little awkward, because you would always see it (and naturally your eye is drawn up when there's a pattern like this on a wall). I also decided the top stripe would start the orange pattern, to separate the obviously not-white ceilings from the obviously white background.</div>
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Hubby helped me lay out the stripes with a laser level and painter's tape. We measured every 24" down from the ceiling and made a little mark with chalk first, then used those marks for where our lines would go. We shot the laser through the chalk mark, leveled it, and began to tape along the laser line. It was definitely a team effort! </div>
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When taped, it looks like the orange stripes are wider than the white, but they're not! The total painted area for the orange was to be 24", so the tape went <i>outside</i> those lines, and therefore the tape cut into the "white" areas. When the tape came off, they were all the same size!</div>
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Using a quality brand of painter's tape is obviously the most important part of a project like this, but even with the best tape, textured walls still give way to some "leakage". Therefore, before I painted them orange, I went over the inner edges of the tape (where the orange would go) with a brush and the same white paint that was already on the wall. <i>You can see this clearly on the top tape line in the second photo!</i> What this essential step did was seal up the edges of the tape to prevent the orange from bleeding through. The white leaked through first in the textured spots, then it dried the same color of the wall, and it created a seal against the edge of the tape for the orange. Make sense? Once the white was dry, the orange went on! It took two good coats to get solid coverage, about a quart and a half of paint. I used a paintbrush to get in the corners, and a roller for the rest. </div>
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In the words of Molly Shannon, "I love it, I love it, I love it!"<br />
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It's on now, peeps!! All that's left is the decorating and furnishing part (the fun part). I am going to be making a few things out of the same material as the curtains, and a little teething guard out of this fun fabric by Riley Blake, called, "Boy". It's a navy, grey, orange and red polka dot.<br />
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For those of you who don't know what a teething guard is, it's a piece of fabric or plastic that you secure onto the top of the crib rails, so when your little one is teething, they don't gnaw the wood/finish off the crib. We figured this out just a little too late with baby #1, but this time we will be ready to go. I'll probably be doing all of the sewing sometime this week! Yay!</div>
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I'm starting to figure out and purchase some decor, which you'll see coming together in the next few weeks/months. The disassembled bed should be making its grand exit in the next few days, hopefully. Currently the floor is completely covered with baby clothes I sorted through today, and are soon to be washed and put away. Little decorative items are starting to stack up, and we will be furniture shopping soon. </div>
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<b>Project nursery rundown:</b></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>paint grey walls</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>paint white focal wall</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>sew and hang new curtains</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>lay out design for focal wall</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>paint color(s) on focal wall once we find out the sex of baby "Mo"</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>get rid of full bed</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">purchase crib, dresser<strike>, and shelves</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">sew bedding and other accent items</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;">bring orange glider over from #1 little man's room</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">accessorize shelves</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">hang art/decor on wall</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">update ceiling fan and doorknobs</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">have a baby</li>
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Happy March, everyone! We're so happy to share our news and progress with you!<br />
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<br />Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-8880433770503543842014-02-28T08:00:00.000-06:002014-02-28T10:59:52.320-06:00they're upThis past Sunday & Monday I worked on the curtains for baby Mo's room and am SO pleased with the results. The room is starting to really take on a personality, and will even more so in the coming week when we find out some important details that will give our room its direction. We can't wait to show you what we do with this room! So many ideas on hold, I can hardly stand it!!<br>
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The panels are lined, which give it a more professional, finished look, and add just a little bit more shade when closed. This room gets pretty dark on its own, so instead of a blackout liner, I just went with a regular, light-weight liner. </div>
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I originally made a rod pocket across the top of the panels, but since the fabric + lining is pretty thick altogether, I wasn't crazy about the way they bunched up. So today we swing by Lowe's to grab some curtain clip rings, like we used in little man's room. I like the way you can pull the curtains open and closed so easily with them, and they help the panels hang a little more straight. I probably need to iron these bad boys again, and may raise the rod just a tad. Haven't decided if I'm crazy about the slight puddle on the bottom, but it will probably be ok. I'll have to walk by a few hundred more times before I make a final decision on that...</div>
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The window is really small, so I actually took the rod out 14" on each side of the window to give the illusion of a larger window. How many times can I say "window" in one sentence? </div>
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This slub fabric is perfect, and I love the energy the bold pattern brings into the room. It will compliment nicely with the rest of our decor. I know, I know, I'm really keeping you on your toes! Trust me, no one is more impatient right now than yours truly :/</div>
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I plan to also make the crib skirt and a cushion (for the playroom, to go with little man's) out of the same fabric, just like I did for him. <i> </i><br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">^ ^ like this ^ ^</td></tr>
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Glad to check another item off my list! A few major items to go... and the next time you hear from me, we will be sharing some exciting news!<br>
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<ul style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Josefin Sans'; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>paint grey walls</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>paint white focal wall</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>sew and hang new curtains</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>lay out design for focal wall</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">paint color(s) on focal wall once we find out the sex of baby "Mo"</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>get rid of full bed</strike></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">bring in new crib, dresser, and shelves</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">make bedding (crib skirt & teething guard)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">bring orange glider in from little man's room</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">accessorize shelves</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">hang art on wall</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">eventually update ceiling fan and doorknobs</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">have a baby</li>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-37998950281320291582014-02-26T08:00:00.000-06:002014-02-26T08:00:00.600-06:00five important tips for the DIY homeowner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After another successful project in the books this weekend, I was thinking to myself, "What advice would I give to my friends or family who are trying to do some of these same projects around their homes?" I'm not a "professional" in the sense that I don't get paid for what I do, but I have some training, a lot of creative inclinations/skills, and enough experience to know how to help people out with some common DIY endeavors. Most of the people I know come to me for advice on how to build/decorate/lay out things in their homes, so that makes me feel that I'm somewhat qualified to teach a little here and there. <i>Not to toot my own horn or anything. </i>So I came up with this list of five things that I would tell a first time DIY-er, or someone starting a new project they're not too sure about.</div>
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<b>1. Know your limits</b><br />
One of the smartest thing any DIY-ing homeowner can do for themselves is to know their strengths and their weaknesses. I know from my own experience what I can handle, and then I know there are things that are just completely beyond my skill level/expertise. I would <i>never</i> try to mess with plumping, electrical, structural home issues. I'll even throw in flooring and tiling. To me, those things really are best left to the professionals. KNOW what you can do, and what you can't. Hiring a professional doesn't mean you are giving in or accepting defeat, it means you are being smart - and probably saving yourself some money & stress in the long run.<br />
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<b>2. Be realistic</b><br />
Part of knowing your limits is being realistic with your time and your wallet. I can't tell you how hard I laugh when I watch some of the homeowner renovation shows on TV. You'll see a sweet little couple who is absolutely determined that they are going to gut and completely remodel their entire kitchen for $6,000 in a weekend. I'm sorry, but it ain't gonna happen. You could <i>easily</i> spend $6,000 on appliances <i>alone</i>! I'm no expert, but I've done enough research and work in my own home to know that setting these types of expectations for yourself is completely unrealistic, and hurt you in the long run. What usually winds up happening at the end of the show is their original budget & actual cost (and time) is compared, and what they actually spend is <i>at least</i> twice, <b>if not more</b> than they thought they would - AND nine times out of ten, they wind up calling in the pros to help them finish the job because they realize they are in over their heads. Do your research, and come up with a budget and time frame that will truly work for your family's schedule and finances.<br />
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<b>3. Budget for about 25% more than you think you will spend</b><br />
There are always, <i>always,</i> <b>always</b> last minute costs that tend to add up. Forgetting to budget in hardware, paint, and other things you didn't put on your list but grabbed while you were at your local home improvement store can <b>majorly</b> add to the cost of your project. You would probably be smart to add in a little extra materials in case of mistakes - because let's face it - it happens. Say you need a project that requires 10 feet of lumber. Buy 12 or 14, just to be safe. If you're doing a bigger renovation project that requires the help of professionals, expect the little things to add up. Sometimes you run across issues tearing a wall down that you <i>won't actually see or know about </i>until that wall comes apart! You need to be prepared for these types of things, and adding a little extra cushion in your budget is the best way to make these unanticipated costs a little easier to swallow.<br />
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<b>4. Enlist in help</b><br />
Most DIY projects are at least two-person jobs, some require more than that. It's nice to have an extra set of hands or eyes on a project, if for nothing more than to just hold something steady while you nail it into place. In addition, when bringing on another person, you're also bringing in a different skill level and view point that can help you because either a) they know how to do something that you <i>don't</i>, or b) they may bring something up that you hadn't thought of. You may also want to ask someone to come over - cue the grandparents! - just to keep your kids occupied so they aren't running underfoot while you're trying to concentrate. So don't be afraid to ask for help, whether it be from friends, family, or your local professionals.<br />
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<b>5. Expect mistakes</b><br />
Listen, mistakes happen, even to the best of us. We all know the motto, "measure twice, cut once", but even sometimes you may have read your notes or directions wrong, and/or it's 2 am and you are running on fumes. This is when mistakes happen. OR you could complete all or part of a project, and it's not turning out quite how you wanted/anticipated, and you either backpedal or start over. Screwing up is inevitable, but in an attempt to minimize catastrophes, the following can be helpful:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Think things through. Do your research. There is no shame in taking your time and being very careful with your planning. Double and triple check things like measurements, just to be sure.</li>
<li>Take short, frequent breaks. Make sure you've eaten and are keeping yourself hydrated. When you get weak from hunger, thirst, or being overheated, it's easy to get distracted and rush through something to just "get it done". Stand back and take a look at your work as it develops to make sure it's headed a direction that you're happy with. Know when to stop and say, "I need to finish this another time." Just don't wait too long :)</li>
<li>Have extra materials on hand, in case you mess something up and need to redo it. If you don't use the extra stuff, save your receipt and return it! </li>
<li>Stay calm, and know that messing up is just part of it, whether big or small. But hopefully following these five tips will keep things on the small scale!</li>
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Alright homeowners, what do you think? Do you have anything to add? Are you ready to tackle your next big project?!</div>
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<br />Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-75443915433023910012014-02-24T08:00:00.000-06:002014-02-24T08:00:07.937-06:00a hundred dollars and an hour laterThat sounds really sleazy, I'm sorry.<i> </i><br />
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Friday my FIL and I tackled the "let's finally build this king size headboard" I've had on my list since, oh, last May. I've tossed several ideas around but ultimately decided on a very simple upholstered design. There are tons on the market to choose from, and many beautiful options, but unfortunately they run in the $400 and up category, and that just doesn't work for me.<br />
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> Cue the <i>why buy it when I can DIY it?</i><br />
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Scouring the internet for some inspiration/instructions was easy. Pinterest is the mother ship of all things home decor DIY, so I found <a href="http://theeverygirl.com/diy-upholstered-headboard">this simple tutorial from theEverygirl </a>and went with it. It seemed like the easiest and most cost-effective of several options I had found. I'm <i>totally</i> not taking credit for her design, just showing you how I implemented it myself.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theeverygirl.com/diy-upholstered-headboard" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J5ODVwRYvPc/Uwg756r0OuI/AAAAAAAADLY/jJmrBL-l-Uw/s1600/67a9fbb1e9d260bbf7b9857ae7243330.jpg" height="640" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via<a href="http://theeverygirl.com/diy-upholstered-headboard"> theeverygirl</a></td></tr>
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I can proudly tell you this project took us only <i>an hour to complete!</i> That's from cutting wood to screwing it into the bed frame.<br />
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<li>I went with her simple design using 1/2" sanded project plywood and some 2x4"s. The only thing I changed was adding a middle vertical brace/support, because at 78" wide, our board needed a little something extra back there to help hold it together.</li>
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<li>We had my friend at Lowe's cut the plywood down to 78x30" at the store, to make it easier to transport home and save us some major messes by avoiding getting out the table saw. (At 30" high, the plywood comes down a good six inches below the top of our mattress. The width extends just a tad on the sides of our mattresses.)</li>
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<li>Our overall height of the headboard (from the ground up) is 50", so the vertical supports are just that length. We cut them first, then screwed them into the plywood from the front side. </li>
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<li>Then we measured the horizontal distance between, for the top supporting brace. We did this <i>after</i> attaching the vertical pieces to make sure we got a precise fit. </li>
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<li>Next, I measured down from the bottom of the top (horizontal) piece to the bottom of the legs, and cut that piece for my middle support. Then I just measured in the two bottom horizontal pieces, cut them, and screwed them on as well. In the photo below, you can see our construction of all the pieces. All of the 2x4s were screwed in with wood screws from the front side.</li>
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<li>Cutting and screwing these pieces in took me about 15 minutes, tops. It helped to have a set of man hands to help me lift and flip things when needed.</li>
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<li>After framing out and piecing together all the wood, I flipped it over and used spray adhesive to attach 1/2" cushion foam to the front side, lining it up with the very top of the headboard and trimming off any extra on the sides. This left about six inches at the bottom with no foam, but it was going to wind up below/behind our mattress (AND was wrapped in batting) so it didn't matter.</li>
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<li>We then carried the entire thing inside and placed it carefully onto the ironed fabric and quilt batting I had already laid out on the floor. I made sure to have enough fabric on all edges to go around the sides, to be stapled on in the back. Lining everything up took a few minutes, but once it was ready, my staple gun and I went at it. I trimmed up batting as needed, so it didn't poke out from behind the fabric on the backside and look messy. You know, for the wall that looks at it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>I purchased the 1/2" cushion foam and twin-size quilt batting from JoAnn's, and it was my lucky day because both were 50% off. I doubled up on the batting for a little extra cushion. For the fabric, I actually used<a href="http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?productId=3394240"> a curtain panel I fell <b>in love with</b></a><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>a few months ago walking through Lowes. The panel was the perfect size, and at $25, it was cheaper than buying several yards of upholstery fabric. Plus I already was already <i>obsessed</i> with it. Another plus? All the edges of the fabric were finished with a seam, even the bottom hem I took out to give me another few inches to wrap around.</li>
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<li>One of the little details I paid attention to was the slight pattern in the fabric (it's like a twill/tweed) and made sure I pulled it around to the backside very tight, yet evenly. I pulled one little part around, stapled it in, then measured how far in the fabric went on the wood. I drew a line across the wood and made sure I didn't pull any of the other fabric on that side past that point. This helped keep the pattern from getting wavy or uneven. I just repeated this on all sides (except the bottom), and used more staples than I care to count. The corners can be difficult, but I just did a little gift wrapping trick to line things up. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>I had to cut the fabric in at angles in the corners around the insides of the legs (which wouldn't show), and then stapled those pieces smoothly and securely to the legs (the outer two legs show just a tad when on the bed, and they are completely wrapped). Then I pulled the bottom of the fabric super tight, and put in my last few rows of millions of staples. Attaching the fabric probably took the most amount of time out of our hour, but it was simple. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>All that was left was to attach it to the bed frame using some nuts and bolts, which only took a few more minutes! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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It barely peeks above our Euro pillows on our bed, and it's perfect!</div>
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Cost breakdown:</div>
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1/2" thick x 24" wide foam: $11.99 per yard x 2 1/4 yards = $26.98, 50% off = $13.49</div>
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twin size quilt batting: $14.99, 50% off = $7.49</div>
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2x4"s (each 8 ft long): 4 @ $2.85 = $11.40</div>
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15/32" sanded project pine: $24.97</div>
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curtain panel: $24.97</div>
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spray adhesive, wood screws: already had<br />
bonus wood smell in my bedroom which helps me sleep at night: free</div>
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<b>Total project cost: $82.32</b></div>
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This is something anyone could easily tackle in an afternoon! Now we have a grown-up-looking bed, and no more pillows squishing down between the wall and the mattress! Score! </div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-66772900798342340022014-02-20T16:39:00.001-06:002014-02-21T16:48:39.089-06:00home tour updateSince the nursery is at a bit of a standstill for the next two weeks, I thought it would be fun to post an update on some of the rooms that we've worked on a bit since I last shared photos with you.<br>
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<b>Master bedroom </b><br>
-since you last saw it: painted, floating shelf hung & filled, curtains & curtain rods hung, and I found the most FABULOUS painting at Garden Ridge for above the bed!! I'm in LOVE! This is such a great space with all the natural lighting, high vaulted ceilings, and extra square footage. We love to relax in here!<br>
-still to do (tomorrow): build headboard<br>
-eventually: find a couch or beautiful chair to put in front of the bay windows<br>
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<b>Kids' bathrooms</b><br>
I've never shown you the bathrooms, but one was tan and one was sage green when we moved in. There really wasn't much to see before, they were pretty plain. Both are now Behr's Southern Breeze, which is a favorite of ours. The bathrooms and laundry room in our first house were this color and we just <i>had</i> to bring it with us. Both bathrooms have the same shower curtain and color scheme, and coordinate well with the colors we've chosen for the rest of the house. It's so hard to get an accurate depiction of the color with the incandescent lighting, but trust me, it's the most beautiful, calming blue/green/grey you've ever seen.<br>
<b>bathroom #1</b><i> </i><br>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o7WePYL_2DU/UwaCt0g-kHI/AAAAAAAADKo/KrOWlSAdFkI/s1600/bath1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o7WePYL_2DU/UwaCt0g-kHI/AAAAAAAADKo/KrOWlSAdFkI/s1600/bath1.jpg" height="466" width="640"></a></div>
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In bathroom #2, I took the awkwardly hung towel bar off the wall above the toilet and replaced it with some pretty prints. <i>Right now</i> we don't use the bathroom much, but when it is regularly in use by a kiddo, we will probably put a towel bar on the back of the door.<br>
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<b>bathroom #2</b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IZjB6FoeVH4/UwKJqsUXxtI/AAAAAAAADJA/9BTBgbr9TQc/s1600/bathroom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IZjB6FoeVH4/UwKJqsUXxtI/AAAAAAAADJA/9BTBgbr9TQc/s1600/bathroom1.jpg" height="475" width="640"></a></div>
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-still to do (in both bathrooms): replace linoleum flooring with wood-look ceramic tile, frame out mirrors, replace faucets and light fixtures</div>
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<b>Little man's room</b></div>
This is another room I never showed you, which is pretty much complete (for this stage in his life), except for updating the ceiling fan. The wall color is Neon Mint by Valspar. I'm not much of a "themed bedroom" type person. I like to just pick a modern yet versatile color scheme, focus on that, and see what develops. That keeps me from being tied down to one look, and also keeps options open for changing things out as the kids grow. Our little man has really started to love airplanes, and I kept seeing the cutest airplane decor on Etsy and in random places, so we just kind of went with it. We tried not to go overboard. You may remember the world map mural from <a href="http://painterlypassion.blogspot.com/2013/05/ill-have-to-admit-exhaustion-is-really.html">this post</a>.<br>
-still to do: replace ceiling fan and finally add more fabric to the bottom of the curtains (I incorrectly remembered the measurements I took when we came to see the house the first time, so I wound up about 6 inches short. I've been saying "I'm going to fix that" since we moved in.)<br>
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<b>Entry hall</b><br>
-since you last saw it: nothing has really changed here, but the last photos I posted of it were pretty crappy, so I thought I'd give it another shot. Changing the living room up has also had a major impact on what you see when you come through the front door.<br>
-still do do: possibly hang another art piece or two somewhere<br>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bO3VuEO87M8/UwKJP-0EPjI/AAAAAAAADIo/H3yxXWuHkNc/s1600/hallway1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bO3VuEO87M8/UwKJP-0EPjI/AAAAAAAADIo/H3yxXWuHkNc/s1600/hallway1.jpg" height="475" width="640"></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note: our special headless cat</td></tr>
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The light fixture in here will eventually be updated, hopefully with something a little larger and contemporary like this from west elm:<br>
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<a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/eclipse-chandelier-w754/"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nt1KKNaQgOo/UwGTk3dWy1I/AAAAAAAADCk/EUpHfVOoYnU/s1600/e4e9b62699fb21d02ddf1aa67ce7d447.jpg" height="320" width="320"></a></div>
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<b>Living room</b><br>
-since you last saw it: The only thing that's <a href="http://painterlypassion.blogspot.com/2013/11/living-room-before-after.html">changed</a> is our seasonal decor and a few lighting pieces. We had an additional eyeball light installed over our new built in shelves to bring some light to the corner and really showcase the contents of the shelves. The opposite corner of the room was pretty dark, so we got a cool floor lamp from Target and now it has the perfect amount of light to balance out the space.<br>
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<a href="http://www.target.com/p/threshold-brushed-silver-linear-shaded-floor-lamp-includes-cfl-bulb/-/A-14626090#prodSlot=medium_1_37&term=floor+lamp"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5WtCesZZPpw/UwKEkB20UeI/AAAAAAAADII/7tMYlPrvqJ8/s1600/14626090_201307031940.jpg" height="400" width="400"></a></div>
-still to do: this year I'd like to retile the fireplace with something lighter, cleaner, and more modern - like these beautiful marble tile examples:<br>
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<img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Hs61L-Q52Y/UwGXXMHYHiI/AAAAAAAADCw/EDE2tfRDOjc/s1600/cb67a2c4a42d76509a32ccf4943792bc.jpg" height="400" width="266"><a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203485321?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051&cm_mmc=shopping-_-pinterest-_-D23-_-203485321&N=5yc1vZar8kZ1z119vdZ1z119vd&R=203485321"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X0I7C4sMsjw/UwGXkLyXtvI/AAAAAAAADC4/Umg_OsVoMwo/s1600/5e7ccb63bdac7de60306b5e5afc397b0.jpg" height="320" width="320"></a></div>
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We'll see how hubby feels about that ;)</div>
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We had some recessed lighting and a fan installed in the media room, but we haven't yet built or <i>had someone build</i> an entertainment/shelving unit around the TV.</div>
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Our kitchen and dining room remain a bit unfinished, so I'll hold off until we make some more progress in there to show you what we've accomplished. </div>
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Some overall/eventual (read: big & expensive) home updates we'd like to do is replace all the tile in the entry, kitchen, and dining room with dark wood flooring. Another rather expensive upgrade will be replacing all the brassy doorknobs & handles throughout the entire house. We are currently focusing some of our time and energy into the exterior of our home, to give it some more color & curb appeal. Oh yeah, and this little thing called Project Nursery. </div>
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When you are creative, it seems like things are always changing in your home. I am still in shock when I look back at all the old photos we have of our house, compared to the look and <i>feel</i> of our home now. It has evolved so much, and continues to do so - seems like - every day! <i>Hubby keeps telling me, "No more projects!!". Pssh.</i> </div>
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What is it like in your home? Are you always working on something like I am??</div>
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Thank you for coming over today to see what we've been up to! </div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-32906683456990424752014-02-12T11:45:00.000-06:002014-02-12T14:33:57.430-06:00back on trackLast week we were fortunate enough to spend some time in sunny Florida while North Texas was hit with not one <i>but two</i> icy snow storms. We went to Tampa to attend my ten year reunion at Florida College and spent time with some friends I haven't seen since our college days together! It was a nice little getaway, but after a little bout with fever and a stomach virus (poor little man), we were definitely ready to be back home. Here's a few snapshots from our first family trip to the beach!<br>
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Since we've been back, I've been waiting for a nice sunny day to take a few more photos of our in-progress nursery. The white background for the focal wall is done and the room looks <i>astonishingly</i> different. I even got a comment from hubby, "This room really <i>does</i> look a lot better." I don't know when he's going to learn to trust me. Now we have to lay out the design on the wall to be painted once we find out what baby Mo will be, and I need to sew my curtains this week! So that's next on the agenda.<br>
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We pushed the full bed over into the corner so we could see more of the room at once and also give ourselves some space for bringing things in & taking things out. You may notice that I didn't finish the top edge of the white paint, and there's a reason for that. The design we're going to lay out will cover up the top edge of the wall, so I didn't see any point in edging it with a nice straight line when I was just going to paint over it eventually. You'll also see the nineties-tastic fan that both of our kids' rooms are sporting, and we hope to replace the fans sometime in the near future with something prettier and more modern, though it will still be a ceiling fan, because we live in TEXAS. Enough said. </div>
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I'm LOVING the <a href="https://www.fabric.com/buy/0322096/premier-prints-zippy-premier-navy">fabric I ordered from fabric.com</a> for the curtains and some of the bedding and accent pieces. It's a larger chevron print and will go great with our color schemes, whether Mo is a he or a she. I've bought fabric from them several times before and their prices, selection, and quality can't be beat!</div>
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Right now it does look very plain, and that's ok. It won't stay that way for long. If it seems like we are making little progress, I suppose that's because you won't necessarily see all the little "behind the scenes" things I've been working on pretty much every day. The room is more organized - all the baby items stored away in random closets and spaces in the house have been brought into one central location (in the nursery, where they belong) and <i>most</i> non-baby items have been moved into more appropriate places. Bringing another human into our home is forcing me to really make sure things have their proper place since our move last May. I almost can't believe in a few short weeks we will be half-way through this deal with a name to put to this belly. Thanks to my second trimester energy, I'm really raring to go and am excitedly checking things off all my lists, big and small.<br>
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I'm sure we will be furniture shopping in the near future for things to fit in this new space, but we'll probably wait until we find out what Mo is before making any final decisions. We like really timeless pieces that have clean, contemporary lines, but I feel like even classic furniture can be swayed to look more male or female. So that's another thing we can start thinking about, but are waiting a bit before making any final decisions.<br>
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Project Nursery rundown:</div>
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<ul style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Josefin Sans'; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><strike>paint grey walls</strike></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><strike>paint white focal wall</strike></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">sew and hang new curtains - in progress</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">lay out design for focal wall</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">paint color(s) on focal wall once we find out the sex of baby "Mo"</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">get rid of full bed</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">bring in new crib, dresser, and shelves</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">make bedding for crib</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">bring orange glider in from little man's room</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">accessorize shelves</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">hang art on wall</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">eventually update ceiling fan and doorknobs</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;">have a baby</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Josefin Sans';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Thanks for checking in on this little update! The next few weeks are going to bring much bigger, bolder things to this room! </span></span></div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-25541380890299369282014-01-28T14:21:00.002-06:002014-02-12T11:45:31.824-06:00ocupadoThis room is really coming alive and starting to look more like someone might live in it. Yesterday I finished all the grey, so today's naptime plan is to paint the white focal wall. The ladder shelf I ordered from Amazon also arrived, so we excitedly put it together and set it up in the new room while we ate lunch today.<br />
Here's a little peek into the room, from the entry way:<br />
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While it still functions as an in-progress mess and catch-all room, we are slowly but surely moving things out to their proper places as each step of the project brings us closer to the finish line. I think the biggest difference will be seen once the full bed is out to its new owners, and the space opens up so we can bring in the new furniture.</div>
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I picked this sweet little guy up at Pier 1 yesterday. I guess this is officially the first item we've bought for baby #2!</div>
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Here's just a shot at where we were last week and where we are today:</div>
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Makes my heart happy!</div>
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Project Nursery rundown:</div>
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<ul>
<li><strike>paint grey walls</strike></li>
<li>paint white focal wall</li>
<li>sew and hang new curtains</li>
<li>lay out design for focal wall</li>
<li>paint color(s) on focal wall once we find out the sex of baby "Mo"</li>
<li>get rid of full bed</li>
<li>bring in new crib, dresser, and shelves</li>
<li>make bedding for crib</li>
<li>bring orange glider in from little man's room</li>
<li>accessorize shelves</li>
<li>hang art on wall</li>
<li>eventually update ceiling fan and doorknobs</li>
<li>have a baby</li>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-86705688041199381132014-01-25T16:59:00.000-06:002014-02-12T11:45:17.254-06:00and so it begins...Well, I'm here to give you a little in-progress shot of what's been going on in the nursery this week. This room has been our extra bedroom/catch-all room since we moved in last summer, and we are finally getting into transforming the space. The biggest change that needed to happen first was PAINT, of course! Any old Trading Spaces fans out there? The best part of the show was the reveal of what was in the paint cans, because it gave you a sense of direction for the entire room. I recreated this scene with little man, who was just as impressed as I thought he would be. Just a little Genevieve moment, no big deal.<br />
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Like the rest of our house, this room was painted in flat blah-beige paint. The room had an orange and blue stripe running around the room about six feet up. We liked the stripes, but I wanted to do them differently. Plus the wall color <i>had to go. </i><br />
<i>Please excuse the mess and iPhone quality photos.</i><br />
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I knew the room would probably be a lighter color so I needed to prime over the stripes to ensure complete coverage. There's not many options out there that are safe for pregnancy. Lo and behold, Kilz actually makes a NON-VOC primer (which the lady at Lowe's didn't even realize existed), so my little preggie heart was happy knowing I wouldn't have to direct this task to someone else and could just knock it out myself.<br />
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This stuff seriously did the trick. I was only surprised because I've never really used primer before. I went over the stripes twice, just to make sure they were totally blocked out.<br />
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After priming the stripes, I went ahead with my favorite angle brush and did all the edging in the color I decided on - Granite Dust by Valspar (also the same color as the playroom, kitchen, and dining room). Valspar Signature is the best. paint. ever. I will use nothing else. It's thick, got great coverage, and is also ZERO-VOC! Safe to use for all you preggies out there! At this point I was already beginning to see the difference the new color would make and fell in love. The grey offered a better contrast to all the trim and was softer on the eyes than the obnoxious yellowish-beige.<br />
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Then yesterday I rolled out all the grey! It makes such a huge difference already. I didn't realize just <i>how much </i>the stripes really "shortened" the room. I mean, our ceilings are 12 feet high, and after wiping out the harsh horizontal line they created, suddenly the room seemed twice the size. The new paint is also satin finish, so it bounces the natural light around the room beautifully, opening up the space tremendously from the previous flat paint. <i>Seriously, who uses flat paint?!</i><br />
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You can see a little preview of some of the fabric I plan to use for curtains and some of the bedding in here, whether this nugget is a boy or a girl. For a boy, we will bring in orange with the navy, and for a girl we will be doing coral & orange with a little navy for some contrast and weight. So we really are bringing the previous colors back, just in better form. The wall left unpainted will be given a base coat of white, which will eventually become the focal wall in the room.<br />
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The room continues to really change with each new step! The next part of the project will be hopping up on top of the ladder to go around the top two feet of the room, then edging and painting the white wall. I'm so excited to share little bits and pieces of this project with you as it develops!<br />
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<br />Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-44805653416376264522014-01-10T16:42:00.000-06:002014-01-10T16:42:11.119-06:00sorry, not sorryWell look what we have here, another year has passed and I'm still getting used to writing "2014" on everything. <div>
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If you've noticed I haven't posted in two months, thanks for that. Truth be told, December is officially THE most insane, wish-it-was-over month of all time. I really need to find a better way to cope.</div>
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It's always been super busy because, well, you know, the holidays and all, but I happen to have a birthday the week before Christmas (and this year it was a big one), and a certain little someone had his second birthday within that precious time frame as well. So although I usually proudly call myself a "party planning master", this year I was just <i>not</i> feeling it. Maybe that had something to do with the <strike>morning</strike> all-day sickness & exhaustion I've been experiencing lately because, oh yeah, we also found out we're expecting. </div>
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birthday buddies!</div>
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To say the last two months have been a whirlwind is a complete understatement, and I for one am just glad to be enjoying January with the holidays and all Christmas decorations behind us. So I'm sorry I haven't exactly been on the radar lately, but not really. Sometimes just getting through the day chasing a toddler around while trying not to throw up/fall down from utter exhaustion is all I have. And for that reason, I thank you for your patience. </div>
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I have some plans to show you some neat projects including the nursery I'm chomping at the bit to paint/get started on/etc. You know what? I don't believe I have ever shared photos of little man's finished room with you either. <i>I should get on that.</i> </div>
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I've been pinning ideas/inspiration for the new baby room like a mad woman. As soon as hubby and I look things over and agree on a few ideas, AND we get that extra bedroom/catch-all room cleared of boxes that still haven't been unpacked since our move in May, it's "wheels off" as he likes to say. Most of the buying/making/decorating will have to wait until we find out if we're having a little mister or a little miss in March. But really, I can't wait much longer to just <i>do something</i>. </div>
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I'm working on a post I'll be publishing later next week about my thoughts on turning thirty. 30. <i>yikes. </i></div>
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Hope you're all recovering from the holidays and enjoying your January :)</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-26737791686238388442013-11-11T17:38:00.001-06:002013-11-11T17:38:05.850-06:00for shame, for shameI tried to hold off as long as I possibly could. Pinterest is the devil! <i>Notreallythough.</i> I ran across this awesome playlist idea the other day, and needed to check it out.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Most of the songs are already on my "merry & bright" playlist, but it was fun to discover a few new ones! Naturally I had to preview the songs, and then I couldn't stop the bleeding. </div>
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Still think my ultimate favorite is Michael Buble's album, "Christmas", though :) His voice is like <i>buttah</i>, and I love it for so many other reasons and at other times of the year, so why not keep the trend through the holidays?</div>
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I've realized that this year we will be needing a bigger tree. Our old tree was a mere 6 feet tall, and was a little scraggly looking. Not bad for an apartment; not good for our new home with 12 foot ceilings. So that means later this week I'm going to be on the hunt for a reasonably-priced, pre-lit tree over 9 or 10 feet. Wish me luck.</div>
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With a much bigger tree comes the need for quite a few more ornaments. Rather than keeping up the red, black, and silver (<i>Wreck 'em, Tech!)</i>, this year I've decided to add light aqua and lime green to brighten things up and make it more fun. You already know my favorite color is aqua. It only makes sense. Here's a few ideas I've gathered from the web that I'll be taking shopping with me this week. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://apopofpretty.com/red-turquoise-christmas-decor/">via A Pop of Pretty</a> - she's got more great images of red & aqua holiday decor</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/168060402/vintage-red-green-blue-frosted-glass?ref=listing-shop-header-3">via Etsy</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/47582661@N00/5159322459/">via Flickr</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">google images</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenymph/3122121528/">via Flickr</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aspoonfulofsugardesigns.com/2011/10/red-and-aqua.html">via A Spoonful of Sugar</a></td></tr>
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Isn't this color combo SO fun?! Very cheerful and fresh, and I think the little one is going to have a blast helping me get everything set up this year. Two years ago I had just had a baby, and last year we were in boxes, so it's been a while since I've gone "all out". This year, I'm pulling out all the stops. But I'm going to refrain myself until the day after Thanksgiving. At least for the decor.</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-37795694695402103142013-11-07T10:00:00.000-06:002013-11-07T10:00:08.890-06:00my most asked questionBesides, "How did you do that?!", by far the question I am asked the most is, "Who is your favorite artist?" I have to say, that's a tough one. There are many artists I admire, all for different reasons. My home is full of art by <i>living</i> artists I've either met, taught, gone to school with, found on Etsy or at art festivals. I think that's really important.<br />
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In college, we did an exercise where my professor asked us to write down the names of ten artists. Then she asked us to cross off the names of those who were dead. Then cross off the names of those who were men. THEN cross off the names of those who were white. How many names were left on our list?<br />
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That was really a challenge to me, and opened my eyes to the fact that <i>most</i>, if not all of the names on my list were those of <b>dead white guys</b>. I loved this exercise so much I did it with my students every single semester I taught high school art. I wanted them to realize that there's <i>so. much. more.</i> to what art is and means and who can be called an "artist". This is one of the many reasons I have chosen pieces for my home from a variety of <i>living</i> artists.<br />
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I am therefore ashamed to admit that my favorite artist is, in fact, a dead white guy. He died 13 years before I was born. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Insert laughter here. </span>Ok, I know. Gimme a break, it's hard enough to "pick one".<br />
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My absolute favorite is Mark Rothko, and has always been. I'm <b>obsessed</b> with his work and the response his use of color stirs in me every. time.<br />
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It has been said that Mark Rothko began his career in painting after just wandering into an art class to meet a friend. He was so impressed with what was going on in that classroom that life completely changed direction for this Yale student. <i>Insert comment about the awe-inspiring power of art teachers here</i>.<br />
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One of the coolest things I've read about Rothko, is that once his work became more abstract in the late 40's, he started just numbering his paintings or just calling them by the colors in them. He did this because he said, "silence is so accurate", and held the position that giving the paintings names would sway or confuse the viewer and "paralyze their imagination". He wanted his work to be open for interpretation and each viewer's personal connection. I'm pretty sure every artist in the history of time would have been a tad more successful if they had only followed suit.<br />
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His work is simple yet moving. Did you know that <b>color</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>is THE single-most powerful component used in design, fashion, advertising... you name it? It's because color triggers an emotional response from us. Some colors are aggressive, some are happy, some are somber, some are calm. We relate to them in ways we do not relate to music, images, or anything else. Think about it!<br />
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I could go on and on about color, but I'll stop here and just give you a nice little sampling of Rothko's work. I promise you'll love it, too. Also, his paintings are HUGE.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from our trip to San Fransisco's MoMA, June 2011</td></tr>
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Somewhere there exists a photo of me in front of a Rothko at the DMA from way back when, taking it all in. The art guards had to ask me to step back a bit, because I wanted to soak in every brush stroke!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas</td></tr>
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Each one makes me feel a little different. These are just a few I found when I googled "Mark Rothko paintings". I encourage you do get out there and see a little more for yourself! What do you think of Rothko's work?</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-594105577653264702013-11-06T23:38:00.001-06:002013-11-06T23:40:30.125-06:0031 days of fall, a wrap upWell, it's here... November! It's been cold, cloudy, and rainy. The trees are starting to turn, though not quite as beautifully as up north or in the midwest, but I'll take what I can get. Now it's time for cozy nights next to the fireplace with a hot cup of...whatever.<br />
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<i>Apparently the day after Halloween is the day Starbucks pulls out the red cups. Slow. Down!</i></div>
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October 30 and 31 were truly magical and trick-or-treating with my little one for the first time was a real joy.</div>
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Found this <b>perfect</b> children's book at Half Price. We read it almost every day! I think I'll have to hunt down all the other season books by this author!</div>
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Rosie the Riveter and her little sailor! </div>
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Thanks for joining me on this fun series!</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-1116303581698350052013-11-04T10:00:00.000-06:002013-11-04T10:00:00.279-06:00living room before & afterNow that our <a href="http://painterlypassion.blogspot.com/2013/11/long-overdue-built-in-shelves.html">built-ins</a> are complete, I'm happy to share with you a little peek at our living room with some before & after photos. Enjoy!<br />
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Here's the before photos, from the MLS listing. Beautiful, but a little more traditional than our taste. They also give you a shot into the kitchen/dining area, but I'm saving those new photos for another day :)<br />
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And here is what our space looks like now.</div>
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Really, the only thing we did was paint and change out the curtains, but it made <i>such </i>a difference! We painted the entire space "Notre Dame" by Valspar, which completely brightened up the space. The room was builder-grade beige with an accent wall in dark brown. The chocolate wall (the one with 8 windows) took two coats. The kitchen and dining area were a variety of sage greens, and we took this grey into those rooms as well, really giving the entire space a nice sense of unity and openness.</div>
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The heavy, sage black-out curtains were taken down, shortened, and put in the media room and they're <i>perfect</i> there. These lighter curtains really allow for maximum light flow into the room. I actually constructed them myself by sewing two curtain panels together, white on top and almost-charcoal grey on the bottom. There was no way I was ever going to find what I wanted, for the right price, 130-ish inches long. Naturally the solution was to DIM (do it myself).</div>
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When you walk in our front door, you look straight through the entry way into this room. We wanted to keep it simple, clean, and fun since it's the central hub of our home. There's no television in here, so the focus can remain on just being together with friends and family. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_fH1vmVGIE/UnQgx6QPyAI/AAAAAAAAC0g/v-diOFiwMhk/s1600/DSC03277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_fH1vmVGIE/UnQgx6QPyAI/AAAAAAAAC0g/v-diOFiwMhk/s640/DSC03277.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The built-in shelves are <i>perfect</i> here, just the finishing touch our home needed to make it more "homey".</div>
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Behind the couch is a little collage of our family photos taken by our fabulous friend<a href="http://lindsayhorn.com/"> Lindsay Horn</a>, who I've known since our college days and before her photog days. We've used her to take portraits of our family since we were newlyweds. <i>If you're in the Dallas area, I highly recommend her! Can't say enough about her :) And no, she didn't pay me to say that. </i>I kept the collage area small (but careful not to let it be swallowed by the wall), allowing space to add onto later.</div>
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There's still a few empty spaces, like above the piano and the shelves, that need some love & personality, but I'm working on it :) Also I think the fireplace needs a makeover, but I'm keeping my mouth shut for now.</div>
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I feel like every project, no matter how big or small, has some sort of regretful "oops moment", and if you're lucky, it's reversible. At one point, I had a bad great idea to paint the back of our <a href="http://painterlypassion.blogspot.com/2013/11/long-overdue-built-in-shelves.html">nook</a> a nice peacock blue as an accent, but we wound up hating it, so I painted over that, too. </div>
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Our old house only had one main open living area, and this house has two, more distinct living areas (one of which was a "formal" living room which has since been deemed "the media room"). Needless to say we had to buy some more furniture, and fell in love with our new couches and coffee table from Haverty's. We also inherited a piano, which we tinker on all day long. </div>
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Want to see some side-by-side shots?<br />
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This room is SO fun and I think really reflects the personality of our family. Before it was almost too formal, and we wanted it to be a comfortable space where we can gather together, kick up our feet, and have a good time. It was also a little too simple for me, so naturally I <i>had</i> to add some personality with color and unique touches to welcome you in. While the changes we made really don't seem<i> that major</i>, the overall feeling of the room has drastically transformed. There's a reason it's called a "living" room!<br />
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Thanks for stepping in to our home today! Can you smell the coffee?<br />
Happy Monday!<br />
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<br />Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-58383451783841805962013-11-01T10:00:00.000-05:002013-11-01T11:05:35.270-05:00long-overdue built-in shelves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We've had this little space in our living room <i>which I believe previously housed a TV and/or entertainment setup</i> that has been completely empty since we moved in. Well, empty if you don't count the 5 or 6 unpacked boxes that sat there waiting... and waiting... for someone to just <i>do something</i> with them! My plan from the get-go was to build some sort of shelving unit. I spent the first few months in the house contemplating how I was going to approach this project, since a) I would be designing and constructing it myself, b) the shelves needed to hold a lot of heavy things like books & such, and c) this little space here isn't so little - it's about 55" wide. For a while I thought the floating shelves concept was a little out of reach, but I spent a considerable amount of time scouring Pinterest and other home DIY blogs/sites for ideas. I basically found one idea that led to another, that spurred another, that finally landed me <a href="http://www.desertdomicile.com/2012/09/diy-15-chunky-wooden-floating-shelves.html">here</a> with probably the most accurate tutorial and explanation of how I executed this project myself. Aren't they pretty?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="file:///Users/mattburkley/Desktop/DIYFloatingShelves_After1.jpg">via Desert Domicile</a></td></tr>
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Her tutorial really took everything that had been running through my head and explained it in writing. Now that I had actual <i>proof</i> that it could work, I just had to get down to the logistics. What kind of wood would <strike>a woodchuck chuck</strike> I use? How much weight did each shelf need to support? What was the thickness I was going for with each shelf? How many shelves did I need?<i> WHERE are the STUDS?!</i> </div>
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I'm going to walk you through my crazy thought process and show you step-by-step how this was done. And yes, I have carpentry skills. I'm just full of surprises. </div>
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The first and least risk-taking step I could complete was to decide how many shelves I wanted (things look better in odd numbers - design-wise - and three would be too few). Five. There, it's settled. </div>
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Then I had to decide how thick I wanted each shelf based on the materials I would use.<i> About 3-4 inches. </i>How tall is my tallest book, so I know how much space to put in between each shelf? <i>About 14 inches.</i> What, if anything, is going to go on the floor underneath them<i>?</i> So on and so forth, you catch my drift. After some careful consideration, I busted out the most BASIC and common math skills I know how to use. Addition. <i>Don't believe the lies. The last time I graphed a linear equation was in high school algebra</i>. I taped off where each shelf would go - including the thickness of each shelf - and spaced it all out nicely & precisely to see how it would look. When it comes to projects like this, I pay MAJOR attention to details. Major.</div>
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Next came the longest part of the project that required the most steps. </div>
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1. Find those stinking studs.</div>
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2. What do you <i>mean</i> that wall doesn't have any studs? How dare it.</div>
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3. Pick out the material for the interior (aka hidden) supports - 1x3" pine. Which is actually only 1x2 1/2" pine. <i>I KNOW</i>. </div>
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4. Cut pieces for the back brace the width of the nook<i> </i>x5, the side pieces x10, and the middle supports x15. My dimensions were 55 inches across for the long back piece, and each of the shorter pieces was 14 inches.</div>
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5. I screwed the three middle supports into the long back piece (from the backside) BEFORE I put it into the wall. The side pieces were actually attached separately and AFTER the long back piece. Lots of steps here. </div>
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6. I'm also super thorough and measured where each of the studs were for the long back piece and then marked it <b>onto</b> my long back piece so a) I would know where to drill into the wall and hit the studs, even when my markings were covered up and b) I would know where <i>not</i> to drill my middle support pieces so they weren't in the way. </div>
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7. Attach long back pieces accordingly. Level.</div>
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8. Measure again and line it all up so it's beautiful.</div>
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9. Attach side support pieces accordingly (including using some hefty anchors for the stupid wall with no studs). Level again.</div>
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10. Secure side and back pieces together for extra security with L-brackets. whew.</div>
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Those last few (ok, ten) steps took multiple days because I needed a little assistance making sure everything was squared away just right. The following steps went rather easily and quickly.</div>
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I cut five <b>more</b> 1x3" pieces to fit the width of the wall at the front of the shelf. <i>Side note: walls in your house are never perfectly straight. Just in case you didn't know</i>. Line up, level, attach with glue and nail gun, 5 minutes flat. Boom. </div>
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Adding this final front support piece <b>really </b>secured everything. Trust me, we yanked on 'em quite a bit.<br />
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I bet you're wondering, <i>Why didn't she just build this rectangular frame thing all together and then attach it all at once?</i> Let me tell you why. First, I wanted each of the three main side supports to be completely flush against the wall. Since walls aren't straight, this gave us a better chance of that happening. Second, it was easier to find the studs (and anchors) with little pieces at a time instead of wrangling a behemoth structure with arms poking out everywhere. <i>Ow! My eye!</i> Third, we actually TRIED this on our first shelf, then wound up taking it down and apart because it just wasn't working. Piece by piece was best here, guys.<br />
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The next step involves plywood. This can be a really tricky decision and thanks to the wisdom of my father-in-law, I didn't have to figure it out on my own. One of the things you have to consider about plywood is <b>weight</b>. Sure, 3/4" plywood would have given me some solid structure, but it would have also added about 5 or 10 pounds onto each shelf, which is already going to hold books and other heavy junk. You also have to remember this space is about 55" wide. We don't want these puppies coming crashing down. So, considering I had ample support throughout each of the interior structures, I actually went with 1/4" oak plywood, with a beautiful, smooth sanded surface. I didn't have to worry about it being too flimsy because the middle braces would allow the weight to be distributed evenly throughout the shelf.<br />
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<i>Oye with the crooked walls</i>. I measured the surface area and ripped down all the plywood, trimming up a little for some pieces, depending on the curvature of the wall. The pieces completely covered the top AND bottom of each of these structures, lining up and finishing perfectly flush with the front support piece. I sanded and stained before they went on, let them dry, then attached them with glue and a nailgun (strategically placed nails, mind you) onto the tops and bottoms of each structure.<br />
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Now all you could see was the top piece, bottom piece, and front support beam. Which would be covered. It's making more sense as you see it come together, right?<br />
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I actually chose to get some oak 1x4" for the front pieces and rip them down to the <b>exact</b> thickness of the shelves, which wound up being 3 inches thick. But you know, if I had bought a 1x3", it would only be 2 1/2 inches thick. It's a cruel world. I wanted the front piece to be all you saw, aka cover up the thickness of the middle support piece <i>and</i> the edges of the top and bottom pieces of plywood. So the thickness of the front "trim" piece was the total thickness of the overall shelf put together. Make sense? So, once that was all cut and triple-checked, I stained those pieces and stuck them on the front with wood glue and a few nails from my nailgun.<br />
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The overall depth of the shelves wound up being about 16 inches. You have the inch from the back support piece, then the 14" depth from the side & middle braces, and then the extra inch from the front trim piece.<br />
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I lightly sanded the entire thing with super-fine 320 grit sandpaper by hand, to take out any roughness or dust that happened to attack the boards as they were air drying in our garage. Best decision of the whole project. It gave the surfaces the <i>perfect smoothness</i> without taking off hardly any color. I touched up places here and there (like where the nails went in) with stain and a small paintbrush, and then proceeded to jump and skip around the living room like a 4 year-old. <i>It is finished</i>.<br />
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Since we were having like 25 people over, you know, 3 hours later, I rushed to style the shelves with books, frames, and accessories. Now it feels like we LIVE HERE<br />
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Since I didn't have time to put a coat of poly-acrylic on the shelves before our shindig, I'll have to unload the shelves and do that in the next day or two. Then they will <i>really</i> be done. I did wait until they were all put together to poly them, so they have a nice overall finish to them.<br />
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Bonus! I sorted through my boxes of books and actually wound up taking a box full to Half Price Books, where I made an amazing $60!<br />
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I would venture to say this is probably one of my biggest home DIY projects I've constructed over the last few years of homeownership, and definitely the biggest one in this house. We love, love, LOVE the shelves and the finished, personal touch they add to our home.<br />
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I'm pretty sure I'll be putting a canvas and a few sculptural pieces on that top shelf, since it's WAY up there.<br />
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Now that they're done, I'll be glad to give you a nice living room before & after session on Monday. I know you've all just been waiting on the edges of your seats.<br />
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Would YOU ever conquer something like this in YOUR home?<br />
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-6210608197646061182013-10-29T15:37:00.000-05:002013-10-30T13:02:25.742-05:0031 days of fall, part 4Here we are in the last week of October - <i>sadness</i>. BUT. That means November is just around the corner and even MORE autumn will be rolling in. Thank you for spending this journey with me here as we've welcomed fall's arrival to Texas. I'll be capping off the month this weekend with a backyard fire pit s'mores party Friday night, and brunch with <a href="http://specsandwings.blogspot.com/">my dear</a> Saturday. Can't. Wait.<br>
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In case you're curious about the last week, here's a look at our life in photos, October 23-29.<br>
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scarves & animal print. it's gettin' real up in hurr.</div>
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working hard to sew this little sailor costume before our first Halloween party!</div>
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1:00 am and frosting a few dozen cookies for Halloween party #2</div>
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a crazy storm rolling on Saturday night. <i>must have been OU's defense. boo.</i></div>
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the first sign of autumn colors on a fallen leaf!</div>
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all of a sudden, I look outside and part of our tree has turned a vibrant red-orange!</div>
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anticipating the oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chip muffins we made</div>
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Bonus: just in case you were wondering how <i>HOT </i>my husband is. Excuse the snotty-nosed kid. This is from our third Halloween party. Yes, we conquered THREE Halloween parties in 24 hours. Won't do <i>that</i> again.</div>
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I hope you all enjoy the rest of your October and have a spooky & happy Halloween! </div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-45769042437692863862013-10-22T16:43:00.001-05:002013-10-22T16:48:20.168-05:0031 days of fall, part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to part three of my<i> {photojournalism</i>, <i>if you will}</i> series, 31 days of fall. While we are still waiting for the leaves to change, the temperatures certainly have, and we are soaking it all in. Here's a look at the past week, October 16-22.</div>
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Come to me, sweet cup of joy!</div>
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One of my new "fall" colors on my nails, Essie's "Sable Collar". It's sort of an iridescent taupe. </div>
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Cafe Brazil does it again, with the most delicious breakfast EVER. Cinnamon pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon butter and holiday blend coffee. Yes.</div>
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The first fire in our fireplace. So glad we have gas logs!</div>
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"Fairytale" or "Cinderella" pumpkins are my favorite!</div>
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Writing up the weekly to-do list, and gearing up with a cup full of coffee in my most treasured mug. Morning coffee has also become a regular part of my life. <i>That's new.</i></div>
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My view this morning during the abs part of Stroller Strides. Clear blue skies and leaves <i>just starting</i> to change. It was a beautiful morning!</div>
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Remember to tag your Instagram photos #31daysoffall #painterlypassion for a chance to have them featured here on my blog at the end of the month!</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-12831858613796315142013-10-21T17:50:00.001-05:002013-10-22T23:06:58.487-05:00weekend update<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Now it's time for the weekend update!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And what a productive one it was! The shelves I've been waiting to build since we bought the house are finally up, and all that's left to do is attach my front trim piece (which will very likely happen today or tomorrow). What this means is that the 5 or 6 boxes sitting around full of books & decor can finally be unpacked. I spent a good part of an hour yesterday going through all the boxes to get rid of things I really don't want/use anymore. I whittled it down to a few stacks of books, leaving me room to build my collection. I mean, we have lived here for almost 6 months now, so seeing the last chunk of boxes disappearing is severely overdue. We wanted to have this project completely finished and shelves stacked & styled by the end of the week, when we host our first big gathering in our new place. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The biggest and most thrilling of our weekend projects was the transformation that took place in the studio Saturday afternoon. Remember <a href="http://painterlypassion.blogspot.com/2013/09/an-epiphany.html">this post</a>? Well, here's how I ran with it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We wound up being short by about 9 or 10 boards. So far we have only deconstructed 5 pallets, and some of those pieces weren't usable. So I'll have to hit up my sweet friend Jamie for her last pallet. (She's conveniently having things delivered to her house for outdoor construction via pallets. Matt is obviously thrilled about this perfect timing.) However, the majority of the job is done and up and it looks just fabulous. It was a little tricky getting around the fixtures on the ceiling, but I seriously couldn't love it more! Do you know what else this means? My studio is <i>this close </i>to being completely finished. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In case you're curious about how we went from pallets to this, I'll walk you through the steps. </span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">First, we ripped the pallets apart. Instead of pryng them apart with a crowbar, we used a saw-zall to saw the top boards apart from the side and middle supports. This not only took us about 2.5 minutes to complete, but it also allowed us to leave the majority of the nail heads in the board for added character.</span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Then, after determining the length we needed for our project, we marked and cut each board to the desired length with a small miter saw. </span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">After this, I busted out the electric sander and sanded down all the rough, splintery wood to beautiful smooth pieces with a ton of personality and character. </span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What's next was staining, and I had a nice variety of stain colors that I worked with, from dark walnut to golden pecan to a "natural" stain, which was basically clear, but brought out the richness and details in each of the boards I applied it to. </span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Putting them onto the wall was very easy. We originally wanted to use a nail gun, but because of logistics decided to use drywall screws, and in some instances, stud screws for extra security (think: boards on the ceiling coming crashing down). I pre-drilled pilot holes and sank the screws in before we began applying them to the wall, so they were all ready to go. We lined up and leveled out our boundaries, found the studs <i>just in case</i>, and got started. It only took about 3 boards for me to realize not only had we done things right, but that this was going to look just as amazing as I had planned. Some of the boards are crooked and uneven and some even warped, so they aren't <i>perfect, </i>but I think that's what I like :) There was no rhyme or reason to how we spaced out the different stains, it was very random, and I'm glad we did it that way. The best part about this project? The person who rolled his eyes every time I talked about it and threatened (jokingly) to throw it all out on the curb was the person who jumped right in and offered to help put them up. </span></li>
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Thanks for checking in with me this Monday! Another exciting "31 days of fall" post coming to you tomorrow!</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-9489535747954918602013-10-15T17:02:00.001-05:002013-10-21T17:50:57.421-05:0031 days of fall, part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Are you on Instagram?! Are you sharing your photos of beautiful autumn? Hit 'em up with the tags, #31daysoffall #painterlypassion for a chance to have them featured here on my blog!</div>
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Here's another look at our October around here (10/9-15)</div>
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taking advantage of the gorgeous weather to begin sanding & staining some of my pallet boards</div>
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mmmm, coffee :)</div>
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play day at Owens Pumpkin Farm<br />
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I don't know the name of this plant on our front porch, but I love the colors!</div>
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I'm not the only one who loves the round chair</div>
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I happened to catch this shot of the rain and cool weather rolling in yesterday. Don't you LOVE the colors in the background? </div>
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staining in the garage while the rain falls outside</div>
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Today is my last day to stain all the pallet wood we've ripped off of FIVE pallets so far. This weekend, it's going down.... or should I say, UP? eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkk!<br />
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Pardon me while I go make more pumpkin muffins!<br />
Are you enjoying October?<br />
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-63331174170937009262013-10-10T16:40:00.000-05:002013-10-10T23:15:25.072-05:00the studio "puzzle"Piece by piece this space is taking on a shape and life of its own. I have one MAJOR project left to do, and then a few more items to put on the walls <i>including a little mural</i>. I could just cry.<br />
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<i>the death of three pallets - after demo Friday</i></div>
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Here's a little peek of where we're at right now. Not finished, not perfect, but definitely close.</div>
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My little bulletin board received a facelift with some linen and painted gold polka dots. It's now going to serve as my "inspiration board".<br />
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Now it's hanging in its new home, over the round chair.<br />
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Friday night I finally found the courage to put up my bird vinyl decals I bought for-e-ver ago from Target.<br />
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I'm just a little obsessed with the energy and movement they bring to the room. The best part is, if I ever get tired of it, all I have do to is just pull them off the wall. BOOM.<br />
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Across from the round chair is a repurposed entertainment unit (<a href="http://painterlypassion.blogspot.com/2013/10/storage-unit-before-after.html">see here</a>) that I painted teal and distressed. It now holds small canvases, papers, random craft supplies, and some stationery & shipping goods. And a pile on top of things that don't have a home yet.<br />
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Next to the round chair is my desk and a mess on the floor thanks to a certain 2 year-old who likes to drag <i>everything</i> out. See that blank space on the wall? It won't be there for long. </div>
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Not many other things have changed in the room, but I love giving you little updates as I complete new projects. When the room is all said and done, I'm going to give you a nice before/after story with images of the whole process. <i>It really has changed quite a bit!</i></div>
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Your saw-zall loving friend,<br />
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<br />Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-62892000636119841282013-10-10T16:35:00.001-05:002013-10-10T16:37:52.171-05:00storage unit before & afterI was recently given a f-r-e-e little entertainment unit. No offense, generous donor, but it had to be changed - <i>completely</i>. I was in search of storage furniture before the move for my new studio, so this was majorly welcomed and did I mention, free? It's short, so it's got a great working surface on top and lots of storage room beneath. Here's the lovely beast before.<br />
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Pulled out the drawer, took off the doors & hardware. Here's the hinges that needed a little TLC!</div>
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Wooden door & drawer pulls</div>
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I didn't even sand this sucker. Well, I <i>did</i> wipe it down. I had thought about distressing it, so the thought of this <i>nice brown paint</i> peeking out from underneath the aqua didn't bother me. I used Rustoleum's Universal Paint & Primer in One to coat the inside. One can didn't quite cut it, but it's the inside and it's going to have junk in it, right? </div>
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The most transformative phase in any redo is the addition or change of color. For example...</div>
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I painted the doors & drawer the same, and this thing seriously took on a new life.</div>
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Here's a side-by-side of the before & after. </div>
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I left the wooden feet brown & may someday do something else to them.</div>
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Loading up the unit after moving it into the new studio. You can see here that the old wooden handles were replaced with beautiful antique-looking glass knobs. <i>It's almost like a Tiffany jewelry box.</i></div>
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The piece sustained a little damage during the move, along with a certain little one attacking it with a pencil. I wasn't <i>totally </i>heartbroken because I had thought about distressing it anyway. </div>
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So, I went with it.</div>
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All I did to give the hinges a facelift was soak them in soap & water to clean them up, then hit them with some black spray paint. They're as good as new!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AEGg3H2NkLw/Ulcdp9JeB7I/AAAAAAAACqA/4KWgJSZHIuw/s1600/aqua+unit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AEGg3H2NkLw/Ulcdp9JeB7I/AAAAAAAACqA/4KWgJSZHIuw/s640/aqua+unit.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is one of my favorite pieces in our house!</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-74655116231919431252013-10-08T15:35:00.001-05:002013-10-21T17:50:48.755-05:0031 days of fall, part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to my new series, <i>31 Days of Fall</i>, where I will be sharing with you all the fun little moments we encounter each day with cooler temperatures and warmer colors rolling in. So far the month of October brought us drastically cooler weather over the weekend, when the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in an hour and brought some rain, too. <i>Luuh.ving.IT. </i>We celebrated by busting out the hoodies.<br />
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Here's what we've been up to, October 1 - 8.<br />
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What's for breakfast? Pumpkin cream cheese muffins!</div>
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One of our favorite October treats: Brach's Autumn Mix (I usually eat all the pumpkins).</div>
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Pumpkins, galore! We enjoyed the day at the Arboretum with some sweet friends.</div>
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Bustin' out the skeleton "dubby dubs" as we affectionately call them.</div>
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It's 50* outside!</div>
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Buying more mums for our porch, and little man got to pick out his own little pumpkin.</div>
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Addressing and sending out our Halloween party invitations. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxoNcV9Oz7g/UlRqQvzJJuI/AAAAAAAACk0/R4JtgI_NGBc/s1600/10.8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxoNcV9Oz7g/UlRqQvzJJuI/AAAAAAAACk0/R4JtgI_NGBc/s640/10.8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The weather was <i>perfect</i> today, so we rocked and played on the porch at Cracker Barrel before lunch.</div>
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What are YOU doing to celebrate the little moments of fall's arrival? If you're on Instagram, share your photos! Upload and tag #31daysoffall. I'd love to share some of your beautiful images here on my blog! </div>
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Later this week: a master bedroom decor update, and another look into my studio as the pieces come together. </div>
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Happy October, everyone!!</div>
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Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254710776445340077.post-49776202718641232882013-10-01T16:57:00.001-05:002013-10-01T17:01:09.316-05:00october is here!<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hooray! My favorite month is finally upon us, which means the best holiday of the whole year (Halloween, obviously) will be here before you know it! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It also means I'm going to have my camera out a little more than usual to capture all the fun memories we make this season and bring them to you here in my new series, </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jl4nYM2Rx2c/UktEEefzBcI/AAAAAAAACjg/n5oFqrt57a8/s1600/31+days+of+fall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jl4nYM2Rx2c/UktEEefzBcI/AAAAAAAACjg/n5oFqrt57a8/s640/31+days+of+fall.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I hope you'll tune in to see some of the great activities we have found around the Dallas area and some of the "little joys" we want to remember each day with autumn rolling in.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kp9NXMeg_tU/UktDEoZjJiI/AAAAAAAACjU/j3S9lwFhdZ4/s1600/d177c1b7ba7d9eead601b8480ed2b4cd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kp9NXMeg_tU/UktDEoZjJiI/AAAAAAAACjU/j3S9lwFhdZ4/s400/d177c1b7ba7d9eead601b8480ed2b4cd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To celebrate the dawn of October, last night on "October Eve" I made yet another batch of the irresistible pumpkin cream cheese muffins I found on Pinterest. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Obviously this isn't a cooking blog, but they're just <i>so good</i>, I HAVE<i> </i>to share the recipe with you! I adapted it just a little bit, so instead of adding 1 1/4 cup of oil, I split it up between Greek yogurt, applesauce, and unrefined coconut oil (the "unrefined" version gives it a little sweet goodness). Last time I made them and used mostly Greek yogurt. They were a little too dense for my liking. I found this combination created a <i>perfect</i> texture and flavor. But you know, do whatever makes you happy. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.seebrookecook.com/2011/09/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins.html"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gsAPyirgeWk/UktB9IsgjdI/AAAAAAAACjI/YHNgU0ZeNsM/s640/9a89347fcd0515db2ad9a10d362a8a78.jpg" width="484" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.seebrookecook.com/2011/09/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">from See Brooke Cook</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Pumpkin Cream
Cheese Muffins</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Makes 24 muffins <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For the filling:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">8 oz cream cheese, softened <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup powdered sugar <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For the muffins:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3 cups all-purpose flour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp ground cinnamon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp ground nutmeg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp baking soda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4 large eggs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 can pure pumpkin puree<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">½ cup applesauce<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">½ cup plain greek yogurt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">¼ cup coconut oil (melted)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Directions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat oven to (I did convection bake)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>350˚ F and line muffin tins with paper cups. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Filling: combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium
bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon,
nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda then whisk to blend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium-low speed
combine the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sugar</b>, eggs, pumpkin
puree, applesauce, greek yogurt, and coconut oil until blended. Turn the mixer
to low and add in the dry ingredients, mix just until incorporated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Fill each muffin cup with just enough batter to cover the bottom
of each well (about 1-2 tablespoons). Scoop a small amount of the cream cheese
mixture (about 1/2 tablespoon) on top of the batter, then top each with the remaining batter,
covering the cream cheese completely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a
wire rack and cool before serving (or not). </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">You can thank me later. </span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Ragan Burkleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07145102464332790918noreply@blogger.com2