Happy Halloween!

It's a beautiful day in Colorado. Thinking of the those in the mid part of our country today and hoping you stay safe and sound. {I keep track of the weather a little more earnestly these days since the flood last month in Colorado!} I stepped into our backyard a minute ago and took these photos of our pear and oak trees. They are celebrating Halloween in all their orangy glory! I'm feeling grateful we live in such a beautiful place.

Wishing you a happy and safe Halloween!

 

Herringbone Accent Wall -- Finished!

Saturday I finished an accent wall that I've been working on most of the week. It started with Plan A -- using a stencil on the wall. That plan was discarded for Plan B  -- which involved using miles and miles of painter's tape and a whole lot of patience.  The painters tape served as the lines between the herringbone pattern. Because this is a shuffled herringbone pattern, I put a little piece of tape on the sections to be painted. Then I covered those areas with white paint to seal the edges of the tape so there would be crisp lines when I added the colored paint...

Before painting I figured out the color pattern I would be using by adding a dash of paint to each block...

By Saturday I had painted the Herringbone pattern on the wall and all I had to do was wait for the paint to dry! Here's a photo after the paint was applied...

The dimensions of the project are easy. For the same pattern place the vertical tape 8 inches apart.  Then mark down every four inches for the diagonal pattern, like this...

I was a little concerned that the colorful paint would seep under the tape because our walls are textured, but when I removed the tape there wasn't much of that at all. Grateful. A teeny bit of touch up was all that was required.

Here's the finished wall...

This project was very time consuming, but I absolutely love it!

It's exactly the playful feel that I wanted for this rec room for the grandkids!

FYI: Here's some information on the paint I used. All the paint was from the Valspar "Eddie Bauer Home" Signature Collection: Island Blue, Dahlia, Taffy, Yogurt, Java, Dark Mango, & Apple Green.

Happy. Happy. Happy.

Linked to:
I Heart Naptime Linky Party
Friday Favs Party @ Naptime Crafter
The CSI Project
Handmade Tuesdays @ Ladybug Blessings 
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just a Housewife

Herringbone Wall...

This week I've been working on an accent wall in our basement rec room. I'm getting there. I have two coats of colored paint on the herringbone pattern already done. I just need to put one more coat on the dark salmon and the yellow to finish it up...

These are not colors that I'm normally drawn to, so I've been a little unsettled about this project. I've committed to the colors though because I want this rec room to be a fun, playful place for the grands. I think these colors play to that.

I'm really hoping the paint hasn't seeped up under the tape. I ran a coat of white paint on the tape to seal the edges before I started with color, but if that didn't work on this textured wall it is going to be one hot mess! Wish me luck. The tape will come off later today after all the paint dries.

On to Plan B...

A couple of days ago I mentioned that I was going to be working on an accent wall in the rec room in our basement. I had bought a beautiful herringbone stencil from Royal Design Studio for the wall.

{source}

I started tracing around the stencil lines and it became apparent very quickly that the stencil wasn't going to work on our textured walls. There was only 1/8" of an inch between the blocks, which isn't enough of a space on a fully textured wall. So, I painted over what I'd traced, and I quickly devised a Plan B. {I'll use that beautiful stencil some other way!}

Plan B is comprised of miles and miles of 1" painters tape and a whole lot of patience. I began by making vertical lines 8" apart on the wall. Our long level became my best friend...

Then I created a herringbone pattern, copying the same shuffled herringbone pattern as on the stencil. My pattern is twice as big as the one on the stencil. The painters tape serves as the lines between the herringbone pattern. Because this is a shuffled herringbone pattern, I put a little piece of tape on the sections to be painted. Then I covered those areas with white paint to seal the tape so there would be crisp lines when I added the colored paint...

To say this is a labor intensive project is a gross understatement. I worked on this project for more than 8 hours yesterday and this is as far as I got...

I'm going to finish the taping today, and I might even start adding the colored paint. Can't wait to see the finished project!

UPDATE: Go here for the finals outcome of this fun wall!

Vacation?

I've had a little note on the sidebar of my blog announcing that I am taking a bloggy break and have been on "vacation." That's stretching it a bit. This has been my itinerary for the last seven weeks:

A week in Virginia.

Two (plus) weeks of flood clean-up in Colorado.

Long weekend in Missouri.

Weekend in Utah.

A much needed weekend home.

A week in Tennessee.

We just arrived home last night from Tennessee. With the little time I've had between trips, I've been busy painting our rec room downstairs. This is a room mostly dedicated to the grandkids and their toys. Adults hang out there too while the little ones play, but it's purpose is a play place for kids. I've painted the ceilings white, one accent wall white, and the other three walls are painted "Parachute Silk" by Behr. I love this taupey neutral color. 

Painting the accent wall will take a little time. I found this amazing stencil (Royal Design Studio) via Pinterest and quickly ordered it. I loved the herringbone shuffle design and the color palate they used on the white background...

(source)

This wall, however, will take time because I'm going to trace the stencil and tape every one of those lines to get a crisp edge. Stenciling on textured walls is a challenge under the best of circumstances, but that particular patterns is meant to be precise, so I've decided to take my time and do it right. I imagine it will take me a couple of weeks to finish.

Over a month ago I had planned to start Christmas presents early, but so far I haven't stitched a thing. Plans are in the making, however, and I should be able to get a few projects done while painted walls are drying! I'll post some of those ideas as they become available. 

I love Fall. There's a peacefulness and serenity that comes with this season. I'm trying to soak in and enjoy those feelings. Wishing you have a wonderful, autumn day.

{a glimpse of the color in our backyard ::: northern red oak}

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye something...

golden brown.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Bighorn Sheep Photograph

Hazelnut Biscotti

Wooden Toy Camera

Vintage Pie Tin

Squirrel Family Art Card

Wishing you a beautiful autumn weekend.

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye a... 

colorful autumn.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Spider Web Pillow

Crocheted Lion

Floral Bobby Pins

Handmade Jewelry

Fingerless Mittens

Wishing you a colorful weekend!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye a... 

little bit of Autumn.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Lapel Pin

Rustic Photograph

Gourd Jack-O-Lantern

Felted Acorns 

Leaf Dish

Natural Lip Scrub

Wishing you a beautiful fall weekend!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye... 

a trip to a magical forest.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Bear Breadboard

Deer Brooch

Little Fox Poster

Autumn Brooch

Bear Origami

Wishing you a magical weekend!

"Flood Longmont with Food"...

It's interesting how memorable experiences in life are sometimes painful, sweet and inspiring all at the same time. This week has been like that for me. A week ago much of northeastern Colorado experienced a devastating flood. It has affected all who live here and will continue to impact many lives for years to come. Unless you've seen a flood of this magnitude first hand, there's really no way one can comprehend the destruction. The amazing photos don't even do it justice because pictures are so one dimensional. It's hard to explain, but when you are in the middle of the devastation all your senses are painfully aware of the damage around you. You see it. You hear it. You smell it. You feel it. So terribly sad, yet...

I have seen amazing acts of selflessness, compassion and kindness this last week. So many have helped flood victims in one way or another. It has been gratifying to see how communities, churches, organizations and individuals have rallied around those most affected by the chaos. Helping in one way or another has been the norm, not the exception.

On Saturday I was part of an amazing event called "Flood Longmont with Food." This volunteer group of over 150 people -- comprised of students, church members, friends and neighbors -- packed over 1600 sack lunches for other volunteers, first responders and homeowners working "in the trenches" in the most affected areas of our town.

It was an amazing experience to witness this group work together to meet the goal of making 1500 sack lunches. Attached to the lunch bags were sweet handwritten notes created at the event by children of the volunteers thanking the recipients. A sack lunch might fill a stomach, but these notes were priceless. I especially liked one that read, "Weeee thank you. Skip. Skip. Skip." {Rocks skipping over water -- very applicable in flooded areas!}

(source)

After the lunches were assembled, delivery drivers with helpers loaded up their cars with over 100 lunches, hygiene kits, and water and took the goods to specific areas of town. I was fortunate enough to be on one of those crews. It was so wonderful to be able to thank the volunteers who were doing the dirty work {taking water/mud out of homes, clearing out basements of mud-soaked furniture, tearing down sheetrock and taking out insulation from homes} in this very tangible way. This was such a meaningful event, and I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye something... 

homemade.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Rustin Sign

Cinnamon Soy Candle

Cookies

Lunch Bag

Acorn Necklace

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Flood Recovery...

What a day. I don't think I could have imagined just how bad the flooding had been in certain neighborhoods in our town if I hadn't seen it myself. I'm still shaking my head. The rushing flood waters were so strong that it washed away the earth beneath these railroad tracks.

And, yes, that's an army vehicle laying on its side. It was used to evacuate people, but was carried downstream and turned on its side.

Today my husband bought some high power pumps, and I went door to door in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods asking if they would like our help to pump water out of their basement. Each time it took only minutes to find someone who took me up on my offer. We helped two families. One had water at least four feet up their basement walls. Each pump shot out 150 gallons of water a minute and it took 2.5 hours to empty their basement. You do the math. {That's a lot of water.} You can see how high the water level reached from this photo of their garage...

I know I'm a little weird about this, but I found it fascinating how much water came out of the pumps...

Our son flew in from California just to help with the recovery efforts. He's such an amazing young man. I'm so grateful for his giving nature. We didn't make an impact on a lot of people as we worked, but we did make a huge impact on a few. So gratifying.

These families have a long way to go, but I was so struck by their indomitable spirit. It was inspiring the way these families -- so affected by this flood -- were moving along with determined attitudes and smiles on their faces.

Colorado Flood {continued}...

Yesterday was the hardest day yet for me. It rained all night on Saturday night and most of the day on Sunday. Buckets of rain. Evacuees from areas of Longmont that had seen so much flooding and had finally been let back into their homes on Friday and Saturday were asked to evacuate again as waters rose again to flood levels in their areas. In the early afternoon an area that surrounds a beautiful lake a couple blocks from our home was asked to evacuate. We were told that we weren't in the framework of those needing to leave, but to be ready at a moments notice. We threw some necessities in a suitcase and piled our 72 hour emergency kits and a emergency medical kit into the back of our car -- along with a couple cases of water. Then we made room for our kitty. I realized at that time that we didn't have any cat food in our 72 hour kit. She might not have liked the protein bars I had in there, but she would been fine with the canned tuna.

The evacuation of homes a couple of blocks away was rescinded about an hour later when upstream mitigation efforts diverted the water that was an imminent threat. By then we had hauled most of the furniture up from our basement to our main floor. I'm ok with that. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

It rained throughout the night, but isn't raining at the moment. Our yard looks like the Garden of Eden -- so lush and beautiful. It's hard to believe that something that can have such a positive effect, can also be deadly and destructive.

The rain is supposed to stop today. It's time to roll up our sleeves and go to work. I think I'm going to have to eat about 10 energy bars first and take a handful of vitamins.

My thanks to those who have taken a minute to comment on my posts the last couple of days. You have no idea how much your comments and kind words have meant to me.