French Country & Pantone Spring 2014

We've heard a lot lately about  Pantone Spring 2014 color trends.  Radiant Orchid is the color getting the most attention.

Now, I love French Country style.  My house is decorated in muted colors of blue, gray, greens, yellows.  I just love the elegance of French decor and French Country allows a rustic, simple twist to the ornate, formal French style.

When Pantone announced the Spring 2014 colors I was a little stumbled.  How to incorporate Radiant Orchid into a French Country decor?  

Pantone Spring 2014 http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/?season=spring&year=2014

I found great examples incorporating these new colors without compromising the French Country look.  For example, Radiant Orchid is a color found in lavender -- very French!  Freesia is found in different depths of color in flowers.  And Celosia Orange is a wonderful accent color

AmandaRaeK

Lavender is a wonderful flower accent, ribbons, vase, framed art, pillow with lavender accents, and more.

Hemlock & Celosia Orange  -- Southern Bride.com

Soft gray, lavender, gentle rose, powder blues -- Fabulous!!  Sample Board.com

Here's how I incorporated these great colors into my new kitchen hutch.

I started by painting an existing cabinet a pretty gray color.  My kitchen cabinets are the same color.  It is a great neutral color!
I replaced the back with a pretty white bead board sheet.  Just the country touch it needed!

Then I added accent pieces (my latest collection - china tea cups), silver serving pieces, even art work.

For a extra touch I covered wood letters in scrapbook paper and Mod Podge for coasters and to tell my family I LOVE them!

Cheers!  

 

L.O.V.E.

Love is in the air.  With Valentine's Day next week I wanted to do some decorating but make it versatile enough for every day.

This is a fun and easy project.  Wood letters, scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, ribbon, and Xacto knife.  That's it!

I found this great scrapbook paper and the letters at Michaels.  The paper matches the colors of my kitchen perfectly.

I just applied Mod Podge to the letters and placed a sheet of scrapbook paper over the letter.  Make sure you place the paper where you want it on the letter.  You'll see why.  Then I applied a coat of Mod Podge over the paper.

I went back and added another coat and let it dry.  Using my Xacto knife I carefully trimmed the paper by tracing the letter (from the back) with my knife.  This is where placing your paper where you want it is important.  I made sure to place the graphic on my letter "L" so it would stay.

Make sure you put something thick onto your surface before cutting!

After removing the excess paper I applied another coat of Mod Podge and 2 more coats on the edges of the letters (to make sure the edges adhered nice and good).

When the letters were dry I added some cute, Valentine's Day ribbon.

I L.O.V.E. these letters and I know they will look great in my living room or kitchen year round.

 

I may even do these in our family mantra "Forever Young".  

Cheers -- 

Chalkboard DIY - French Country Style

Chalkboard is a very hot trend.  No wonder!  It is stylish, functional, and versatile.  Did I mention fun?  Yes, it's really fun. 


Tap your creativity to place chalkboard details in your house.  I am very excited about this project.  I think you will love it too.

I found this great mirror and frame at my local thrift shop.  The shape and details on the frame fit the French Country theme of my kitchen.  And it was 40% off an already incredibly great price!  Score!

First, I took the back and mirror out of the frame.  I'll store the mirror until I decide where to use it in the house.

Then I sanded and painted the frame.  I used the same silver / gray color I painted my kitchen cabinets.  It is a great color because it is not white but not dark gray either.  A perfect neutral.

French Robin Designs

While that dried I cut a piece of backer board ($8 for a 48" x 48" sheet) the shape of the mirror to fit the frame.  It was very easy to cut with a jigsaw (yea! power tools!!!!).

The backer board was primed with a color blocking primer I had from my cabinet redo.  

Time for the chalkboard paint!  I used a foam roller for cabinets because I didn't want brush strokes.  But a brush will work just as well if you don't mind the texture.  The roller left a texture that I really wanted -- like old school chalkboards.  Spray chalk board paint is available too.

I chose Rust-Oleum simply because it was there.  I didn't really spend a lot of time deciding on the paint.  Rust-Oleum is a great, reliable brand so I thought it would be a good choice for my project. 

Two coats of chalkboard paint, overnight drying time, and it was ready to mount in the frame.

This is the end result.  I LOVE this chalkboard.  It only cost me about $45 in materials.  A great buy when they are selling for over $100 for something much smaller.  It is placed in my kitchen -- the central part of the house!  The kids are sure to see my notes.  I'm looking forward to writing menus on the board (eliminate the "what's for dinner" question) and little notes for the kids.

Finished chalkboard.  Letter Y purchased from Woodland Manufacturing.

The green-blue letter Y (for my last name) was purchased some time ago from Woodland Manufacturing.  It is a great company... many letters styles to chose from, colors, hanging methods, etc.  

Use your creativity, experiment, and have fun with chalkboard paint.  Can't wait to see what you create!

Cheers -- Tammi