Do-It-Yourself Barn Board Wall - A Beautiful Basement Feature

For the past year or so I've dreamed of having a barn board wall in my basement. I'd chosen the wall and knew exactly what I wanted, but I knew getting what I wanted might be a different story. Sourcing out and finding actual reclaimed barn board can be tricky and costly. Asking and searching around gave me different options (and expensive ones at that!) but I wasn't sold on any of them.

Then my husband and I were at Home Depot and low and behold there was some unfinished pine barn board in 8 foot lengths for $4.11 each! Woo hoo! After a bit of searching the web and finding some inspirational photos I decided to go with the oil-based Minwax Dark Walnut stain.

I had purchased a wood primer, at the advice of the Home Depot paint department, but decided to forgo applying it since I wanted the look of actual barn board. I didn't want a perfectly applied and absorbed stain. I wanted imperfections and colour variations. So, one stain coat later with a brush and wiped off with a lint-free cloth and the boards were ready for installation (courtesy of my lovely husband)!!! The result was exactly what I wanted. I LIKED my feature wall in Benjamin Moore's Penny but I absolutely LOVE my new barn board feature wall!  It's exactly what I envisioned for the space. Dee:)

POSTCARD REVEAL — Save the Date! The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market May 30, 2015

Save the date! I recently designed a new postcard and market map with a vintage vibe for Leah from The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market — so, mark Saturday, May 30 2015 from 9:00am to 4:00pm on your calendars!!! If it's anything like Leah's previous markets, the 2 barns are going to be packed full with wonderful treasures!

The Deesign Project - Create a 5x7 postcard and greyscale map that ties into the vintage, shabby chic feel of The Old Farmhouse identity. Suggesting an old/vintage postcard design was right up Leah's alley! So, I chose to make the card look slightly yellowed, tinged with brown for age and utilized a layout and imagery that would enhance this vintage feel. Well, Leah loved it and so do I!

See you at the market!

Dee:)

Bree's Master Bedroom Makeover - A Work in Progress

Having spent a good chunk of change on outfitting her walk-in closet with custom cabinetry and with finishing touches like a chandelier and a beautiful bold turquoise colour on the wall, Bree knew that her Master Bedroom needed to step it up a notch! That's where I come in. Bree gave me a call to come over to do a colour/design consult for her. Basically, we were starting the room from scratch!

So, utilizing her lovely walk-in closet as inspiration, I chose a gorgeous colour to tie the two spaces together while maintaining her requests for a calming, restful room that would be pretty, but also appeal to her husband! Benjamin Moore's CC-700 Smoky Green was the perfect solution! The colour works well with browns, taupes, turquoise, creamy whites and metallics (gold/silver/bronze).

A few finishing touches are still to be added, such as the drapery rod and panels and some artwork, but overall, the room has been transformed into a soothing, restful retreat that is absolutely beautiful!

Dee:)

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