Metal Madness/Summer 2014

I told you about my crush on Chip and Joanna Gaines from the new show, Fixer Upper. 
 Please go to the HGTV Facebook page and show your support for this show. Do it now!
HGTV needs more programing other than House Hunters.
Update: I just heard they are slated to make 13 more episodes. Whoo hoo!

I love her use of metal work so I sprinkled it about the downstairs.
Read about the Garden room here. 
The black accents look cooler and lighter for summer. 

I did a few things in the dining room to simplify and make it a little more graphic. 

I removed the crystals from the chandelier. It seems lighter and a little Spanish. I like it. 

A hunt for metal at Hobby Lobby yielded the corner brackets. 
Metal wasn't on sale so I waited until the next week. 
If it's not on sale wait a week and it might be. 

I pulled out some galvanized planters filled with ferns and greens. 
Pottery Barn seems to show ferns in their February catalogue but they're a summer thing to me. 
I used faux because ferns hate me. (Or I hate them.) 

Tuesday Morning had a few things for the living room. 

This is a garden trellis layered with a sconce. Instead of a candle I used greens to make it a vase. 
I got the trellis instead of a typical wall piece because this was $19.00 compared to $50.00.
I just used a Sawzall to cut the stakes off of the bottom.

This is the first change I have made to this wall in about 20 years. 

Rocks, moss, ferns in a glass vase are cute and simple for the mantel. 

The pillars were an oops but I love them.

These were supposed to be a Restoration Hardware brown. 
? 
Instead it looks galvanized. Haha. 
It is a flat gray dry brushed over an oil rubbed bronze finish.

I repeated elements so that all the rooms flow into one another since it is an open concept.  

Glass
Ferns
Galvanized tin
Black and Wrought Iron
Monograms

Everything feels a little more grounded with the black.
I didn't complicate the design with other typical summer elements like ships or shells.
I have all those things but they will have to wait for another summer.

Someone asked me where I store all the seasonal stuff that I use for decorating. 
I have about a dozen totes in the garage each labeled for the different seasons. 
(I realize there are only 4 seasons.)
They are stacked on the my side of the garage. Theoretically they are all stacked up together (instead of in the middle of the floor). 
Bill has begrudgingly allowed me to have one wall for my cr@p. 
"It's more like squatting, is what it is."
Clearly no permission was given, I just absconded with a wall. 
(insert sheepish grin here)
I have tried to purge and clean out my "collections" and will continue to do so this summer.

That is about it, my friends.
Have a fabulous Saturday. 
Katie   
Linking with,
Between Naps on the Porch    
Merry Monday Link Party   
A Stroll Thru Life
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia   
Amaze Me Monday  
Inspiration Monday Party    
Savvy Southern Style   
From My Front Porch to Yours

Laundry Room Brackets

I wrote about my laundry room shortly after I started blogging.

The post has had a total of 11 readers. :(

Not a big surprise though, I only had about 6 followers at the time.

I was happy with how it looked in real life, but somehow rooms look different in photos.

Of course now I know all kinds of new tricks about taking pictures but I still thought it needed more.
This room is a beast to photograph.
I always wanted to have cabinets. Our builder didn't splurge on the room by any means.

My plan was to find a cabinet, mount it in the middle above the washer and dryer and re-install shelves on either side.

I love the idea of some hidden storage and the rest display space.

Bill and I saw these shelf brackets at Hobby Lobby back in February.

Hobby Lobby Shelf Brackets

We thought they would be wonderful to redo the shelves in the laundry room. They were only $4.00 a piece because it was half off metal week.

Have I mentioned how much I love Hobby Lobby 50 percent off sales?
Bill bought the wood to redo the shelves, but I could never find the cabinet.

I thought I saw one at the restore, but Bill said it was way too heavy to mount on the wall. 
It must have sat on a counter in another life.

I came across the brackets a few weeks ago when I cleaned out my fabric closet. I decided to at least mount them in the interim until we find a cabinet.

I screwed the brackets to the wall in front of the support braces. Here they are just decorative.

It was a pretty simple project and totally do-able with some basic skills with a drill.

I had a hard time with a power drill at first, 
but I just kept at it. All it takes is a little practice.

The trick is mastering the forward and reverse function, so that you can drive the screw into the wood or the sheetrock. If you have trouble, make a little pilot hole with a small drill bit. You don't want too big of a hole or the screw won't fit tightly.

Laundry Room Shelf Brackets: Hobby Lobby

 I replaced the brackets that were in the middle. I noticed they didn't even match. The middle brackets actually support the shelf so use anchors if you don't have a stud. 

I had forgotten that Bill added the top shelf shortly after we moved in.

That shelf wasn't screwed in on the ends so it nearly fell on my head when I took the middle bracket off. :/

I picked up this old iron at the thrift store. It reminded me of my mom. I love the black of the iron brackets and the black of the antique accessories.

I can visualize my mom as a little girl playing with her toy washboard.

I got the old pot at a junk store and put the stickers on it.

The locker basket came from Round Top, Texas.

  A few vintage items for the other wall.
I rescued the old school clock from work.

Bill bought me the Vera Bradley shopping bag.

  We made the wall hook from a piece of architectural salvage and some vintage hooks.

A few of my aprons. I don't like to cook that much, so they don't get used too often. :)

My $5.00 chandelier.

Clothes pins.

Having a cute laundry room helps make the task a little easier.

New brackets make them feel like new laundry room shelves.

They are still the same old shelves and they could 

use a coat of paint. 

I just love this vintage iron. I remember my mom had an old coke bottle with some sort of top so she could sprinkle water on the clothes when ironing. I wish I had one of those to complete the look.

One of my readers reminded me of how blessed I am to have a laundry room inside the house.
Our first house had one in the old, nasty, scary garage.
I locked myself out of the house barefoot and pregnant with my
 firstborn. 
When I called my husband to come let me back in the house, he couldn't get away. I didn't know that until he sent his boss with the key.
I was not happy!!

Do you have any fun laundry room collectibles?

Katie
Linking with,
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style 
A Cottage Style Linky Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage
Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage 
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage 
Sat Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors