beauty and the dragon's breath

Dragon's Breath by Benjamin Moore was the inspiration for my guest room. If you haven't seen it, here it is:

I had originally thought I wanted a dark navy, but after seeing the dark brownish/grayish color on Pinterest, I was hooked.

The guest room was originally the master, but after moving in the furniture and sleeping there for almost a month, I decided it just wasn't working as the master. It had great light and that super cute fireplace, but the placement of the king sized bed along with all the other pieces we needed wasn't happening. That's when we moved rooms and made this:

But when we left the guest room, it looked pretty pitiful. Exhibit A...

When my parents told me they were coming to visit, I was on a mission to get the guest room in "bed and breakfast" shape. My mom is my inspiration as a decorator, so I was applying all the decorator knowledge I'd learned from her over the years.

I had already chosen my color and I'd received a great bed from my parents during their epic move, so I could see the entire room laid out in my head. I found some great lampshades and throw pillows at Tuesday Morning, and was ready to get moving!

After a good bit of rushed work (nothing like visitors to get your butt in project mode), it was finished. And it turned out better than expected.

Feast your eyes on the Dragon...

Once I have a vision in my head, I can usually knock out a room in a week. It's just a matter of how many projects I have to do to make it complete. With this room, my projects were - paint the walls & create a chalkboard. Which incidentally, were the first and last things I did to the room...

This may now be my favorite room in the house. Maybe I should turn it back into the master again :). Kidding, Fox.

Because this weekend was yucky and raining, I took the opportunity to knock out 3 chalkboard projects, including the one seen in the guest room above.

Project #1: The guest room chalkboard - this was a suggestion from my mom when she came to visit. Thanks, Mom!

I found this porthole mirror from Goodwill; a donated items from Target. After doing a quick cleaning of the glass, I pulled out my trusty gold spray paint and chalkboard paint. After a few coats of each, ta-da! Instant chalkboard for writing notes to my guests!

Project #2: Entrance/Foyer chalkboard wall. The foyer of our home is a little drab in the color department. It's a great size and houses some wonderful pieces, but I was looking for something to make it pop. I was inspired many months ago by Our Fifth House's chalkboard entrance wall seen here. I didn't use magnetic paint, but I'm thinking of using command strips to hang anything like a wreath or a frame - think the holidays!

So, before...

After...

I am not an artist. At. All. So, no judgement on the drawing, but it didn't turn out quite so bad. I just searched for inspiration on Pinterest and did a little eye/hand copying... It adds exactly what I was looking for. Hooray!!

Project #3: The bar area chalkboard. This has been an area of heartburn. I have this awesome piece of furniture, but there are several problems with it - 1. It's missing a back leg, so I have to use cardboard to prop it up. 2. The drawers stick making it basically useless. Plus, since it's missing a leg, it's wobbly and with sticky drawers you can imagine why liquids sitting atop and inside may be a problem. And 3. It's very narrow, leaving little room for storage. And when the drawers don't work...like I said, basically useless. Buuuutttt! Did I mention I love it? Yeah, you do what you have to do when you love something.

It is staying and I'm using it as best I can. Since it was staying, I needed something above it. As it sits now, that wall has two areas - the bar area and a sitting area. I'm at a dilemma with what to do for artwork since they are right next to each other, but when I remembered this as a project, I immediately jumped on it; turning a vintage mirror frame into a chalkboard (another donation from my momma :))

I love the way it turned out. Again, not an artist, but I saw the inspiration on the 'rest and I was able to semi-recreate it. I still need to work on the decor for the top, but we are getting there! Now what to put over the sitting area... ugh, dilemma!

What were your weekend projects? I think I'm finished with the chalkboard paint for a while, but you never know.

Next on list?

• Add one last thing to the guest room.
• Paint my kitchen island. 
• Finish decorating the "parlor." 
• Put finishing touches on the master - need curtains.
• Do something with our dining room. It needs some love.
• Outdoor work. Can someone say landscaping?? 

I'm hoping the end of 2014 brings lots of finished projects :). Happy Sunday all!