Hello friends.  I need your help !  I was honored to be one of the weekly winners in One Project Closer’s Before & After 2009 contest supporting Habitat for Humanity. 

Our July staircase transformation was one of the weekly winners.  Remember all of the sweat that went into revamping our foyer?  Remember how I took our blonde oak ordinary staircase and gave it a fresh modern design? 

Before:

After:

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m a big believer in making your home your personal refuge from the world. I’d rather spend my money on feathering my nest than taking a grand vacation.  Those new to this blog should know that we expanded our home in a (nightmarish) remodel back in 2006, but never got around to finishing the master bath, mostly due to lack of funds.  Over the past year, we’ve slowly been finishing the space.  And this past weekend, we put the finishing touches on the master bathroom.  Yippeeeeee !

Five years ago, before we expanded our home, our master bathroom was not a pleasant prepping area.  At least not for me.  It was so so very tiny.  So small that Mr. CG and I were elbowing each other and quarreling over counter space.  I finally resorted to primping in the children’s bathroom.  But not any more darlin’.  All of that has now changed. 

We’ve purposely doubled the size of our bathroom and budgeted in room for a separate primping zones.  One year ago, the space you’re about to tour was nothing more than sheetrock and a plywood floor.  At last, at last, at last it is finished ! 

Welcome to our sanctuary.  Away from the world.  Away from the kids !

Come on in !

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I’ve received several emails lately inquiring about painting the brass exterior surround of a fireplace.  My response has always been to try a brand of high temperature specialty paint.   I’ve passed this product several times in the paint aisle at Home Depot and Lowes.  Over the summer, I even considered repainting the outside of our old BBQ.  But I have never actually gotten around to trying it out until today.  This morning, I bought a quart of Rustoleum’s High Heat black paint at Lowes for $13 dollars.  This afternoon, I was able to give my two fireplaces a fresher look for very little cost, and without replacing any parts. 

First, I tackled the living room fireplace.  I’ve always loved the existing cream marble tile surround and the white mantle, but the brass trim and wood handles?   No thanks.  It looked very dated in my opinion. I really wanted it to be less brassy.  But replacing the doors was cost prohibitive.  So I tried this specialty paint today, and in about twenty minutes, the fireplace was transformed into something I believe looks much more fresh and modern. 

So long brass trim. 

Here’s another glance from afar.

Here’s what I did.

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No doubt, many of you are sprucing up your porches or balconies with festive gourds, pumpkins and wreaths.  My friends over at Front Porches Ideas and More have just featured a few of my front porch ideas on their website.  You can check out this feature on my fall leaves wind catcher, and also this feature on my glazed porch pumpkins. 

But here’s the much more important message.

Front Porch Ideas and More is sponsoring an Autumn Porch Decorating Contest where the first place winner will be given a $50 dollar gift card to Plow & Hearth.  They’ll also feature the winner for an entire week on their site. 

All you need to do is upload a photo and provide a description of your porch, your porch steps, your outdoor floral arrangement, or even just your decorated front door.  You can submit up to three entries.  The contest runs September 21st through November 1st of this year.  Go here for guidelines and for the entry form. 

Now’s the time to get that fall decor outside and take a quick pic.  Happy decorating!

Oooooh goody goody.  Look who’s been featured over at ‘The Secret is in the Sauce’ today.  The SITS sisters are a group of women bloggers dedicating to supporting one another.  I love these gals !  And now they like me, they really like me. 

I just love making new friends.  

Blushing,

Kate