Good afternoon!!

We are so excited to team up with Joss & Main for their design the outdoors campaign again this year.  This year I knew I wanted to do something different but still something special for one of the most important people in our lives – Grandma!  These past few months have been especially hard after losing Grandpa so I wanted to add some joy and excitement back to their home even though Papa is not physically here anymore.  

Our daughters are extremely close to both sets of grandparents, on my side and my husbands side, and love spending time with them, oh man how I wish Tennessee were closer! But the fact that my mom lives in the area, well an hour away but still driving distance is such a blessing! She lives in the country where yards are large, trees abundant and rosters crow! We love visiting there! Inside, all the grandchildren have a special room but outside, where we tend to spend most all our time in the summer, there wasn’t anything they named their own aside from their ride on John Deer tractor. 😉 So there’s a bit of background about where this idea of Designing Grandma’s Outdoor space stemmed from, the grand kids!

Our girls are really into reading, especially since our soon to be second grader can now read to our youngest, it’s one of their favorite things to do together. And one of my favorite things to witness!  In combination with reading they adore playing outside! I think it’s very important to have the kids spend as much time outdoors as possible. So when I was brainstorming ideas for something special for grandma’s house + reading and the outdoors I came across this shed and I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

Create a cozy reading shed!

This shed is not only durable but it’s also vented so if the girls are out there, they are safe.  I wouldn’t close the door on them but it’s nice for any parent to know they’re safe. (We put logs in front of ours so the doors remained open at all times).  However, it is comforting to know a breeze can circulate through the window and the vented ceiling while they’re being protected from the sun and heat. 

As far as decor goes we wanted the design inside to be based around these amazing “jumpy” chairs as my kids would call them.  They’re super special since they’re functional, pretty and are technically stuffed bean bags which are a huge hit! Bonus, they are indoor/outdoor so both mama and kids feel in love with them since the minute we saw them. And they are perfect for curling up and reading a good book, like the Goldilocks and the Three Bears. 😉  

If your kids aren’t old enough to read yet or they’re not into reading, this will make an awesome playhouse for kids.  It can easily fit a play kitchen for example, and since it’s plastic, the structure won’t rot after a couple of years like wood ones do. Plus the shed is large enough to do many things inside so let your imagination run wild! Mom’s, think “she shed!” 😉

The rest of the decor is a collection of items both old and new!  Another feature I love is how we added a bistro table to the side so they have somewhere to eat a snack (we’re keeping food, drinks and shoes outside since the rug is so light, however, dirty feet are welcome).  

Obviously the shed isn’t wired for electricity so we had to get creative when it came to lighting. To hang the string lights and the hanging pendant we  put the cords through vents in the back of the shed and ran extension cord in between the vent’s slats to the garage. There’s plenty of room to do that and then we just pull the cords in at night when they are done playing. Easy peasy! 

At the end of the day we can use the shed’s sturdy lock to keep everything safe and sound until the next time the girls and us visit grandma’s.  But lets admit it, when the grandkids aren’t visiting I imagine this is a great place for gma to enjoy a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine!) and a good book, too!  But shh, don’t tell the girls!

If your kids aren’t old enough to read yet or they’re not into reading, this will make an excellent she-shed for an adult or a playhouse for kids.  It can easily fit a play kitchen for example. The shed is large enough to do many things inside so let your imagination run wild! 

Now here’s the exciting for you!  Joss & Main are hosting a Design The Outdoors Sale!  They are inviting followers to share imagery of their own outdoor space and tagging @jossandmain and #DesignTheOutdoors for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card to Joss & Main!!!!  So start posting away and make sure to tag @jossandmain for your chance to win. Best of luck I can’t wait to see what you do! 🙂

These chairs are sooo comfy. Click to link!

Hi friends!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! This tutorial has been much anticipated by many of you.  Sorry it has taken some time to get it out! Lately I’ve been working on a lot of projects – both professional and personal – that I’ve had to work through.  With everything going on lately you don’t know how many times I’ve tried to write this post.  I never really understood how hard it was going to be to watch someone so close to you suffer and then ultimately lose them.  With my family, friends, and God-winks 😉 and the peace of knowing that dad’s okay I’m now so happy to get this out to you.

On that note, I also want to add in that my wonderful husband, Rob, has offered to help write the tutorials on the projects that I come up with and he executes. 😉   In all reality I’m the dreamer and he’s the one who makes my dreams come true.  I think it’s so funny, since I’ve first spoken about KV I’ve always used the pronoun “we” and that is because I could not do any of this without my other half.  And really that’s what it’s all about – what I’ve been trying to portray since I first started up.  Home is about family, about friends, and about the times shared together.

Let me give you a little bit of background about these cabinets…   A few years ago we teamed up with Home Goods on a tour and I chose these massive and amazing cabinets that take up our entire wall.  It may look like one unit but it’s actually two.  I’ve loved them since the second I saw them.  One was slightly damaged and we even had to replace some of the glass panels.  All we had to do is take a panel that was intact to Ace Hardware and they whipped up a few panels that were exact matches.  The reason I’m writing this, if you see a beautiful piece of furniture that’s damaged, it usually can be easily fixed so don’t be scared away.  Home Goods even discounted the cabinet and the cost of replacing the panels was less than the savings we got!  Okay, back the background of these guys.  I’m not really into knickknacks and filling these cabinets would have taken a ton of decorating.  It just never looked right.  There was never a moment that I was actually pleased with the way it looked b\c the shelves were so high and deep so it just didn’t work with our home since we have a lot of other things going on.  And pair with that with the fact that our kitchen cabinets were always overflowing, so it dawned on me to convert these cabinets into a pantry (which we needed) because the last thing I wanted to see was macaroni labels as we ate dinner through the original clear glass.  And since I’ve always loved the look of actual cabinets that have that mercury glass antique look, the fact that we could achieve the same look with out buying new cabinets sold me.

As you read on there’s one thing that about this tutorial of ours (that you’re about to read) that none of the other tutorials I researched had.  And it’s definitely a vital piece…

So without further ado, here’s the man behind the magic (and the scenes…)

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Hey World!

Rob here. Helping SQ out with the blog.

I want to dedicate this post to all those that want credit for accomplishing something cool but really, really, really hate working hard for it.  To those scared of power tools, failure, or even giving too much effort.  And lastly, to those who are simply really lazy and can think of at least a 1,000 different excuses for not attempting any sort of home project.

If you’re one of those people just know first that damn it, I respect you because I would be one of you if SQ didn’t ever so slightly persuade me to “help me real fast”.  Second, if at any time in your life you actually think there’s a chance you’ll ever want do a house project but know that there’s a 99.5% chance you’ll quit at the slightest hint of perspiration, this is your project.  Mercur[izing] (word?  Probs not) glass requires a 2/10 on the effort scale – more than opening and drinking a beer, but less than making a PBJ to enjoy with it.  BUT, no one else really knows how to do it so you’ll get way too much credit for very little effort.  So grab that beer my prior sentence reminded you that you wanted and let’s freaking GO!

Material:

1) Black Spray Paint ONLY IF you’re painting a sheet of glass.  This isn’t needed if you’re painting a standard mirror or something.

a) We used matted but it doesn’t really matter

2) Mirror spray paint.  The cans were always super small in both Menard’s and Home Depot.  No idea why.

3) White Vinegar.  Buy the smallest bottle you can unless you use if for cooking.  This’ll be mixed with tap water.

4) Spray Bottle

We went through four cans of the small mirror paint bottle and two cans of black for our 24 glass panes which were about 1.5’X2′  Or if you’re like SQ, they were a little bit bigger than a typical computer monitor (which includes both the screen and the frame around it, but not the base).

Step 1: (If applicable)  This is the vital step that is missing in so many other tutorials!!!  😉

If it’s a sheet of glass like mine was (i.e. not attached to anything) take out whatever you’re painting.  Ours piece of furniture had the glass in its doors, so I just popped them out.  Lay those sheets down on a surface that you don’t care about because it will be painted.  Once that’s done, spray paint it black.  There are instructions on the bottle but really it’s shake for five minutes (you’ll hear a ball inside the can) (also, if you’re lazy feel free to knock of three minutes of shaking.  It’s fine.)  and spray from two feet away.  Do two layers.  Drink a beer between layers to know you’ve given it around 10 minutes to dry.  This step is necessary for transparent glass panes without backing in order to achieve the mirrored look.  Furniture pieces or mirrors that you’re mercur[izing] already have this backing.

Here’s what’ll it look like if you don’t spray the back black.  Obs way too transparent to achieve the mercury look.

Also, we attempted to display the benefits of painting the back black but instead of spray painting it black we only used a marker for this glass pane.  This is an example of what not to do.

Step 2:

After the second layer of black is dry flip the sheet of glass over.  Or if you’re painting a mirror or something tape off whatever you don’t want painted.  If you’re painting a mirrored dresser (SQ used to have one so I know that they’re out there), I’d take off the knobs if you don’t want them mirror(y) looking.  So same deal as the black spray paint above.  Shake, two feet away, and two coats.  Boom done.  Drink another beer.

Step 3:

This is the last and hardest step.  It involves mixing and more spraying.  So two steps in one.  I may have lost anyone super lazy here but honestly the mixing isn’t hard and cannot be messed up.  In a spray bottle mix 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of vinegar.  Don’t measure.  If it’s slightly off in terms of 1:1 ratio it doesn’t matter.   And feel free to pour water and vinegar directly into the spray bottle to mix in there.  It works just fine doing it that way.

Once mixed spray a mist, or spray a stream, or both – everything looks good – onto the mirror painted side.  One, two, or three sprays on each panel or section of the piece will do just fine.  Wait 10 minutes and the paint will have a mercury look.

That’s it.  You’ve mercur[ized] your glass.  Reinstall it into your cabinet or tear the tape off.  You’re amazing.  You accomplished a home project.  E-High Five from me to you.

Note 1: never use Windex or anything to clean them.  The paint does come off.

Note 2: You may think to yourself, “wow that’s crappy that the mercury look just comes off like that”, but know that SQ priced out mercur[izing] the glass professionally and it ranged in price from $600 – $2,000.  That’s just ridiculous when the cost of all the spray paint needed is under $10.  Yea professionally done it probably wouldn’t wipe off as easily but just repaint or ignore it.  (We’ve been ignoring our cleaning mix up).  And honestly, SQ is a perfectionist who is making a career out of interior design and she cannot tell a difference in the look between our method and the $1,000 dollar approach.

That is all for today.  Thanks for reading along and if you try this, please let us know how it turned out.  Also, please let us know if it is as easy for y’all as I think it is.

This is Rob here taking over Susie Q’s blog.  Apologies in advance for the less than professional picture quality.  She’s the talented one in that regard.  But I posted a few of her pics below so keep reading… 🙂

Susan told me that she heard back from y’all that a lot of you would like to learn how we put together the privacy fence in our backyard.   The secret though is that the privacy fence is not an actual fence at all. It is an amalgamation of Ikea’s Applaro Wall Panels, Home Depot’s closet rods (called ShelfTrack), wooden 4X4s that our gardener used to outline the patio (conveniently he secured them into the ground), and about 1,000 screws.

The process began by laying the Applaro panels on a table.  (I wish I had a picture of this.)  Ikea originally set the height of its panels to be about six feet; however, we wanted a taller wall to provide more privacy.  So for each section width (the long wall on the west side of the patio has four sections and the cornered side has three) we combined one and a half sets of the original Applaro panels.  (Ikea sells the wall panels in two parts, a top and bottom piece. We had to use two top pieces stacked on top of the bottom piece).

Once the panels were laid out on a table I screwed in various pieces of builders hardware/brackets to fasten the panels together.  Here is a link to some examples of what I used.  IMPORTANT: I recommend using small screws or to drill a hole prior to using the screws so the Ikea boards don’t splinter.  I chose to use a lot of small screws rather than drill due to the high number of screws going in and the fact that the Applaro panels are at most an inch thick.  With my luck I’d end up drilling a hole through the panel.

After I had fastened 1.5 pieces together to make an eight foot tall section I screwed the closet rods into the back.  I found the aluminum rods that you may see used people’s closets to support the wire shelves worked really well.  They were tall enough (roughly 8 ft), rigid, already had holes in them, and came in brown to match the wood.  The trick was that I extended about two of the eight feet of rod passed the legs of the bottom panel. This allowed me to use them as support stakes into the ground.

Once I had finished connecting seven sections together I installed them in place.  To do this I shoved the two feet of closet rod into the ground right up against the 4X4 wooden beam divider that was installed by the landscapers who put in our limestone floor.  L-brackets were installed on the front side (the side people see), on the back side I screwed in the closet rods into the 4X4’s, and lastly (and probably excessively) I pressed heavy rocks as extra support against most of the rods.  Really lastly, as I installed each piece I fastened them together using metal brackets.

So I’m not a carpenter nor do I have any experience in construction but so far these two walls have survived two years of Chicago weather.  It definitely helps that wind can blow through the slats so we don’t have to worry about them being blown over.

To date we’ve really enjoyed the added privacy and beautification these walls provide.  We haven’t tried hanging flowers or anything yet from them but if we did, I’m mostly sure that they wouldn’t spontaneously combust.

And here are a few of the styled pictures that Susan would appreciate me including.  🙂

Hey World!

Rob here.  SQ’s favorite hubby and her part-time male model.  She asked me to write about the application process of milk paint since I’ve helped her with several milk painted pieces.  As someone who has worked with many different brands and types of paints, from water-based to oils, I have to write that milk paint is definitely the easiest paint I’ve ever worked with.

Initially I was somewhat confused because instead of the gallon jugs that we’re all familiar with, the paint comes in small pouches harboring powered paint that has the consistency of flour.  However, any reservations were quickly overcame by reading the two lines of instructions.  I mixed the 1 part paint, 1 part water combo in an old wide-mouthed workout bottle because I didn’t want to chance ruining a blender and stirring the mixture with my finger wasn’t going to cut it.

I found applying the milk paint was easiest by using a brush.  Since it is water-based, a brush-full extended further than other paint types, plus water paints don’t show the strokes as readily as oils.  However, the most prominent brush vs. roller determinant was that going to get the paint tray hiding in the basement was slightly inconvenient.  Thus I began beautifying this bordeaux behemoth bearing a brush.

The huge bar took two coats and a round of touch-ups.  I initially used the bonding agent to help it stick but that was probably unnecessary and because I didn’t mix it together with the paint very well the white showed through.  I had to cover that mistake which wasn’t awesome.  Lastly, what really impressed me was the hemp oil finish.  The milk paint has a chalky finish that I personally thinks looks cool but wasn’t the look we (read SQ) was going for.  The oil was freaking awesome.  It gave the piece a look of professionalism that required me to take a picture and send it off to my buddy Berg and brag how awesome of a painter I am.  Plus it covered all the second round of touch-ups I should have done but didn’t.

So to reiterate, milk paint is awesome.  Make it in small batches because it covers much more than you think it would and you’ll probably find another piece of furniture that you or your interior decorating wife will want painted.

Thanks for reading this initial incipience into the world of blogging.

Rob

Ella Claire  |  Love Grows Wild  |  Kindred Vintage  |  Liz Marie Blog

French Country Cottage  |  Nesting with Grace  |  Miss Mustard Seed  |  Rooms for Rent

I’m so thrilled to be joining you guys for the Seasons of Home dining room tour that is hosted by Ella Claire blog.  This isn’t technically our “dining room” but it is a space that we dine in almost every evening.  The space is off of our family room and kitchen.  It’s much less formal eating area that we use much more often. Thank you to our sponsor, Caravan Home for providing these wonderful items to glam up our table this year!

This year I decided to rearrange this space.  The spot where the Christmas tree is standing now used to be where our large wardrobe stood.  I moved everything around to make way for the tree and to create an overall cozier feel for the Winter months.  I also turned the table vertical to the windows to give the room a totally different look.  I like it because it’s easier for guests to access seating when entertaining, which is something that we love to do.

The design for the tablescape was based on some wonderful items from Caravan Home Decor.   I started out with these amazing marble trays and complimented it with the marble vase, also amazing. These tin vases are also so sweet, I love the unexpected twist they add to the table!  The glassware, which includes the champagne and wine glasses are also from Caravan, too.

The rest of the decor comes from things I had around the house.  I shared a sneakpeak of this on Instagram and I am amazed by how many of you asked about the “table runner”.  Since I didn’t have a table cloth for texture I wanted to bring in some fabric.  I used a decorative piece that is actually meant to hang on the wall.  I think it worked perfectly even if it didn’t actually run the length of the table, but now this also gives me a diy idea to make a longer one, we shall see! 🙂 I bought this one for $5 from a store called 5 Below! Can you believe it, $5?!

I removed the wooden frame and handle and the marble tray held it in place.  I love the way it turned out.   This would be a fun do it yourself project to continue this pattern into a full table runner! Again,  the look cost me under $5 from Five Below.  It’s something I bought on a whim and I’m so glad I did!

These trees are two of many trees from King of Christmas.  I just adore their flocked trees.  I can’t wait to add some decorations to them with the girls as it gets closer to December.  The ornaments on the table are from Grandin Road and they are by far some of the pretties I’ve seen this year.

Although it isn’t yet Thanksgiving it’s been a tradition since I’ve been little to have the tree up while we carve the turkey.  That extra glow just adds a little bit more magic to our holiday.  After we eat, we enjoy decorating the tree as a family.

Make sure to check out all the other talented ladies on the tour.  You won’t be disappointed!

Ella Claire | Rooms for Rent | Jennifer Rizzo | Love Grows Wild

Nesting with Grace | Dear Lillie | French Country Cottage | Liz Marie Blog

Craftberry Bush | City Farmhouse | Jeanne Oliver | Kindred Vintage

Shades of Blue Interiors | My Sweet Savannah | Miss Mustard Seed |

and our featured guest, House of Five