Rock me, Mama.

Hi there! Here is a quickie project that has actually taken me weeks and weeks and then my mom a few hours to boot. I have been itching to paint this rocking chair since I got it a few years ago. It was my rocking chair as a baby, which is so very sentimental, BUT, the swashbuckling theme was just not my style.

I even played the mom/dad card with this one. I think it may have been may last waltz with the "ask dad, then ask mom" game. I knew exactly how this would play out.
Me: "Dad, do you care if I paint the rocking chair?"
Dad: " You know how I am. I believe in preservation."
(Later...)
Me: "Dad says he doesn't want me to paint the rocking chair, but I think it'll look so much better in the nursery with a little color."
Mom: "Oh my God! That chair would have been on the curb if you didn't take it."

Somewhere in the middle, lies the truth and outcome as well all know it.
So without further ado, here it is...Oh! One more thing. This is step one. I want to add color, texture and whimsy to this. I just need to figure out how, and what exactly it is that I want to do.

Ahoy, Matey! Time to walk the plank

Lightly sand, prime, then paint

All primed! P.S. This chair took 2 cans of spray primer.

At home. I saw this color in the Spring **Valspar sample collection at Lowe's.
It goes with our "Almond Branches" print by Van Gogh

Mom finished the paint job while I was in the hospital, the sanded the edges to give it a broken in look.

**Valspar now has premade color samples at the paint counter. They phase in and out every season. They are great inspiration for any project type. I got another dusty blue color from the Spring collection that will serve as my starting line for the walls of the secret playroom.

Scenes with a Newborn

Today, I am itching to do some "normal" things. So I'll post. Here are some scenes from the past few weeks of life as I know it, and of course as little Nathan knows it. Hubby took 2 weeks off to spend with the whole family, which was our itle pocket of time that we got to live the way we wish we did everyday, with eachother completely. We did get out a few times, as you'll see!

All about the little things

I have a little news...Nate and I have welcomed our son, Nathan Joseph this week!  

For the weeks prior to his arrival, we have both been nesting, cleaning, and prepping the house. Things have been done and I can't wait to show you (but it'll just have to wait for now)! We have done a large number of little things, that actually did add up to be some real forward progress and domestic prettiness. We had to focus on the things that NEEDED to be done prior to the littlest Shephard's arrival.

And then there has been my career. I have been very,very busy (disgustingly busy) getting my clients all taken care of before my eight week hiatus. I focused hard, and made sure I could deliver to others before I delivered our second son. I worked a little too much, and didn't couldn't come up for air until the very end. So, I couldn't spend my evenings dreaming up interior whimsy or flipping through catologues or online wish lists.

For the next days upcoming, I will make my focus even littler. I am going to spend the next week totally, completely and unforgivingly devoted to exactly (2) Nate's and (1) Gil, My boys. And hopefully, I can also work on making my waistline littler too.