About Me

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I was motivated to start a blog by reading all the wonderful talented individual's who have blogs out there. So, I want to make this blog about everyone who reads it. My family and God always comes first in my life. I want to share my experiences and in turn, hope to get feedback and ideas from you. I love unique things, I adore anything that sparkles (not over the top though) I love decorating, cooking, gardening, photography and shopping. My number one passion is photography! To me it becomes more than a picture, it can become a piece of art, or a beautiful memory. Decorating, though I am not a professional, and don't claim to be, has been a part of my life since I was very young, and just love searching and shopping for new ideas and incorporate the old, such as Mid-Century Modern and Hollywood Regency with contemporary. Living close to the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, and being of Hispanic heritage, I love cooking Mexican food, and love to share my authentic recipes. Though I live in Florida, my heart is in the desert southwest, and hope that my family and I will return there very soon…keep your fingers crossed that my prayers are answered SOON!!!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Summer Interior Decorating....

Now that we have finished painting the inside of our main living areas of our home, and very happy with it.   I feel like I'm in a new bright sunny and happy place, change sometimes can be a very good thing.
My daughter decided she wants a change. As I said earlier my husband is making her headboard and ordered the Diamond Head Tacks.  She also ordered her new comforter from Z-Gallery and is picking it up on Sunday; it's in light teal with a silver undertone.  That is her favorite color and where she began her design theory.  Now she is motivated beyond belief, so I went with her the other evening to Lowe's to pick out wall color and floor color...yea, "floor color". She wanted no carpet or wood flooring in her room; she wanted the cement painted and a glossy sealer. We did that on her floors almost two years ago in a deep chocolate color, and though I was very hesitate, we went along with her after much research, it looked beautiful...clean, fresh, warm (though it was painted cement, you couldn't tell). She got so many compliments on it.   Every parent thinks their child has great talent, I’m no different.  I was so amazed watching her walking through Lowe’s picking out “exactly” want she wanted, like a pro.  Most of her furniture is contemporary with a nice touch of the “Hollywood Regency” look, a lot of mirrored furniture, and crystal candle sticks, picture frames and vintage Hollywood themed framed artwork and just the right amount of sparkle throughout, but with very simple and clean lines.  Here’s what she picked out.
She has the four normal walls in her room, one door into the walk-in closet, one into her power room, and one has French Doors leading out to the spa, and one wall with a slider on it, leading out to the Lanai.  The wall with the slider is going to be painted as an accent wall in the color Polished Aqua with a top coat of “Decorative Paint in Brilliant Metals”…which a beautiful metal like sheen - gorgeous.  The color and shimmer is just like a sparkling tropical aqua ocean.  The other three walls are in Polished Silver -  light airy, clean and very glamorous, with no "Brilliant Metals" overcoat.  Then the floor is in Semi Sweet floor paint, and we are adding a texture called "Stone" added to the paint, which will give a slight texture to the floor.  Mixed in with the sealer we are adding Valspar Paint Crystals in silver, which is like a light powder of glitter, very diminutive, but when the light hits it, it will have a beautiful sparkle.  All the products used are by Valspar.  She has her design board loaded with her design idea, colors, textures,accessories, down to each tiny detail.  We are so excited to see how this all turns out.  She wanted two large area rugs in there, but if the floor turns out well, she may just go with one.  We are having a huge family BBQ on the 4th of July at our home, she wants this done by then…oh please, wish us luck, we’re going to need it.  I will post pictures once we are completely finished. 
Who doesn’t love summer indoor projects?  It’s time to re-fresh your home and make those changes we’ve wanted to do all winter, but here in Florida, we work outside in the winter and inside during the heat of the summer.

Anyone else have any special summer projects going on in their home?



Mercer bedding in Aquamarine


Polished Aqua, but much prettier in person, not so green, a pure aqua or teal





"Give your walls a distinctive and dramatic flair with Brilliant Metals paint. This unique finish imparts a vibrant metallic sheen that will add character and liven up any room. The wide variety of available colors guarantees you'll find the right shade for your style".


Paint Technique for using Brilliant Metals
Step 1. Apply Valspar base coat. Allow to dry overnight.


Step 2. Using Brilliant Metals, start by brushing a 2 - 3 inch border ("cut-in") around the ceiling, floor, trim edges and corners. Note: Do not cut-in around the entire room at once as this can cause a banded appearance. Rather, brush out the edges in sections.
Step 3.Working in 2 ft. tall x 4 ft. wide sections, roll the paint in an up and down motion only (never side-to-side). Finish an entire vertical column of sections. When done, without adding more paint, finish with long, even strokes from ceiling to floor. Note: Do not push on the roller. If lap lines are visible, re roll the line in a light, single ceiling-to-floor motion.
Step 4. Allow to dry completely, at least 4 hours. Apply a second coat using the same rolling method as the first coat (no "cutting-in" is necessary). Finish will appear uneven until dry.
Color accuracy will vary based on monitor and printer calibrations. Please visit your local retailer to view actual color samples before making final painting decisions.


Polished Silver, this too, is much prettier in person, a bit lighter in tone and no purple in it at all

Semi Sweet Floor Color - this is pretty true to color


Paint Crystal - Sparkling glints of light