Hi, my name is Elizabeth... and I'm an Olympic junkie! I remember the 2000 Olympics airing when I was still a college student - I did NOT get much studying done those 2 weeks! I've had a few painting projects I've wanted to get done and, after getting Jacob to bed tonight, I knew tonight was the night! Painting plus the Olympics makes for a happy Mama Bruffey! I love the creativity that painting allows, the opportunity to "nest" some more as I prepare for Ruth's arrival, and am always SO intrigued and inspired by the stories of the Olympics!
I have MANY favorite Olympic memories! Two of these are: One, Laura Wilkinson winning gold in diving. I graduated from high school in the same class as Laura. We weren't close, but knowing she was a bearkat and a fellow follower of Christ made me SO proud to see her win gold! I still admire her and both the public and family image that makes her a role model to girls and women of this world! Two, when Sarah Hughes won gold in women's figure skating in 2002! I remember watching her final skate and was moved to tears it was so beautiful and amazing! I was at a friend's house working on setting up my first personal budget and was just mesmerized watching Sarah skate. She was young, positive, driven, and something of an "underdog" - watching her just let go and give it all in that performance - and then win gold in the process - was an amazing experience!
We'll see what these Games hold!
So, the painting projects. Well, I have 2 lamps in my living room - one that was a part of a set of 4 cheap lamps that I KNEW could look better with a little paint. The other is one that my parents gave Josh and me that has this gold, brass base that just screams for paint! I had painted the shades of both these lamps over a year ago, but have put off painting the bases as life unfolded with a new child and then a 2nd pregnancy. In that same set of 4 lamps was a small lamp that I rediscovered in cleaning out our linen closet recently and knew would be perfect in Ruth's nursery if painted! The lamp that goes with our bedding set is almost $50! Crazy! So, I plan to paint my own version! I grabbed all 3 lamp bases, some sand paper, and the can of spray paint I've been holding on to for about a year or more.
The small lamp base that will go in Ruth Evelyn's nursery!
One of our living room lamps that just cries to be painted!
My kitchen after painting all 3 lamp bases! I have a dog, so the lamps HAD to be UP so they could dry overnight! (and not be accessible to little toddler hands in the morning ;) )
The knobs that go on top of the lamp bases when the shades are attached.
This is the spray paint I used - it is a hammered brown finish - LOVE it! And it looks SO good with our nursery bedding that has a sheen to it!
Here are my living room lamps the next morning after drying overnight!
The lamps coordinate with the room SO much more now!
This lamp used to have a black base and white shade - SO much better now!
I LOVE this lamp! It used to have a white shade and a golden/brass base - now it is so much more up to date and looks great in our living room!
After the outdoor spray painting was done, I grabbed the leftover paint from Ruth's nursery, the shade for her lamp, and turned on the Olympics!
Here's the small white shade for her lamp:
The shade with the paint and brushes ready to go!
All painted! It is such a beautiful, subtle pink!
Love the color! I will use a shade of pink that matches Ruth's bedding to create accents and decor and then add some brown ribbon as trim.
Here's the lamp that goes with the set that is something of my inspiration, though I'm doing my own version that better fits what I like and what I think coordinates best with the overall room:
The final part of my painting project for tonight was adding touch ups and shading to the painting I started in 2009 when we began trying to have a family. To coordinate best with Ruth's bedding, I added some lighter pink that matches her wall and some darker brown shading and accents that match her bedding. I THINK I'm content with the finished product. Once I mix the paint to do the accents and embellishments on the lamp shade, I may add some of that color to this painting, but we'll see.
To my family - Josh, Jacob, and Ruth: I'm honored to be your wife and mother and be able to use creative outlets to make our house more of a home - a haven in this world. I love you!
~ Mama Bruffey
Wife of One, Mother of Two
No comments:
Post a Comment