colorful mural

Spring Home Tour

colorful mural

I am alive and pregnant. I thought you would want to know that.

Before you ask any questions, I want to clarify a few things: 1) George made me do it (third baby), 2) yes, I am too old for this, and, 3) it’s a boy! (Here are my thoughts on having a third child a couple of years ago).

Now that we got that out of the way you must be wondering why the need to stop writing the blog? Being pregnant is not a debilitating condition… necessarily. Well, it was for me. The first trimester was simply awful, a lot worse than with my other two pregnancies. I threw up every day, was incapable of exercising or standing up from bed… I even fell asleep in my office one day, under the desk. It was really sad, and you know what happens after feeling bad for 8 weeks in a row? You forget how it is to feel good! I started to think that this nausea was going to last forever! It also gave me a new perspective and empathy for people that have long-term diseases that make them feel like crap constantly. It was so horrible that I caught the stomach flu during the New Year’s weekend and it took me 5 hours to figure out that it was the flu and not just pregnancy symptoms. That is how bad it was…

Of course, if you follow my IG account (which you totally should. Click here to do that), you know I have been pretty active, just not blogging.

But, on the brighter side!!! I am back to blogging land with a BANG! My home has changed a lot in the last months (or year) and I want to show you some of it.

In preparation for this Spring Tour that I am doing with a bunch of amazing design bloggers, I headed to my favorite place, The Flower Market, DTLA. I  bought ranunculus, spider gerberas, hellebores, and plenty of flowering branches. I filled my home with them and took a lot of photos. Let’s take a look, shall we?

LIVING ROOM

colorful living roomOf course, that mural I did for ORC is still the focal point of the room. I have added more texture and color with the green velvet sofa from Article, yellow chairs from Joybird, and wicker planters from Chile… they will be available in my Etsy shop soon.general view living roomwicker bird cage Magnolia branches make me happy. The pink paint is a project that I did last year. living room viewSome of these planters are also from Chile, others have been collected with time. Faux sheepskin from IKEA.living room another view to kitchenThe view to our kitchen. I love how bright it looks. view to kitchen

The theater chairs were a Craiglist find from my husband. The blue vase is from Target. Purple, fluffy pillows are also from Target. spring wicker bungalow bohemian mural jaybird I need to finish that macramé! I just need more time. A lot more time. yellow chair chairs pianohanging plants magnolia KITCHENdining room This beautiful painting was a thrift store find. Yellow chairs are from blue dots. Fabrics are from the Rose Bowl flea market. My husband built the table. plantas Paintings are finds I have collected throughout the years. The flower vase and shelf brackets are from Anthropologie.art dining room flowers art yellow chairs HALLWAYfoyerThe wallpaper is from Etsy. The ceramic is from the talented artist Katy Krantz. Wicker basket and rug are from Chile, they will be available in my shop very soon!wallpaper victor These kids are not for sale but they sure are cute. max mila

Here is a photo of myself to prove that I am alive and pregnant, in case you didn’t believe me.

Now, for a continuous tour of wonderful Spring homes, head to the blog of my wonderful friend Maggie Overby Studios. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Eclectic Home Tour 2017

Hey, peeps, I have a fun post for you today: a mini photo tour of my 900 sq ft home.

This week, Jess from Domicile 37 is hosting a hop tour where different bloggers show images of their homes every day. Today is my turn.

I won’t write long because I don’t have a lot of time before this post goes live, but images speak more than 1,000 words, don’t you think? The thing is that George has been gone all week and I haven’t found the time to write, but take pictures I did!

Take a look:

This is the piano in my living room. The most important piece here are the peonies! Summer = cheap peonies at Trader Joe’s!!!! I take full advantage of this opportunity when it comes around. Peonies in the bathroom. Hanging plants because that is what I like. Here is the porch. The entrance to our home.
More and more plants.
The living room again! I really like this corner of this room because it has so much color and is fun. Here is the tutorial on how to do that painting on the left.This photo looks like a painting but it is not. Tulips are another love of mine so I took this photo in front of our mural.new light fixtureThe other side of our living room. I bought this lamp a month ago in IKEA.lighting living roombougainvilleahow to do a hanging textile A textile I created last month. Our dining room. garland diyA garland in our kids’ room.Our garden.

Hope you like this mini-tour. Now, go and visit the rest of the bloggers participating! The links are below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer 2017 Eclectic Home Tour | Eclectic Interiors | Eclectic Homes | Boho decor | Vintage Eclectic decor | Bold Geometric decor | Maximalist style| Vibrant decor

Monday

Domicile 37 | Whimsical Blue Living | The Striped House | Bright Green Door

Tuesday

Cassie Bustamante | Jest Cafe | The Rath Project | Emmerson & Fifteen

Wednesday

Natasha Outside and In | Up To Date Interiors | Designing Vibes | PMQ for Two

Thursday

Jessica Brigham | This is Our Bliss | CAD Interiors | French & French Interiors | Maker of Home

 

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new light fixture

A New Light Fixture For Our Living Room

new light fixture

I have a confession to make! The light fixture we have had in our living room since we got the house five years ago is HORRIBLE. I am not exaggerating. Want to see?

ugly light fixture

You might be wondering, how is it that you have never seen this affront to humanity before in my posts about the One Room Challenge, Mural, garland, or bookshelves? Well, that goes to show that perspective and photography is everything in the world of blogging. I intelligently hid this crappy lamp so it wouldn’t cause you a heart attack. Thank you very much.

Why did it take me so long to update the light fixture? Because I wanted a bronze chandelier that costs more than $1,000 and I was never able to justify expending that kind of $$$. I had my heart set on it, but, as time went by, my conscience couldn’t pull the plug on such a splurge. I decided to find a cheaper route.

Such was the state of affairs in the interior design world of my home when my friend Stephanie from Casa Watkins Living posted a photo to her IG account with the latest summer collection at IKEA. Take a look:

It had a lot of cute boho pieces and those beautiful Jassa lamp shades! No exaggeration, I was in IKEA within 2 days of seeing this post ready to change my light fixture. The only problem was that I didn’t want such a neutral color, but because this lamp shade had a natural finish, it was easy to spray over and give it a completely different look, I went for bright yellow. Why not? Remember, this is my year of color! I am embracing it, I am living it and I want it everywhere in my life.jassa ikea light fixture

Here is the lamp shade before spraying it.

I love when I can take a cheap piece and do minimal work to give it a completely new look. IKEA pieces are perfect for this because they are so cheap that it doesn’t matter if you fail because the investment is minimal. In this case, the cord and shade cost $40. A big difference from $1,000!!!! I am going to be able to do so much cool stuff with that extra money in my budget. He.

Here are some photos of the final product:

jassa lamp lighting living roomchoosing a new lamp shadeyellow lamp shadelamp shade lamp makeover lighting yellow lamplamp shadeIkea light fixture boho lamp
So, what do you think? Isn’t better?

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A Chair Makeover and Our Dining Room

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item through one of the links, I may receive a small percentage of that sale.  Thank you for making Jest Cafe possible.

I was driving back home a couple of weeks ago when I found this beauty on my neighbor’s front yard:

She was standing alone  and sad so I snatched her. I have been looking for new chairs for my dining room for a while so I thought, why not?

These kind of chairs are not expensive. You can find them on Amazon for $85 a pair, free shipping with Prime.  In any case, I am always trying to find cheap/free stuff with beauty potential so I grabbed it and fixed it up.

Painting a wooden chair is relatively easy, but there are some important tips you can follow if you want it to look “fancy.”

The first tip is to keep kids under 6 away from this project. Kids are no good when it comes to paint and furniture. No matter what they promise, no matter what you say, they will ruin your work as soon as you turn your back on them (or is it only my kids?). Also, spray paint is pretty toxic, which gives you another great excuse to keep them far, far away from this task.

The second tip for painting a chair (and any DIY project) is to have PATIENCE! Don’t hurry up. Wait until you complete each task throughly. No shortcuts! Take your time, please.

Here is what you need to do for a wooden chair makeover:

How to Paint a Wooden Chair

Difficulty (1-5): 2  Time: 2 hours + 2 days to dry  Cost: $10

Materials:

  • Chair
  • Sand paper – Medium grit
  • Small wood block to wrap sand paper around (I used a 2″ x 4″). I also had a sand paper block but you don’t need it
  • 1 can of glossy spray paint in whatever color you want – I used Malachite color from the Montana gold brand. If you can’t find the color you want in glossy finish, buy a glossy clear spray paint to apply afterwards
  • Big rug or plastic – to put under the chair when painting
  • Dust mask – Optional. It will keep you from inhaling a lot of the toxic paint fumes

Instructions

1) Sand the chair. Sandpaper comes in different grits based on the number of sand granules per square inch of paper. A high grit means a finer sandpaper, while a low grit means a coarser sandpaper. Medium grits, such as #120 and #150, are useful for removing old finish or scratches without damaging the wood. I used a medium grit sandpaper for this project.

Wrap the sand paper around the wood block and use it for sanding flat surfaces. This helps to sand only the imperfections that are above the surface.  Use the sandpaper alone (or sandpaper block)  when sanding curved surfaces. Sanding your chair is important because all the details that you don’t easily see before sanding (like holes or bumps) will clearly show up after you paint your chair. Be patient! Pay attention to detail! Don’t rush through this or you will have to come back again to sand back the imperfections that show up after a fresh and smooth coat of paint had been applied.

Rub surfaces to feel for smoothness!

This is how my chair looked after I finished sanding it:

2) Wash the chair with soap and water. Wait until it is completely dry before moving on to the next step.
3) Start spraying. Make sure the spray can is around 8″ -10″ away from the surface you are trying to paint. Don’t start spraying directly into the chair, this could create drips if you apply too much paint (see below). Start spraying by aiming away from the chair and then go into applying smooth strokes to the chair. Again, take your time with this step. You don’t want to create drips with your paint like these ones: Because then you will have to sand down the imperfections all over again! Whatever imperfections show up, you will need to sand them down the day after you spray paint, otherwise the dust will settle on the damp paint.

When painting, you need to get to all the “difficult” places. Turn the chair upside down and make sure no space is left without paint.

4) If you spray painted your chair with a flat finish like I did, you will need to add a coat of glossy transparent spray paint to give it a glossy finish. A glossy finish is VERY important for kitchen furniture, especially. It is easier to wipe down when dirty with filthy children’s food.

Here is the after photo of that (previously) ugly chair:
Here are photos of  the chair in our dining room. By the way, I am taking this opportunity to introduce our little dining room to all of you! I have not shared photos of it before. You might already know that our house is small, so this little breakfast nook works as the dining room, project table, homework space, and many other things. I like how happy and vibrant it is.The Saltillo tile that George installed is pretty charming. It gives the kitchen a rustic look.
The seats work as drawers for storage, too. The shelf has vintage finds and a beautiful plant. Just how I like it.

Some old baby shoes just hanging in there because they look cute. No sentimental reason.

I just ordered 2 more wooden chairs from Amazon so I can paint them and add them to the dining room. The chair I just painted looks cute but lonely. It needs some company, so I will be making some friends for her this weekend.

Have a wonderful day!

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Outdoor Painting – The Reveal

First of all, I want to say I am sorry. I promised I was going to do an outdoor painting months ago and I never delivered. What is worst is that I have a lot of views on that false promise post and I am sure some of you are wondering why I am such a flake!

Well, I was supposed to finish this outdoor painting months ago but then the weather decided it was time to put an end to the draught in CA and ruined ALL MY PLANS! Buah!!!!

Yes, my friends, it has rained in LA every week since the beginning of January so I was only able to finish this project last week. I have been trying to find ways to improve my garden and outdoor room and I came up with this idea some time ago.

Here is the post that details my plans and inspiration. I wrote it back in January and promised I would have it ready in two weeks. HA! Well, I FAILED! I am a failure and a liar, but like most people who fail, I say: better late than never. Ha. I am SO funny today.

The truth is that, even without the rain, the project would have taken much longer than anticipated. Although it doesn’t require a lot of technicality, it does need patience and time to create straight lines and perfect triangles. You need to make sure everything is perfectly dry before moving on to a different section of the painting, so yes, I failed in my timing but not in the final execution because it got done and it looks quite good.

The garage wall went from blah to Baboom!!!!! Which was the only intention behind this project. Also, I wanted to have it done in time for our Easter Hunt, so that worked out. Pat on the back. Pat on the back.

Here is what you will need for this project:

Outdoor Painting

Difficulty (1-5): 4  Time: 1 week Cost: $70

Materials:

  • Lots of latex paint colors for walls. I used 13 sample sizes of flat color, mostly from Behr.
  • 8ft x 3ft sheet of plywood
  • Pencil
  • Blue tape
  • Small and big brushes
  • Measuring Tape

To hang the painting:

  • Stud finder
  • Drill
  • Level
  • 2 1/2″ screws (to hang the painting outside)

Instructions:

1) Cut your Plywood to whatever size you want. Mine is a square shape of 6ft x 6ft.


2) Mark your middle point – the place where all triangles meet.

3) Draw the straight lines from the middle point to wherever you want the sides of your triangles to go.

4) Align a strip of blue tape to the lines of the first triangle you want to paint. Make sure you press it down5) Paint the triangle and wait until paint is dry. Touch the paint to make sure is not tacky.

6) Do the same for the triangle that is not right next to the one you just painted. So, for the first pass, paint every other triangle of your painting.

7) Now it is time to paint the triangles that were left without paint and getting a straight line is vital! To do this, place the blue tapes on both sides of the triangle you want to paint. Make sure the paint is completely dry.

8) Paint on each side of the blue tape with whatever paint is below the tape, meaning the color of the triangle right next to the one you are trying to paint.

9) Wait until it dries and paint the whole triangle with the final color. Now wait until the painting is completely dry. Sometimes this will take hours.

10) Strip out the blue tape

11) Drill through the painting into the wall to hang it. Find the studs to do this.

12) Fix details with your small brush, for example, fix lines that are not straight, paint over screws, paint over any imperfections.

So, what do you think? I like it. It has the soul of Spring!

In case you want to make a painting for the inside of your home, here is a tutorial about how to make a mural.

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