The pallet that turned to the dark side (of Canada)

me - "I wanna make a Canadian flag out of this pallet."

son - "Why?!?"

me - "Because my party is patriotic themed this weekend. Grandma had flags all over so we need one too. But I don't want this big huge red and white thing on the mantel..."

I had big plans. I was gonna make me a wood and black Canadian flag. And have every one of you wishing you were a Canadian. I could vision all  of you humming our anthem and running out for farmer jackets after this blockbuster. This was gonna be BIG.

Please. Someone remind me to get a real sander. This clamp and sand variety flips these things off like my dog sheds hair.

Tool sponsors would be wise to contact me. I can't stop sanding these things it appears...

My decal/stencil worked!

(I made the decal myself on my sign making apparatus. I'm not selling cut decals at this time)

Brilliant, right?

Not really. But I tried it anyway. Here and there and everywhere. And hated it. It reminded me of someone painting their own car with a sloppy paint brush. During a dirt storm. In the dark.  With their eyes closed. It depressed me on the mantel and was even too... whatever for my son's room.

me - "Why isn't this working?!?"

son - "Mom, it looks like the dark side of Canada."

Oh. That's why.

Well, I'll have you know, I shall have no pallet do me in! So I messed up made up my bed with my new sheets I haven't shown you yet and got to work.

The new look is a crisp splash of creams, tans and blues....

...  because of the cute sheets I scooped up for $5.

So... can that ugly pallet look nice with all this fluff?

Sure... if you cover most of it up. :)

Hoity toity design talk...

"The depth from the feline tone aids to marry the rustic flag accents, anchoring the room so the components don't have a tendency to float within all the dreamlike features."

Are ya buyin' it?

Awww... look. A message... (I swear it was there)

And a little Jeanne Oliver handbag on a sawhorse just sweetens the deal, doncha think?

My new messy bedroom gone to the dark side. Of Canada.

"Teddy! Are ya buyin' it?"

I think Canada just froze over.

Linking to where the GOOD patriotic projects are HERE.

Join Funky Junk in these other fun locations!

An impossible project brings a feature, win, AND giveaway!

 Most of you have seen my bedroom a bazillion times by now.

Please bear with me. I had to use this room for what this post is all about. :)

When I first decorated this room, I couldn't believe my nerve.Would I get away with this?!?

 I remember the doubtful yet curious comments when just showing the 'befores' of the components.

But I went ahead and created what was in my head and posted it anyway.

Nerves of steel I tell ya.

The room was a hit. So I continued to add additional unique components to it hoping they would be equally well received.

Which they were. Right down to this torn sheet lampshade I created in 5 minutes which derived from a need to cover up an otherwise dirty one for a Christmas showing of my home.

And where is this 'way out there' bedroom now?

HGTV.com in the 12 Creative Headboards feature

Romantic Homes, a blog spotlight in the Jan 2010 edition.

(yes, that's Miss Mustard Seed below me! And Fiona and Twig is in this feature too!)

(oh my GOSH)

The moral of this story?

If something scares you, try it anyway.

Step slightly out of your comfort zone each day.

Try something you've never done before.

Put together something you NEVER think will work. Then make it work.

Beg, borrow and steal from freebie piles with an open mind.

Choose 'uniquely you' over copycat decorating.

 Create to your heart's content, no matter what others may think.

Try what's in your mind. It's there for a reason.



There aren't many that desire to take these kinds of risks.

Hence, there isn't much competition in the risk category. So, why not be one of them? :)

Oh. And my impossible bedroom has been elsewhere. It won a contest in October.

And since I can't spend the prize in Canada,

some lucky American gets to go shopping.

Click the sponsor store button or  HERE to enter!

And, click HERE to try to win an iPad through BlogHer!


Merry Christmas, friends!

And thanks for your never ending kind support with all of 'my kind of' projects.You make a junker mighty proud. :)

Are you a risk taker with your decorating? 
What's the bravest thing you've tried to date?

My 'mom cave' bedroom

 When all is quiet with the world, I love to slip into my little shabby white oasis...

... to gaze out my candlelit window...

... while laying in my rumply crumply pillowy haven, that wears many shades of white.

Welcome to my mom cave bedroom. :)



At times, my bedside painter's ladder, showing off a few pretty shades under it's newish coat of white,



... holds a favorite magazine to flip through at my total leisure.



Other times,

the ladder holds a few of my favorite things. Just because.

The camisoles were found in my Mom's closet, the Bible a gift from my Grandmother, and the pearls, from my Mom's jewelry box. A ladder of special memories, honoring two of my favorite gals.

My bedroom belongs to just me, so I created a girlie retreat to the highest degree. My ultra girlie mom cave. :)

You won't find this bed neat, tidy and symmetrical. This bed is about rumpled crumpled comfy bliss. With waaaay too many pillows with a touch of lace. :)

Twinkling tea lights play well with a whisper of woodsy rustic, my favorite kind of finish.

An old gate grouped with metal clad siding and an old door creates a headboard with substance! And the works is highlighted with a random board and batten wall treatment to further enhance the whites.

An old woodsy tabletop is my special place for a cup of warmth and a lazy read.

The vintage dresser, wearing a wonderfully natural crackle finish only achieved from many years of love, holds a few of my favorite things to enjoy.

I love the memories my mom's jewelry box offers me every time it passes my eye. The tiny gold snowflakes that dot the top make me smile, for I am a true snow lover. :)

A  collection of some thrift store finds tie in beautifully to create a vignette that was meant to be. A torn sheet lampshade when illuminated adds a special softness that simply belongs.

 The rusty old headboard is one of my favorite places to hang some of my favorite pictures of my parents.

And when in season, my Mom's wedding gift teapot provides the perfect enhancement for some fresh cut garden flowers!

So what else could I possibly need in my land of whites and brights if I won the mom cave contest? Why, the finishing touches of course!

#1 would be a new fluffy white robe and matching slippers. And then...

#2. I would love a pretty floor lamp right beside the bed!

#3. The perfect girly tall and skinny dressing mirror.

#4. Some lovely photo albums chalk full of my parents old photos.

#5. And perhaps some sparkly frames to highlight a few more of my favorite sepia toned memory maker pictures...

#6. I couldn't forget the fragrances!

#7. And oh my... gormet coffees! With a bodum coffee press! Pure decadence! I've wanted one of those forever.

(All photos from HERE

Now, apparently a mom cave isn't a true mom cave without a place for the girlfriends.

Nothing a pretty little white laptop wouldn't cure. See? You'd all be right there with me. :)

So until I am able to pick up those fabulous finishing touches...

... my little furry bedside buddy will have to do.

Ahhhh... much better! 

For now. :)

I've entered my 'bedroom mom cave' over at:

Susan's mom cave contest. Go enter yours!

A couple more days left to win some custom shades!

Valued between $99 - $253!

Click the balloon button or  HERE to enter!

Get that long overdue DIY or non DIY project done by Wed Nov 6 and link up! :)

(rules HERE)