French Distressed Side Table using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in BLUE

After the last piece I did with my winning chalk paint (my vintage desk re-do)  I just had to do another one. 

This cute little beauty was a Christmas gift from my mom - actually, I saw it in her house and was like, “Mom, can I have that!!!????”  (It’s so fun being a daughter…..where else can you spot something you like and ASK for it!! ha!) 

And the AFTER shots!

For this piece I did a really LIGHT second coat (even watered the chalk paint down a little)  It made it a lot easier to distress.

SOOO, wondering where and what this piece will be used for???  It is going to be my daughter’s hamster table!  I know, doesn’t sound classy but it fit the cage PERFECTLY!  Once I get her desk and this piece all set up in her room I’ll snap a shot for you guys.

Updated shot!

Linking up to YHL Book Party - Painting your furniture is tip #214.

STAY TUNED! ~CreativeJuicesDecor~

Can’t forget the Granite in my Master Bathroom!

I realized after I wrote the post about my honed kitchen granite that I never mentioned that I DID do the regular shiny polished granite in my master bathroom (really, I love BOTH polished and matte finish) 

This granite was a remnant, left over from someone else’s large job that I picked up for a great price.  I matched it to a neutral tile and picked out these little gemstone accent tile (aren’t they BEAU – TI- FUL!) and away I went with the bathroom colors picked out. 

Once again, after holding my breath and wondering if it will all come together, I think it did!  I love natural stone, you can’t go wrong.  Honed matte satin finish or the highly polished granite – it’s all good

Thanks for tagging along with me through my house adventure!

~CreativeJuicesDecor~

EASY Dutch Puff–My Kids Absolute Favorite

This is the EASIEST recipe ever!  Not only is it my kids all time favorite meal it was MY favorite growing up too.  Feel free to change this up for your health needs.  I have experimented using whole wheat flour but it doesn’t “puff” up like the white flour. 

Dutch Puff

1/4 c (1/2 cube) melted butter

1 1/2 Cups milk

1 1/2 Cups flour

6 eggs.

dash of cinnamon and a touch of vanilla (if you want)

Turn your oven on to 400̊ F

Put the butter in an skillet oven pan and stick it in the oven to melt.  Put all other ingredients into blender.  Blend and pour into the pan once the butter is melted.

Bake for 20-25 min.  When golden brown and puffed up take out and serve!  Typically this is served with powdered sugar on top but we like syrup or agave nectar.  And yes, I serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner!  ha!!

Yes, that is delicious butter sizzling on top!

If you want link up your favorite EASY family meal is on the comments.  I’d love to read about them. 

ENJOY! From Creative Juices Décor!!!

Have you ever heard of Honed Granite? Update on the Kitchen

Building a new construction home is quite the journey!  It can be full of challenges.  For me, one of the hardest "choices" was finding the right kitchen counter tops.  I eventually decided on a GRANITE.  

Luckily, I did find ONE granite warehouse that carried what is called a HONED or satin  finish granite. (I guess they have only been installing honed granite in Europe for YEARS, it isn’t highly polished so it’s not shiny, it has a matte finish.)  When I saw it, I turned to the guy helping me and said, “this isn’t granite – is it?”  I thought it must have been limestone or some other exotic tumbled stone that was expensive only because it was not granite….WELL, it was a granite, and it was in my price range!  (a lower B level and they go all the way up to E I think) 

I was so overwhelmed after looking at 1000 slabs of granite but I really felt that was the slab for me so I told my contractor to buy it.

Five months later after choosing it, I finally got to see  it installed! 

I wanted to jump up and down with how perfect it fit in with the house.  PHEW!  Even though I am an interior designer by degree I still have moments where I hold my breath and just hope for a good outcome!

For those wondering about the backsplash I did a BRICK LAID tumbled stone…..I wanted something raw and natural like the granite.  Oh and I did chiseled edging on the granite.  Just another raw and natural touch…..

Enjoy some pictures!!!  If you have any questions about the honed granite just leave me a comment – I’ll try to answer whatever I can! Honed granite, is a granite that is NOT highly polished.  It still can be totally sealed, but it’s not shiny at all.  It has a completely a matte finish.  A few have asked for the name of this granite.  The name of the granite where I purchased it from was Golden Fusion Satin from India. 

*EDIT - I have had people ask me where I got my kitchen sink - yes, I have LOVED having the one open sink instead of the divided ones.

It is still in the building phase so the appliances aren’t all in and it’s all dusty and as you can see area’s need patching! It's always fun with a kitchen renovation to see each part come together. There are so many ideas for kitchen cabinets, counter tops and flooring these days.  The options are limitless!  I can’t wait to show it to you finished and decorated! 

*EDIT - here is my kitchen fully decorated!  Years later, the honed granite countertops are still one of my favorite choices.

Feel free to check out my post on How to Decorate the Top of Your Kitchen Cabinets.

Looking forward to showing you what comes in next!!!

~ CreativeJuicesDecor~

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!!!

Oh my, have you seen this fabulous boutique The Shabby Apple on other blogs?  They are so much fun…..very RETRO and full of spunk.

They contacted me and asked if I would like to do a giveaway for my blog readers and I said, ABSOLUTELY! (I was pretty excited, I had seen their stuff before and drooled over a few things already……)

For those that are visual,  let me show you some of my personal favorites.

I love the fit and the neckline – such a vintage classic dress

I could totally see this dress worn casually or dressy in the spring/summer.

This picture says it all -  blue, red and white wonderful, right?

If you are in the shopping mood and want to grab your own Shabby Apple clothing,  just enter this coupon code at checkout to receive 10% off your entire order:     creativejuices10off  (expires Feb. 15) Actually, right now they are having a site wide sale of 20% off which is really great, but if that goes away use my 10% off one.

Shabby Apple has gorgeous accessories, maternity, kids clothes and shoes too. I love it all.

Or just enter my GIVEAWAY for a chance to win a free Shabby Apple Spanish Steps Dress!!! ($79.00 value)

Can’t you just see it at a Spring or Summer wedding? 

Or maybe just strolling Italy with your red scooter – LOL   (don’t I wish) I love it.

Here is the giveaway plan:

• “Like” Shabby Apple on Facebook.

This is the only requirement Shabby Apple specified for the giveaway. If you do not have Facebook, visit the Shabby Apple site and tell me your favorite dress

• Leave me a comment telling me you did one of the above.

For further entries, you may do one or all of the following. However, for each item you do, please leave a SEPARATE comment. (so, max amount of entries would be FOUR!)

• Let me know you follow me, or just started following. 
• Make a status update on your Facebook page with a link to this specific blog post.
• On your next blog post add a link to this specific blog post giveaway!

One winner will be selected so please, make sure I can get a hold of you!!! (leaving email in comment is recommended, if I can't easily find (click to) your email, I have to move on to the next random winner.)


The winner must have a U.S. address in order to claim their prize and no exchanges for a different dress, but of course you can specify your size!

Ok my friends!  Go and enter this super fun giveaway. Ends Jan. 25th 

Click on link if you want you can see my full disclosure policy regarding giveaways.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway Winner.

All I can say is WOW this chalk paint is HOT STUFF!!  There were 171 entries and # 104 was the winner.  Thanks for entering everyone and I'm so excited to have new followers! 

I congratulated Karen and had to swing by her blog and what was the first thing I see....


YEP

A beautiful piece painted with chalk paint!

I LOOOOOOVVVVE this piece.  I know distressed furniture isn't for everyone, when I told my mom to enter the ASCP giveaway she told me that distressed furniture distresses her :-) but one great thing about the paint is you don't HAVE to distress your furniture after you paint it, just leave it solid!  I hope you try the paint out next time you need to paint a piece of furniture.  :-)  Let me know if I can answer any questions you have about it.

Anyway, stop by Karen's blog Never Enough Thyme Creations and look at more of her pieces, I was inspired. 

~ Creative Juices Decor~ Selina

American Clay–Enjarre Entire Main Level– More Pictures

Oh…….My…….Word…….

Yes I’m still talking about the clay because when I told you I was done with the it and gave you that nice before and after shot, I really wasn’t done because it is the Clay That Never Ends….

Want to know why?

1.) I decided to really get creative with the powder room (the guest bathroom)  Not a BRIGHT idea when really all that you should be thinking about is just FINISHING up the job. 

The end result was so worth it though!  If you want to see my amazing trick for hanging plates - be sure and click over!

2.) My hard working husband who works from home mentioned how much he would love a few of his office walls in the clay (how could I say no, even after 75 hours of hard labor???) 

Not the greatest photo - but it's a soft muted green called Savannah Moss

3.) My cool iron piece I bought had a mighty hard time fitting in the hole they made for it so basically they had to tear apart the wall opening  and push it in and have me make it look spectacular again.  (I won’t mention that while I was trying to make it look spectacular, white primer bled through where I blue taped and I had to meticulously scrape off small white spots on the black iron with an exacto knife.)

To make the clay butt up against the iron correctly took a LONG time!

WOWZERS!!!!  But I can officially say I AM DONE and my blister is no longer a blister but but a beautiful hard callus…..(I know, TMI)

For those that would like to know the clay colors I chose it was a mix of Calcite, Agate and Quartzine American Clay in the Enjarre finish.  With the white (Quartzine) I ended up putting over the two other colors with a skip trowel movement after I finished a section.  If you want to get a visual of the overall color, it is almost identical to Shaker Beige from Benjamin Moore.


UPDATE:  Want to see the FINISHED home?  Just click on HOME TOUR and see the rest!

French Furniture Painting w/ Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Blue

Do you guys like entering giveaways?  I try to enter them because wouldn’t it be fun to win?? Well I DID win some chalk paint from Southern Hospitality’s Blog by Stylish Patina the other day.  (super cool, I checked and I was 1 out of 250 – wow!) 

Anne Sloan Chalk Paint

So I get this chalk paint and wax in the mail and to be honest with you I had NO IDEA what this stuff even was???  I totally had to research on the internet and hope to find other blogs that have used it.  I did – actually a LOT of bloggers have written posts on it, one of my favorites was Perfectly Imperfect.  I guess this stuff is the HOT product on the market.

Want to know why?????

There is NO need for SANDING OR PRIMING your furniture piece before you start!!!

Yep you heard me right – you get to completely skip those LONG tedious steps!  I always felt so scared of painting furniture because I always thought I wouldn’t do it “correctly”.  I have spray painted a piece of furniture and it turned out fine by OH  MY WORD I thought the fuses from that spray can were going to kill me.  This chalk paint has very low VOC’s and actually hardly any fuming…..MUCH nicer!!!!

OK on to the pictures (pictures speak 1000 words – right??)

Adorable desk I found at the thrift store for $20.00 (it was pretty beat up and scratched)

Aren’t the side bookshelves unique!

And the French Distressed Painted with Chalk Paint AFTER shots!

Can I tell you it was fairly easy?  I know some of you are thinking – Hum, maybe easy for you BUT not for me! For a quick simple rundown I just painted it on (two coats, drying between) sanded the edges with a hand sanding block, and very sparingly rubbed (really working in) the soft wax it came with as a topcoat.  Totally doable for anyone (hey I’m trying to inspire you guys to try it yourself!)

Linking up to Southern Hospitality's fun Thrifty Find Party!

I’m sure I’ll do another piece soon, cause this stuff is fun!  Stay Tuned!

~CreativeJuicesDecor~