The Fireplace That Took Years To Paint

When we first moved into our house I swore I wanted to paint the fireplace right away. Fast forward seven plus years later and it still sat in the original red brick glory.  Now it is also four kids later, and I get an itch to paint it after seeing a 40% off sale email from Sherwin Williams in my inbox at a 3am feeding.

Here is a picture of the fireplace prior to painting. 

We first wiped down the fireplace with Simple Green, and then dried it off with a towel.  I purchased the masonry primer from Sherwin-Williams that was approximately $54 a gallon prior to the sale discount. It took a half a gallon for the size fireplace we have.  You must wait 24 hours prior to painting. I assumed we wouldn't tackle this project any time soon, but Rob got started as soon as Wynn and I got home with the paint.  The new paint job is Davis approved.

Then we used the same colors we have in our master bedroom to paint our family room.  The fireplace was painted with Sherwin-Williams Amazing Gray along with three walls. The wall adjacent to the fireplace and behind our bookcases was painted with Anonymous Gray.  It took approximately one coat on top of the primer using a roller. We used a brush to get any deeper sections of brick that needed to be coated better.  We used their Harmony line with no VOC's in the paint.  

Now the mantel really stands out and does not blend into the brick.  I was so happy that Rob did this project and painted all the walls in this room in a day and a half.  The next weekend he even took out our ugly florescent box lights and put in some recessed lighting.    Who knew you could get more done in the house with four kids versus zero?

Fall Wreath and the New Addition

I have been missing in action over the past several weeks. I did actually have a really good reason to be. On August 12th, I gave birth to our fourth child. Our newest addition is our sweet little boy who weighed close to ten pounds. My biggest baby by far. I'm not quite sure how he got that big considering I moved more and had most of my meals eaten by two growing one year olds. It feels like he has already been a part of the family. I am sharing a cute little picture of him at the bottom of this post. 

Well, I really wanted to incorporate a new color scheme to my fall decor. I picked up some navy chevron burlap ribbon from Michaels. Using a straw wreath with the plastic covering still in place I wrapped the wreath with the burlap ribbon. Then I took the fall themed arrangement from Michaels and attached it to the wreath with floral wire. 

I made a simple bow from burlap ribbon and brown satin ribbon to top off the wreath. I wanted simple and sweet, and something I could make between feeding the baby. Although, this one was also made with the twins hovering at my feet wondering what I was doing and asking all sorts of questions.

Glad to have something on our front door that says we are ready for the change in season. Even though this week we are still going to be in the low nineties and high eighties temperature wise. Have a great week!

Now here is the picture I promised I would share of our sweet boy.

Playroom Rug Pad Review

I had purchased an indoor/outdoor rug for the playroom for several reasons. It is usually quite less expensive than a traditional rug for the size I needed, and it seems to be a lot easier to clean.  Plus, if the kiddos destroy it down the road I will not cry over it. The only issue we have had with it so far is that it moves around when they run. It sits directly on the laminate floor Rob installed, which is extremely slippery with just the rug itself sitting on the floor.  I had a rug pad sitting in my cart  on Amazon for a few months.   It just seemed to be something I never remembered to actually purchase.

I was approached by a client care specialist from RugPadUSA and they offered to send us a rug pad for us for a review. We were provided with a rug pad that was specifically cut to the dimensions of our rug.  I needed a rug pad that was 7 feet by 11 feet, and they cut it down an inch all away around to ensure it would fit properly.

We were able to navigate their site very easily, and it was quite nice that they have everything separated based on the type of flooring you will need the pad to be placed upon.  We chose the the Premium Lock rug pad because it was rated a 5 out of 5 on their site based on cushion, durability and grip. All three major considerations for us when choosing a pad for the playroom especially.

The rug pads are all made in the USA, and this particular rubber backing is guaranteed not to break apart. There is a 20 year warranty, and I am quite sure that this may out last the use of the playroom.

When we received the rug pad we were able to unroll it and put in in place quickly. Then the the kiddos ran all over it. It did not budge, and it was quite evident under our bare feet that the 1/3" thickness added quite a bit of cushion. Before the rug really did not have much comfort due to it being an indoor/outdoor rug.  Here is additional proof that this rug is actually more comfortable now with the pad from RugPadUSA.  A sleeping dog while the kids are running around the room throwing blocks.

Thank you RugPadUSA for providing us with this great addition to the playroom. Sometimes it is the things you do not actually see that are the most helpful and useful in the space. We highly recommend this company for their product and their customer service if you are in the market for a great rug pad for any area rug in your home.