Up in the sky

One thing I've never really thought of before is the idea of painting a ceiling something other than plain old white. It seems like this is a growing trend lately, and I'm seeing it more and more often on other blogs and on home decorating TV shows.

The first example I saw was earlier in the summer over at Between Naps on the Porch. Susan talked about a color commonly found on porches in the South called "haint blue." People would use this color on their porch ceilings to keep haints, or ghosts, from coming in (according to superstition, they can't cross water - the blue confused them and kept them out).

Since then, I've seen it in several other places and the look is definitely growing on me! I'm really tempted to try it in my home, but I have a feeling that Mr. Porter would frown upon that - he's definitely a traditionalist and set in his ways about what is "right" in home decor. I'll try to change his mind, but until then I'll have to be content with looking at pictures of other painted ceilings.

How gorgeous is that last one? If I had a porch, I would definitely jump on this bandwagon. Maybe someday! 

Window Mirror Makeover

Like I said in my last post, I haven't been around much lately to post - but that doesn't mean I've stopped reading other blogs. On the contrary, I have more ideas and inspiration than ever.

My big project as of late has been refinishing an old windowpaned mirror. I got it for $0.50 at a garage sale right before my son was born. The paint was peeling and the mirrors were dirty and dusty, but I could see the promise in it. My plan was to refinish it for his room (to go with a nautical theme) or our guest room. It's been sitting in my garage just waiting for some love and a new face.

I don't have a picture of the 'before' but this is what it looks like now. You can see the original white paint on the bottom of the frame - it's actually been a pretty tough job to get that last part sanded down! I don't have a lot of upper body strength, but I'm putting as much elbow grease as I can into it. It's taking a while, but I'm proud to say I've done everything own my own so far, with no help from Mr. Porter!

Also, Pinterest has exploded into the blogosphere and that has only fueled my creativity. (Click here to follow my pins.) I've found so many inspiration pieces for this that I like, but they're all pulling me in different directions.

A nice distressed blue (or white or gray would look nice too)

I like this mirror with a simple stain more than I thought I would

I could attach coat hooks on the bottom of the shelf

or distress it to be nice & chippy

I'm not even sure I'll end up keeping it, so I don't want to do anything too dramatic that might make it hard to sell. My biggest problem is that I'm indecisive to a fault...so tell me what you think! How would you paint this mirror?

I'm linking up with...

Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Night Special

It's So Very Cheri - It's Party Time