Just a taste...

For proof that I've been busy painting I wanted to post some of these before and after pictures I took from just my hall.  The rest of the house is still a work in progress with decorating (or I can't find the "before" picture!) but this gives you an idea of what I've been up to the last couple of months!
Throughout the entire main living area of my house we have a beautiful chair rail that has a little darker color on bottom and a lighter color on top.  The colors always had kind of a greenish undertone to me, which I am not a huge fan of.  I was given the go ahead to repaint as long as it stayed neutral, so colors were up to me.  While I appreciated that, picking colors is SERIOUSLY the hardest part of the project in my opinion!  I second (and third and fourth) guess myself during the whole process, and I have to admit, even after it was all done it still took a couple of weeks for me to feel completely happy and satisfied.  What can I say, I'm my own worst critic!  Anyway, here is a good picture that compares what I started with to the finished product...

You don't realize how nasty and dinged up your walls are until you start taking pictures!  I couldn't believe how it looked until I did!  I knew there were a few areas that were bad, but c'mon, some of this is down right gross!! 

Better Before

And after! LOVE!

 And my favorite part was getting rid of the white paint that I had left on the walls when I repainted the trim last summer!

SO glad to see that gone!
This picture gives you an idea of the color I was working with.  Next to the new color it looked REALLY green.  I'm pleased with the change.

My favorite part was getting to FINALLY put up the "Masterpieces" wall I have had envisioned for months. 

 

My sister gave me this awesome vinyl (as seen on Pinterest) at Christmas time, and I had two of these frames already... pair that with my burlap obsession and I'd say it turned out pretty cute!  I love being able to switch out the different projects, and E loves seeing his art work on display as he comes out of his room!  He will pick one project out to talk about and relive the experience, which I think is really neat!
So there you have it!  A little glimpse as to why I have been MIA, and a taste of the fun things I've been up to!  It has really been quite the undertaking of projects, but has made this deployment fly by!  With my countdown to A returning and baby brother coming, I assure you more of these posts will be happening as things are completed!  I, myself, am looking forward to the "finished" product!!