occasions event design

Last weekend, I went to Tennessee to visit my grandmother with my family. She asked my dad and I to paint her patios. The rugs she used to cover the ugly concrete only lasted for two years so she wanted something more permanent. She has a beautiful Japanese garden in her back yard and Oriental antiques and accents all throughout her house so we continued that theme with a bamboo pattern. We used water based concrete stain and then sealed them once they were dry. Pictures below!

This is the small patio before we painted it. Isn't Jasper a cutie?

Here is a shot of the small patio after we finished. I drew the design on freehand with chalk and then we stained around it. We left the leaves and part of the border the natural concrete color which will deepen over time.

We used black and white concrete paint to accent the design.

Before shot of the large patio.

We mixed two colors of concrete stain together to create this color which mimics the rocks.

Another shot of the big patio.

Anyone can make their patio look much better using concrete stain, brushes, and a little creativity.

Instead of watching t.v. or spending money out on the town, why don’t you and your sweetie play a friendly game of checkers?

I have had this table for a while and recently decided it needed some decoration. I measured out and penciled in a chess/checkers game board. I then used wood stain to color every other square. I also stained the outside edge of the table a darker brown for some contrast. You could use any size table you have and use paint if you don’t want the trouble of refinishing the table. Target has some small parsons  side tables that would work perfectly. If you are unsure about what kind of paint to use, take the table to your local hardware or paint store. They will help you out. Once you are done you have a beautiful table and a game board that can never get lost or broken.

I picked the pieces up at CVS. I thought they were pretty boring, so I painted them with acrylic paints. I love the blue and purple now. Just make sure you can tell the difference between the pieces if you paint them. I also love the idea of using sea shells or fancy buttons as game pieces.

Once everything has dried, you are ready to play a game. Watch out though, it can get very competitive!

I like to hit up the local thrift and consignment stores regularly. You never know what you might find. Here are some of my recent purchase (all for less than 10 dollars!)

I repainted the edges of this tray because it was looking a bit shabby. I think it turned out well. I love the detail on the handles!

Little trays and boxes are great for hiding and organizing all the stuff that comes with being a girl. They really dress up a chest of drawers and make the whole room look more elegant.

I am pretty much obsessed with this metal box.

Here is a sneak peek of a project I am currently working on for Beaufort Catering. Wouldn’t this be cute as a note card or on an apron?