The exterior lights to the guest cottage were looking tired and faded. What started as an easy DIY project now has me stumped about another. It seems like every time I start one project, it inevitably leads to ones I haven’t considered.

As you can see below, the exterior light fixtures to the guest house look like this. The original oil rubbed bronze finished has oxidized and faded over time.

I do like the classic shape of the lantern, which fits the quaint exterior of the guest cottage. Often I like the design of a light, but don’t like the finish. If you find a light you like, it is easy to change the appearance with paint.

After carefully removing the light (please make sure the power is OFF or have a licensed electrician do this), I cleaned it thoroughly. I did this by using water and a paper towel. Since the glass panels did not slide out, I carefully taped all the places that I wanted paint-free.

This is the most tedious part of the preparation, but it is better to prepare and prevent rather than repair and repent. I wasn’t quite sure of the color I wanted, so I painted them a Rust-oleum brown first and then lightly used an oil rubbed bronze spray over the brown.

After removing all the blue painters tape, the lights look brand new. I am please with the clean and fresh look.

Now the entrance looks a bit more perky.

I posted this project on HomeTalk and so far it has had nearly 10,000 views. To read the more detailed DIY on painting lighting fixtures, click here. However, one HomeTalk comment was “the lights look so good, is the mailbox next?”

Quite honestly, I never even noticed how sad the mailbox looks. It is a vintage box and I’ve haven’t seen another like it. But, the metal mailbox does look like the ugly sibling now. What should I do with it?

The gold-ish diamonds are also on the top of the box and a bit raised from the surface.

I like the design of the box because the front opens forward for you to reach your mail.

So what should I do to the mailbox? Leave it alone? Re-paint the black or another color? Paint the whole thing? Just give it a clear coat? If so, shiny or satin? I cannot remove the curlicue piece on the front as the rivets are welded in.

This mailbox does need a face lift! Please send me your thoughts as I’d love to wrap up this project this week. Since I received so many good ideas on my front door color request, I am hoping I can tap into your expertise on this one!

Have a wonderful Tuesday! To see more on this sweet guest cottage, click here.

First of all, thank you for all the wonderful front door color suggestions and comments! It is so enjoyable to hear your thoughts on yesterday’s blog post. I am so excited to start experimenting with different colors. More to come.

I find it so interesting that some areas of the country are still experiencing snow, where we are having our first taste of summer. This last week the temperatures have been over 100 degrees and I’m just not ready for the summer heat.

Summer, for most areas of the country, means bountiful gardens and outdoor entertaining. Here in Phoenix, it is the opposite. My garden, for the most part, goes fallow. The intense sun burns the plants (unless you have big, broad leaves for protection). And you cannot do anything outdoors in the Valley of the Sun unless it is early in the morning or late at night. The heat can be dangerous and the thought of laying out in the sun equals skin damage.

Typically the summer is also our monsoon season~sometimes with rain and other times not. Dust storms blow through and cover the land with a layer of dullness. So I am trying to cherish the last bits of our Spring, where the gardens and flowers are bountiful.

Since it’s been a bit of a stressful week for me, today’s blog post is all about beautiful pictures~~the Spring we dream of during the last, long sweltering days of summer.

These photos were taken with my iPhone, during my walkabout yesterday morning. No editing done. One of the positives about spending so much time at home, is I find myself really “looking” at things. In the past, I took these flowers for granted. But now I find wonder in focusing in on each and every one of them. Look at the depth of beauty in the purple pansy or the pale yellow orchid!

I cannot express how grateful I am to have a yard to enjoy. A place to walk barefoot in the grass. A respite from the world’s nastiness. Where I have so many fond memories of my children’s escapades.

With each week, another flower blooms as one dies. My beautiful bulb garden, which provides such joy and color, is now gone. But the roses are at their peak so I don’t mourn the loss of the tulips and iris.

In addition to the flowers, the trees in the orchard are heavy with fruit. Soon we will have peaches and apricots and apples. I still think it is VERY strange to be picking apples in June vs. the romantic notion of doing so on a crisp fall day.

During a tumultuous time, I need to seek a way to ground myself. I’ve decided, just by writing this post, that my two words for today are: Grace and gratitude. So grateful that we can connect via this blog and so grateful for you taking the time to write a comment. Your words of support and encouragement are priceless. Grace may take a little more effort for me!!! But like many things in life, it’s a work in progress.

Have a glorious Wednesday! What are your word(s) for today?

It appears I’m in a bit of a painting frenzy. Not the artwork kind of painting, but the “what needs painting next” kind of painting. Paint is one of those home improvement items that is rather affordable, easy to use and makes a significant impact.

Since the front porch is looking a bit tired, I am pondering ways to make some affordable improvements. I do believe it is time to re-think the color of the front door. Red seems appropriate as it is the complement to the dark green house trim. But it is time for something different.

Selecting Colors with Web Technology

Sherwin Williams has a color technology section on their website which allows you to “paint” different colors into your own photo. I uploaded a picture of the front door and began experimenting with different colors. How cool is this! It is ColorSnap Visualizer for the web and you can do an interior room or the exterior of your home.

With an icon, you “paint” the area you are interested in. You can choose up to 8 colors from the color charts on their website and create “My Color Palette”.

At the bar on the bottom of the screen, you can see the colors I selected to try~~black, dark green (like the trim), cayenne, sage, and two shades of blue.

I have always loved a high gloss black door with beautiful brass hardware. You see many of these in London. However, when I tried it on this software, the front door almost looks like a big black hole. And would the black be too dark against the green?

What if I were to paint the door the same as the trim color?

Sage green almost always looks so beautiful on doors, but not so sure on mine. Sorry for the blurry photo as I was taking pictures of my computer screen with my phone.

Several years ago I did have a French Blue door. I loved it! I was into all things French back then. Not sure I want to repeat it?

Here is the ColorSnap Visualizer with a few different shades of blue.

What if I just need a different color red?

Since our home is historical, I am pre-disposed to doing a color that will be appropriate for the age. Or do I? Should I consider a stain?

My confidence level is fairly low on selecting colors, so I would appreciate ANY feedback on this. I know many of your have a great eye for these things.

Our local Sherwin Williams has curbside pick up during the quarantine so I may start painting a few color patches and see what happens.

Have a beautiful Tuesday!

One of the activities I REALLY miss during quarantine, is taking my weekly art class. It is one of the few times where I carve out a few hours for myself to learn something new each week. However, during our hot summers, most people leave town and head for cooler country. So our classes are on pause for the summer.

My friend Janie recommended taking online classes with Kelli Folsom. Kelli Folsom is an academically trained artist working exclusively from life in oils. She creates museum quality paintings combining an old master feel with rich color and painterly brushstrokes.

So last summer, I signed up for her weekly classes which occur every Friday. For a monthly fee, the classes are dropped into my email inbox and I can access them whenever I’d like. The monthly charge is $29.99.

However, I haven’t been disciplined to paint every Friday and I’ve only watched a few of Kelli’s videos. So yesterday, it was time to dedicate the afternoon to a Kelli Folsom video.

Art Life with Kelli is the name of her website. Kelli is very engaging and if you love still life paintings, you will enjoy her website. Click here for more information.

This week’s lesson is about tulips. Kelli paints from a live setup and here is a photo of her subject. The lesson is approximately 30-35 minutes long.

Here is Kelli via my iPad. You can see the tulips behind her.

Even though I signed up for this weekly art class to learn more about oils, the lesson doesn’t go into detail about oil paints. You need to have a good working knowledge of oils beforehand. But like most things, I fell back onto what I am most comfortable with, so I used acrylic paints for this session.

Kelli divides her canvas into sections with strokes from her brush. Being a geometric thinker, I have success in dividing the image beforehand. I print out a color copy and then measure the image into thirds in each direction. Using a white pencil, I can now paint this image to scale.

After applying Gesso to my canvas, I am ready to start painting. The canvas is 12″ x 12″.

Unlike oils, acrylic paint dries very quickly. You cannot move the paint around like you can with oils. I did mark where the tulips would be on the canvas and the scale of the vase.

What I like about Kelli’s lessons is that she will focus on a topic. This lesson is specifically how to paint tulips~~the shapes, the colors, and the petal luminescence.

Painting glass is a bit challenging. You cannot paint clear but need to capture the essence of glass.

Here is the finished version of Kelli’s of tulips in a glass vase. You can see her use of rich color and broad brushstrokes.

And here is my painting, which is quite different from hers.

There is quite a bit of noodling to do, but I am pleased with the direction I am going. Now if I can only commit to doing this every Friday afternoon, I believe I would improve my ability. I may try to do this painting again, but with oils to see if it is any easier.

Do you belong to an online educational program? I really struggle with putting time aside for myself so if you have any tips on how to do that, I would greatly appreciate it!

We are experiencing high temperatures here. Had to finally turn on our air conditioner as they are predicting more heat for the coming week. Summer cannot be here already!!! Have a fabulous Saturday!

To see previous posts about my art journey, see below.

Update on My Artist Endeavors

Latest Painting Class

Update on My Painting Journey

In retrospect, I wish I was spending more time reading during our sheltering in place. But our weather is beautiful and so many projects just need accomplishing. But languishing in a soft and comfy chair, lost in a book taking you to other places, sounds like the right remedy for our stressful times.

It has been a while since I posted about the books I am reading. Last August was the last time I shared my summer reading. If you missed that post, click here.

Author Rhys Bowen doesn’t disappoint. I just love how she writes as it is effortless for my eyes to flow over her sentences. She has such a gift for creating passages you can see visually in your head. The Victory Garden takes place during the Great War in Devonshire, England. The main character, Emily, is determined to contribute to the war effort and you will experience joy, sorrow, friendship and superstition during her journey.

When I find an author I love, I consume each and every book they have written. As you may recall from one of my previous posts, I am a character in the latest release of Rhys Bowen’s Book, Above the Bay of Angels. Again, I highly recommend her books. In addition to stand alone stories, she has a few series that were equally delightful.

If you are looking for a mystery or thriller, I recently discovered Mark Edwards. He writes stories where scary things happen to ordinary people. The first book that I read is The Magpies. The beginning is full of optimism as a young couple moves into their first home together. But then strange things start to happen…

Here is another novel from Mark Edwards, Because She Loves Me. It is a gripping tale of jealously, obsession and murder.

It is obvious I was on a binge of psychological thrillers. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is set in an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands. A group of friends from Oxford get together to celebrate the New Year and there’s a blizzard. And a death.

If you like art galleries, small towns and a brutal murder, the The Last Day by Luanne Rice is for you.

I first discovered Natalie Banks on Instagram. We exchanged a few messages and as a result, I purchased her book, The Water is Wide. The book is set in lovely North Carolina and is filled with love, loss and mystery. I’m still pondering the ending, but I am willing to read another novel by this author.

My dear friend and author, Barbara Hinske, recommended her writing friend, Judith Keim. Since I love books in beautiful environments, I was excited to start Judith’s Chandler Hill Inn series Book 1, Going Home. The setting is Willamette Valley in Oregon. You can’t go wrong with vineyards, wine, love, luck and loss. By the way, please check out Barbara Hinske’s books. Here is a link to her website.

When we take long car drives, we listen to books on Audible. Unspeakable Things, by Jess Lourey is based on a true story from the author’s home town. This a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.

Another Audible book, which at times was difficult to listen to, is Dr. Laura’s The Proper Care & Feeding of Marriage. Dr. Laura is brutally frank and honest about the roles we play in our marriage. Both husband and wife have power in the relationship, and each needs to realize this in order to ensure personal satisfaction. It may not be for everyone and some of it was hard to hear. But like most things in life you can garner gems and make improvements.

So what are you reading? Do you prefer hard copies, Kindle version or audible ones? And by the way, I am not sure it is obvious, but I try to provide links to access these books/products so you don’t have to go searching the internet. The link should be highlighted in the post’s copy. My husband said it is hard to see on his mobile version. If that is the case, please let me know and I’ll see if someone can resolve that.

In the meantime, Happy Wednesday and Happy Reading!

Heart Shaped tea bags are from Brin d’Aromes; her IG account is brindaromes. I ordered these at Valentine’s Day but I cannot locate her website.

Building the Pool House

Welcome to Chapter 4 of The Restoration Chronicles! I love a good Before and After story and we have many of those here at Bella Terra. I hope you have read the previous chapters where construction of the kitchen/basement, back terrace, and master suite additions to our historic 1912 home have started.

Quite frankly, I have no recollection of making the decision that we needed a new building by the pool. But with two toddlers and a baby on the way, there is much during that time that I don’t remember.

However, there was an existing ramada hidden under all the foliage to the west of the pool. Initially we didn’t even know it was there. It was so rotted and overgrown that it had to be demolished.

Working with an experienced architect (Cathy Hayes of Hayes Studios), we designed the building with the same architectural elements as the main house~~green tile roof, window accents, and overhanging eaves. Again, we used Marvin Windows and Ludowici historical roof tile.

Since we already had a guest cottage, the City of Phoenix doesn’t allow you to have additional guest quarters. Therefore, the architect listed the rooms as Game Room, Exercise Room, and Hall with two covered patios. There is a total of 845 livable square feet and 345 square feet of covered patios.

I don’t have any pictures of early construction, but here you can see the pool house prior to stucco and paint. Much of the new construction was occurring simultaneously and I am assuming I was off solving other problems vs. taking photos.

Family Life

In the middle of all of this, we welcomed our third child into the world, a baby girl, Elisabeth! Unfortunately, her clavicle broke during birth, but she’s healthy and has a sweet nature . We are all still living in the double wide trailer. Sigh.

For the most part the pool house has been for guest. But when the children were teens, we splurged and made it their space. It is heavily used when the children come home as it is still a gathering place with their friends.

Pool House Details

There is an outdoor shower, which I just love. There is something about showering outside in the privacy of all the foliage. Plus a great stop to rinse off after swimming in the pool.

Where the “Hall” is located, there is plumbing for a full kitchen if one is required in the future. I put primitive pine cabinets in place for storage and also to hide the plumbing. Hardwood flooring is throughout. The window over the sink overlooks the hen house and garden.

Here is a glimpse of the bedroom. There are two antique beds that can be pushed together for a king-size one if needed. We had the walls faux painted back in the day when that was in style. Not sure if I will re-paint, but I’ve held off doing a detailed post on the interior until I decide.

The bathroom is a good size and has access to the outdoor shower.

Here is the view out of the pool house’s front French doors.

The pool house is the perfect place for our out-of-town guests. It is completely private with a spacious living area to relax. During this quarantine, I may just spend a weekend out there to feel like I am getting away!

I hope you enjoyed the latest edition of our home restoration journey. If you haven’t read the previous chapters of The Restoration Chronicles, click here for Chapter 1; here for Chapter 2 and here for Chapter 3.

My goal this week is to finish some already started projects. I need to have sense of completion……on something!

What projects are you working on? I really miss painting and hope to get some art time in this week too. Have a wonderful Tuesday.