my first Monet

Okay, so it was not really a Monet, but it was starting to feel like one. If you have ever seen "Clueless" you know what I am talking about... "Seen from far away, it's okay; but up close, it's a big ol' mess". For that reason, I have named this piece Amber.

I had been looking forward to completing this sideboard I picked up in December. GASP! Has it really been that long? Anyway, as I started out in the morning it was a perfect day for painting...60, partly cloudy and no wind. Of course D had to go and mention that. I sanded, I primed, I had lunch, and then I went to paint. (using all my favorites of course!) The wind had picked up and it was turning my excitement into sheer frustration. The blasts of wind were causing drip marks, uneven coverage and random yard items to stick to the wet paint. Apparently Mother Nature was upset with the 8 trees we had removed from our yard last week, and she was letting me know it. Not to let her get to me, I did what I could to fix the mess but it only made things worse.

I decided to go the ole fashion route and use a brush and can. I figured that as long as I could get an even coat of paint, the glaze that I was planning using would be enough to cover some of the blemishes. Of course by this point I was so annoyed that D helped me out. With his help, the paint looked so much better and we worked as a team spreading the glaze. I am so thrilled with the results!




I love how much the details pop with the glaze!




Amber and I have come to terms of some sort, as she sits pretty in our dining room for the time being. Unfortunately the space I had all picked out for her has since been taken over by a large hutch we "inherited" from my mom last weekend. I am hoping we can get the muscle to get the hutch upstairs and Amber can take reign in the Living Room.

Here is before I started sanding (minus the drawers of course). I honestly think it looks better in the picture than it did in real life.


Notice all the paint splatters, including pink and purple? While sanding, I also seemed to wake up some ground in glitter.


After a light coat of spray primer...

new name

I decided to start to an Etsy store to sell some of the vintage items we have acquired. Most everything was either from family members, or things I find in my various excursions. In doing so, I thought my blog name should match and didn't think WI Epicurean was the right fit.

So here it is... ViennaCourt. For those wondering, the title photo is of the Vienna Court Opera, 1902. (I love the twin yellow dresses)

I will post again when I have the Etsy store all ready to go.

Eureka! That's it!

Today I had an epiphany! For a couple months years, I have been trying to finish decorating our bedroom. I realized a while ago that a part of my lack of motivation was because the bedroom was also a mess. There are constantly baskets of laundry to be put away and always a variety of things tossed about. This mostly comes from the fact that we just don't have a large enough closet in our master bedroom. In fact, the walk-in in one of the other bedrooms is actually larger than ours (I do store some of my off-season clothes there).

Today, while flipping through the October Country Living, it hit me. Turn one of the spare rooms into a giant walk in closet. This way, our bedroom can be a place of peace, instead of constant clutter. Simplified with only a bed, nightstands and a chair or two.

Lucky for me D was on board with this immediately. I am pretty sure I have suggested this in the past, but this time he agreed that it was not worth keeping two guest rooms for the 2-3 weeks per year that it's used. Really, that bed is usually covered anyway with our luggage and such from our regular packing and unpacking.

And so it began... my mind started racing with ideas with the things we will need. I already have a floor length mirror in the garage waiting to be painted. Along with several dressers that might be able to serve duty as a island in the center of the room. I look forward to using that as a place for packing as well.

I also started thinking to all the CL items I came across in my searches earlier today....

an apothecary cabinet as an island?


I had also been drawn to this cane back chair, but didn't know where I could put it. Now I do! A little coat of white and some fabric... can you just see it?


a lawyer bookcase for shoes?


Some other things to look for...
a round ottoman
a wardrobe/armoire or two


Here is some of my inspiration:











I love Fergie's Ottoman!



I am off to scour Craigs List!