Game changer...

I've officially exercised my right as a woman...you know the one where we can change our minds at any time for any reason without warning?? One fateful trip to a TJ Maxx/Home Goods super store a few towns over and one inspirational rug later and I'm headed in a completely different direction than I anticipated. I'm not sure my photography skills (or lack there of) do it justice. I'm sure you are there questioning my choice in a dining room rug and asking if I realized this is more of a living room rug...the answer is yes but I can usually be found throwing caution to the wind when I get on one of my decorating whims...why stop now?

So, what is it about this particular rug that sucked me in? Maybe it is my personal affinity for all things paisley or the rich indigo blue in the background or the contrast of the pale glacier blue accents that wander aimlessly about...could be the way the great rusty reds and rich wheat browns outline the flowing paisley patterns wrapping delicately around pools of olive green and vanilla... Its like music to my eyes! 

Now that the rug is right at home in the dining room that is sitting in blank canvas state at present, I can start making some final decisions. The dining room itself is divided horizontally by stark white chair rail moldings with wide base board moldings with picture frame moldings between the two...did I mention there is also stark white crown molding outlining the top of the entire room -  a special thank you goes out to the  prior home owners since I never mastered those corner angle cuts with my miter saw. I use to just invest in those ready made decorative corner pieces that allow you to make nothing but a straight cut and skip that whole corner angle cutting business. Yes, the miter saw is mine and not my husbands...I bought it for myself. Hubby freaks out when I bust out the power tools. I think it's because he's scared of the tools...he says he's scared of me using the tools...whatever..I still have all 10 fingers and toes and have had stitches less than 10 times in my lifetime so that makes me a pro right? Needless to say. there are lots and lots of moldings which leaves very little wall space that will actually require painting. Because the painting will be limited to the space above the chair rail molding and below the crown molding I may brave a new painting technique. Denim anyone???

If you thought denim was just for jeans, think again. What could be better than bringing the worn-in look of your favorite comfy pair of jeans to your walls??  I can think of nothing I'd love more!!! 

Inspiration: Denim Painted Walls

The most common technique to achieve this look is a two layer paint process. Start with a nice pale base coat (glacier blue for me) then apply a top coat in a darker shade (mine would be the rich indigo blue from the rug's background). Then before the top coat dries you drag a “weaving” tool over the walls to give the finish a woven appearance like a real pair of jeans. I think I'll also interview a few paint counter consultants at my local Home Depot or Lowe's to see if they've any experience with the technique themselves just in case they have pointers...and this time I will make that trip alone as it looks like I'm going to need to make friends at the paint counter ...which means I won't go back to the store in Mocksville until they've had time enough to forget the incident from last Friday evening.  From the instructions I've found online for this technique, it really doesn't seem that hard...famous last words right?