Ok now... the saga of the dining room shall proceed.

I'm back!

So soon?

Yes, you're stuck with me.

Unless of course you unsubscribe to this blog.  In which case you won't have to experience visual pollution like the picture I just posted of my sunburned, keyhole-sportsbra-imprinted back.  Might be a good idea to go ahead and click "Remove" in your RSS feed right about now.

Still here?  Well, then don't say you haven't been warned.

Let's take a peek at the dining room transformation, shall we?

I couldn't have done one single iota of this project without my dear dad!  He's quite the handyman and (for whatever reason) was willing to trek his sweet, handy little patootie all the way down to Little Rock to help me carry out this hair-brained scheme.

Here's the inspiration I was working off of.  I love the designs of The Lettered Cottage.  Check them out!  (The Before & Afters are captivating!)

I love this room.  Love it love it love it!

It makes me feel like I live in a cottage somewhere far away where life is simple and food comes from the ground instead of the shelf at Kroger.  (No offense Kroger... you're still my soul mate.)

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So I broke down some of the simple elements of this room that spoke to me and applied them to my own dining room.  I chose a very soft, muted teal for the walls.  (It leans to the gray/green side of things.  It's very Martha-esque.)  It's Valley Mist by Behr if you want to copy!

But the big cottage element I loved was the white wood planking along the walls.

So I enlisted dad to help me re-create the look.

I went to Home Depot during every lunch break for a week.  I measured my wall, I measured my window, I calculated how many planks I'd need.  And I bought them.

Dad took care of the rest!

Dad brought things like paint brushes to my house.  He helped me do this the smart way by painting the corners of the room with a brush first, (because obviously we'd have trouble reaching them once the planks were nailed up.)  He also (brilliantly) remembered that we needed to unscrew and pull the electric sockets out a 3/4 inch and re-screw them on outside the wood planks.  Genius, that guy!

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Dad also brought things like saws to my house.  

Two to be exact.  One for "across" cuts, and one for "length-wise" cuts.  I now know how to use a buzz saw.  Be very afraid.  

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And did you know that using a nail gun requires that you have an air-compressor?  

Because I didn't know that and I certainly didn't have my own air compressor!  

Good thing dad knew to bring one.

Why yes!  I AM aware that my dad looks like George Clooney.  Thanks for noticing.  :)

~

So... bright and early on Good Friday morning (I was off work) dad and I shooed Superman off to work and set out to Home Depot to pick up my paint and lumber.

Once home, Dad blew me away with his first of many acts of brilliance.  See, I (being the expert measurer that I am) knew that the area underneath my window is exactly four inches.  Since the planks were three inches wide, I had already reasoned that we'd have to get a 1-inch plank for the very bottom of the wall and put a 3-inch plank above it.

Dad had a better idea.

"That'll look tacky," he said, "Let's do this instead."

Did I mention I'm glad he agreed to do this?

What a smarty!  This did look WAAAAY better.

~

Throughout the day, as dad nailed up the planks, I pulled staples from the other wood planks with pliers (a job I rather adored... it reminded me of plucking eyebrows.  I love the satisfaction of prying a really stubborn one out!)  And I painted the trim of the other three walls with my lovely Valley Mist paint.  

When my beloved got home from work (just after noon), we dragged him into the fury and started him rolling the walls with paint.

I love the color.  It just screams "Martha" to me.  Or Candice Olson.

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The lower planks took dad awhile because he had to cut around the window frame and electrical outlets.  But once he got past those... he just sped the rest of the way!

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Finally it was time to whip out the white paint and lay it on the wood!  It really soaked the paint up and the evening was closing in, so we left the second coat and edges for another day.

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I am SO pleased with the almost-finished product.

The room looks ten times lighter and more sophisticated!  (Remember though: It's still a work in progress.  I still need to go back and finish all the nooks and crannies with white.)

And this is without furnishings.  I can't wait to get my hutch back in, put up long sheer curtains, find a table, hang art, and change out that ceiling fan for a light fixture.  It's going to be awesome.

In the words of Toby the cute little turtle from Robin Hood the cartoon, "Yay Dad!!!"
~

Update:  As of Summer 2012, the dining room has acquired a table and furniture (thanks to the Midtowne Antique Mall in Little Rock, and the Olde Good Things store in Scranton, PA.)  Chairs to come!