When my eldest daughter heads off to college, it is a good opportunity to update her room with a more sophisticated look.  It is painted a pretty green and has all the makings of a young teenage girl’s room. As I consider different paint colors, would you ever paint a bedroom black?

The Before

Why Black?

In addition to green, her favorite color is black.  Hmmm. I do need to think this through. Painting her room black is a bold move.  But we have light floors (Canadian beechwood) and lots of white trim (baseboards, windows, doors, crown molding)…..to help break up any large expanse of black. So I take the leap!

When you first walk in, there are two arched windows overlooking the front yard. Without altering the window shape, new replacement windows from Marvin are added during the original restoration. They open in two ways~by swinging wide open or tipping into the room for top only ventilation.

These windows face east and get the beautiful morning light with an expansive outdoor view. Unfortunately I did not take pictures of the painting process, but here you can see the results.

Making Green and White work

I want to keep her green desk chair and furniture but finding fabric that combined THIS green, black and white is a bit of a challenge.

We’ve never had curtains on these windows. It took some time to figure out how to add curtains without hiding the beautiful window design.

After much pondering, I finally decide to do one big curtain panel. The large drapery pulls across both windows and tucks to one side when not in use. It has a black-out liner so my daughter is finally able to sleep in a fully dark room.

This panel is made by Smith & Noble, using their designer fabric line, Madcap Cottage.  I recommend getting a fabric sample and fortunately, this sample did match the black and green perfectly. The pattern is a bit of unconventional but playful and their turnaround time for delivery is less than 2 weeks!

The best location for her bed is in the alcove that has a port hole window.  The headboard and wall lamp are from Joss & Main; the duvet cover from West Elm.  I made the bed skirt with leftover Waverly fabric I found in the basement. The matching decorative pillow with Madcap Cottage fabric is also made by Smith and Noble.

En Suite Bathroom

Her bathroom needs a facelift too.  The original restoration is from 2001 and therefore it’s time for an update. We replace the tile countertop with a Carrera marble slab and repaint the base cabinet semi-gloss black.  The wall paint changes from green to a crisp white.

Since posting this we experience a major plumbing leak and use this opportunity to re-tire her bathroom floor with Carrera marble tiles.

Now the ensuite bathroom’s decor flows nicely with the bedroom.

Other Black Room Ideas

The Spruce has a great article about Beautiful Black Room ideas and you can find it here.

Now when my daughter comes home to visit, she enjoys an updated, more sophisticated room.  Though it was a big leap of faith to paint this room black, the overall feel is quiet elegance and chic. I am very happy with the results and glad we took the leap.

Desk and chair: Ikea

Door, window, trim color:  Van de Cane DEW354 (a Dunn-Edwards paint but created by Sherwin-Williams)

Wall Color:  Sherwin-Williams Caviar 6990

Drapery Rod and C-hooks: Smith & Noble

Fabric: Hello Hidcote/Nightfall (17910) by Madcap Cottage

Artwork: Original drawings by my daughter

Another rainy and chilly few days here in the Valley of the Sun. My garden is very happy about the additional moisture and of course, the cooler temperatures are always appreciated. Happy St. Patrick’s Day weekend! Tonight we are hosting a dinner party celebrating our daughter, Julianna’s 27th birthday. I will be serving my two favorite recipes which I did share with you this week. Welcome to another Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good things this week.

Hosting a Cocktail Mixer

As you may know, I sit on the board for our neighborhood association. This week we hosted a cocktail mixer to introduce people to the association and recruit new board members. With about 40 people attending, I am hoping a caterer will help out with hors d’oeuvres, however, my favorite person is not available.

Using the large round wooden board from Sur La Table, with the help of Costco and Safeway, I create a charcuterie board using cheeses, meats, fruits, nuts and crackers.

Nasturtiums are abundant in the garden right now, and it’s amazing how a pop of color can take your charcuterie board up a notch.

Store-bought French macarons from Costco and lemon yogurt covered pretzels from Safeway make for a colorful Spring dessert tray.

This is the first time buying the Green Chili Chicken Firecrackers from Costco. A quick bake in the oven, it’s always nice to serve a warm/hot appetizer. By cutting them in half, this became a one-bite finger food. I didn’t try them but the tray was nearly empty, so I’m guessing they tasted good.

No photographs but in addition, there is a vegetable tray with hummus dip, fresh shrimp on ice with cocktail sauce, small bowls of cashews, garlic herb almonds and salt and vinegar potato chips.

All in all a very productive and fun meeting.

Gardening Update

This week I plant 6 brand new San Marzano tomato plants. I love this variety of tomatoes as it makes the best sauce. Five out of the 6 plants are missing….just gone. What? For years now, I have grown tomato plants and the critters have never expressed any interest in them. Who/What is eating my tomato plants?

Scattering seeds this week in the garden. I love growing chamomile for its delicate flower and scent~wonderful to dry or make tea. Even though the growing season for chervil is short, it makes a tasty salad.

The castor bean seeds are a new experiment and not even sure it will grow here. Now in doing some research apparently the seed and leaves can be really toxic so I may pull the plants if they grow. Here I thought castor beans = castor oil, all good for you, right? Geez. Not the brightest thing I’ve done.

Do You Take Magnesium?

Gaia Herbs posts an informative article about magnesium. Do you take this mineral that supports muscles and bones, energy, brain function, and so much more? Here is the article and it appears I need to do further research about this.

Currently, I take Magnesium Lactate as this was recommended to me after having low magnesium via a hair mineral analysis years ago. Taking a bath and using Epsom salts is another way to absorb magnesium into your body. Will do a deeper dive and let you know what I discover.

From the Internet

With warmer weather prompting Spring growth, it is also weed season. Stacy from Bricks ‘n Blooms has a very informative post about Homemade Weed Killer and other natural ways to kill weeds.

If you are using weed killers with glyphosate, there is evidence of its connection with cancer. With so many chemicals in our gardening world, please find an organic way to control weeds.

This time of year I love to tackle small Spring cleaning projects. Barbara from Mantel and Table will get you motivated to clean out your linens drawer(s) with her post on Storing Napkins~How to Organize a Beautiful Linen Drawer.

Do you stop for roadside freebies? I am guilty of doing so with this set of Adirondack chairs. Check out how my friend, Rachel from the Ponds Farmhouse transforms these resin planters into DIY faux Concrete ones. It’s probably good that Rachel and I do not live near each other! Ha!

Since my goal is to always post beautiful things, I consider this next post valuable to keep all of us safe. Since I drive a very old car, I don’t have a wireless or remote starter to the ignition. But since many of you do, please read this very informative article for your own personal safety and to prevent your car being stolen while pumping gas.

Mary’s Must Haves

If you have the sourdough bread making bug, then this starter set is a must have for your baking. It is 27% off this week at $39.99. Not baking sourdough bread yet? This is also a great gift for someone who does.

Speaking of bread, my sweet friend and neighbor, Tevia, ordered some dehydrated sourdough starter from the internet and shared some with me this week. Yes, you can order starter from around the world and rehydrate it.

There is one that is several decades old from San Francisco, and with it I make this nice looking loaf of cheddar, rosemary and garlic bread. I will post this recipe shortly~it’s a family favorite. It is fun to experiment with different starters.

Cake Pans

After purchasing my favorite cake cookbook, Layered, I realize that I do not have good cake pans. Yesterday, in making the London Fog cake (a request from my daughter, Julianna, for her birthday), I want to share these cake pans that I love.

The cake recipe requires three 8″ round cake pans and these from Fat Daddies do not disappoint. It’s amazing that just having the right equipment makes such a difference in the success of the recipe.

I am in the process of trying to consolidate all my Mary’s Must Haves. There will be tab at the top of my home page where you will be able to find all the items and their associated links. Hope to have that complete in a week or two.

Tonight, for the birthday celebration for our daughter’s 27th birthday (which is actually on St. Patrick’s Day), I am busy in the kitchen making 2 Guinness beef pies, a Bailey’s Irish Creme cheese cake, my favorite arugula salad and of course, the London Fog birthday cake.

On Sunday, I am doing a 5k/10k with said daughter in order to work off some of the calories from the night before!

Next week, we are heading to Virginia to pick up our new puppy. I am not sure if I will have the opportunity to post, but I hope to share pictures of our journey (and our new little fella) along the way.

Until we chat again, have a wonderful weekend, a fun St. Patrick’s Day and we will connect soon!

Just a reminder that any words that are italicized bring you to the source. If it is a product on Amazon, please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you purchase something through my website, I receive a small (very small!) stipend, which doesn’t affect the price you pay at all. My goal is to make sourcing the items easy for you. Thank you for your continued support.

Even though the ground hog states we are getting an early spring, it still feels like winter here~cold, rainy, and windy. Below is a stunning picture my neighbor shared of a rainbow after Wednesday’s storm. The mountains are getting lots of snow and with this colder weather, soups and stews are on the menu every day. Happy weekend and welcome to another edition of Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good things.

Baby Chicks

After 3 plus weeks in a cage on the breakfast room table, the 15 new chickens are ready to go out to the hen house. Baby chicks are so cute the first week or so, but by week 3 they get a little fragrant.

Since we designed the hen house (see hen house post here) to have a separate section for new chickens, we did some work this week getting it ready for their arrival.

In this section of the hen house, all the hay is removed and the floor, roosting perch and laying boxes are thoroughly cleaned using a steam cleaner. This small portable one is perfect for this task. To learn more about this steam cleaner, click here.

Now clean and with fresh hay, half of the hen house is ready for the new flock. Of course their first night the temperatures dropped to freezing, but with the help of heat lamps, the chicks stay cozy.

Piano Lessons

Yes, it is true I am taking piano lessons. Years ago, I took a few lessons with our children’s piano teacher, Miss Eva. She is so remarkable, as a vibrant 85 year old. Am hoping that learning musical notes, scales and scores will keep my brain healthy.

We have a beautiful piano and it will be nice to use it again.

Unscheduled Project

The sitting room off of the master bedroom and home office has been a makeshift art studio for me (see that blog post here). Located on one end of the room is a rather large day bed, purchased many years ago. Is it ever used? No. But trying to get it out of this relatively small room is a complete pain in the butt.

For some reason this week, I decide I want this day bed out. In doing so, I realize this room is a mess. It’s time to repaint the walls, clear out the clutter and try to make it a real office/art studio for me. Have you ever started a project and wish you hadn’t?

Now the enormous day bed is sitting in our upstairs hall as we debate what to do with it. Since it’s hardly been used it is in excellent condition.

In the meantime I will paint goldenrod colored walls to something more neutral this weekend. Hope to show you some good before and after photos soon.

Trying New Recipes for the All Things Lemon class

I am having such fun experimenting with lemon and citrus recipes, in anticipation of the All Things Lemon class on Saturday, February 24th. There are only a few spots left so if you are interested please sign up now.

You will leave the class with my favorite lemon recipes and your own jars of limoncello and preserved lemons. If you want to get a sense of what a class here at Bella Terra looks like, check out this week’s post on our Valentine cookie decorating class here.

Did You Know?

I am familiar with companies like Stitch Fix and Rent the Runway but I wasn’t aware of Amazon’s Prime Try Before You Buy. Prime Try Before You Buy is a Prime-exclusive program where you can try eligible items from women’s, men’s, kids’, and baby clothing, shoes, and accessories before you buy them. You have seven days to try the items at home and you are only charged for the items you keep.

However, for an extra fee of $4.99 per use, you can have access to Prime Personal Shopper and allows you to work with Amazon’s stylists to find wardrobe pieces that fit your taste and budget.

If you’re looking for a wardrobe overhaul or to refine your personal style, enlisting the help of someone with styling expertise can take a lot of the pressure off when shopping for clothes online. Or if you are like me, I am not fond of clothes shopping.

The Difference between Prime Personal Shopper and Prime Try Before You Buy

Prime Try Before You Buy, unlike Prime Personal Shopper, is free as part of an Amazon Prime subscription and is available to all Prime members. The service allows you to do more or less the same things as Personal Shopper, including curating a selection of clothes, shoes, and accessories based on a survey and your selected preferences. The big difference lies in the absence of a stylist to help guide your selections or curate.

Has any one tried this? I have a question into Amazon on how one signs up for the Prime Personal Shopper as it isn’t intuitive when you go to their website. It seems like you will need to use the Amazon app? Will let you know how they respond.

From the Internet

I love finding beautifully designed spaces. Beth Webb, internationally known interior designer, is known for her serene and elegant style. If you feel stressed, just look through the portfolio of photos on her website.

Mary’s Must Haves

For the Face…

I have mentioned this product before and I did reorder it this week. Colorscience Total Protection Brush-on Sunscreen is something I use EVERY day. In lieu of face powder, I brush this on and enjoy the SPF 50 protection.

Yes, it is not an inexpensive sunscreen but the last time I ordered this was January 2023~13 months ago. If you amortize the cost over time, the initial price of $69.00 ($65.55 if you subscribe), equals approximately 17 cents per day. A bargain to protect your skin from sunspots or worse, skin cancer. I have never seen it on sale either. It comes in multiple skin tone colors. You can find it here.

Speaking of taking care of your skin, my dermatologist recommend I use La Roche-Posay Vitamin C anti-aging face serum to visibly brighten and smooth uneven skin tone and those dastardly wrinkles. Groan. After using her sample packets I just received my first bottle of serum this week. Hoping for good results.

Does anyone use a Vitamin C serum? I sure miss those days when I only used soap and water on my face.

For the Body

I exercise 5 days a week always live in yoga pants and workout tops. Truly, my inventory is old and so pathetic. Instead of looking like a ragamuffin, I finally purchase 3 new pairs of yoga pants in plum, olive green and blue. A bit of a color is a stretch for me as I tend to wear black and gray.

I am sporting the plum ones as I write this post and I like them~especially the high. thick waist and the pocket for your phone. Great color selection and are on sale (17% off) at a reasonable $24.99. They are very comfortable and hopefully will wash well. Makes me feel a bit dressed up! Ha!

Last Saturday, one of my subscribers, Corrine, commented about using Vital Proteins and how they have helped her. Do you supplement your diet with collagen peptides? I started using Vital Proteins about 4 years ago. Within 3 months, I noticed less popping sounds in my joints. Also my hair appears thicker too. Collagen peptides are great for your skin, nails, joints and hair.

Every morning I put two scoops into my coffee (equally 20 grams of protein) or hot beverage and it’s part of my daily routine.

There are so many different brands and flavors, but I use the regular, unflavored 24 oz.Vital Proteins. A new Vital Proteins Advanced is available too. Here is a link to a page that has several brands/flavors/sizes.

Occasionally, Costco will have the 24 oz. Vital Proteins marked down and limits the number of containers you can buy. That’s when we generally stock up so we always have it on hand.

Wishing you a happy weekend. I will be painting as it is supposed to be raining all day Saturday with chilly temperatures. Would much rather be curled up with a book by the fire, but the art studio calls.

Cleaning your upholstery is a perfect indoor project, especially during winter weather. Even though cleaning upholstery is not on my small or big project list this year, it is out of pure embarrassment that forces me to tackle this project. We are talking seriously grubby chairs. A wet, cold and rainy day in February seems to be the perfect time to do so.

A Garage Sale Find

Back in April 2021, I purchase 4 upholstered Parsons chairs for $50 from my neighbor’s yard sale. They are the perfect size around my dining room table, unfortunately they are very stained and the wrong fabric. In my post, Using Slipcovers, I find perfect perfect white twill ones from Ballard Designs. If you are looking for slipcovers like these, they are on sale right now at Ballard Design for $55.20 (marked down from $69.00). Note they also come in other colors. Make sure you measure your chair as these slipcovers fit perfectly on my Parsons chairs.

Procrastinate Cleaning

I don’t know why I didn’t take the time initially to clean the original chair fabric. But I didn’t and instead, put the brand new white slipcovers on and forget about it. Time passes and each time I remove the slipcovers for washing, I lament how I really need to clean the original upholstery.

After the busy holidays, it’s time to remove and wash all the white slipcovers on the dining room chairs…..and finally get all the stains out of the plaid chairs.

Spot Treating First

I spot treat the stains and let the solution sit for 3-5 minutes. With a brush, I scrub the area and this seems to make the actual cleaning easier. You can use Spray and Wash or any spot cleaner, like Resolve.

Best Investment Ever

A few years ago, we bought the Bissell Little Green machine and I can honestly say, it is the best decision. It has paid for itself time and time again. Here’s what I love about it: 1) it’s rather small so easy to store; 2)so simple to use and the directions are easy to understand; 3) instant results at home; 4) anyone can do this and you do not have to hire someone to clean your upholstered furniture.

One plastic container on the machine holds the cleaning fluid and the other captures the dirty, discarded water that is sucked from the fabric.

The Bissell Little Green machine, in addition to cleaning upholstery, also works on cleaning up spills and pet messes from carpets. To see how it cleans up a red wine stain on one of the pool house chairs, click here.

Right now, the price, on Amazon is $123.59. However, if you buy it direct from Bissell, the machine, OXY spot & stain remover and an OXY Pet Boost for $129.21 (go to website and search Little Green). Plus Bissell donates to their foundation for homeless pets.

Clean Chairs, Finally

Within a short period of time, I am able to clean 4 yellow plaid Parson chairs, the two white upholstered dining chairs and one large club chair in the family room. It takes a few hours for the fabric to dry but it is amazing how clean they look.

Though this is a completely unscheduled project, it is perfect to do this in February on a gloomy, rainy winter day.

With freshly washed chair slipcovers, the dining room is now sparkling clean.

Sunbrella fabric cushions

Before hosting the Valentine Cookie Decorating Class, I find the outdoor cushions on the back terrace are also stained and unattractive. Since we hold classes on this same covered back porch, I add these cushions to my cleaning regime.

The outdoor furniture is a bit protected from the elements because this porch is covered. However, these cushions are sometimes exposed to dust storms, driving rain and just plain dust. During the nice weather here, we entertain frequently in this space, so beverage spills and food stains also occur.

Here is what the sofa cushions look like after a quick cleaning. What a difference! Does anyone know if you are supposed to treat Sunbrella fabric with a protectant? I’ve never done it.

Though I consider my home relatively clean, like anything else, there are parts that require extra attention. So happy to get this unscheduled project done!

I seriously do not understand how fast August is flying by~especially these last two weeks. Happy last Saturday of August and it’s hard to believe the Labor Day weekend is next week. We are so lucky to still be enjoying the cooler mountains of Arizona and lately, I can certainly feel a touch of autumn in the air. Thanks for joining me for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

Hummingbird Frenzy

We have two hummingbird feeding stations just outside the front of the cabin. Both are filled with so many hummingbirds, dipping their beaks into the sweet nectar. It is so entertaining to watch them maneuver while batting their wings at lightning speed.

Most of the hummingbirds I have observed are shades of blue or green, but lately, we are seeing multiple bright orange and red ones. Little did I know but they are the Rufous Hummingbird. Out of all the hummingbirds, this one migrates up to 4,000 miles (from Alaska to Mexico).

Research has revealed that the area of a hummingbird’s brain related to learning and spatial memory — the hippocampus — is proportionately the largest of any bird group studied to date. Hummingbirds “brain volume” is up to five times larger than that found in songbirds, for example.

With enhanced spatial memory, the Rufous and other hummingbirds pinpoint prime locations of nectar, their main food source. Remarkably, hummingbirds can also remember feeder locations from previous years, both on their home territories and along their migratory pathways.

Anyway, just wanted to share a little hummingbird info that I found fascinating this week. In the meantime, we are refilling our feeders almost daily and enjoying their elaborate flight displays, steep dives and territorial nature.

I hope to post a video on Instagram documenting the Rufous Hummingbird invasion~you can see it @lifeatbellaterra.

Fun Finds this week

Speaking of birds, many years ago I purchased these bird plates from Anthropologie as part of a wall grouping. When no longer needed as that, I realize how much I like these plates from their colors to their size. However, I only had 3 of them.

A quick visit to eBay and I find 4 more, with just the blue and yellow border. These are the perfect size for a small meal or dessert. A happy purchase.

Do you use eBay to find or sell your treasures?

A Sustainable Way to Reuse Candle Vessels

I am trying a relatively new product from a company called Siblings. According to their website, they do candle refills, not single-use vessels. Their 100% compostable bag contains everything needed to make a luxe, non-toxic candle in a vessel you already have. A candle with less waste, lighter weight and fewer emissions.

Basically, you microwave the bag and pour the melted candle wax into your own vessel. No fuss, no mess! The scents I ordered are: clove lavender cedarwood, eucalyptus balsam wild berries and bergamot white rose oak moss.

I am making one candle and it is super easy. Check them out. Again, I don’t get a stipend if you buy this, but if you remember the mess with melting candle wax in a pot on the stove…you will love this!

Cute Little Painting

While at Big Lots, I spot this cute 8″ x 10″ painting on a wrapped canvas. The colors match one of my vintage quilts in my daughter’s room. Not sure about the black leaves as I can touch them up with a bit of green, but I will live with it for awhile. A steal at $5.99…..really!

Another find from Big Lots is this faux fern with a basketweave pottery pot. I add it to the nightstand in the cabin guest bedroom~surprising how real it looks! If you missed the post this week about Reworking the Home Office to a Guest Bedroom, you can see it here.

Face Moisturizing Question

In a recent email from Costco entitled $80 OFF Moisturizer, my curiosity leads me to open the marketing piece. I am thinking…$80 off? That’s quite a savings. Then I click on the link which takes me to La Mer Creme De La Mer Moisturizing. The online price for 3.4 oz. container is $409.99; sale price (for 2 days only online) is $329.99.

I then look at the ingredients. Not sure what Miracle Broth is, but the second ingredient is mineral oil, which is a heavily processed petroleum product. For some reason, I am under the impression that mineral oil is not something you want to use on your skin….?

Anyway, after having sticker shock about this product, both the retail and sales price, does anyone use this? Personally, I can’t imagine spending this much money on a face cream unless it’s going to get rid of all my hard earned wrinkles and spots.

Recently, I did switch my day time moisturizer to Clinique Moisture Surge and so far, I am very happy with the way it works on my skin. You can order this directly through Sephora here. However, if you look for this product on Amazon, they only have it with an SPF of 25. Not sure if it is a knock-off, but on the Clinique website they do not have Moisture Surge with an SPF of 25. Make sure you get the real thing with an SPF of 28. Cost is $48.00.

This 1.5 oz container is lasting quite a long time. I’ve been using it every morning for a few months now and only 1/4 of the jar is gone.

What type of moisturizer (day and night) do you use?

Help!

A few months ago, I posted a picture of this wonderful rocking chair given to me by my neighbor across the street. It has a wonderful history and I love the wide, comfortable seat.

I haul it up to the cabin with the intention of stripping off the yellow paint, determining the original wood and perhaps just staining and varnishing it.

Well, I start this project and what a colossal pain in the butt. There are at least 3 layers of paint and after working on it for several days, here is my progress.

Getting the old paint out of the decorative turns is so tedious and often times, impossible….at least so far.

Does anyone have any great solutions to making this stripping go faster? I am using an orange gel stripper and wondering if it is just not strong enough? Dipping the entire piece into stripping solution is not an option due to the woven seat and back of the chair.

Maybe it’s best to just repaint it? Perhaps a heat gun? Would appreciate your thoughts and expertise.

From the Internet

You have heard me mention Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate (such a creative and talented person!). If you are looking for a non-traditional look for Halloween, check out Chloe’s living room mantel. I love it when I see something I’ve never seen before.

Letting Go of Summer with Gratitude

I would consider myself someone who hangs onto summer for as long as I can. It’s rather easy to do when you live in Phoenix, Arizona and the heat really doesn’t seem to end until Halloween. But there is something about the ease and fluidity of days in this season, that doesn’t really happen the rest of the year.

Heather from Home with Heather has a thoughtful post on Letting Go of Summer with Gratitude. If you are having reservations about saying goodbye to the summer rhythms, you may enjoy this.

Easy Sheet Pan Recipes

Quite honestly, I rarely make any meal on a sheet pan. But this article from Food 52, makes a compelling argument on why one should try it. Sheet pan Harissa Chicken with Smashed Olives and Apricots, anyone? See it here.

It’s time to wish you a wonderful weekend. I am driving down to Phoenix for a few days to see my daughter(s), catch up with a doctor’s appointment and maybe a haircut. Be happy and be safe out there!