Freshening up the dining room

I've officially lived in my house for longer than I've ever lived in a house before. Like, EVER! Not just my adult life, but my entire life. I blame this fact on my itch for change. My husband disagrees. He says I just have a quarterly itch to do "something." He even suggests that in the winter, I get stir-crazy and the projects increase in frequency (*blushes* He might be right).

Whatever the reason, I've been feeling the itch - more of an ache! - to change my kitchen up a bit. Now, one might think this is an occasional process, but lets be honest, we've been in this house for 9 years and this paint job represents the 5th color in the kitchen. Judge if you must. Paint is cheep :)

After: New Greige paint on wall,
fresh paint on shelf and frames,
and a few new accessories.

Before: Paint color = Cookie Crumb 

After finishing up the paint, I decided a few new accessories were also in order. The blue rooster was a gag gift given to my hubby for Christmas, but I love it! And what do you do when you need a little piece of art work... you make it, of course. :) 

Step 1: I started with a few ceder fence slats.
I antiqued them and applied a touch of stain. 

Step 2: Designing the pattern.
I drew it first on a giant piece of paper then transferred it onto the wood. 

 Using a simple acrylic paint, I did a soft coat so the wood grain would show through.