Lily's Garden Video

O.K., I'll admit Brooks is not the best videographer. But, hopefully you can get an idea of the before and after transformation. We are officially done. We are looking for volunteers to put on a clear coat to protect the work. If you would like to volunteer please drop us an e-mail or leave a comment. Thanks for following us on this journey. For more information on this project scroll down to our previous post titled, "Labor of Love". For more information on Lily and Lily's garden please check out www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyhensiek or http://www.lilysgarden.org/

Lily's Garden Video Revised from Dana Tucker on Vimeo.

Walk This Way- Painted Floors

Forgo the big expensive designer rugs and add some pizazz by painting your floor. You can even add impressive custom details as shown in this floor by renowned faux artisan, Gary Lord.

Painted floors when sealed with a good quality polyurethane hold up nicely under moderate traffic. They can be cleaned with mild cleaners and their charm and beauty will be admired for years to come. They even hold up nicely on a covered screened porch. Here are some more of our designs.

Refinishing a damaged floor can be expensive, messy and time consuming. Not to mention the contamination to the indoor air quality by sanding and using caustic chemicals. When considering options for your boring, scratched or damaged wood floor, don't forget to add paint to your list.

Open Sesame- Don't forget the doors

I have to admit when Brooks started painting doors I was pretty impressed. I have never seen anyone do what he does to plain old builder grade doors. With a little imagination and a little ingenuity you can turn this:

Into This

I have also included a slide show for some more door inspiration.

Raised Plaster Stencils

I have been spending time on some very cool blogs over the last week. I have been inspired by some very talented people and have started to list some of my favorites over on the right side of this blog. Make sure you check them out. If you like this blog, you'll love some of those. It's really very cool because I had never met anyone before that did the kinds of things that we do. Yes, I've met other faux painters, but I've never met anyone who used all the decorative accents that we use, or someone who turns pieces of found trash into beautiful treasures or someone who makes over a room on the cheap and then shouts it from the rooftops. I have opened up a whole new universe and I am addicted to the home decor blogoshpere.

So today I want to share with you a simple technique that adds a whole lot of pizazz to lots of different surfaces. Brooks calls the technique "embossed stencil", but I like the term "raised plaster stencil". We have these in between the molding in our dining room, in the corners of rooms, above doorways and light fixtures. I am also including one that Brooks did with an art imprint that he stenciled around a light fixture. If you click on the pictures you can view them larger and see the detail.

How to apply the raised plaster/embossed stencil:

Find a stencil you like. There are lots of good ones on line. We love Melanie Royals designs. Next you take a stencil adhesive and secure your stencil to the surface you want to apply it to. Then you take a Japanese scraper and apply the plaster through the stencil and smooth and even out the top layer. We like to use Pallet Deco, or Aqua stone as our plaster. We have also used drywall joint compound with much success and little expense. Then carefully lift the stencil and you are done. Let it dry at least 24 hours. Then you are ready to paint, gold leaf, age it, stain it or whatever your heart desires. I have included some photos. Have fun creating!

The Building Blocks of Business- Referrals

There is a joke around our neighborhood that you do not hire a contractor for your house without first checking with us, the Tuckers. I have been in the advertising business in the Nashville area for over 12 years. In that time I have worked with every possible combination of small business owner from carpet cleaners to air conditioning companies, to restaurants and car dealers. I know the inside scoop on who does the best work, at the right price, on time and with a smile.

If you need an air conditioning service person you should call Craig Killebrew at 615-414-8816. He works by day for one of the big companies in town. He works nights and weekends to build his own service business. He is honest and full of integrity and always a great price. I respect the fact that he drives all the way home to drop off his day vehicle to pick up his personal vehicle to start his service calls for the evening. When I had to replace my unit last year he asked if he could have the old unit for spare parts to help some people that couldn't afford to replace their units. He could take parts from mine and put some band aids on their units to tide them over for a while. What a needed service he is providing.

I could go on and on about some of the great people I have worked with over the years. I place huge value on referrals, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank one of our clients for what is turning into a long list of referrals. Jeff and Annie Mochrie, owners of the Coffee Shop in Mt. Juliet, TN. They bought this place several months ago. It was formerly, Taylor Made Cafe. It is in a cute little house on Mt. Juliet Road. They wanted to make it stand out from the road and warm it up on the inside with some character. We think it turned out great and I am including some pictures. Since completing their project, Annie and Jeff have sent us several referrals that have turned into clients for us. We can't thank them enough. Did I mention this is a great spot for breakfast, lunch and a great cup of Joe without the attitude of some of those coffee chains. Even though we do lots of advertising and I am in the advertising business, nothing works better that a referral from a satisfied customer, period.

So, if you experience great service tell a couple of friends, twitter about it, tell a few strangers. You will be passing along blessings to both the businesses you refer and the people who call them. And by all means if you need a referral for someone in the Nashville area send me an e-mail. I have a list a mile long.

Tribute to a life changing teacher

Today is the last day of school. This would normally be a day full of angst and anxiety for me. Our son, Zane has severe autism. He is non verbal and has many behaviors that would cause the most skilled and patient teacher to run for the hills. Today I feel compelled to tell everyone what a fabulous teacher my son Zane has had this year. He attends Walnut Grove Elementary in Franklin, TN and by the grace of God has had the best school year of his life under the guidance of Mrs. Karen Wight.

I should have known this would be an extraordinary year when I was told last year that there was a second grade teacher who had actually requested to have Zane in her class. At the time last year that she requested him he had some very severe behaviors including running out of the classroom into other classrooms and disturbing classes in progress. He would also throw himself in the floor and lay there knowing that the teachers were not allowed to pick him up. Because he could not sit in his seat for more than two minutes he spent most of his day in the special ed classroom. He had no consistent method of communication. Although I was relieved that a teacher had requested him, I was hesitant because I didn't think she knew what was in store for her in the coming year.

Throughout the course of this year and the intervention of Karen Wight my son now spends most of his day in the regular classroom. He can sit in his seat for extended periods of time. He can actively participate in class through modifications put in place by Mrs. Wight. He is typing spontaneously thoughts on the computer. For the first time he is able to express some independent thoughts. She regularly takes him on walks around the school to visit other teacher's classrooms which has eliminated the running and the throwing himself in the floor. This teacher who had a classroom of 21 kids saw my son as a person not as a child with autism. She saw that he was capable of learning and she didn't stop until she found a way to make him show her what he was learning.

She was a great communicator and for the first time in Zane's academic life I actually knew what he was accomplishing on a daily basis. I cherished her e-mails and have them saved in a file. She was also journaling about her year with Zane. It is my hope that one day we can co-author a book on how to love and educate a child with autism. Here are some experts from her e-mails:

"On one last happy note, Zane and I were talking/playing on the rug today. We were goofing around with the word walls and he was spelling his name. I was lifting him up to spell Tucker and he had the sweetest smile. When we finished I told him that I knew today was a rough day for him and that tomorrow would be better. He instantly said "Yes." When I told him that I knew he was a smart little boy and that I hope tomorrow there would be better choices, he said yes again on his own. These are the moments that make it all worthwhile!"

"He had a fantastic day today! He was so focused and worked so well with me. I don’t know where to start because so many good things happened today. We worked together in math especially and he did so well. We spent a little time on money and he knows how much each coin is. He isn’t to the point of being able to add the coins up in his head that I can tell, but it’s a matter of time. He did do some two digit addition and got it right every time. Amazing. We read together for fun and he answered questions."

"As I’ve said all year, I feel that Zane has made me a better teacher by pushing me and I’m so grateful for that. It’s been an honor to have him in my class this year! "
Karen

So, usually around this time of year as I said I would be very anxious about the summer and also about getting a new teacher for next year who would have to take several months to get up to speed on Zane and his learning style. This year I received the most unexpected blessing. Mrs. Wight has made arrangements to move up to third grade and she is taking the whole class with her. She has also offered to work with Zane on her own time this summer to make sure he doesn't lose any of his skills he has acquired this year. She says that this is the most caring and compassionate class that she has ever had. I say it is due to her leadership and example and I am unbelievably moved by her decision to move to third grade and give these children another year of herself. The lives of these children and their families will be forever changed.

Raising a child with severe autism along with his sister who has mild autism is the hardest thing we have ever been tasked with. Our faith and God's divine intervention are the only things that are seeing us through this journey full of bumps, struggles and disappointments. My mom reminded me this morning that God has given us a chance through Zane to be extraordinary. If we didn't have life with autism we would just be ordinary. The Lord knows how often I get on my knees and pray for "ordinary". I am sent reminders on a daily basis that God has his hand in this and he will see us through. He is also working through us to change the lives of people who come into contact with us along the way and we are humbled.

Paint your laminate cabinets

No, you are not stuck with white laminate cabinets. When we moved into our house almost 8 years ago I wanted an all white kitchen. This was very much the trend back then. Homes were advertised as having "white kitchens". We moved from a very dark, boxy, log cabin. Everything in the cabin was wood or brown. So, when we were looking for a new house I was dead set on an open floor plan and a "white kitchen". I got my wish. After 6 years of living with my "white kitchen" I was ready for a little drama, a little warmth and intrigue. I scoured home design magazines and watched HGTV looking for inspiration. I settled upon a tobacco stain look for my kitchen cabinets. Paint products have come a long way in the last couple of years. Everyone told me that you couldn't paint over laminate cabinets. I am here to tell you that you can paint them and that with a little elbow grease or the right painting contractor you can have a whole new look and feel to your kitchen without a huge investment.

The first step is to thoroughly clean the cabinets with a degreaser. Years of cooking in the kitchen can build up layers of grease on your cabinets. You need to clean that off or the paint wont stick. Remove and label your doors so you know where to put them back when you are finished. Next you apply a really good primer. There is a product called Prime Etch that is a saviour for laminate cabinets. Next apply your base coat. Then apply some tobacco stain glaze in the corners and grooves of the cabinets. Let dry and apply a top layer protective coat like a non yellowing polyurethane. Make sure not to skip this last step. Kitchen cabinets take a lot of abuse. To ensure that they stay looking fabulous for years to come make sure you give them that final layer of protection. This project will cost about $500 if you do it yourself. If you hire a faux painting contractor the price will start at about $2500 depending on the number of cabinets in your kitchen. So for about a fifth of the cost of new cabinets you can transform your kitchen. Don't forget to change out the cabinet hardware for a complete up to date look.

Bringing the Ocean Home

My family should relocate to the ocean. To be more specific, Seagrove Beach, on Highway 30A in Florida is our happy place. We discovered this little gem of an escape about 7 years ago before the twins' second birthday. It is a little piece of heaven that is unspoiled by high rises and tourists. It is a place where my slightly dysfunctional family can blend into the environment and enjoy the outdoors without the skeptical eye of the commercial vacationer. Zane tends to make a lot of noise, run away from us and eat a little sand. We can achieve a semblance of privacy and security on this stretch of beach that has been unattainable to us on any other type of vacation. It was this beach where we ventured out to our first dinner in a restaurant as a family. This beach where we allowed him to roam further than 5 feet away from us without worrying whether or not he would come back. And this beach where he willingly wore his first Halloween costume and attended his first Halloween party.


There are a lot of firsts for my family at this beach. It always feels like we belong there every year when we venture back. I always want to bring a piece of the beach home with me when we go. I have collected shells and local art that I have incorporated into the decor of our home to remind me of our happy place. Now, I want to share with you my new favorite room in my house. Brooks has created a "beach room" in our house to extend that happy feeling year round. I hope you will be inspired and get some ideas you can incorporate into your own "happy place". Better yet, come for a visit and we will put you up in ours.