Power of (spray) paint

My husband loves auction sales... a little too much sometimes.  I'm not going to lie though, I love the goodies he brings home for me :)

  He got this vase awhile back for ONLY $1!

  LOVE the shape but the color doesn't really go with anything in my home.  Nothing a good can of glossy spray paint can't handle.

BEFORE

AFTER

TIPS:

*When you looking for decor such as vases, photo frames, or bookends to fit into your home, look for the shape of the item, not only the color.  Color can always be changed.

*The finish of your paint (flat, gloss, etc.) really has an impact on the item.

*If spray painting, use multiple light coats instead of one heavy one to speed up drying time and prevent dripping.

*Don't underestimate the power of spray paint! Almost anything can be painted with the right prep and product.

You might find me linking up to:

The DIY Showoff

Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

No Minimalist Here

Tales of a Bloggeritaville

The Shabby Chic Cottage

At the Picket Fence

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Yesterday on Tuesday

French Country Cottage

Creative Kristi

2805

Accent Walls- The Yes's & No's

At one point, it seemed that everyone had an accent wall in their home.  I think accent walls are overused and many times not implemented correctly. Before you roll your eyes and never read my posts again, let me explain...

In most cases, there should be a purpose to accent walls...to accent architectural details or to highlight something.  Sometimes it can be used to bring more color to a room inexpensively (if it is done right).

What is the purpose of the orange wall?

 (In this photo, I am not seeing one. This may change if the entire room was shown.) 

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 A lot of people aren't confident with the color enough to paint the entire room that shade, so they slop up a nuetral and then blindly choose a wall to accent in a color that they like. 
Clearly red was the chosen color in the following photo. What is being accented and how does it relate to the rest of the room? 

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 Which brings me to the point that it needs to relate to the room!  

 Where does the purple in this photo tie in with the rest of the decor?

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Wonderful places to accent walls are behind bookcases, behind a bed (it can serve as a headboard) or on a fireplace wall.

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Just make sure that if your fireplace extends to the ceiling that you do NOT paint the two adjoining walls.

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So... as a recap, accent walls should be used sparingly (read- not in every room!), they should be used to accent or draw attention to something, and they have to tie in with the rest of the room.

If you need assistance with your very own accent wall struggles, contact me.

Linking up to...

Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

No Minimalist Here

Tales of a Bloggeritaville

The Shabby Chic Cottage

At the Picket Fence

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

The DIY Showoff

A Few Tips from a Colour Expert

Guess who is now a Certified True Colour Expert?  ME!

The past three days I have been in an intense color course in Vancouver, British Columbia, taught by Maria Killam.  There is soo much to learn about choosing color, it's ridiculous!  It has honestly changed the way I see everything, whether that is a blessing or a curse. 

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Now, let me share with you a few tips I have learned over the past few days. Afterall, I am the expert. Hahahaha.... ok, not that funny. 

1. To test colors, you CANNOT tell what color will work by using a small paint chip. You have to make a larger sample, at least 8 by 11.



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2. Do not start painting a room or house just because you 'like' the color. How does it tie in with the room? Does it relate to your furnishings? Does it tie in with your art and decor? What are the fixed elements in the room that you have to live with?
If you do this, your house may end up looking like this...and most likely regret it.

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3. How many times have you seen people compare colors on the wall...or done this yourself?

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If you see this happen, now you know this is a 'what not to do'. And if you do this yourself, STOP. Let me tell you why... When you have various paint samples slopped on the walls next to each other, you are comparing the colors to each other, not to the space.  Always have a piece of white paper behind a sample or if needed, paint the area white and paint the sample color inside the white.


4.  After paint is applied, the appearance is twice as bright and and lighter compared to what it looks like on a paint chip!

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What color tips would you like to share?

Chalk it Up

Chalkboard paint is all the rage cuz' it's fun, practical, and gives you a chance to write on things without committing.  Here is a simple project that you can finish in a day (actually a lot sooner than that, you just have to factor in drying time).

 Because I love lists and post-it notes but hate clutter, I decided to paint the inside of of my spice cabinet so it conceals all the lists and notes I want! 

Cabinet Before

I applied two coats of paint to the inside of my cabinet...

let dry...
rubbed chalk on it to condition it...

And chalked it up!

Did you know that to convert fresh herbs to dry in recipes, you just have to switch from Tablespoons to teaspoons?

 Now you do :)




Linking up to

Labor of Love

Before the subway tile backsplash was born and before the counters were adopted, I fostered these cabinets... 
(If you missed it, you might want to catch up on my previous post here)

Ok, they weren't THAT bad (I'm trying so hard not to complain too much!) The previous owners had painted them and replaced the hardware to improve the look of the dark, 70's cabinets, but as you took a closer look, they weren't so improved.

This project was a true labor of love. 

Three months of a dust filled kitchen, three months of paint covered hands (and clothes, hair, face), three months of brushing snow off my truck everyday because it had to be parked in the driveway, and three months of freezing my butt off in the garage while our horrible ND winters raged right outside the door.

I literally dreamed this sequence:

Sand (low grit)

Sand (high grit)

Prime (2-3x)

Paint (2-3x)

 Sooo...remember BEFORE??

We removed the soffit and cabints over the snack bar, painted, redid the cabinets, installed the backsplash, and replaced the counters to get... the AFTER.

Removing the cabinets above the snack counter was the best idea ever. If you are thinking about it but are holding back because you are worried that you will lose precious storage space- get rid of crap!   Not only does it open the space up, but it makes it look bigger and allows for much better entertaining. And where on earth would you put a TV if we wouldn't have taken the cabinets out?!

It's so wonderful that my cabinets are now crisp, clean, and paint gobs are no longer visible.

We still have a bit to go... install moulding to the top of the cabinets, replace the windows, install backsplash on the remaining wall, pick out a light, etc.

Thank goodness the majority of the work is over. For people who are interested in redoing their cabinets as well, (which is totally worth it!) I will post a step by step tutorial with tips that I found helpful to finish this labor of love :)