The 411 on spray paint

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I made a little bit of progress on the kitchen, but otherwise we just enjoyed having hubby home for four days straight!

School’s out for summer!!  ;) Whoohoo!

If you’ve read this blog for 2.1 seconds, you know how much I luuurve spray paint. In my humble opinion, there is no cheaper way to transform accessories and furniture.

And floor vents.

And roman blinds.

And plates.

Just about anything folks. Believe you me.  :)

Today I worked on a couple of spray paint projects for the kitchen that I wanted to show you. And while I was at it, I figured I would answer some of your most often asked spray paint questions.

I’ve had this large tray from Goodwill forever – almost ten years I think?:

I sprayed it in black spray paint, then later I added a vinyl monogram to it. Since I am redoing the kitchen and lightening things up a bit, I thought I would give it a little spray paint update!

I took off most of the vinyl but left just a bit, then sprayed it in an apple green spray paint (from Home Depot). After it dried, I peeled the vinyl off and left the black underneath:

It will most likely not stay as is -- it’s very very apple, and the coverage isn’t great, so I may to something to tone it down a bit. :) Maybe some distressing? We will see! I’m rearranging the tops of the cabs, but for now it sits next to a clearanced Pottery Barn bird cage – isn’t that adorable?

Which brings me to one of the FAQ spray paint questions:

Q:  Which brand/type of spray paint works best?

A:  I use black and white dollar spray paint (from various places – WalMart, Home Depot, Meijer, Lowe’s) all the time and it works great! Usually it just comes in glossy and matte, (shiny and not shiny) and it doesn’t cover quite as well as the more expensive stuff.

If you are working on something that already has a base coat, or something small, the cheap stuff will work just fine. If it’s furniture, plastic, outdoor equipment, etc. – use the nicer paint made for that.

Because I’m involved in the Amex spring home makeover initiative (yippeee!), I am redoing our kitchen with Membership Reward Points – and wooeee, it’s been fun! (I’ll give you another update later this week!) Today I got a new chandelier for over the kitchen table.

I really loved our old light, (which was a $30 Lowe’s score!), but I had hung it just a bit high, and it always felt just a teeny bit small for the table:

So today I was able to purchase a purdy new fixture for the space:

As you can see, it came in a brushed nickel finish, and I was thisclose to keeping it that way, I liked it so much! But when I held it up over the table, it disappeared a bit with that finish. I wanted it to have some visual substance up there, so my ORB spray paint was to the rescue!

**I have no idea what “visual substance” means. But it sounded good. ;)

I taped off the lights, then hung the fixture from a hook out in the garage (I took down hubby’s lawn trimmer to do so) and then used nails to secure an old sheet on the wall behind it.

Which brings me to a couple more questions I get a lot:

Q:  Where do you spray paint in the different seasons?

A:  In the spring/summer/fall that’s easy – usually in the backyard or on the deck. Usually I can be found holding an item out at arm’s length, over the edge of the deck, spraying away. Then I’ll just lay it on the railing to dry.

I keep old sheets around that I use as drop clothes when I paint, but most often I use them on the garage floor to spray paint. A few many, many times hubby has come home to a slew of items drying on his side of the garage floor. Which I know thrills him to no end.  ;)

In the winter, I have been known to spray paint in the basement – but I do quick, light sprays, then leave immediately. Usually anymore, I do my winter painting in the garage.

Q:  Do I need to prep my surfaces for spray paint?

A:  Other than thoroughly cleaning an item, honestly I don’t prep much. :) If it’s bare wood, a spray primer is a really good idea. You’ll prime the surface and use way less spray paint in the end.

On wood items, sometimes I will do a light sanding to prepare the surface – but most of the time I don’t. On metal, I usually just spray directly on the surface, but if it’s something that will get a lot of handling, I definitely prime it first. I have sprayed many metal lamps and did not prime because (the bases) don’t get touched much.

Same goes for light fixtures – I mean, how often do you touch them? At least around here, it’s not much. :)

So for the kitchen fixture, I didn’t prime. I did light, quick sprays and worked my way around the light as it hung. I LOVE the way it turned out!:

It’s got loverly, graceful lines:

Swoon! (Ignore the pantry door in front of the window!) Now the light hangs about 29 inches above the table instead of 31 (I know, but I notice.) And it’s 23 inches wide instead of 18 inches – which fills in that area much better.

Visual substance and all.  ;)

I’m thinking of an update for the shades – you know I can’t leave well enough alone!

The Krylon oil rubbed bronze paint I used dried super fast, even out in the freaking-insane-I’m-sweating-just-standing-here-heat we had today, but you need to be sure to let anything you spray paint cure (dry) long enough before you handle it.

Because I’m insanely impatient, I waited till this fixture was dry to the touch and then started installing. Because of that, there were a few little scratches here and there after I got it up.

I just threw the sheet over the kitchen table and sprayed little touch ups. I don’t recommend doing this unless you really have yours spaces covered. But I am me and me is crayyyyzay! :)

So if your project doesn’t go just right, what do you do?

Q:  How do I fix bubbles/crackling/drips/oopsies?

A: Imperfections usually mean one of two things – either you didn’t prep properly so the paint isn’t adhering well, or you are spraying too much, too fast. Drips always mean you’ve used too much. To correct those, wipe them off immediately if you can, then spray over. If you notice them later, sand it down lightly and spray again.

Same goes for crackling. Whenever I see that it means I haven’t prepped well. Sometimes I’ve noticed crackles when I’m using spray paint that has been in the heat or the item I’m spraying has been in the heat.

Crackle can be harder to cover – so sand down as much as possible and spray again.

If you follow these tips, you should get a finished product that will last you for years!:

You can transform just about anything with a can of spray paint! For a few bucks you can spray outdoor furniture, plastic stuff, furniture (I usually only recommend spray paint for smaller pieces – otherwise it gets expensive!), baskets – whatever!

Light fixtures are one of my favorite items to use spray paint on – you can make a builder grade shiny brass light look fantabulous with a $6 can of spray paint!

And anymore your color choices are endless -- the metallic options are great too. You know how I love the ORB, but I also used brushed nickel all over the Bub’s big boy room and I LOVED it:

The possibilities are truly endless – I’ve seen some of the most outdated, hideous “befores” become some amazing, up-to-date afters with just five minutes with a spray paint can. :)

Try it out and I swear you’ll be hooked!

Any of you seasoned spray painters got a great spray paint project you want to share? Link it up in the comments!

Any other questions? I’ll answer them in this post or in the comments throughout this week.

Thank you to this week’s sponsor!:

Friends

Today is another cloudy, rainy day so can't get out and plant my flowers.  Good day to stay indoors and what else -- stamp!  I have been thinking about all the friends I made while on my trip so have made a "friend" card.  The stamp sets used are the "My Garden Set" and "Plant a Little Love" from JustRite.  I purchased these sets from Joan's Gardens.

The background paper is from a MS paper pad.  A white square was embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder and attached to a slightly larger piece of pink card stock. The corners were rounded with a corner rounder punch.  I used a white pen to add stitch marks around the edge.  The border with the verse, from the "My Garden Set", was white embossed on pink card stock and cut out with a petite circle Nestie.  Another smaller white scalloped circle was cut out to add the flower to.  The scallops in both pieces were pierced. 

The flower from "Plant a Little Love Set" was stamped three times and colored with Copic markers. I did this so I could layer the flower for dimension.  You can see this in the second photo above.  Each layer is attached with dimensional tape.  Four Cuttlebug corner flourishes were cut out and placed on each corner of the embossed piece.  A white dotted Swiss bow was made with the Bow Easy and attached to the top of the design.  Pink pearls were added to complete the card.

This was a very fun card to create.  As you know, I love lots of layers and dimension.  It always makes me feel good when I spend time to "create" my own little piece of art.  This will be one of a set of cards I am giving my sister for her birthday.  I have to get busy and create a box for her cards now. 

Setting A Budget...The Hard Reality Of Any Project

Last week I showcased two homes that have undergone stunning transformations, a client's home in the House Tour...


...and Kristin's home in Inspiration and Friendship in Blogland - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.


Viewing all the projects done in these homes reminded me of a post I wrote in April 2009, Setting A Budget, a post I wrote after completing my Kitchen and Family Room Redesign.



I thought this would be a great time to post it again, as a very important step in approaching any decorating project is to get up close and personal with the issue of money!! Here it is:


So you have decided to renovate or decorate, you know what you want, have collected photos of rooms that have inspired you and may have even started shopping for materials or furniture...STOP! Before you go any further, grab a pen and paper (or open a spread sheet) and put together a budget. It is very tempting to skip this step, but having a budget is an indispensable guideline that will help you move through your project, with hopes and a chance of making it to the end with enough money to buy light bulbs for that fabulous new chandelier!


Prior to moving forward with the Kitchen & Family Room Redesign, it was important to understand the cost of everything I hoped to accomplish. I made a list of all the projects and their associated material costs, in addition to furniture and accessory cost estimates. Afterwards, I met with the contractors I was considering hiring and secured quotes. With these quotes and estimated costs for everything else, I had an initial budget in hand. Numbers add up fast and it was necessary to cross out a few lines on the wish list. But after all this planning I was finally ready to move forward with confidence, knowing I wouldn't find myself in a situation where I had torn something up only to find there was no money to put it back together!!


During these past three months I have tracked every expense associated with the project. There have been happy moments when costs came in under budget, and others when costs inched up past expectations. To keep the budget on track adjustments were made along the way. For example, if I wanted to have money left over for new sofas I needed to cut corners elsewhere. I chose to save substantially on the window treatments, making the roman shades and drapes myself rather than have the pleasure of having them made for me. In addition, I passed by the gorgeous Liam sofas I had my eye on, (well over the allowed budget even with my Mitchell Gold discount) and found a less expensive source for a similar style.


Happily this project ended up slightly under budget. This is partly due to finding it unnecessary to replace the cabinetry hardware and pendant lighting (until I stumble across something irresistible!) but mostly due to not encountering any major surprises along the way.

So, dream away but don't forget to add up the numbers...

Fathers Day Flower Wallpapers, Fathers Day Floral Background

Gift these Fathers Day Flower Wallpapers to exchange warm wishes, love, affection and respect for your dead Dad who has been a great supporter all through your childhood to maturity. Revert back for the pains bear by your Father in up-bringing you with a cute flower denoting your love for father.

Father's Day Gift Wallpapers, Fathers Day Gifts Picture

Wish your father, happy father's day with a surprise gift for him like gift box of his favorite cookies, neck tie, shaving kit, cap and other things to make him feel special on his day. You can even present these Father's Day Gift Wallpapers to decorate his desktop or laptop and express others how he is loved by kids.

Happy Father's Day Wallpapers, Happy Fathers Day Wish Wallpaper

Make your Father feel special, honored and admired by his kids on the day made for Fathers. Be part of this great celebration day by wishing your dear Father with any of these Happy Father's Day Wallpapers making your wishes sweet, cute and special for him. Pay off your love for the man who has brought you in this World.

My experience in an online design contest.

Some of you may remember the amazing online decorating contest, So You Think You Can Decorate.

I promised to update you on my experience with the contest, but I'll be honest. When it ended for me, I needed to catch my breath. And I'm nearly (kinda sorda) there. Nearly. :)

An online design competition: 9 weeks, 9 projects, 10 contestants

Winnings rated by popular viewer votes.

When I was first approached to be in the contest, I LOVED the idea. But I was scared. I was already in waaaay over my head with other obligations. But I just couldn't say no. So I didn't. :) So I decided to get excited instead and go for it.

Week 1 - Accessories

Kitchen office

3rd place out of 10

I remember the first week. I tore this area apart to redo and retweak and rephoto shoot it. And I'm happy to say, this one stayed as you see it pretty much. It's productive, looks cool and works well with my house. The only thing I may tweak is to paint the armoire white. Like I wanted to from day 1 but was afraid. I'm getting more unafraid with each passing day. :)

 Week 2 - Catalogued inspired

Bingo board tray

2nd place out of 9

Week 2 totally freaked me out. I detest catalog shopping and prefer to coast on my own, so I spent HOURS online trying to conjure up something I could later live with.

Before this project, I had never applied paint to decals so this was an awesome beginning to something much bigger to come. I LOVE the tray and we use it right where you see it in this picture every day.

Week 3 - Old

Mattress spring bulletin board

1st place out of 8

I happened to be off the week I made this bulletin board and I'm so glad I was. Each day I had NO idea if it would turn out. I learned countless new things during this week I had never done before.  It was grueling and exciting all at the same time.

But it didn't come without issues. The night before submission, I was up till 3AM styling the board trying to make it look good. And to me it still didn't. The next day I did two more complete photo shoots. This is the weirdest area in the house to photograph, as it's so dark. When I finally posted the finished entry, I still wasn't thrilled with the outcome. And then I won. :) 

Week 4 - White

White Trash Bedroom

2nd place out of 7

I cheated here. This one was already done so I grabbed predone photos. I needed a breather at this point. Really really bad. 2nd place for no extra effort was a true bonus after that week with the mattress bulletin board!

Week 5 - Fabric

Hanger dropcloth curtains

4th place out of 6

I had already done hanger curtains previously (as you can see in the above mattress spring picture) but just not with a dropcloth.

So I slightly modified the project, bumped it up a couple notches with added details, did another photo shoot and crossed my fingers I wouldn't get voted out. Fabric is NOT my strong suit so I was pretty relieved to still be in the running after this one! I still have only the one dropcloth curtain and one sheet curtain hanging to this day. I never did get another dropcloth. YET. :) But I want to. I really love the look!

Week 6 -  Paint

Old crate stairs

1st place out of 5

Glory be, I was unnerved to have to come up with something JUST paint. I kept thinking of walls, maybe trying a mural for the first time, furniture... I paced the house in a panic, when it hit me. My bare wooden ugly stairs. My first thought was simply to stylize lumber stamps on the stairway, (lumber comes factory stamped with quality ratings) but that soon morphed into pop crates when I started snooping around the house for further inspiration. I wondered if it would work for about 3 seconds and then I just ran with it. And giggled all the way through! This one was a BLAST. And I have the Bingo board project to thank for this one!

And then about 3 days into this project, my mom passed away very suddenly. GULP!

I have to believe, these stairs were my saving grace to get me through that period believe it or not. I didn't know what to do with my mind, so I simply kept going as planned. I allowed the project to bring me to a place of stability of some kind because honestly, my world was a blur.

And I mean, what do you do when your stairs are in THIS condition? Ya sorda have to keep going to clean up the place. So I did. I received many a visitor during the week the stairs were just like this from kind souls checking up on me. And they all asked what I was doing, and I told them all the same thing. "I don't know what else to do so I'm doing this."

And then I felt abit insecure with the outcome. This project was actually kinda weird. Very weird. But what the hey... I submitted it anyway because I liked it. And then I won. :)

Week 7 - Lumberyard Materials

Old gate screens

2nd place out of 4

 I had this one visioned for WEEKS in advance, but obviously was way too busy to do anything about it. So while the stairs were barely dry, I ran out and picked up wood to build these screens. I saw them as clear as day from my first vision and they turned out exactly as I imagined.

I was running late for this entry as it was the week of my Mom's funeral. (sounds so crazy!)  I was so late in fact that I glazed the screens on the morning before the funeral started. I kept asking myself, "WHAT IN BLAZES AM I DOING!!!" But I just kept going because I told myself I had to. Funny... the morning of the funeral, I was in excellent spirits BECAUSE of these screens. What does that tell you?

I did make a mistake on them though. When I brought up the first screen, it was too high for the room. So I lugged it down the stairs again to recut. :)

Week 8 - Junk

Palette TV stand

3rd place out of 3

I remember having a 4 hour slot do output this one. Four hours. That was it. So I kicked a day off work and went crazy on it for... more like 5.5 hours. I wanted it finished before my son came home from school but ended up working on it for abit after, but not by much.

I honestly really enjoyed this one because it cost me NOTHING to make and I self taught myself building skills. :) I just really LOVE working with wood for some reason. It cooperates. :)

And you had to get so creative to make it LOOK good because, let's be honest... palettes aren't that pretty. And while making this one, I was secretly hoping I'd get voted off, because I was dying inside. I needed a lull so bad. So I didn't mind when the palette didn't turn out 'beautiful'. And then I lost. :)

I still love the tv stand to this day. I smile when I look at it. It's just so perfect for our home!

Week 9 - Tablescape

Cow sign theme with slideshow video

no win, however entry was mandatory

But as it so happens, although I lost with the palette, I had to enter the last entry anyway. With NO time, I did the tablescape the day right after sweeping up palette wood shavings because I had one afternoon to whip it up. Thankfully, it didn't rain that day because it rained the rest of this week! Oh. My. Gosh.

But this last entry was really deep for me. Just having lost my mom, the sign JUST came into my hands, so I created a memory video out of the project as well. I still watch it alot because so many things about it reminds me of what a wonderful childhood I had. I just feel closer to my mom when I watch it even though I can't get through it without shedding a few new tears. But they're good tears.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Not sure if you picked up on something about this type of contest. Each project took me a week to output, but I only had until Thursday to complete. Friday was photo shoot and submit. And Saturday I started the next project because I had to jam in as much weekend time as I could. I remember running from SNS weekends to the project.  x 1000. It was juuuust a little crazy for awhile. :)

The pace was unbelievably impossible. My son sat in front of the tube way too much for comfort. It was gruelling to try whipping out OUTSTANDING projects that were worthy of contest level one after the other. It's hard to be creative when exhausted. And I have never been so tired in my entire life.

BUT...  the event proved to me what I was capable of. All those projects I submitted, I had never done anything like them before. They pushed me in a zone I probably never would have discovered had I not had the deadline and pressure to go for it.

Was it hard? YES. Was it worth it? EVEN MORE YES. Would I do it again? Not for this many weeks. :)

And this part is important to me. I want to thank everyone for sticking it out with me. You put up with my plugs, you voted, and hopefully enjoyed what you saw. THANK-YOU for your part in this amazing adventure!

I think the contest resumes in fall again, but I'm not entirely sure. But I will indeed be watching and voting during the next round. Because, take it from me, every vote someone gets, they've worked VERY hard for it.

Thanks again to Stephanie and all my fabulous contestant sidekicks for the wonderful time! And to all of you for the most important part. Your kudos. :)

Any questions? I'm happy to answer! And I'm also curious. What was the contest like from a voter's perspective? I'd love to hear. 

Memorial Day~

Happy Memorial Day!

On the agenda for today:

Lazy morning in our jammies

A little work in the garden

Afternoon at the pool with the kiddos

I just love me a holiday!!

Have a great day~