So I wanted to bring this fun color into our home and once I found the perfect piece, this small campaign desk, off to the paint store I went to color match it!  Here’s the  desk I found at (of course) a thrift store for $40 – the hardware alone is worth that to me, but the added benefit was this desk with faux bamboo legs that would tuck nicely into the kids study/art/craft playroom.

Before:

After:

The desk was not real burled wood, but had a speckled and scratched surface, so painting it was an easy call.  I followed the same steps I’ve mentioned before, 1. Remove the hardware, 2.  Clean and scuff up the piece with a medium grit sanding wedge and 3. Prime with product designed for glossy surfaces (Zinsser is my fave).

Next, two coats of this fabulous paint!  I’ve wanted to try the Advance formula by Ben Moore and this desk was perfect candidate.  This enamel formula gives a harder finish like oil based paints but cleans up with water, I’ll definitely use it again – it comes in satin, semi-gloss and high gloss formulas.  No Floetrol needed, this paint is that good.

The color is a custom formula to match the bowl, but if you want two close matches, try ‘Grasshopper’ by Sherwin Williams or ‘Bunker Hill Green’ by Benjamin Moore.

Finally I scrubbed and polished the brass hardware and reattached it.

Now this fun Kelly green campaign desk sits in the kids’ playroom for art or homework.

I’m not alone in my love for this shade on campaign furniture, it’s been done before, so be sure to check out Emily’s campaign dresser and do you recall this set of green campaign dressers from Lonny magazine?  A gorgeous classic color!

Painted anything a bright fun color in your home lately?

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So last weekend I decided to do my thang  and mimic the look of these beauties with a few supplies from the craft store.

To make these yourself, here’s what you’ll need: wood jewelry boxes from craft store, small Phillips head screwdriver, paint colors of choice, wood filler, painter’s tape,  medium and small paintbrushes, fine sanding wedge, high gloss coating.

First, remove the jewelry box clasps with the screwdriver but keep the open-and-close hinges in place. Fill the holes with wood filler (or wood putty) and sand the box to get it smooth.  Paint the boxes with your base color of choice, but be sure to use painter’s tape in the opening, otherwise your paint will seal the box shut.

Once your base coat is fully dry, give it a light sanding if necessary to get rid of heavy brush strokes and tape off the box with painter’s tape to form your stripes.

Do you know the best way to get perfectly painted stripes?  I learned this from readers (thank you!) and wrote about it here.  Use the base paint to seal your painter’s tape, then paint over it with your stripe color.  Peel up the tape while the second coat of the stripe color paint is still wet, it works every time!

I took my time with the stripes, painting the horizontal ones in the morning and waiting till they were fully dry, then finishing the vertical ones at night. Allow the paint to fully cure (at least 12 hours) before giving it the protective coat.  The final step is to give it two coats of a high gloss, if you want a super shiny finish, or you could just leave them more matte, your call.  I tried Martha’s High Gloss for this project, and it was pretty good, giving the boxes a nice glossy shine.

Allow the nesting boxes to fully dry, and there you have it, lookalikes for a fraction of the cost.  Are they perfectly smooth like the real thing?  Nope.  Is there some visible wood grain?  Yep, a little.  They’re certainly not as perfect as the expensive lacquer versions but they look just as pretty to me.

I’ll use them to store keepsakes, cards, or other tiny things.  The little one now holds all my business card contacts in my office … sweet!

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Anyway, I was looking for a rainy day project, and I remembered there is a tool that will transform any ol’ photograph into a black and white sketch.  So then I thought we could just make some coloring pages for the kids… here is the simple (and free!) step by step:

***** See update to this post at the bottom with the latest disappointing announcement that Picnik is closing on April 19th (or in some aspect moving to Google+) that came the day after this tutorial was posted.

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It’s best to start with a high resolution image (1000+ px) since you’ll be printing these as 8 x 10s on letter size paper.  First, upload your image into Picnik and change it to a black and white image under the Effects tool.  You can also use the Boost tool to add a little more contrast between the blacks and whites.

Next, scroll down under Effects and apply the Pencil Sketch tool.  Push the ‘radius’ bar all the way to the right for thicker lines and ‘strength’ bar all the way to the right for more dynamic contrast.  I applied the Pencil Sketch tool twice.

You can also use the Exposure tool under Basic Edits to soften or create more contrast between light and dark.

Just below the Pencil Sketch tool is the Doodle tool, which is similar to the Brush tool in Photoshop.  You can use the Doodle brush in various sizes and levels of opacity to remove pixels.  Here I’ve removed some of the pixels from my daughter’s face.  The tool is helpful for blending skin tones, pixelated clothing, etc.

Finally, you can use the same Doodle brush tool to remove any distracting background if you just want the child or children on the page.

Crop your image to whatever size you want and print it out for your kids to color on, pretty simple.  They can make pictures for their friends or birthday cards, or you can use these at parties, etc.

A very fun idea for a snow or rainy day!

Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, this would make a great gift too if you printed up 10-20 images of a child and had them bound up in a “Coloring Book of Me” sort of thing.

And grown ups… this is another great tool for turning photographs of people or animals or places into black and white sketches like I did with this Eiffel Tower image. 

Viva la Pencil Sketch!

And no, Picnik didn’t pay me, they don’t have a clue who I am, I’m just a fan of their free online tools.  Happy sketching!

*** So the announcement that Picnik is closing renders this tutorial moot after April 19th (unless the same exact tools are available in Google+ Creative Kit, which to date they are not.) 

BUT… I went in search of a similar program and found it on Fotoflexer.  Use the Sketch Tool there under Effects, and the Eraser tool to remove any background like shown above to achieve the same sketches from photos.  Or you can use iPiccy, under their effects they have a very Picnik like sketch tool too. 

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Here’s how it looks today!

I added beadboard wallpaper last week, then painted the upper portion of the walls a deep mushroom gray.  I also replaced the light fixture, the window shade, and the mirror with the one I mentioned with the winter mantel.  This small powder room now feels much more sophisticated, dramatic, and modern!

I have no problem mixing metallic sheens, in fact I think it makes a space more layered and interesting.  Although the glass shelf supports and the faucet are chrome, the mirror’s frame is an antique gold and I really love the medley!

Here’s an image of the other side before the changes.  I reused the same Eiffel Tower and Montmartre prints I bought at a street faire in Paris in 1999, I still love them so much I just repainted the frames white to contrast with the new richer paint color.  The golden tones in the woven shade also complement the natural wood floor.

So pretty right?  And how about that crazy cool light fixture!  I was looking for something unexpected and this modern petal orb fixture seemed just right (also much better than the icky florescent bug collector thing that was there before).

Here’s the source list:

Mirror: 31” Bellesol from Ballard Designs, on sale last year at $120

Glass Shelf: found at Pottery Barn ten years ago, similar versions here

Candle on shelf: Whole Foods (clearance)

Window shade:Levolor (cut to fit at Lowes) $42

Light fixture: Possini Ceiling Mount White Orb Flower $90, but you can find a similar pendant like this one at IKEA for less

Paint: ‘Seine’ by Valspar

Striped hand towels: Kohl’s (clearance)

Beadboard wallpaper: available here and here

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I hope you love the changes as much as I do!

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This project is step one in the little makeover going on in here, and I worked up a ‘how to’ with the steps I followed.

I’m took a lot of these step-by-step pictures with my phone (sorry for the quality) but you’ll get the idea!  First, here’s your supply list: primer* for walls; beadboard wallpaper, chair rail trim, sponge, measuring tape, bucket, level, scissors, roller, brad nails and hammer (or brad nailer), paint color of choice, miter saw for chair rail trim.

*I primed the walls with water based Zinsser 1-2-3 Plus where I was installing the wallpaper because the before paint was semi-gloss and I needed that paste to stick… I believe the wallpaper is recommended for primed walls as I recall from the instructions inside (which I threw out of course before I sat down to write this today…gah.)  If you have flat paint on your walls, you probably don’t need primer.

Measure the height of your first section and cut it off the roll.  Start in a corner and lay your dry beadboard wallpaper against the wall, use a level to ensure accurate vertical alignment and a pencil to score the edge where you’ll install your first piece.

Next, roll your paper inside out and dip it in your bucket of water.  Once wet, unroll it on your long table with the beadboard pattern on the bottom.  Use a moist paint roller to spread the water across and activate the paste.

Wait five minutes as recommended then stick ‘er up on your wall, yay, you’re wallpapering!!!!!

Use your sponge to smooth it flat on the wall and remove any air bubbles.

Continue applying your wallpaper all around, trimming around any electrical sockets, light fixtures, etc.  Once the paste has had sufficient time to bond with the wall (about 30 minutes or so) carefully trim the bottom of the beadboard wallpaper.

Finally, you’ll want a finished edge on top.  You could do a cap like shown in this diagram from This Old House . . .

… or choose a flatter chair rail which I used instead. I measured and cut the pieces with a compound miter saw, used a level to ensure horizontal placement, and a brad nailer to attach it to the wall.

Here’s how I wrapped the corners…

. . .  but with windows pay attention to clearance for inside mount blinds. I’ll be using an outside mount when I finish up this space.

Caulk any seams or corners with latex caulking and fill the nail holes with spackling. Give the beadboard at least one coat of paint (if you choose white) and two if you choose a color.

Ta-dah!  You’re done!

This really is a simple DIY project, don’t be intimidated if you’ve never wallpapered before! I’m telling you, it’s easy to do!  And the look is timeless too.

I even made a video of the process if you’d like to see it in action. *gasp*  And I keep saying “sponge roller” but any paint roller will do.

Two caveats… the product is a foam like material, which hardens a little after a coat of paint, but won’t be as firm as real beadboard paneling so consider that if you have kids or pets that will be in the space you plan to use it in, they might scratch or dent it. Also, the wallpaper is not very thick so if you have heavily textured walls, the texture will show through it. In this space we have orange peel texture (ugh) but it’s light, so I felt okay not retexturing the wall and it’s not noticeable, but be aware of that when you go to apply your own.

Now the next step is picking the paint color for the upper portion of the wall above it… I’m really drawn to a mushroom gray color so I’ve narrowed it down to these.

1) Benjamin Moore’s ‘Rockport Gray’ is in the lead followed by 2) ‘Coastal Villa’ and 3) ‘Siene’ by Valspar, and 4) is ‘Heron Grey’ by Glidden.

Want a peek at more wainscoting projects?  Here’s our picture frame wainscoting and our board and batten project too.

Applied this beadboard wallpaper in any of your spaces?  What do you think?

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#1  Prettier Powder.  First up, I’m giving our powder room a mini makeover ~ it’s in need of some piz-azz.  It’s been that soft RH Silver Sage color for years but I’m over it. Yesterday I installed some beadboard wallpaper, and I just need to repaint and install the new mirror. Gonna be gorg!

#2  Build a Bench   I’d like to build a long potting bench. I’ve always wanted a potting bench.  I’m thinking of building it with some local resalvaged wood and adding a little sink, it could would fit along this narrow strip of unused space on the side of the house. I could plant and grow and store all things garden right here. 

#3  Farewell Pink.  The time has come to give my daughter’s room a more sophisticated look so I’ll be switching out the linens in here. Her pink garden room was sweet when she was five, but I’m ready for a change since now she’s going into the 8 to 12 phase and this space could use some fresh color: grays, yellows, blues and greens. I bought half a bolt of this playful Waverly fabric at Joanns last year when it was 50% off, that’s the inspiration.

#4  Storage Please.  I love my home office, but momma is in major need of smarter storage. I’m switching out those tall towers for two Expedits and building a desk on top of these deep file cabinets, hopefully later this month. I’m on the hunt for a new rug too, kinda loving this one. 

#5  That Hall Bath!  Yesterday I was a pinning fool, with gorgeous bathrooms on the brain, since I’m gathering up inspiration to finally makeover this contractor special seen below, otherwise known as our upstairs hall bath.  Definitely in need a full makeover… not sure where I’m going with this yet.  All those details to consider…

#6 Summer Seating  Finally, this summer I’d like turn this unused balcony space into something… it’s just the right spot for a sitting area for lounging while watching the kids play outside with their friends in the summer months… maybe a market umbrella and some bright colorful cushions, an outdoor rug and a unique coffee table too. 

That’s all folks!  Well, actually I’d like to tackle my pantry and my courtyard paving and epoxy the garage floor too, but I’m not gonna put those officially on the list since they’re waaaaaay on the back burner.  Maybe next year? 

Linking up to Nester’s Home Goals party which starts tomorrow … link up yours too, it’s fun to dream about all these improvements whether we actually finish them or not.  Now back to that beadboard… gotta give it a coat of paint!  Or two.  

xo,

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Another project I worked in the midst of all that was these stamped tea towels. I’m a huge fan of block print fabric so I decided to mimic the look by using some old stamps in my collection and applying the pattern to tea towels to brighten up the kitchen.

To make your own, you’ll need the following:  tea towels, non porous flat surface, paint for fabric, fabric medium, sponge roller, rubber stamps, iron.

I used the Martha Stewart paints since they’re inexpensive, readily available (found mine at Michaels), designed for use on fabric, and they come in such nice colors. Be sure to buy the fabric medium, that’s what keeps your paint thin, soft, and washable.

1.  If you want to make your own color, first mix it together, then 2. add the fabric medium after the color is mixed. I used about one part medium to one part paint.  

Next, roll your paint on a nonporous flat surface (I wrapped a piece of plywood in aluminum foil).  4. Use the sponge roller to apply it to the stamp.  I found the color came out more even this way instead of placing the stamp directly into the fabric paint.

Next, apply your stamp in your pattern of choice.  Sponge roll a light coat of paint before every single stamp for even color distribution. 

Change colors and sizes to add interest!

I also made a second version with another old speckled stamp I had in my stash.

The paints are water based, so cleanup is crazy easy, just a little water.

Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours, then heat seal your paint with an iron. I placed a plain cotton sheet between the tea towel and the iron to prevent direct contact.

Once you’re done, you have your own custom tea towels that are unique and completely washable.  I recommend a delicates setting on your washer, just to preserve all your hard work.

So pretty and so easy, and they make great gifts.  You can apply the same technique to simple cotton to make pillows or window panels too, have fun creating your own!

xo,

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We also use this space as a guest room when friends and family come to visit.  The old particle board side table that used to be there was a little too big and didn’t offer any storage, so I replaced it with this new painted nightstand. I love it!

It all started with a skinny little nightstand I spied at a local second hand store, I fell in love with the carved detail on the front but it was a little beat up.  Nothing a little wood filler and paint won’t fix!

For this quick makeover, I used my quart of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White ~ it’s quick and easy, once you’ve made your repairs with wood filler, apply two coats of chalk paint (no need to prime) and allow it to dry then one coat of soft wax ~ you’ll have a beautiful refinished piece in just two days.

I’ve used other waxes as a protective coat, but this is my first time using the AS Soft Wax and it’s really nice. I love the hand rubbed matte finish of waxes, especially with the more traditional, distressed, or European style pieces. To highlight the detail in the ridges I applied with some gray acrylic paint with an inexpensive artist’s brush.

I’ve had these blue blingy knobs for over a year… spied them in a clearance bin… can’t recall where but I’ve been waiting for the right piece to use them on.

Perfection! 

This painted nightstand is a great little addition to this bright feminine space…

And hello tulips!  I couldn’t believe it when I saw them at local grocery store the other day, it feels like cheating winter, not that there’s anything wrong with that.  I usually don’t see tulips until February, but hey, I’ll take a hint of spring wherever I can get it.

The lamp was a fun DIY project, you can follow these directions for how to silver leaf a lamp, and that little retro chrome clock was a $10 find at Tar-jay, sweet! 

Sparkly blue knobs and tulips…it’s the little things in life that make me happy.

BTW it’s that lens I mentioned in this post that takes these amazingly bright and beautiful close ups…  Speaking of photography, hop on over to visit with Miss Mustard Seed as she shares her tips on photography and styling in the continuing ‘Growing Your Blog’ series. 

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Plus there’s the whole kids home from school this week and climbing the walls and they’ve already played with their toys 3½ times and watched those two movies I bought, and they’re all “Get out of my room, stop touching me, Mom we’re boooored”.  So bottom line: momma needs a little aromatherapy. 

I go to Whole Foods maybe five times a year, and I stay away mostly because their prices are kinda obscene. My friend Staci calls Whole Foods ‘Whole Paycheck’ and that girl is right on. But the only place I could think of in town to buy the trifecta of ingredients for this latest concoction (essential oil, sea salt, and body oil) was Whole Foods, and since I’m a one stop shopper with kids in tow, I made the trip. 

I took some pretty pictures (with the lens I mentioned here) of the process and officially apologize for the next sentence which sounds like a commercial. A gentle rub with sea salt will exfoliate the skin and the essential oils possess beneficial moisturizing qualities and antioxidants!

To make your own, first equip yourself with some decent containers. Canning jars, old jelly jars, even plastic containers with lids will do.  I chose these 12 oz. glass jars with plain lids from The Container Store since I wanted to give two away as gifts.

Next, gather the following ingredients:

18 oz. coarse sea salt

18 oz. fine sea salt*

4 fluid oz. grapeseed oil*

½ fluid oz. lavender essential oil

dried lavender buds (optional)

*You can skip the fine sea salt and go with just the coarse sea salt, but the mixture of the two is really nice.  Also, look for other natural unscented body oils like almond, avocado, or even vegetable glycerin.  I found all of my ingredients (except the lavender buds which came from my garden) at Whole Paycheck.   

Mix these ingredients together to make 36 oz. of lavender sea salt scrub . . .

Spoon your scrub into your clean glass jar . . . BTW it smells amazing! 

Make a label (or use mine available here) and package up a few for your friends…

. . . or keep it for yourself and float away to heaven… ignore the kids, the dishes, the laundry pile, the To Do List, and the husband knocking on the bathroom door with the “Honey, have you seen my gym shorts?” for a solid ten minutes. Baby, you’ve earned it.  

The two sea salts cost $4, the grapeseed oil was $5, and the large jar of lavender essential oil was $22 (I mistakenly bought the larger one because I misread the price tag and wasn’t paying attention at the register because my kids were asking me if they could have a bag of chips or something… )

But you should be able to find 2 oz. of lavender essential oil for about $10 so not including the jars you can make about 36 oz. of sea salt scrub for less than $20.  A decent price difference when you consider the cost of retail versions. 

Float away to paradise y’all.

Over and out.

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“I just need some paint and Floetrol for those pieces in the garage”  and he asked, “Have you written about that?” and I replied “Yes” and he said “Well have you showed them what you’re talking about?” and I said “Yes” and he said, “You should make a video” and I thought well I’m not prepared for that and he said “Just do it” and so I said, “OK”.  So what was supposed to be a quick pit stop turned into an impromptu tour of a few aisles of the paint department at my local True Value and the eight essentials you’ll need for a basic paint job on a piece of furniture.

Let me preface by saying there are several techniques for painting furniture and many many products to choose from. I’m a fan of a quick spray paint job and also the latest sensation, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and I’ll continue to use those products in the future. There are also glazing and distressing techniques and more advanced tools you can use like a sprayer (I got a Wagner for Christmas and will be trying it out soon) and all of that will make a great eBook someday.

But for those of you just starting out and not knowing how to navigate the aisles of a home improvement or paint store and also staring at a piece you’ve scored and just want to change it up with a coat of paint, here are eight of my essential tools for a basic paint job on any piece of wood or laminate furniture.

I apologize for the the distracting conversation and 80s rock in the background, but this was spur of the moment. Feel free to name those background tunes in the comment section if you can! 

Like I mentioned in the video, both water based Minwax Polycrylic and Varathane are great for satin to gloss sheens but for a matte or hand rubbed finish turn to waxes.  Fiddes & Sons, SC Johnson, Minwax, and Briwax are just a few you’ll find on the shelf depending on where you shop. 

More great makeovers coming in 2012, can’t wait!

True Value Blog Squad legalese: “I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as my writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY projects. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”

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