Orange is the new red

The front door is (mostly) painted with SW Obstinate Orange!  Here is the before:  

Yes, this is a very boring builder special door.  But for now, it has to do.  Unfortunately, I did a very very stupid, very bad thing.  I thought since I bought fancy Sherwin Williams paint - Resilience Exterior Satin - that I could just sand well and paint.  

Yeah, well that was dumb.  The parts that were painted tan still looked....tan.  Oh, and the paint I got is completely underwhelming.  It was runny as hell.  Don't buy Resilience!  This picture show two more coats.  Oh my gosh, this project will never end!!

I even started just putting coats of orange on the insets where the tan paint was...it helped a little, but the whole door still needs another coat.  For awhile we had a lovely orange and green combo. 

We had to replace the green door, the glass insert was ugly with a beveled design around the edges, and we didn't have a screen.  The door itself was a weird brand I've never seen before, so I couldn't easily buy just a screen.  And I didn't want to paint out the green!  I called a contractor that only installs storm doors and he picked up our new doors (one for front and back), installed them, and hauled away the old ones for $125 each.  After we purchased the doors, of course.  I thought that was CASH WELL SPENT since it took the guy almost two hours for each door!!

Of course now, the stupid new storm door looks PINK.  I knew 'sandstone' would be a little more pink, but next to the body color and the trim on the rest of the house, it doesn't please me.  

I carry my color swatches with me everywhere I go these days, and last trip to Home Desperate I happened to find this spray paint that is almost exactly the same color as our Clarksville Gray trim. 

And when I sprayed a piece of paper to see how the color compared to the door, the difference was subtle, but I think it would look a ton better. 

Now I have to decide whether I should waste time spraying my brand new storm doors, or just live with it.

The farther away you are, the harder to see the pinky beige door.  What do you think?  Is our door too loud?  We have had a couple neighbors tell us they like it, but I think most of them are still a little shocked.  I think once we get our lights and house numbers up, it will look more finished. Still do to: a ton of trim paint, garage door paint, and addressing those lower windows.    

Dressing room to bedroom

Before we put our house on the market, I knew I had to turn my dressing room back into a bedroom.  There wasn't much to do, I just had to move the bookcases and bench out and find a bed.  Luckily, my mother in law had acquired a charming vintage metal bed for us, and it was a perfect piece for this room!  Here it is with a bad paint job and faux wood contact paper over the adorable metal flower design.  I can't believe I didn't get a shot of the contact paper!  Seriously, it was awful and I scraped at it for a long time.  

I thought about painting it a fun color, but ultimately decided white would be best.  Shaun told me the flower design was ugly and I should paint the entire bed white, but I wanted to keep that detail.  I figured if it looked ugly once painted, I could always paint it later!  

I used two cans of spray primer, and two cans of Rustoleum Universal spray in satin white.  I think the end result is darling!  It is amazing what some fresh white paint can do.

Once I cleaned up the insets, I loved them, and they keep the bed from looking too much like a hospital bed. Which it does, I'm aware.  

The rest of the room turned out great!  I finally hung the yellow clock on the wall, it had been resting on top of the window blinds for the last three years.  

I added this little half-moon table, which was also given to me by my mother in law and painted white years ago.  It works so well under the window, a perfect fit!  An old Ikea desk lamp was a free bedside light, even though I wanted to buy a cuter one.  I was actually pretty impressed with my restraint.  (Since, you know, I get Shaun's employee discount at TJ Maxx!)

I found the sheets, bed skirt, and reversible throw at Target, the pillows and blanket I already had from various places.  The yellow vase was purchased years ago from Crate and Barrel.  I decided to leave the racks on the wall as display rather than take them down and deal with patching all the holes.  I couldn't think of anything creative to use them for, so I hung my colorful skinny belts and a girly purse.  

The other rack holds a robe and some other random items.  Yep, I stole one of Ashford's toys because it matched the room.  

The other side of the room looks exactly the same.  I did paint the windows in this room, which I hadn't done yet.  I was actually shocked at how many doors and windows we hadn't painted in the five years we've lived here.  Awful that you do it all when you are going to be leaving soon!

I still get ready in here every morning, as you can see I didn't remove all my shoes or extra overflow clothes in the closet.  I'm very happy with the way it turned out, and even happier that it only cost me a few cans of spray paint and some bedding that I can use when Ashford is old enough for a twin bed.  

On the home sale front, we have had huge turnouts for our open houses, lots of showings, fabulous comments, and a few very interested buyers, but only one couple that has had a second showing....which was yesterday.  They really like the house and do NOT have a house to sell, which is amazeballs.  We are hoping and praying that this is the couple that puts in our first offer.  Wish us luck!

Aqua-tabley goodness

When I saw these rattan tables on Craigslist a month ago, I knew they had to be mine. 

In fact, when I emailed the lady who listed them, I actually said "Your rattan tables must be mine!"  I think she was amused.  I got them both for 20 bones! 

I chose a spray paint color that has been mentioned as a favorite on several blogs that I read, Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze. 

But before the awesome color could go on, I had to do my due diligence and prime the tables with Cover Stain primer.  And then I spent waaaay too long sanding down all the gross sandy texture the primer left behind. 

The middle part of the table was not fun to sand down.  Hell to the no. 

When it was finally time to spray the fun stuff, I realized that I did not obey the cardinal rule of spray paint.  The rule being, however many cans you think you need for the job, add two.  I got this far and had to go buy two more cans with the tops still unpainted. 

The final coat was a clear coat of gloss, the Rustoleum Ultra Cover 2X brand. 

This is some donkey stuff.  I was spraying and spraying and it didn't look like anything was happening.  It certainly wasn't gloss....it was more like wannabe satin.  Either way, I blew through a can of this and said enough was enough. 

Once the glass was put on top (with clear rubber discs to avoid ruining my hard-earned paint finish) I was pretty pleased.

Total cost was $30 with the spray paint - there was a sweet sale, so I lucked out and got all four cans of Blue Ocean Breeze for just under $10.  Not bad!

Hot lamps

I was on the prowl for a pair of lamps for the porch/sunroom, and by some miracle, I found what I needed after only two stores.  I saw these brass uglies beauties chilling at Value Village for $3 each.  Then I remembered that it was 'half off furniture' day, so I scored two 24 inch solid brass lamps for $3.15! 

So what if the socket was detached and crooked - it's nothing a little super glue couldn't fix!  These babies were cleaned, taped and primed within a day.   

I like to sand everything in between the primer and paint coat, even metal and plastic.  Primer can leave texture behind, and a light sanding with 400 grit will take care of it.  I barely put any pressure on it to avoid taking too much primer off.

So what color did I choose? 

Red, baby!  I've always wanted to have a pair of hot red lamps and this was the perfect opportunity.  It also helped that the Rustoleum Universal paint in 'red was on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $5, this paint is definitely superior to the cheaper cans.

After one coat I was in love!  After two more, I realized how much of a pain spraying curvy lamps is.  Then the stupid drop cloth blew up and ruined the final coat, so I had to bust out another can of paint to put a fourth coat on them.  UGH!

Regardless, I love the way they turned out and purchased the cream linen drum shades from Target to finish the look.

I love them!  The total cost was $3 for the lamps, $10 for two cans of paint (I shouldn't have needed two), and $50 for the two lamp shades.  $63 for two unique lamps?  Yes, please!

Have you sprayed anything a hot color lately? 

Ugly wicker stuff

I have some.  Well, probably everyone has some.  But I have quite a pile of it.  Some of it still has Hobby Lobby tags on it, talk about a big fail. 

I decided to use that tall drawer unit, rather than give it to Goodwill.  It was pretty cool when my mom bought it, but has since lost it's appeal.  Don't be offended, mom....it just can't stay looking like that!  It needed a heavy dose of spray paint.  So I took it down to the dungeon.

I pulled a 'Boozie Susie' and made a very sad attempt at wiping everything down, I just didn't feel like it.  There are some painted dust bunnies inside the drawers, but if anyone is offended, I will just ask them to please stop snooping in my drawers.  

One coat of Cover Stain primer later, and it was looking pretty good!  Cover Stain is a great spray for wicker, it really clings to slick and shiny surfaces. 

I used Rustoleum Universal spray in White Gloss for a finish coat.  Love that stuff!

The frame was just about the most annoying thing to paint, ever.  Our entire basement now has a fine mist of white thanks to this thing and the crazy angles I had to spray in.

I cut a few more corners because this spray paint costs one million dollars and no one needs to see the back or bottom of my storage unit.  Got it, snoopers?!          

 So basically, the fronts look really nice.

And here she is looking cute in my closet!  Does it sort of echo the white wicker furniture that some of us girls (or our friends) had in our bedrooms as kids?  Yep.  But that is ok with me.  It's way better than the before!

Now I have somewhere to store my extra toiletries, sewing supplies (using 'sewing' very loosely) and other things I don't want to clutter up the linen closet.  Best thing is the whole makeover cost about $10 in spray paint.  Thanks, mom!

Parade of mirrors

Helping my friend Jamie fix up her condo's kitchen cabinets has really got me excited about some other painting projects I have on deck.  I don't have much on the walls in our house right now, and we do have a few nooks and crannies that are kind of dark.  With this in mind, I went to Hobby Lobby and found some pretty mirrors at half off to lighten things up.  I love their shapes, but I'm not a fan of the colors:

So they will all be treated to a nice spray with my favorite shade of white, Rustoleum Universal Satin White.  I really wish this stuff didn't cost about a million dollars, but what are ya gonna do?  It covers like a champ, can be sprayed upside down, and it doesn't come out a shocking bright white like some others, it's a more mellow white without being ivory.  Think Kate Winslet as opposed to Dita Von Teese.  A nicer shade of white.  

 

                                          

And then, since I was on a roll, I swung by the Goodwill to drop off some clothes because I want a tax credit because I love to support their mission, and found this really awesome, old (and broken) mirror:

Oh my goodness, please ignore all the gross smears on it, the night time shot, the flash, the mess reflected in the mirror, etc, etc.  The filigree portion is broken off the bottom right side, but I do have the piece and will be reattaching it.  It will all be painted out the same color as our trim.  I'm not sure where I will hang it at this point, but I just loved it and it was only $25!  Tomorrow I will post some 'afters' of these mirrors as they are done.  Then maybe you can help me figure out where to put them?

I also have a rather large furniture painting project in the works, more info on that to come!

Big green monster

Dear AC,
You are big and ugly.  And you work way too well considering you are older than me.  I must paint you. 

Well, this is a bit like putting lipstick on Marshawn Lynch a pig. 

We still love you, though. 

You too, Marshawn.

Happy Football Season!