What a Little Spray Paint Can Do!

  There is power in a can of spray paint. Well, not literally, but think of all the wonderful projects you've done that involve spray paint. It's a wonderful thing. And the colours that are out there these days are truly beautiful.

  If you've been intimidated by spray paint in the past, don't be. It's so simple to use. Go pick up a can in a colour that you love, make a trip to the thrift store & buy something with good lines but bad colour. Then, break out the spray paint! 

  Here are some such projects that I've done over the past several years. I sadly was not blogging then so I don't have any before photos to show you. You'll have to use your imagination. :)

  The first one I'll show you is a set of canisters that were given to me several years ago. They were originally a 70's avocado green. A little black spray paint & Shazam! They're back in business!

  The second one I'll show you was actually painted by my mom & given to me. My wonderful mom is a real life interior decorator & I'm blessed enough to be able to pick her brain for ideas & suggestions. This mirror was originally in a gold frame. Not so much my taste. Look how unexpectedly fun a coat of hot pink paint makes it!

  

  Number three is one of a set of wall candle sconces that my mom bought for me from an antique show. They were originally painted gold, but again I broke out the black spray paint. Now these beauties have a place of honour in my living room.

  So are you feeling inspired to go paint something? What colour would you choose & what do you have in mind? Spill the beans & share your blog links. I'd love to see YOUR spray paint makeovers!

  On a side note, if you've tried commenting on my blog before without success, please give it another shot. I've recently switched my commenting format & it is now quick & easy!

  If you'd like to see more projects I've done involving spray paint see: My silver table & my thrift shop owl.

Enjoy your day!

My First Guest Post!

  Today is an exciting day for me... I'm doing my first guest posting over at A Turtle's Life for Me! I'm super pumped. Natalie & I share a love for family, thrifting & doing furniture makeovers. I hope you'll come on over & say hello.

  Here's a hint... my post involves this guy:

Enjoy your day!

The big reveal

TA-DA!

  My little side table is complete! I can't believe it only took me an evening to complete the makeover on this little beauty. If I had known, I would have done it long ago.

  A reminder of the before:

Here's a rundown of the process:

I took it outside, gave it a light sanding, wiped off the dust, & taped off the black top & chrome trim - 

I kept those as is.

Got on my painting duds & broke out the spray paint.

My painting pants...
you can actually see all the past/present colours of my house on these babies!
They're like a work of art in themselves! :)

I used Krylon Metallic spray paint in Aluminum.

And all systems go! I sprayed on the first coat:

And a second coat:

After 2 coats. Before distressing.

It was looking a little too space age for me at this point so I got out some black craft paint I had kickin' around & played around with some dry brushing on the corners & edges. I ended up dry brushing on some black paint & then smudging it (purposefully) with a paper towel to make it look a bit more distressed.  

After distressing with black craft paint.

The finished product:

I think it will look especially stunning at Christmas time with my silver/white colour scheme. 

Here's some more after shots:

  Thanks for stopping by! Please feel free to leave a comment & tell me what you think.

Enjoy your day!

~Steph

Linking up to: The DIY Showoff,  Crafty Scrappy Happy, Just a Girl, Common Ground, Miss Mustard Seed, & Tater Tots & Jello

My project this weekend & a tip for cleaning your microwave

 I've had this little desk/side table for going on 6 years with the intentions of painting it. But up until this year, I wasn't sure exactly the look I was going for with it. I was talking about it with my mom (interior decorator extraordinaire) this spring & she gave me a great idea...

  She took me to Urban Barn & showed me a little cabinet with a black top (like my little table already has), silver sides & front, & a butterfly decal wrapped around the side. I have searched the internet, but CANNOT find a picture of the exact one she showed me. So sorry. This is the closest I could find:

Madame Butterfly Tall Cabinet by http://www.frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk/
Pretty, no?

  I'm not sure I'll add the butterfly to my table... what do you think? I'm thinking it might be too busy with all the displays I do on this table. I would also have to find a stencil or decal. Anywho, I bought some silver spray paint & it's on my to-tackle list for this long weekend. I'll show you the results next week. I'm going to the keep the top black & the chrome trim is also staying. I'm excited to see the results & to finally cross it off my list!

Introducing the Cleaning Tips column! 

(or "One of Steph's handy tips" as my husband calls them)

  In my cleaning detail today I noticed that my microwave was in need of a scrubbing. I learned this tip from the show How Clean Is Your House? & it works so well, I thought I would share.


 Fill a microwaveable bowl full of tap water. Quarter a lemon & add to water. Or in a pinch just add 1/4 cup of lemon juice.

  
  Put bowl in microwave & set for 5 minutes. After it has "cooked" for 5 minutes, let it stand in the microwave for an additional 5 minutes or so. Then, just wipe your microwave out. The steam loosens cooked on food & it just wipes away! And the lemon makes it smell fresh - bonus!


  Thanks for stopping by!

  Enjoy your day!

~Steph

  

Before & After home tour (part 3)

  We recently finished our kitchen renovation. It had been mostly done for a long time, but we put the frosting on the cake this summer by completing the back splash. We opted to go with a simple white subway tile. I'm enjoying the clean, sleek look it adds to the kitchen. 

  Here are some before shots. These were taken before we moved in. We thankfully had 1 month to start our renos before we moved into the house. This kitchen was the first thing to change. It just wouldn't have worked very well for us - no dishwasher, single sink, no upper cabinet doors (I like "stuff" out of sight behind doors), very little counter space...

After shots complete with the new backsplash

  We reconfigured the kitchen layout by adding this peninsula with a high bar top which adds more cabinet & counter space. It also doesn't crowd the fridge & stove so much.

Our control centre 

Here's a better shot of my Paris gallery - B&W photos from a calendar &frames fromIkea - easy peasy.

Recap:

Sources:

Paint: Camalot by Benjamin Moore
Cabinets, countertops, hardware, light fixtures: Ikea
Flooring: Floor It
Backsplash Tile: Home Depot

If you'd like to see our living room makeover click here.
If you'd like to see our main bathroom makeover click here.

  Well, I'm off to start my fall decorating. I'm warming to the idea of Fall arriving & my oldest had his first day of Grade 3 today. My little girl starts Kindergarten at the end of September so I have some extra time to cherish with her. I hope you'll join me next week when I link up to Nest of Posies Fall Festival. September promises to be a month full of beauty & inspiration.

Enjoy your day!

~Steph

Before & After home tour (part 2)

  My Before & After home tour continues today. I've got a few a photos to show you of our home makeover.

  This is our main bathroom before. It was truly awful. In fact, when we first viewed the house, I think I laughed out loud when I saw this room. It was SO dirty & outdated. Pictures do not do it justice. Mauve toilet & tub, dirty lilac walls, dusty lace curtains for the shower curtain & on the window. Nasty, grimy lino floor. The tub surround only went halfway up the wall so we couldn't use the shower. The list of nastiness just went on & on.

BEFORE

BEFORE

This after picture literally makes me breath a sigh of relief! 

AFTER

  We (and when I say we, I should give credit where credit is due. My fabulous husband & DIY expert, James, did most of the work. I just picked the stuff out.) started by ripping out everything but the tub. We had it refinished in white since it was in good condition other than the awful colour. We did the tub surround in a simple white tile, tiled the floor, painted the walls a pale green (it doesn't make me look sick, I promise!) put a new toilet in, new vanity, light fixtures, & towel bars. 

  I'm so pleased with how it turned out. Since we painted this room, I've heard that you should never paint a bathroom green because it can make a person look sick. This shade doesn't. It's General Paint's Ocean Bath CL 2041W. Check it out if you want a nice, soft green.

Recap:

If you'd like to see our living room makeover click here.
If you'd like to see our kitchen makeover click here.

We're very happy with how our renos have turned out & I'm enjoying sharing the journey with you all.

I've got recipes, highlighting some favourite vintage finds, & this week's papercrafts coming up later this week. 

Enjoy your day!

~Steph

Vintage finds

I quite enjoy vintage-y type things. Not just anything vintage, but something that fits my style or that I can see some potential in. I haven't been thrifting / antiquing / flea marketing / garage saling / buying on Kijiji for a while but today I have resolved to do it again soon.

The last time I went out, I found a couple of little treasures. This one is perfect as is.  It's just a little fellow. I think I paid .50 cents for it. Don't you just love the swirl effect?

It now sits on my front entrance table. It's perfect for catching a few coins from someone's pocket. It would also be pretty on a lady's dresser to catch rings.

The other thing I found that same day was an adorable owl. I'm crazy for all things owl these days. They are (usually) just so cute! So I found this guy in the thrift store & could see the potential for something great. 

Before

My mom (an interior decorator) had got me thinking about taking things that have been painted in a busy, fussy way in the past & spray painting them in a solid colour. So, guess who my first victim was? You guessed it... this wonderful fellow. Check out the transformation with just a few coats of white spray paint. 

After

I have him sitting on some books in my bookcase. He is sitting on a book, after all, so it seemed fitting. 

I find inspiration for vintage finds in a couple of magazines from Better Homes & Gardens. They put out some great special issues several times a year. One title is 100 ideas: Makeover Style. Another is Do It Yourself.

Do you like to buy second hand? What are some of your favourite finds?

Before & After home tour (part 1)

Two posts in one day? What is this world coming to? I'm feeling very inspired now that I'm blogging & am having all kinds of ideas of things to post. So today I'm going to post twice.

I don't know about you, but I love a good before & after show. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, all kinds of shows on HGTV (Summer Home being my favourite new show), & What Not To Wear are a few favourites. What is it that we love about them? Well, besides the fact that we see something that looks nasty (or boring or outdated) turn into something that looks beautiful.

I was visiting with my friend, Vanessa, today in her great new home. She & her husband are in the midst of picking paint colours & embarking on a home makeover of their own. I had the pleasure of helping her pick a paint colour for her front entrance. I hope she doesn't disown me as a friend after she's done painting! ;) Seeing her home & talking about renovations, painting, floor plans, etc. got me remembering our home makeover...

Four years ago we purchased the home we live in now. It had been pretty neglected & someone who lived there in the past had been crafty... in a not-so-great, don't-quit-your-day-job kinda way. We're talking orange tie dyed paint effects in the living room, stained glass insets in the bright yellow kitchen cabinets, fruit wallpaper applique on the roll down blinds, a stainless steel paint effect gone terribly wrong... oh ya, this house was a piece of work. But we were excited about the challenge & knew we could turn "her" into something beautiful.

After painting, putting in new flooring, painting, knocking out a wall, painting, putting in a new kitchen, painting, replacing the mauve toilet & tub, & painting some more it was finally ready for us to live in. But the work wasn't done.

It's taken us this long & it's not quite done yet. There are a few things left to be done. But since when is a house ever "done"? We're very happy with our progress thus far & I thought I'd share some of it with you all.

Nasty orange tie dyed paint effect in the living room. This wall actually got removed to open up the kitchen/dining room area.

Living Room BEFORE - complete with African Safari style homemade curtains.

Living room AFTER

Where the wall used to be.

Recap:

I'll post a little of our home makeover at a time. We're pleased with how things have turned out so far. I hope you enjoy seeing the transformation.

If you'd like to see our kitchen makeover click here.
If you'd like to see our main bathroom makeover click here.

Enjoy your day!

~Steph

Cupboard Makover

This spring I took this little cupboard from my childhood that my dad had made for me. It was well "loved," shall we say, after years of being used by me & then for years in my mom's day care. My daughter, Audrey, is now at the age where she's full fledged into playing pretend. What could be cuter than a little cupboard to play kitchen or restaurant with? Especially if you've seen the prices of those plastic sets you can purchase at toy stores, etc. 

Before

After

It's amazing what a couple coats of paint & some new hardware will do!

Paint: Beur Interior Satin Enamel in Ultra Pure White from Home Depot

Hinges: Canadian Tire

Knobs: Ikea