Category Archives: paint

Drab to Fab Terracotta Makeover

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 Spring is here and it’s time to get outside and decorate! Planting flowers is an easy way to brighten up your outdoor living areas. But why not take it a step further with decorative planters? Urns and painted pots are NOT cheap! But you know what is? Terracotta and paint!
Why not turn your terracotta from boring. . .
to fabulous. . .
I think I got this old terracotta pot from my mom last year. Nothing wrong with it. But why settle for average when you can have fantastic?! I promise, it’s easy. Here’s how I did it.
First I cleaned and primed {the outside} of the pot. I didn’t have any spray primer so I just brushed it on.
Once the primer was dry I sprayed two coats of Krylon Ivy Green spray paint, allowing about an hour drying time in between each coat. By the way, if you haven’t seen Krylon’s colors lately, go take a look. They are so much fun!
I used DecoArt Patio Paint in cloud white to paint the polka dots. First I drew each polka dot with my brush then I filled it in. I used a wet paper towel to wipe off mistakes and to help make the polka dots “perfectly” round.
Once the dots were dry I sprayed the pot with a good coat of lacquer to make it water resistant.
Then I planted my pretty fuchsia geraniums inside.
Gawjus! Don’t you think?
Another simple and inexpensive way to make the drab you have into fab!
Happy Spring! Now go paint and plant some flowers!

Update Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets Day X- I’ve Stopped Counting

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Yes, it’s been so long that I’ve stopped keeping track of the number of days this cabinet transformation is eating up. But, I do have some good news for you! 
Ladies and gents, after nearly two months, the cabinet doors are finished! And not just finished, but back in the kitchen and on the cabinets where they belong! 
In case you have forgotten {I don’t blame you if you have, really, it’s been almost two months}, I’ll remind you of the steps to get these cabinets to where they are today. Oh, and by the way, just ’cause the doors are up, doesn’t mean they are finished. Boo! But, I really think I can see the light! Okay, so back to the steps.
The cabinets were cleaned
They were sanded
They were primed
They were sanded again, painted, sanded, painted, sanded and painted. 
And that is what has taken so long. the doors needed three coats of paint and some serious sanding in between. We have been quite busy and the weather has not been cooperative which has really given us limited time to work on each coat of paint. But once the paint was finished, this next step was a piece of cake!
The first, Mocha Translucent Glaze, is going to give you a very light brown, almost amber finish. The second, Antique Glaze, is much darker and almost black. I mixed the two but used more of the dark color. You’ll mix two parts glaze with one part water. I used a sponge brush to apply the glaze.
Working quickly, apply the glaze using up and down strokes, you know, like Karate Kid. Depending how dark you want your glaze finish, will determine how much to apply. 
I used the glaze sparingly on the wood faces, but liberally in the crevices. 
After you’ve applied the glaze use a soft cloth to wipe off the glaze. 
**Tip: If after you have wiped down your cabinets you feel you have used too much glaze, use a damp cloth to remove it. You can always go back and add more.
And that’s it! Very simple and quick! I did this in one day! 
But like I said, I’m not finished. Hubby still has to put together the box and shelf to go above the microwave and we have a few trim pieces to add around the lower cabinets. 
We also need to have glass put in these cabinet doors.
And have to go get the new hardware, but I’ve already picked it out, so that will be easy! 
Okay, I’ll show you. It looks like this. . .
It’s antique bronze. I LOVE them!! And they look so good with the glaze. Now imagine these on these. . .

{don’t worry, those two doors were put on after the photo!}
So we are almost there! I can’t wait to show you the big reveal! 
Until then. . . 

Little Changes for a "Big Boy"

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A little over a month ago I shared with you, in this post,  my second little man Parker’s nursery.

I absolutely love his room. In fact, it’s probably my favorite in the house. Unfortunately, Parker is 18 months old and quickly outgrowing this nursery! As beautiful as it is, it’s not exactly decorated for a “big boy.” But I’m not ready to change the decor yet! So I’m doing my best to add and change a few things around his room to make it a little more appropriate for his age with out having to sacrifice the decor. 

I started with this. . .
A cute little work table. Every growing kid needs a table or desk of some sort for reading, coloring, etc.
Before: 

  This little table was made out of an old bedside table my parents had in their house forever. My dad cut the legs down to make it a kid-size table for the playroom at their house. It was handed down to me last year and has been sitting in the attic. The chair is an antique, also given to me by my mom.
I used my handy-dandy mouse sander on the table to take off some paint {this table had layers of it}. I used it on the chair to rough it up to help the paint stick.  I rubbed wax from a candle along some of the corners and edges of areas that I wanted to look distressed.
I used a sponge roller to apply one coat of white semi-gloss paint. Then I did some more sanding for a distressed look. Actually I ended up sanding a lot more than I had planned on. My new tool is fun and I got a little carried away!
This is what they looked like after painting and distressing. I also added some distress ink to both pieces just to add a little extra “age.”
After:

And here it is! 
Perfect size for the little guy! Most important, I think he likes it!
Before                                                                               After