Friday, May 25, 2012

Prep & Paint Wicker

My front porch wicker chair has been in need of a little TLC. Since wicker is a day or two project, I decided to wait until spring to give it the ultimate overhaul. Prepping this wicker chair is key and I will give it extra elbow grease. I like to brush off the old paint with a medium wire brush, shake it out and then add 1/4 cup of bleach to a healthy bucket of water - with a nylon brush, I dip into the bucket and scrub down my chair, hose and then allow it to fully dry. Since wicker is wood, it tends to swell when wet so I do highly recommend that you allow soaked chair to fully dry a good 24 hours, depending on weather - it may even take 48 hours. This is a key step because you do not want to apply your primer to wet wicker. So, let's tackle this two/three day project and add that perfect dash of color with Painter's Touch 2X !




Project Materials:
*Wicker Piece
*Painter's Touch 2x COLOR TO BE DETERMINED - 2 cans
*Medium Wire Brush
*Medium Nylon Brush
*Bucket
*1/4 cup of bleach
*Drop Cloth

Project Steps:
*Using your medium wire brush, brush off loose debris & old paint
*Mix together 1/4 of bleach with a half a bucket full of water
*Using your nylon brush, dip it into the bucket and lightly scrub down the entire wicker piece, working on molded/dirty areas
*Hose off the wicker piece well with water
*Allow to fully dry - 24 to 48 hours
*Apply first coat of Zinsser Bin Primer
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Apply second coat of Zinsser Bin Primer
*Allow to fully cure 24 hours
*Apply first coat of Painter's Touch 2X (COLOR TO BE DETERMINED)
*Allow to dry 30 minutes but not more then 60
*Apply second coat of Painter's Touch 2X (COLOR TO BE DETERMINED)
*Allow to fully dry 48 hours before full use

Friday, March 30, 2012

Blue Lagoon Candlesticks, Saved From the Holidays!



These candleholders have served our home well and I simply hate to part with them. I have used them for the Christmas holidays all the way thru to New Years. As you can see they are a shimmering silver. So, since I'm on this recycling kick and decided to spray paint them with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X in Lagoon. The Lagoon color fits perfectly right into my dining room and brings out the teal tones in my mirror. I opted to keep them all and use them for the spring - the Lagoon color does look stunning against the plain old pine mantel. Color can uplift your home and the joy of recycling is great too!

Project Materials
*Drop Cloth
*Candleholders
*Cover nearby items to protect them from spray mist
*Apply one coat of Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X to each candleholder
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Apply second coat within an hour or after 48 hours

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Chalkboard Reminders for Furnance/Water Heater

Now that we have organized our basements and sectioned off the heater, water heater as well as the aprilaire units - I have found a great way to keep track of maintenance for every unit. If you have a plain wall you can apply two light coats of Rust-Oleum Specialty Magnetic Paint along with two coats of Rust-Oleum Specialty Chalkboard paint on the wall near the units. Make sure you have enough space so that you can write the following information for each unit:

Furnance / Air Conditioner
*Filter Brand Name or recommended
*Filter Size
*Last Changed Date
*Last Cleaning Date

Water Heater
*Date it was last flushed

Aprilaire/Humidifier Unit
*Temperature of winter setting
*percentage it should read
*Temperature of summer setting
*percentage it should read
*Filter Size
*Filter last change-Date

Name and phone number of Service Company for all units. Also, find a 24 service company for a back up. You can also hang a hook with a plastic large envelope which can hold all of your warranty information for these units. Now if you do not have a wall you can also hang a small white magnetic board to your furnace duct and jot down the same information as above. I will say there is something about making even your furnance a DIY project as well as customizing the room into a shared pantry. Keep your basement options open!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Springtime Touches For Your Kitchen






















After the long winter months come to a close, adding few touches of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2x in Eden to your kitchen is a sure winner! Spray paint season is upon us and I have added just the perfect amount of Eden! My kitchen had basic staple colors from my concrete countertops to the brown and gold seaglass backsplash along with crisp, white cabinets - thanks to Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Kit - I stuck with the white kit and chose not to add the glaze. The protective topcoat has proven it's durability over and over again. The two stools were a light pine and added the Eden as well to tie the kitchen together.

Project Materials
*Drop Cloth
*Accessory Pieces to spray paint
*Lint free Clean Cloth

Project Steps
*Cover nearby items with drop cloth to protect them from spray mist
*Wipe off all accessories with a clean cloth and paint thinner
*Allow to dry 15 minutes
*Apply primer to all pieces
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Apply spray paint in Eden
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Apply second coat of Eden within an hour or after 48 hours

Friday, March 23, 2012

Flatware Framed Art for your Kitchen!








These faux enamel utensils were such a huge hit not only for dinner parties, but I took it a step further and made my own artwork for my kitchen! I have now made at least 40 of them for friend and family and have been customizing the colors for each kitchen. This Flatware Framed Artwork is truly simple and easy! The hardest part will be picking the perfect color from Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X line as well as picking the perfect backround! Enjoy your creativity and all for under $8 a piece!

Project Materials
*Drop Cloth
*Painter's Tape
*6 Utensils or flatware
*2 8X10 picture frames - glass removed
*2 sheets of scrap booking paper - customize to your kitchen
*Hot glue gun

Project Steps
*Tape off the "Eating" part of the utensil -expose only the handles
*Spray paint 3 each with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X
*Allow to fully dry 24 hours
*Take apart frame and remove glass
*On cardboard mat glue on decorative paper
*Place paper into frame - facing forward - discard the glass
*Using hot glue gun, glue on your utensils
*Enjoy your custom artwork!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Spring "Green" Tips For Your Garden

Here are a few great "Green" tips for the spring that will help you conserve water, plant herbs all year long as well as make new friends and gather neighbors to host a Community Compost Pile! You may have to offer up your yard, but imagine the benefits of that fresh soil right in your backyard!

*BE WATER SAVVY - When watering your lawn, place an empty tuna can in your grass - when it's full...you've reached your limit.

*NO MORE PESTICIDES IN YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN - Cayenne and garlic will deter any bugs or small animals. Eggshells and coffee can be sprinkled around the base of your plants - ants, slugs & snails are not huge fans.

*COMMUNITY COMPOST PILE - Reach out to friends and neighbors and see if they are interested in a community compost pile - offer up your backyard and hand out a list of Yes and No's for the compost.

*PLANT YOUR OWN HERBS - Five plus hours of sunlight is required - moist soil also a must and consider growing them all year long by transitioning the plants indoors when fall arrives. Do not wait for frost, transition them in early fall. Find a sunny location indoors.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Antique Sewing Box Planter





















Nothing says Springtime like a planter full of violet colored pansies! I came upon this sewing table at my local Good Will last winter and have been anxious for it to make a "Welcome Spring" statement on my front porch. I love the oval shape, drawers and decided that Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X in Gloss Sun Yellow - added those violet pansies and WOW - what a great splash of color! I wanted to also share the piece primed with Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X White Primer.

Project Materials
*Unique Planter
*Drop Cloth
*320 Grit Sandpaper
*Paint Thinner
*Clean Lint Free Cloth
*Planting Soil
*Potted Pansey Plant

Project Steps
*Lightly sand down planter
*Wipe off with Paint Thinner and Lint Free Cloth
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Apply Painter's Touch 2X Primer
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Apply First Coat of Painter's Touch in Gloss Sun Yellow
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Apply Second Coat within one hour or after 48 hours
*Allow to dry 48 hours and then fill with soil & plants, place pansey plant on top

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Seasonal Update for your Shed

With Spring around the corner and no hope for snow, it's a great time for that "Seasonal Update for your Shed." Empty your snowblower of gas by running it on idle until it's empty. Evaluate the front base and blades of the snowblower - it may have been hit by rust over this winter season. If so, lightly sand off the rusted areas, apply Rust-Oleum's Rusty Metal Primer. Next, to keep your snowblower true to color form, apply two light coats of Rust-Oleum's Stops Rust Brand in whatever color the base of the blower is. Stops Rust is available in over 30 colors! Of course, now you can reorganize your shed and place that cleaned up, freshly painted snowblower to the rear of the shed and pull all of the spring planters, seed and digging shovels to the front!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Clean & Organize Your Basement

Winter is a great time to tackle all of those tough indoor chores that have been on your "To Do List" for a while! Organizing and cleaning out your basement is for sure one of them. Unfinished basements tend to hold years of memories, gifts that were given but never used, photo albums from the past 20 or so years, plastic bins of photographs waiting to be placed onto a cd or into an album, holiday decorations that could use an overhaul along with bins of clothing that you will fit into someday or simply can't part with those expensive shoes that are clearly no longer in style. A solid way to start organizing is by categorizing sections in your basement:

*Items to Donate
*Items to Throw Away/Trash
*Items to Sell
*Items to Keep

One website that I found to be useful is http://www.freecycle.org/ - basically you sign up, post what you are giving away for free -someone responds and they schedule a pick up date at your home (I recommend that you leave all items on your front porch) and they come get it. Simple, easy and free.

Other organizing tips for your basement are use large clear, plastic totes to store items in so that you can identify them without having to haul around the tote. If you have light sensitive items such as pictures or videos I recommend a dark, plastic tub which will keep the UV lighting out. If you have to switch winter/summer clothing as I do, I keep clear plastic tubs for sandals and flip flops which turn into boots and winter shoes - along with a few heavy duty rolling racks for your clothes.

You can also cover them with a plastic sheet and hang a cedar closet chip which also will soak up any moisture/mildew in the air. Finish off that organized basement with heavy duty plastic adjustable shelves - as you keep organizing, you can keep tossing all year long.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Varathane Stained Maple Table



My fantastic garage sale find for a crazy $10. I did do a ton of sanding on this table. I literally took my own advice from my blog "Sanding Tips 101". I spent about a total of 4 hours sanding - not all in one day but gave my hand a break in between. I'm going to stain this table with Varathane's Wood Stain which is available in over 20 colors and also has trial sizes available. This works well for me because I can test the colors of stains on the underside of the table and make a final decision from there. I also appreciate Varathane's stain line because I will not have to invest in a quart of stain, a pint will work perfect on this smaller round table. Varathane offers a full in line of stains, soya based, latex based, wood putty and wood fillers as well as a variety of Varathane Polyurethanes.

Now that I have the table fully prepped and ready to stain...help me pick a stain color - Espresso, Natural, Cabernet? I will be staining and sharing each picture of the step by step process on Februay 22nd. Log on and help me pick!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Sanding Tips 101

Sanding to stain is like primer is to paint. If you do a great job at sanding no one notices, BUT if your sanding jobn is minimal and weak - they will notice! No finish will hide a bad sanding job - same applies for prep and primer work prior to applying paint on the wall.

*Always do your sanding in a well lit area - it is easier to see scratches, nicks, dents or glue marks.

*Don't press too hard while sanding, keep even pressure if using a sanding tool. You do not want to dent into the wood from too much pressure.

*Sanding is not only a one step process. Sand out all blemishes which is any deep scratches, nicks or dents. Use a course grit such as 120-150 for the first layer of sanding.

*Sand in layers and sand with the grain of the wood. Change your paper often-be it on your tool or hand. The sanding does wear out and you will have uneven areas if you do not change papers often. Work your way up in sandpaper - ending with 320 grit.

*Your final sanding should be with the 320 - be sure to sand all of the parts with each sandpaper - including back ledges, legs and corners. You can wrap the sandpaper around the edge of a putty knife to fit into the back of a ledge on a table or dresser.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Lamp Revamp - Universal Gloss Cardinal Red





















I searched for a new lamp for my bedroom and just struggled with shapes, lampshades & colors. I found this gem at the Goodwill for a fabulous $2.99. I did plug it in at the Goodwill to make sure it worked, the employees were happy to loan me a bulb! I had a certain color in mind and found it - Rust-Oleum Universal Gloss Cardinal Red! It's the exact burst of color needed for my bedroom. I took it to the next level with the lampshade - leopard fringe with warm hues of brown and black! The entire project was under $22, which included the lamp shade I found at 50% off!

Project Materials
*Drop cloth
*Recycled lamp
*Painter's tape

Project Steps
*Cover nearby items with drop cloths to protect them from spray mist
*Cover cord with painter's tape
*Cover bulb socket with painter's tape
*Spray lamp with primer
*Allow to fully cure 30 minutes
*Apply first coat of Universal Gloss Cardinal Red
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Apply second coat of Universal Gloss Cardinal Red within an hour or after 48 hours
*Allow to fully cure 24 hours
*Attach lamp shade and insert bulb

Monday, February 13, 2012

Valentine's Day Chalk Board Charger Plates

Here is a fabulous way to start off Valentine's Day...heart-shaped pancakes served along with this charger plate with your very own special message - Rust-Oleum's Chalk Board Specialty Paint in black has been a hit in our house for many different occasions including birthdays, St. Patty's Day and even if the kids bring home a great report card! Be sure to leave a cup full of chalk for your return message.

Project Materials
*Newspaper
*Paint brush or foam roller
*Rust-Oleum Specialty Chalk Board Paint
*Chalk
*Charger plates
*Paint stick
*Clean rag
*Roller tray if you are using a foam roller

Project Steps
*Cover area where you will be painting with newspapers
*Mix paint well
*Apply first coat with either foam roller or paint brush
*Allow to fully dry 30 minutes
*Apply second coating
*Allow to dry 24 hours
*Season plate with the long, round end of the chalk and then wipe off with a clean rag

Friday, February 10, 2012

Canvas Valentine Heart Art

Nothing says Love like a Heart! This is a DIYer's dream craft - all done within a day and you can customize the heart by adding a message to your Valentine. The total project is also just under $12 and can be stored away for next year as well!

Project Materials
*3 - 5 x 7 canvas boards
*Painter's Tape
*White Craft Paint
*Small Paint Brush
*Black marker
*Drop Cloth

Project Steps
*Cover Nearby items to protect them from over spray
*With a pencil - sketch out your heart on the 3 canvas pieces
*Tape off inside with painter's tape
*Spray paint the exposed canvas with Gloss Apple Red
*Allow to dry 30 minutes
*Spray paint another light coat of Gloss Apple Red
*Allow to fully dry 24 hours
*Remove tape
*Paint the inside of the heart - if necessary, the white may look sharp enough
with the white craft paint
*Allow to dry one hour
*Line the outer area of the heart with the black marker
*You can now also write your secret message to your Valentine inside the heart!



Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Chalk Board Charger Plates - Fun for the Family!

Pick up a dozen or so of these plain charger plates for under $1 each and turn your dinner table into a fun, festive dinner every night! I applied two light coats of Rust-Oleum's Specialty ChalkBoard Paint in Black and wrote cute notes for the kids! Best part of the Specialty Paint is that it is available to tint in over 10 different colors! Application was quick and easy, dries fast and again, I barely dented the quart can. Be sure to place a cup of chalk on the table for the kids to respond...that's the best part!

Project Materials
* Charger Plates
* Rust-Oleum Specialty ChalkBoard Paint -Black
* Foam Roller or paint brush
* Roller tray
* Chalk
* Rags to wipe off messages

Project Steps
*Cover area where you are going to paint
*Apply one thin coating of the chalkboard paint over charger plate
*Allow to dry one hour
*Apply second coating
*Third coat may be needed
*Be sure to allow one hour in between coats
*Season the painted charger plates by taking the rounded part of the chalk and lightly dust entire dry, painted plate with chalk. Wipe off and now you are ready to write your message.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Chalk Board Wine Glasses - Finished Look




Here they are! Perfect for entertaining as well as having a fun family dinner! This was one of the easiest projects I have ever completed and will be making a few dozen as gifts for birthdays, accompanied with a bottle of wine! I wanted to share a couple of during the process pictures so you can see just how easy it was to literally dip the stems into the paint!

I barely dented the can of Rust-Oleum's Specialty ChalkBoard Paint in Black - but the best part of this product is that it's available in 12 different colors from Raspberry to Kona - talk about specializing that perfect birthday gift for your friend - celebrate Valentine's Day with personalized Wine or Champagne glasses dipped in Rust-Oleum's Specialty ChalkBoard Paint in Fresco Red!



Project Materials
*Wine or Champagne Glasses
*Paper towels
*Acetone
*Chalk

Project Steps

*Wash and fully dry your glasses
*Wipe them with the acetone
*Dry well
*Mix ChalkBoard Paint very well with a stir stick
*Dip each stem of the glass directly into the quart paint
*Gently pull up as you take out the painted stem and swirl the glass - allowing the paint to drip directly back into the can
*Place glass down on a piece of cardboard and every so often go back and lift the glass up so that it does not stick to the cardboard
*Allow to fully dry 24 hours
*Season each painted stem by taking the rounded edge of the chalk and rubbing chalk onto the surface
*Wipe off and now you can customize each wine glass

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Chalk Board Wine Glasses

Thrift Store Score! Silver rimmed wine glasses that I'm going to jazz up with Rust-Oleum Specialty Chalkboard Paint - on the foot of the glass! Spent just under $2 for them and the silver rim adds that bit of bling! You can then personalize each individual glass for your guests. Don't limit yourself to a name...add the brand of wine or use a nickname! Keep it creative & fun! Be sure to jump on tomorrow for my work in progess.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Organize & Recycle Paint

If you live in the colder regions, you should always bring in your paint from your garage or shed. Be sure to label each color by dabbing a spot on top of the paint can or you can label the color with a sharpie marker. Another easy way to keep a record of your paint colors is by dipping a paint stick into each gallon, allowing it to dry and then keeping that paint stick readily available for decorating as well.

My handy tip- I recommend that you wrap the mouth of the paint can with cling wrap - basically sealing in the paint and then tightly secure the lid on. As we repaint and decorate rooms, we should do away with the old paints that are no longer in your home.

If your paint is old and has an odor, you should fill it with kitty litter and allow to get hard then recycle through your local waste management company. If you have various gallons of paint left, here are a few tips on recycling:

*Call your local Good Will or Thrift Store
*Contact your local high school's drama department - they are in need of supplies all the time!
*Call Habitat for Humanity

The new buzz word in the world of recycling is now "Precycle" - which is basically purchasing the correct amount of paint. No need to over buy paint..you can always go back and buy a quart for touch-ups as oppossed to storing a gallon for a few years! A few websites that can help you further recycle your paints:

*PaintCare.org
*Earth911.com
*www.local.com