Isn't it Amazing What a Little Paint Can Do?

No truer words have ever been spoken. I LOVE PAINT! I will always profess my undying love to this amazing mood changer!

In the course of over three years (the time we've owned our house), we have repainted almost every room in our home. Each room must convey a single emotion when we enter.

Kitchen = Sunny

Living Room = Cozy

Our Bedroom = Relaxing

Office = Calm

Mudroom = Inviting

Laundry Room = Fresh

Being an artist makes me a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to color.

I'd love to share some of my tips for picking out the perfect paint colors. Hopefully this will protect you from making a bad decision. But, rest assured that if you really don't LOVE the color after you have painted one wall, you can take your paint back to the store and ask the "paint guy" to tweak the color for you. Or worst case scenario, you have to buy a new gallon. (Well, okay, that can get expensive.)

But, if you find a color you truly "LOVE", it will translate into loving your home. So worth it in my book!

Before I paint any room, I go to several paint departments and gather several color chips that appeal to me. The colors that I REALLY think I'm going to like, I will grab a few extra chips of (shhhh, don't rat me out for stealing paint chips.)

When I get home, I tuck the chips behind the switch plate cover, in the molding, or tape them on several different walls in the room. It is important to place the chips next to your trim moulding so you can see if the color will work well next to it.

After looking at the chips for at least a week during different times of day and different lighting (sunny or cloudy days) I am usually able to narrow down my choices to 2 or 3 choices.

Next I run back to the paint department and buy or have samples mixed up of the colors I like. Because I am a "work until I get it done" type person, I go ahead and paint big swatches on the wall next to the moulding on all four walls.  This is important because a color that looks good on your sunny wall may not look so good on a shady wall. And you need to see the colors and how they coordinate with the wall color in an adjoining room. If you aren't quite ready to commit to painting your wall, go ahead and buy some poster boards and paint the swatches on the poster board and hang or prop them up in your room.

A few things to keep in mind while you are looking at a color. Just be aware that the color may change as the seasons change. Winter yields brighter and cooler colored light in our home because the trees are bare. In the summer, our light changes to a greener cast and less harsh lighting as the trees fill out with leaves. I can tell you right now, that I wait for summer to roll around before choosing any colors in the green or yellow family. I need to make sure they look good with the light reflecting off the leaves and into the room.

If you are still having trouble choosing a color, invite a friend over who will give you their HONEST opinion.

If you STILL can't decide, never fear – Pretty Handy Girl is here! "Here I come to save your color dilemma!"

Introducing Paint Preview:

Some of us are visual people, we REALLY need to see the room painted before we know what a color is going to look like up on all four walls. A special thanks to Emily at Decor Chick for testing my new venture last week. I'm calling it "Paint Preview". Thanks to the wonder of technology, I can now virtually paint any room in your home or the exterior of your home! Save yourself time and money by previewing your painting project before the first drop cloth is laid.

Emily's Living Room Before - SW Baguette

Emily's Living Room Paint Previewed - SW Anew Gray

Want more information about Paint Preview? CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

In the meantime, one lucky reader will have the opportunity to win a free Paint Preview! But, that's not all! In addition, you will receive a Pretty Handy Girl in a box. (Sorry, I won't be shipping myself to your home. Unless you live in some amazing seaside resort cottage and will pay for my airfare and put me up for a week.) But, I will ship a box of goodies I've made on my blog in addition to some of my favorite treats (did I hear someone say caffeine & chocolate?!)

But wait...there's more! As with all my previous giveaways, I will be including a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Who couldn't use one of those beauties?

So, now that I've let the cat out of the bag, come back tomorrow for the official rules and details for entering my 1,000 follower celebration giveaway!

Until then, I'm thinking about repainting our garage doors and adding grills to them. What do you think?

Our Home Before

Our Garage Paint Previewed

Painted Smooth Ceilings - Falling in Love with Your Home

Welcome back. Many of you may participate or read a weekly WIWW (What I Wear Wednesday). Those women in blogland, they really know how to put an outfit together. I am seriously jealous because sometimes I feel wardrobe challenged. Maybe you can help me. Here is what I wore Wednesday:

Ladies, if you want to copy my looks, here is the breakdown:

1. Hooded Knit T-shirt Top bought 15 yrs. ago at Gap

2. Gap Jeans bought about 5 yrs. ago. Those are authentic knee rips!

3. Dansko Clogs with the heels worn down to a hollow core.

4. Latex gloves (the better to paint with.)

This Pretty Handy Girl can't wear her good duds on a painting day (although I've been known to do that occasionally.)

Painting is a nice segue into the first secret for "Falling in Love with Your Home". Our home started out dark and dreary on the inside. Most of the rooms had dark wall colors, but the biggest problem was the dingy white popcorn ceilings. Those suckers are light sponges! They absorb the natural light and keep it all to themselves.

Here is a good example of the light difference between a smooth ceiling and a textured ceiling:

Both pictures were taken minutes apart in adjoining rooms that have the same south facing windows. The rooms are identical in size. The room on the left (master bedroom) has popcorn ceilings and light blue walls. If you look closely, you can see how each pock has a shadow. The texture effectively stops the light from being reflected. Meanwhile the ceiling on the right is smooth but the walls are a dark blue (son's room). Despite the darker walls, the ceiling appears lighter because the light is reflected due to the lack of texture.

As you can see, we are able to lighten our rooms about 10 - 15% by scraping and painting just the ceilings! (Imagine what painting the walls a lighter color will do!)

Two more benefits of a smooth ceiling:

• A smooth ceiling will visually raise the ceiling, while the textured ceiling draws your focus to the texture and makes the ceiling feel lower. You'll have to trust me on this one.

• And, a smooth ceiling will not collect as much dust. I don't have to tell you how important that is for allergy sufferers (ahhh- choo! I'm allergic to dust mites.)

In summary, why do you want a bright and smooth ceiling? Because, it will reflect more light and natural light is a mood booster.  And during the seemingly never-ending winter months, we all need more sunlight to avoid mild depression or gloom. Translated: Better mood = Loving Your Room!

This is how we do it:

We have the popcorn (textured) ceilings scraped. Notice how I said, "Have" them scraped. I am handy – as you know – but there are certain tasks that I won't do. I successfully scraped the ceiling in our pantry, but my neck was in pain for a week afterwards. I vowed never again. It is also a good idea to pay a professional if you live in an older home. Textured ceilings may contain asbestos. (Thank goodness ours didn't.)

Now, even if you don't have textured ceilings, you likely can still benefit from adding a fresh coat of paint. Ceilings are usually neglected for years. They are often painted with a builder's grade white paint. The builder's white is a dingy off white color compared to an Ultra Bright Flat White. It also doesn't age as well and will tend to yellow or dull over the years. Here is an approximation of how a builder's white might look next to an ultra bright white color:

AND, let's say you really don't want to mess with those texture ceilings, if you buy a thick nap roller and repaint the ceiling with an Ultra Bright White, you will still notice a big difference. (One word of caution when painting textured ceilings. Paint over one spot and move on. If you go back over that spot while it is still wet it can pull the texture down.)

Tutorial for painting ceilings like a pro

Materials:

• Valspar Flat Ultra Bright White Latex Paint
  (this is the brightest white we have found. Valspar is sold only at Lowe's)
• Latex Primer
• Paint tray
• Paint roller
• Roller extension rod
• Edger
• Painters tape
• Tarp
• Fine grit sanding block
• Car Wash sized sponge and bucket
• medium size flat artist's brush

Begin by covering every bare inch of floor with plastic or thick canvas tarps. And cover any furniture left in the room (although you should try to remove everything from a room when you paint, it is just easier that way, trust me.)

Remove blades on a ceiling fan, simply unscrew the arms from the motor:

Then cover your light fixture with a plastic bag and painter's tape.

Next, apply painter's tape around the top of the walls of your room. If you are going to re-paint your walls after the ceilings, you can skip this step.

Start with the primer (a must for newly scraped ceilings, but not necessary for previously painted smooth ceilings).

1. Use your edger around the perimeter of your room. I like this handy-dandy edger that has a hole for the extension pole (especially helpful if you have high ceilings or neck issues.)

 

2. After the perimeter of the ceiling is done, edge around any light fixtures or vents.

3. Reach for your roller. I like to work in 5' sections. Start by rolling out a letter "W". Then roll back and forth, up and down and in random directions until you have that section of ceiling covered.

 This will insure that you don't have racing stripes on your ceiling.

4. Continue working next to the section you just finished. Try to work into the previous section while the paint is still wet. Otherwise, let that section dry before trying to roll into tacky half-dry paint.

5. Allow the primer to dry, then lightly sand your ceiling to remove any specks that got into the paint. Wipe the ceiling with a damp sponge.

Now repeat steps 1-5 using the ultra bright white paint.

Let your ceiling dry and then add a second coat of the ultra bright white (yes, definitely use two coats to leave your ceiling looking like it was painted by a pro! Don't skimp.)

When you are done, remove the painter's tape and pull out a small flat artists brush.

Pour some wall color paint into a small cup (I like to keep spare paint for each room in small jelly containers or jars. That way if one of my boys (adult and child alike) should happen to mar a wall, I can fix it in a jiffy.) Use the flat brush to create a smooth line at the top of your wall. Then finish by touching up any ceiling spots that were missed.

 
Take a look at the difference in our office! The top picture shows the room right after the ceiling was scraped. During the day!

 

And this next picture was taken of the same windows (different angle) at night!

Wow, brighten my world! View more pictures of this room HERE.

Okay, so I really like the ultra bright smooth white ceilings, but I did come across this gorgeous ceiling over at Not Just a Housewife, that would also make you swoon over your room if you were to try it. Check out Stacy's tutorial HERE.

P.s. If you are renting, please don't despair. I will have some tips that don't involve painting your home.

I leave you with a glimpse of hope for those of you snowed in this week:

Daffodils Popping Through the Ground

Daphne Buds Getting Ready to Sprout

I just took those pictures yesterday, February 2nd! I live in Raleigh, NC, so thankfully spring is on its way. (Don't hate me.)

5-Piece Nonstick Coated Paint Tray Set

00500 - Premium Paint Edger [635870] UPC: 022384005006 10L x 7.63W x 9.5H 0.2 LB 0.42 Cubes

Aged Painted Pail Tutorial

I was strolling through our local Goodwill last week looking for goodies donated by people trying to claim a last minute tax write-off. I came across a bucket with a $1 price on it.

I grabbed it and ran to the register. Especially because the pail was originally $9.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Miss Mustard Seed's aged painted pails have been stored in my memory banks since I first saw them in August. (And that is saying a lot, considering I can't remember what I ate for lunch today!)

Marion used crackle medium, but I remember seeing somewhere that you can use regular elmer's glue mixed with a little water instead. So that is what I did – and guess what – IT WORKED!

I only used enough H20 to water down the glue so it would be easier to paint on.

I brushed it all over the outside of the pail (bottom too!) And let it dry.

Next I pulled out leftover flat white paint that we use on our ceilings and painted one coat on the pail.

I had to work quick, because the paint got gooey quick and you don't want to keep brushing over the paint when it starts to dry (trust me on this one.)

After the white paint dried, I took out some acrylic paints and painted some stripes, flowers and a monogram for my good friend, Amy.

To protect the paint from chipping off, I added a coating of matte mod podge.

Isn't it cute? Much better than the original.

But, I wasn't done...no sir E Bob. I cut up these:

 To make this:

The liner was super easy to make, tutorial HERE.

Painting Dandelions on the Wall

It's Friday!!! But, it's not just any friday. No, no, no. This friday I'm headed to the beach with some other mom friends. No kids, no husbands, NO BOYS, just us 5 mommas! I can't wait.

But, I promised to show you the graphic I painted on our bedroom wall. I know, I teased you as long as I could.

Pretty Handsome Boys #1 & #2, can you please pull back the curtains for the final reveal?

Dandelion Seeds

 

Floating Away

Dandelion Head 

 The Pair

Gentle breeze picks up... 

 ...blowing in our bedroom suite. Peaceful restful. Ahhhh.

I painted the graphic in a few hours using a mixture of 1/3 of the wall color to 2/3 white ceiling paint. The tutorial is HERE. But, if you are hesitant to paint your own, check out Leen's graphic dandelions HERE.

Because I tortured you with anticipation, I'll give you a quick tour of our bedroom (a very quick tour because it is a very small bedroom).

 

 Our pottery barn sleigh bed (gifted to us by my sister) flanked by new curtains and blinds that I showed you how to hang this week.

 

Thank goodness for two closets! Peeking into Pretty Handsome Boy #1's room.
We painted a woodland mural in there. Some day I'll share it with you.

A photo I took of the London Eye when Pretty Handsome Guy and I had a romantic getaway. I uploaded the file to CanvasPeople.com and gave it to my love for Christmas.

Sunprints made with my boys. So fun, so easy, so pretty!

 

And on the opposing wall, is the dandelion mural blowing seeds over
the Craig's List Dresser I refinished.

Ultimately, I want to add a wall quote over the dresser. But, Pretty Handsome Guy and I are still not agreeing on compiling quotes. 

Here are a few quotes I like (notice how I said "I like".)

Remember your yesterdays, dream your tomorrows, live your todays.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Love is a flower, you got to let it – you got to let it grow. - John Lennon

Love does not consist of gazing in each other,
but in looking outward together in the same direction.

Good night, sweet friend: thy love ne'er alter, till thy sweet life end. - Shakespeare

Let your love fly like a bird on a wing.

Where there is love, there is life. - Ghandi

May the warm winds of heaven blow softly in this home.

Grow old along with me the best is yet to be.

I am all ears if anyone has any other suggestions. In other words:

Please, please help us find a quote we can agree on!