Fall Decor Inspiration

Ah, Friday night. There you are.

After what feels like the LONGEST WEEK EVARRRR, Friday is finally here. It was a particularly good Friday because I got to:

• Eat a sandwich for lunch that required the use of a fork. I don't know about you, but if you need to eat your sandwich with a fork, then chances are your sandwich is pretty good.
• Leave work a whole two hours early. Yeah early closings!
• Spend some time with the youth organization kiddos. Our first football game performance is coming up soon and the kids are so excited.

But this Friday is especially awesome because it marks the start of a three-day weekend (!!!).

Which means I'll be doing a lot of the following:

• Sitting on the beach
• Switching my beer selection between Bud Light Lime and Sam Adams Oktoberfest (best of both worlds!)
• Eating hot dogs until my face falls off
• Sitting in a pool and basking in whatever is left of this summer (whatever is left = none. Sadness.)

But then there's also the fact that I get to drag out my Fall decorations on Monday. I've been seeing a lot of Fall decor posts and inspiration floating around blogland for the last couple of weeks which started the itch to break everything out last weekend, but I held out. There is still one (non-technical) weekend of Summer left, and I'm not about to rush things.

But Monday? September 2nd? I'll be decking my halls with all kinds of Fall decor, fa la la la la, la la la la. I'm especially excited because this will be the first time I can play with Fall decor in the new house.

And so, I give to you some of my favorite decor inspirations for the upcoming season. 

(Friendly reminder: if you are going to pin any of these images, PLEASE pin from the original source. I've provided source information below each photo).

 source: Country Living

source: A Diamond in the Stuff

source: The Creek Line House

source: Blissfully Domestic

source: Sweet Something Designs

source: White Spray Paint

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Labor Day Weekend! Don't work too hard--even though I can't speak for myself because sweet husband planned a big organizing/storage project for the weekend (SO SWEET. /sarcasm).

So, who has already busted out their fall decorations (don't be shy)? Who is waiting until Monday? Who thinks I'm crazy for even decorating as early as September 2nd?

How to Fake a Reclaimed Wood Sign

In my Powder Room Progress post, I touched on the fact that my happy accident in breaking a 10" pine board practically down the center gave me an extra piece of scrap wood to work with. After some thought, this is what came of that scrap piece of pine that could:

I wanted a painted wooden sign badly, but did not have transfer paper handy or a fancy cutting machine to create a stencil of sorts and I didn't feel like leaving the house, so I worked with what I had. 

It was fairly easy:

Find a font you like. Print it large enough to your liking. I wanted an old-time rustic look, so I picked...a font. I can't remember which one now. But pick one you like! The sky (or your willingness to download new fonts) is the limit here.

I'll admit: I had already taken the taped-down words off at this point, realized I forgot to take a picture,
and then hastily stuck it back on for a photo. #getittogetherwoman

Once my words were printed, I cut each word out and taped it to my already-sanded-and-stained board, making sure that they lined  up nicely and were level.

And then this is where I fail at providing you with more pictures. Sorry, friends.

Take a ball-point pen or a pencil and trace over the outline of each of your letters. You can press firmly, but not too firmly. If you're working with pine, it's pretty soft so it won't take much pressure. You'll want to apply enough pressure while tracing to make an imprint of each letter's outline on your wood piece.

Once that's done, take a fine paint brush and fill in your letters with the paint color of your choosing. I used two coats of Martha Stewart Acrylic Craft Paint in Wedding Cake. And then I took a black acrylic paint and painted a faint shadow along the left side of each letter's outline.

Just a note, that tiny paint brush will do wonders. I didn't have one and was determined to not leave the house. I tried a pen dipped in paint to fill it in, my pinky finger, and a q-tip. All of those methods sucked, so I finally had to bite the bullet and drive the two miles to A.C. Moore.

I know, guys, it was so hard.

Let your masterpiece dry, then gently sand over the letters to distress your sign. Below you can see how it turned out after taking a sanding block to it.

Looks pretty legit, no?

Originally, I was going to paint the words "Powder Room" on the sign, but I feel like "Powder Room" is so twee and precious and not meant for rooms with awesomely rustic wooden shelves. "Powder Room" probably would have worked if the walls stayed purple, but not today. Not in this bathroom, no sir.

I now dub this room the W.C.

Linking up with: Sunshine and a Summer Breeze, Glued to My Crafts, Kreative Creationz, Julie is Coco and Cocoa, Embracing Change, French Country Cottage, Jennifer Rizzo, Finding Fabulous, Young and Crafty, My Romantic Home, Craft Dictator, 504 Main, Place of My Taste, House of Rose, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, DIY Vintage Chic, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, The Winthrop Chronicles, Ella Claire, City Farmhouse, Yellow Bliss Road, Clean & Scentsible, Coastal Charm, Cozy Little House, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, The Happy Housie, The Turquoise Home, The Blissful Bee, Place of My Taste

Powder Room Progress

On Thursday night, Denny looked at me and said, "Dear sweet wife, I know how much you love a project, and I truly do too, but please let's not make this project last weeks upon weeks."

Just kidding. 

It was more like, "Woman, I am tired of not having any lights in that tiny room and only having one coat of paint on the walls (GAHHH PURPLE), so please do something about that pronto. Kthnx."

Really, it was nothing like that either, but definitely more of the latter than the former.

Because making over the powder room RIGHTTHISMINUTE was my idea, I was the one to take charge on it. So I started painting and then did nothing for a week and half because, duh, the beach.

It's the story of my life this summer.

Anyway, I spent the better part of Saturday installing a new light fixture and painting the second coat of Olympic's Morning Fog in the powder room. And because I liked the color so much, I painted the mudroom too.

The best part is that in the mudroom, the green tones in the paint come out way more. It's like I painted two different colors, except it came from the same gallon. And I win.

Anyway, back to the powder room.

You can check out my powder room inspiration board here if you want to see the powder room in all it's purple glory.

I was really jonesing for some wood-look tiles on the floor, but the budget and time dictates that it was not meant to be just yet. I was desperate to get a dark wood tone in the powder room to balance out the cool paint color and super shiny chrome fixtures that will be installed, so I jumped on the "shelves over the toilet" train that I've been seeing throughout the blogosphere. I wanted a dark and reclaimed look.

Hi Sugarplum!'s tutorial seemed to be the best for my skill level and situation, so off I went to Home Depot and grabbed my supplies after measuring the wall:

• 2 - 1x10 pine boards, cut to 29 1/4"
• Square dowel (I grabbed the whole piece because I was rushing, and due to a happy accident I had juuuuust enough. We cut them down to match the width of the boards once I got home.)
• Minwax Oil-Based Dark Walnut Wood Finish Interior Stain (I bought the smallest bottle, which I think was 8 oz., and only used half for two shelves...a little will go a long way.)
• Screws (had these at home)
• Foam brush (had this at home)

I threw out my receipt, but I'm guessing this project costed me $15.00 max.

I started by beating the ever-loving crap out of my boards. We used a hammer, some screws, a mallet, and I'm pretty sure my garden shears came into play at some point. Things took an interesting turn when we brought some rocks into the situation. Denny (bless his little husband heart) said, while I was distressing the first board, "Why don't you put the rocks under the board and them hammer the board?" So I (bless my little heart), took the second board and said, "Okay!"

And that, my friends, is how you wind up with a split board.

Which Peyton kindly took care of for me. By the way, everything in our house is now 14 inches according to the mini Bob Vila.

But by a happy accident, when I took apart the split board, I thought to myself, "Self, this will work. You wanted a reclaimed wood look, so this is your chance. And now you have TWO pieces to work with."

So I sanded down both parts of board #2 to get rid of any splinters, and got to staining:

Brush it (blurrily) onto your boards, wipe it off, let it dry.

We only used one coat of stain on the boards and the dowel pieces.

After dinner, it was time to hang these bad boys.

We measured where we'd want each shelf situated on the wall and mounted our braces for the first shelf with two screws in each piece.

I promise you all three walls are the same color.

And then placed the first board.

The first board was the one that got away unscathed from the "rock incident", but the second one is definitely a little more rustic looking:

Helloooooooooo.

You can see the top shelf's front lip is definitely a bit wavy, thanks to breaking apart the wood right along the split the rocks created. A happy accident indeed.

The second half of the happy accident that was board #2 turned into this:

Tutorial coming up in the next post, because this is longggg enough. (Heyo! Tutorial can be found here.)

Hope everyone had a happy weekend!

PS: On a toddler-related note, Peyton has escaped her crib twice in the last week. I'm thinking it's time to transition the crib into a toddler bed, but does anyone have any advice on keeping a toddler IN a bed? Both scenarios--Peyton being able to hop out of bed and run around on her own vs. her getting hurt trying to Houdini her way out of the crib--are giving me anxiety.

Linking up with:
So Much Better With Age, Rain on a Tin Roof, Dimples and Pigtales, Commona-My House, Maison de Pax, DIY Show Off, Coastal Charm, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru Life, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Home Stories A to Z, The Style Sisters, The Farmhouse Porch, Savvy Southern Style, Ella Claire, SNAP!, Ashley's Dandelion Wishes, DIY by Design, The Everyday Home, The Shady Porch, The Winthrop Chronicles, The Well Crafted Home, Sugar and Dots, The Blissful Bee, The Happy Housie, The Brambleberry Cottage, 52 Mantels, The Shabby Creek Cottage, House of Hepworths, Embracing Change, French Country Cottage, Jennifer Rizzo, Beneath My Heart

A Late Summer Vignette

The wall behind my made-over buffet is still super nekkid, but I dolled up my "fake mantel" itself again :)

It was probably around August 4th that I gasped in horror and realized that my 4th of July stuff was still out. I know, I know, Labor Day is right around the corner, but I couldn't bring myself to keep all that stuff out for another month.

Home Sweet Home printable courtesy of Going Home to Roost

Love is Spoken Here printable courtesy of J&A and Company

Life is Good Printable courtesy of gDesigned

The boxwood topiaries are from Christmas Tree Shoppe, and I found the last two on clearance for $4.99 a piece. They came pre-lit, so all I had to do was add batteries. I know they're not real preserved boxwoods, but the cheapest I could find them anywhere near me was $30 a pop (for the same size!) and that was at Marshall's. Marshall's, people! The land of cheap things!

Maybe I'm cheap, but I am not spending $30 on a foot-tall fake plant, trendy or not.

My stack o'books from the thrift store stayed put, as did my little white bird from Michael's, big antique jug, and Smucker's jar. I added my mason jar with it's rusty little lid from my stepdad's basement and the milk glass bud vase from the local Goodwill. The rest of the birdies and the blue glass bottle are from Michael's. 

The Calendula flowers are from my garden. I am loving waking up to new pops of yellow and orange in my front garden beds. Along with my Astros, they are such cheerful little flowers, and I'm looking forward to drying the calendula petals for some at-home remedies and harvesting the seeds for next year.

To me, printables are a nice way to add some quick, easy, and beautiful art. I picked three for their use of color and I liked that all three kind of tied together in theme. They all celebrate the simplicity of home but tie in some fun summer color.

This vignette might seem more Spring-appropriate to some, but everything outside is still so green and vibrant right now. I feel like it's summer giving us it's last hurrah.  Pretty soon all the colors will fade away, the air will get colder, and we'll all be wishing for the green and warmth again. It's nice to relish in it a little bit longer, don't you think?

And with that, I'm looking forward to pulling out the fall decor in a few weeks' time and creating some fun DIY decor projects.

What are you working on? Is it back to school time in your neck of the woods? The kids here still have about two weeks left before they go back!

How to Paint a Door Red and Save Your Sanity - Part Deux

Check out Part One here: How to Paint a Front Door and Save Your Sanity, Part One

It is literally taking me weeks to finish painting this door, you guys.

What I thought would be a quick rainy Saturday project is officially taking me WEEKS. I mean, I am working 40 hours a week, volunteering my time with the youth organization 6 hours a week, and toddler wrangling and trying to keep the house from burning down the rest of my time. I am bummed out that this is taking so long.

Photo number three is where I left off last Sunday, admitting defeat for the week.

This Sunday, between prepping the powder room for it's makeover, I slapped another coat of red on the door.

And now here we are:

The blurryness is to hide my address.
I know we're all friends here, buuuuut....just in case.
And that reflection at the top of the door is horrendous.
My deepest and most profound apologies.

This also shows you a nice little glimpse of my totally insane flower beds in the front yard. The planter at the bottom left is actually from Shop Rite. The rug I found at Goodwill for $2.00, and you get a shot of my Morning Glory vine that absolutely refuses to flower, wahhhhhh.

Black is still showing through the red paint. After four coats. I wanted so desperately for this to be done. Fall is coming and I have some decor plans that neeeeeeeeed the door to be finished first. 

My uncle drove by the other day and said it looked great from the street. He told me to stop worrying so much.

As I was examining the door from the same vantage point as the last photo above, I finally declared it "okay". Yeah, the black is peeking through, but it gives it the look of a door antiqued with black glaze (which, coincidentally, I asked Denny if I could use and he vetoed the idea).

So, the door is painted. It is "done."

And now I'd like to offer up another tip to help you save your sanity: know when to call it quits. Sure, you might THINK you need to paint 14 million coats of red paint on your black door due to the fact that you failed to get primer tinted with gray to get the original black paint covered better, but know when to stop. You probably see a million flaws, but Joe Schmoe walking his dog past your house does. not. care. 

Next up for part three: door decor, and adding some season-appropriate annuals to add some more color to the space. I have calendula, petunias, and begonias planted willy-nilly around the flower beds, but I think the petunias and begonias are on their last legs. Looking forward to some mums for the fall!

Linking up to:
Sugar and Dots, The Blissful Bee, Place of My Taste, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Brambleberry Cottage, French Country Cottage, Blissful and Domestic, My Romantic Home, Young and Crafty, House of Rose, Start at Home, Living Better Together, I Want Crazy, Three Monkeys' Mommy

Powder Room Mood Board

If you've read my Pseudo House Tour, you might have noticed my Barney powder room. 

I call it the Barney powder room because it is purple. Not just a little purple, but a lot purple. The MLS photo I shared looks like a harmless little lavender bathroom, but it is, in fact, a violet monstrosity. Because there are no windows and it's a small room, the purple walls feel very heavy and way too close for comfort.

Did I mention that purple is my least favorite color? Okay, well, now you know!

Behold, the offender:

And on the opposite (still purple) wall, about four feet away from the sink, is the toilet.
I have a closet on the first floor that is bigger than this powder room. Truth.

Not only am I dealing with severely purple walls, I'm also rocking a builder's grade light fixture and mirror, and a towel bar that is about two feet long. I'm puzzled as to why a powder room would need so many towels that such a long towel bar is required, but I stopped asking questions about a month after we moved in.

Oh, yeah...and there's LINOLEUM. High fives for linoleum! Just kidding, I know you hate it as much as I do.

I'm looking forward to lightening and brightening the space, making the walls feel less like they're closing in, and adding some accessories to make this windowless room a little more fun. Bathrooms should be fun, right?

If you are following me on Pinterest, you might have seen a "Bathroom Makeover" board pop up within the last week or so. I am a woman on a mission, I am. My Bathroom Makeover board encompasses any and all inspiration I've found for any of our three bathrooms. The powder room should feel lucky that I find it so offensive that it needs to be re-done first!

I decided to put together my first mood board (forgive some of the editing, please; sometimes I get a bit crazy with that magnetic lasso tool in Photoshop ;) to get a feel of what I'd like to see in here. 

I'm thinking lots of metals, warm floors, and a lighter paint (smell ya later, purple!)

1. Zinc Framed Mirror from Ballard Designs  2. Allen + Roth 3-light Brushed Nickel Bathroom Vanity Light from Lowe's  3. Moen Preston Single Post Toilet Paper Holder in Chrome from Home Depot  4. Moen Ellsworth Towel Ring in Chrome from Home Depot  5. Threshold Glass with Pewter Soap Pump from Target  6. Threshold Bathroom Wastebasket in Iron/Silver from Target  7. Marazzi Montagna Saddle 24 in. x 6 in. Glazed Porcelain Floor and Wall Tile from Home Depot  8. Olympic Morning Fog in Satin from Lowe's

I'm really looking forward to ditching the ridiculously long towel bar for a simple chrome towel ring and adding in some sweet accessories. Maybe I'll build some shelves over our toilet? The possibilities are endless!

source

The above photo is kind of how I feel right now (10 points for you if you know this movie), but I need to be realistic and realize that this is like, a 3' x 7' room I'm talking about here.

Still on the hunt for those accessories, some art options, linens, and a 2x3 rug. Any suggestions?

Linking up with:

Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Home Stories A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, Ashley's Dandelion Wishes, Southern Lovely, Ella Claire Inspired, Yellow Bliss Road, Clean and Scentsible, City Farmhouse, The Blissful Bee, Place of My Taste, French Country Cottage, Blissful and Domestic, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Finding Fabulous, Young and Crafty, House of Rose

Apron Round-up

I've been enlisted to bake cupcakes for my best friend's daughter's 3rd birthday party next weekend, and I've been making my plan of attack and execution. It's only 4 dozen cupcakes, but if you don't know me, you wouldn't know that I am an absolute MENACE in the kitchen when it comes to baking.

Don't get me wrong, the end product always turns out well (except for that time I made a bundt cake when I was seven months pregnant and it fell apart coming out the pan and I cried for an hour), but I can make a mess like no ones business. I try to follow my mother's advice that I often hear ringing in my ears as I have clouds of flour floating around the kitchen and a granulated sugar sticky mess coating my counters:

"Clean as you go...."

Which I do, although it might not look like it. The dishes are clean, but I'll be finding powdered sugar in every crevice of my kitchen no matter how many times I wipe up after myself.

And let's not forget about my clothes. I've usually been up and about for the day, so I'm dressed and not in sweats or "lounge around the house" clothes. Which means that on a day I am baking, I am guaranteed at least three outfit changes.

I will never learn, apparently.

Has anyone checked out the ADORABLE apron options that are out there? I think I'm finally going to bite the bullet and get one of these aprons that won't make me feel so frumpy in the kitchen, and will keep my clothes clean from the baking carnage. I'm loving the nostalgia and kitschy-ness that aprons inspire, and I've found a few I want to share with you!

(Note: none of these businesses solicited my reviews or opinion. I'm offering them up because these are ones I'd pick out myself and found while I was searching around.)

Sugar-Spots Apron from Anthropologie

This apron is so sweet, from the blue, to the polka dots, and the pretty contrasting trim. I'm a sucker for anything with polka dots.

Sweetheart Retro Apron by CreativeChics on Etsy

I am absolutely smitten with this apron. It's frilly, playful, and I daresay a little sexy. It feels very 1950s to me, and I LOVE that. Can you imagine greeting your husband when he gets home from work in this number? Me-ow. This vendor on Etsy makes the cutest aprons, so be sure to support handmade businesses and check them out!

Miss En Place Apron from Modcloth

I love Modcloth for their amazing selection of clothing and accessories, but this apron makes me love that site even more. Polka dots and gingham? Yes, please. Plus, the French-loving nerd in me is loving the play on words with "mise en place". It's the perfect name for an apron.

Fresh First Course Apron from Modcloth

Another gem from Modcloth, this time a half-apron. I love the sunny, bright colors and anything with a ruffle wins me over any time. I think I'd prefer full aprons, but this one is pretty sweet.

Cottage Kitchen Rose Josephine Apron by Jessie Steele

This apron is so sweet and flirty. The floral fabric and bow are sweet touches to a fantastically feminine look. Jessie Steele also sells oven mitts, lunch totes, rubber gloves (making cleaning those bathrooms sassy!), pajamas, and a whole slew of goodies.

Marilyn Country Chic Apron by Flirty Aprons

This is another super feminine pick. Vertical stripes and ruffled floral fabric are super sweet. I feel like I'd hate to get this one dirty!

Rollings of Cinnamon Apron by Ice Milk Aprons

This apron looks too pretty to wear in the kitchen, but I think I would. But only with my face put on and some heels. I love the simple yet sophisticated design of this apron. It is totally timeless. Price-wise, it's the steepest choice in this round-up, but I feel like it would be worth every penny. It's absolutely gorgeous.

And I figured I'd thrown an apron in for the man in your life:

I Turn Grills On Apron by Flirty Aprons

I seriously snuffled into my Diet Coke when I saw this one and immediately thought of Denny, who loves his grills. Yes, grills. The man is a fiend.

So there you have it, friends! A round-up of aprons that would make a great bridal shower gift, birthday gift, Christmas gift, housewarming gift, or a gift for yours truly.

What's your favorite out of this round-up? Do you have a favorite I should check out? Share in the comments!

How to Paint a Front Door Red and Save Your Sanity - Part One

I have long been dreaming about/swooning over a glossy red front door.

via Country Living

via Shelterness

via BHG

Our front door is black. It goes with our black shutters. It is boring. And, since our house faces west, the afternoon sun beats down on our front door and that door gets HOT.

Nice to see you again, MLS photo. 

Like, I've actually burned the palm of my hand on said door.

Like, I'm surprised it has not spontaneously combusted by now kind of hot (which, I guess, would make it not spontaneous). 

So, when the idea of painting the front door started floating around, I immediately knew I wanted a red door.

You might also remember that painting the front door was item numero uno on the list of summer projects I wanted to take on this summer. I will be the first person to admit I'm not nearly close to finishing that list because, um, hello? This summer has been glorious. Beach every weekend, BBQ with family and friends every Saturday, lazing around by a pool on Sundays--who has the time to tackle any projects when there's so much fun to be had?

We taped 4 different swatches of red to our front door and then immediately forgot about them and went to the beach instead. Then I remembered them and tried to remember to check them out in the morning, late morning, early afternoon, late afternoon, evening, and night. And then I forgot about them again and left them there until the heat made them curl into little paint swatch tubes and our neighbors thought we were crazy.

And then I remembered them again and promptly said:

"This one is too brown."

"This one is too purple."

"This one is too pink."

Boom.

And then settled on Glidden's Candy Apple. In my head, it is the perfect red that maintains it's redness throughout the day instead of faintly changing with the sun's position.

via Glidden

We had a bout of yucky, rainy weather on Saturday, so I woke up that morning with a pep in my step to get something, anything DIY-related taken care of. 

Off to Home Depot we went, and we spent about an hour or so roaming around, planning potential projects to tackle in the next few months, and I picked up some supplies: a quart of Kilz Complete Primer, and a quart of Glidden Premium Collection Exterior House Paint in Candy Apple in a semi-gloss finish.

All of the other materials I had at home, so this project was going to cost me a whopping $20.

Supplies:

• Exterior-friendly primer of your choice
• Exterior-friendly paint of your choice
• Paint tray
• Foam roller
• Foam brushes (later swapped out by my 2.5" angled Purdy brush, LIFESAVER.)
• Painter's Tape
• Wood putty (to fill any holes or gaps)
• Sanding pads or a sanding block
• If you're also changing out your hardware, gather up your new hardware or cheat and spray paint your existing stuff. I used Rustoleum Universal All Surface Forged Hammered Spray Paint and Primer In One in Burnished Amber.

You'll see that there is a can of Coke in the supply line-up. This is necessary. By the second day of door painting, you may want to replace it with a glass of wine. Or two glasses of wine. Either way.

"Second day?" You might be asking yourself, "But Brittany, surely you can knock this out in one day."

And surely you can, dear friends. That is why I am here to tell you my tale.

Tips to Save Your Sanity:

• Oh, you're painting a black door red? Get gray-tinted primer. Covering black paint with white primer is a headache, but wait until you try to paint even coats of red paint over white primer. (Head = exploded.)
• Electric sander in the house while two year old is napping is not a good idea.
• Wrap your sanding disc around a sponge and BAM--sanding sponge/block/apparatus. Much better than suffering the wrath of cranky toddler.
• For the love of all things good and nice in this world, use the right brushes and rollers. I THOUGHT I wanted foam brushes and rollers to minimize the look of brushstrokes, but brushstrokes would have been a welcome sight after the foam brushes soaked up too much paint and left MOUNDS of paint in the insets around my doors. At first I cried, then I wised up and grabbed the brush and smoothed everything out. I still used the roller for all of the raised parts, but the brush is the way to go for your insets.

And now, for some photographs:

Black door, brush-painted Oil Rubbed Bronze doorknob (It looks like it was a brushed nickel doorknob before and I definitely saw brushstrokes. Dislike.) . Keypad bolt lock installed by us (that's right, you don't get into our house without the magic passssssssword!). Brushstrokes all up in the door paint, cringe.

I removed the doorknob from the door (remembering carefully how I took it apart so I could get it back together again), and stuck both sides and the screws into a cardboard box that I had pre-punched holes in for ease of spray painting. And then I spray painted. Three light coats. I didn't remove our bolt locking mechanism from the door because I was afraid to take it apart and that it wouldn't work anymore. So I taped around it. It's a pretty close match to the doorknob, anyway.

Also, shortly after I sprayed on my first coat, the wind took my box
and promptly put my hardware into the dirt.
And then it rained.
Sign #64981647 that this was not my day.

Back to the door. I tried the electric sander to rough up the surface, but the tiny sleeping diva upstairs didn't appreciate it. So I made my own sanding block:

I should also note that the previous owners decided to put a screw and a washer in the door as a wreath hanger. Pardon me while I silently contain my rage.

I can't figure out what purpose the washer actually served.
My mind is boggled by this.

Patched with some wood putty. Sanded it down after the recommended drying time.

Three coats of primer later (and ALL DAY), I was at my wits end. Black was still bleeding through, the  last coat I was willing to paint on for the day wasn't drying nearly fast enough to be able to actually shut the door, and it was too late to take it off the hinges and replace with a piece of ply wood for the night since we had company on the way (and, not to mention, no ply wood). I was about to rip that door off its hinges and start a bonfire in my front yard.

After two coats of primer, some tears, and maniacal pulling out of my hair.

Here is my biggest tip to save your sanity so far:

• When things aren't going your way, walk away. Take a break. Breathe. It is okay.

Luckily, our company stayed later into the night and gave my primed door the chance to dry enough so I could add my doorknob back and properly shut and lock the door at night. My uncle who is like, my painting hero, inspected my work and said as long as I sanded it down really well the next morning and took my time with the red, all would be well. That was a relief, and also why I was up at 7 AM the next day, clutching my paint brush like a woman on a mission.

Game. On.

Part two is coming up next, friends! Part one is already exhausting and I've lived through it once.

Psssst Check out part two here: How to Paint a Front Door Red and Save Your Sanity, Part Deux

Linking up with:
Confessions of a Plate Addict, City Farmhouse, Clean and Scentsible, Yellow Bliss Road, Ella Claire Inspired, The Blissful Bee, Southern Lovely, French Country Cottage, Blissful and Domestic

Oooooof.

Have you ever tackled a project that tested your very core as a human being?

I'm in the middle of one of those right now.

Sheesh.

Painted Chevron Tea Towel

I wanted a fun geometric print in my kitchen that wasn't too in your face, so I decided to paint my own tea towel with a spunky chevron pattern and hang it over my oven handle.

I know the location of hanging kitchen linens is a hot topic for some (I know me and my mom have had heated discussions over it), but I figured hanging a towel here would contrast nicely against the black of the appliances.

So I picked up my supplies:

The tea towels were on clearance at Michaels (a pack of 3 for $3.99), and I already had the Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Metallic Acrylic Craft Paint in Rose Gold, the Scotch Blue painter's tape, and the foam brush in my craft room stash.

So this little project cost me four dollars, total, for supplies. Or $1.33 per tea towel.

Now, the instructions on the tea towel package clearly state "Wash prior to crafting use," but I was only doing one towel for now, had about two hours to do it, and have all the best intentions of keeping this towel clean solely for display and prettyness purposes (say it with me now: YEAH RIGHT). So no pre-washing happened here.  This time.

As you can see, ironing didn't happen, either.

I started taping, decided I only wanted two rows of chevrons, and then cleaned up my tape, especially at the corners of the zig-zags. Make sure to really press down the edges of your tape to lock it down and keep the bleeding at a minimum.

Then I took my foam brush and add two light coats of paint, making sure to remove the tape while the paint was still wet for a nice clean line.

I don't have a photo of the towel with tape AND paint, but here it is once I removed the paint.

Clean line? What clean line? Oh well, me likey.

Oh yeah, and put something under your towel while you're painting. Because it will bleed through to your pretty little white Threshold pedestal table from Target that you spent weeks stalking on their website because they were out of stock for FOREVER and you thought you'd cry the day you saw it was back in stock.

Or maybe that's just me?

Anyway, I digress.

I am kind of thinking that the two lines of chevron might remind me too much of Charlie Brown, but at least I still have two more towels to play with! I kind of wish I had picked up more than one package of these. They would make such sweet Christmas or housewarming gifts. And the possibilities are endless...polka dots, stencils, freehand painting or drawing...you can personalize these any way you'd like!

How would you decorate a tea towel?