Average But Inspired

Inspiring creativity at home with crafts, DIY, and home decor projects.

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The Evolution of My Dining Room (and Paint Color Selection Paralysis)

Hi, friends-

I really hate the color of my dining room.  A lot.  It is so so so blue.  I wish I could blame somebody else for this unfortunate color choice, but alas, this is all my fault.

You see, when we bought our home, the dining room was quite heinous.  It had yellow ceilings and moulding, along with blood red walls covered with faux finish paint techniques and dragonfly fabric, to boot.  Here’s a photo with the seller’s furnishings.

I wanted the dragonflies and ketchup and mustard color scheme to go away ASAP, so I picked a color without testing it out and without thinking about how it would actually look in this room.

Decorating F-A-I-L.
You see, our dining room gets very little light.  It also has a lot of dark wood moulding and trim, which is original to the house and not going to be painted over.  We also have dark furniture, which is quite large and imposing.
All of these elements, plus the dark blue paint, make my dining room feel closed in and dreary – not at all what I wanted for a place that is supposed to host happy gatherings of family and friends!
So now I’m determined to repaint this room by the end of summer . . . the only problem is that I can’t pick a paint color!  I’m too scared to make another mistake.
Benjamin Moore Hazy Skies, Celery Salt, Gentle Cream
I currently have three testers on the wall (from the top): (1) Benjamin Moore Hazy Skies; (2)  Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream; and (3) Benjamin Moore Celery Salt.
My favorite of these is Hazy Skies, but I’m worried it might be too dark once it’s all over and surrounded by my dark trim and furniture.  So now I’m thinking maybe I should go a shade or two lighter on the color card . . . down to Ashwood or Halo.  But then I worry that it will be “too boring.”
Where is my happy medium!?!  
I guess for now I will continue to stare at my walls with looks of disgust and confusion, and stuff my face with leftover Easter candy.  (I find that emotional eating helps with almost any dilemma I am facing.)
Hopefully you’ll see a post from me sometime soon with my newly-painted, stunning dining room!  In the meantime, feel free to let me know if you like any of these colors and/or if you have any other color suggestions!
– Bre
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Knockoff West Elm Brass Base Terrarium

Last weekend I got to go shopping by myself.

As a mother of small children, do you know how precious that time was?

I was actually able to browse around and go into stores with breakable merchandise.  It was so liberating and SO INSPIRING!!!

A direct result of that shopping trip was this project . . . my knockoff West Elm Brass Base Terrarium.

West Elm’s Brass Base Terrariums are beautiful.  They come in two sizes – small and large – and are priced at $29.50 (small) and $59 (large).  The interesting thing about the West Elm terrarium is that it looks like the bowl is almost tipped on its side, as opposed to being straight up (like mine).  West Elm also sells the succulents to go inside of the terrarium at $12.50 a pop.

I love the low-maintenance nature of succulents and I wanted one of these terrariums.  But I wasn’t about to lug one around the mall with me, nor was I about to pay $42 for a terrarium and one succulent.  So yeah, I decided to try making one myself.

West Elm’s terrarium definitely looks nicer.  But I think mine is okay, too.  And for just $7 all in (like, with the plants), I’ll take it.  And since my glass bowls aren’t tipped on their side, these can be used for taller plants as well.  Bonus!

The best part was that this really and truly was a snap to put together.

Here are the materials I used:

  • Mini glass bowl from Dollar Tree
  • 4×6 piece of wood, cut to size
  • Sandpaper
  • American Accents spray paint in aged bronze
  • Acrylic paint in bronze
  • Elmer’s ProBond Advanced glue
Here’s how I put this together:
 
STEP ONE

Determine the desired size of your wood base by placing your glass bowl on top and deciding how large you want the bottom square to be.  Measure and cut.  (Ignore all the junk in my garage.  We just finished a renovation and had to store a bunch of stuff in there.  It’s normally not this messy!)

STEP TWO
Sand your wood block all over and then spray paint it.
STEP THREE
Once the paint has dried, coat it with a layer of bronze acrylic paint.  This will make the color look richer and your base piece look less like a piece of wood and more like a bronze block.  (The block on the left has acrylic paint on top whereas the block on the right does not.)
STEP FOUR

Once the paint has dried, apply the glue to the bottom of your glass bowl.  Affix to the wood and follow the package’s instructions for proper adhesion.  (NOTE:  the glue does not dry clear so be sure not to apply too much or it will squeeze out the bottom of the bowl and leave a visible glue ring around your bowl and base.)

STEP FIVE

Once the glue is dry, add your plants and enjoy!

To get a look closer to West Elm’s terrarium, I should have cut my base pieces smaller.  I’m just going to say that this was my creative spin on the project – ha!
– Bre

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Painted Grain Sack Tray and an Experiment with Freezer Paper Image Transfer

Oh my gosh.

I have been going through total furniture painting withdrawal.  The warm weather cannot come soon enough.  I need to get back in the garage and breathe new life into some worn and weathered pieces that have been waiting for me since last fall.

Since reliable outdoor painting weather in Chicago is still pretty far away, however, I have to settle for smaller projects that can be accomplished indoors.  Case in point, a plain wooden tray that I painted with a grain sack motif – a motif I’ve envisioned using on a coffee table that’s waiting for me in the garage.  I needed a place to corral remote controls and coasters in the living room and I figured this tray would do the trick.

This was the perfect chance to test out painting grain sack stripes and to attempt a freezer paper image transfer technique, which is something I’ve wanted to try for awhile now.  It turned out better than I expected, so naturally I loooove it.  (Clearly my son loves it too.  Or maybe he just loves stealing the tea light out of the bird candle holder I’ve temporarily placed in the tray so that it looks more “interesting” in the photo.)

I’m telling you that this project is easy and will make even a novice crafter feel proud upon completion.  (Ahem ahem . . . to a certain college roommate of mine – you could do this!)
Materials Needed:
  • Decorative Tray (Michaels sells plain wooden trays just like the one I used)
  • Acrylic paint in colors of your choice
  • Paint Brush
  • Painters tape
  • Sealer (I used spray polyurethane)
  • Spray adhesive (for image transfer)
  • Freezer paper (for image transfer)
  • Inkjet printer (for image transfer)
Here’s How I Made My Tray:
1.  First, I lightly sanded my plain tray.

2.  Next, I painted the tray all over in a creamy white.
3.  Once the paint dried, I taped out my grain sack design on the inside of the tray and along the top of the handles.  I made sure to press down along the edges of the tape so that the paint wouldn’t bleed through.
4.  I then painted two coats of green paint in the appropriate areas.  Once the paint was almost dry (not totally dry), I removed the tape.  I then taped along the outside and continued the process of painting the stripes on the exterior handles.  Once that paint was almost dry, I also removed that tape.
5.  Next, I lightly sanded over the entire tray (interior and exterior), to remove some of the color and to give the tray a slightly worn look.  It really softened the color in a way that I like.
6.  The fun part started here . . . the image transfer process!  I downloaded a free image from The Graphics Fairy (the most AMAZING resource for crafters and DIY’ers), and studied these fantastic tutorials from Our Prairie Home and Kammy’s Korner on how to do an image transfer to wood with freezer paper.  Because I was basically holding my breath the entire time, I could not take any pictures of how I did this, but if you’re curious on how to do your own image transfer, check out these ladies’ blogs.  Anyway, mine isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it looks good enough to me for a first time, so I’ll take it!
7.  Finally, I sprayed the entire tray with two coats of polyurethane.  I decided not to brush it on because I wasn’t sure if that would smudge the image in any way.  I think the spray poly was the safest bet.
I love my newest clutter container!  And I am so happy that I got a chance to try freezer paper image transfer and I cannot wait to try it again (and hopefully perfect it), on some furniture this summer!
What are you anxiously awaiting to do once the nice weather reappears?
– Bre
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Five Tips for Painting a Staircase (With Before and After Photos!)

Over the weekend I tackled a project that’s been on the to-do list for far too long – repainting our main staircase.  In the process, I was reminded of how much of a pain in the you-know-what repainting a staircase is, and I thought of five important tips for painting a staircase to share with you . . . tips that I wish I would have known the first time I painted this staircase.

Painting a staircase is a pain. Make it less of a pain by reading this post and learning of five tips to make your staircase painting project easier!
But first as a little background . . .
When we purchased our home 4.5 years ago, the staircase was YELLOW (along with a majority of the walls, trim and ceiling in the house).  It was not our choice of color scheme by any means, but we were able to see past it and envision what the home could look like with some TLC and elbow grease.
Painting a staircase is a pain. Make it less of a pain by reading this post and learning of five tips to make your staircase painting project easier!
We were fortunate to have our parents help us paint most of the rooms in the house – all within the first few months of us living here.  One of the bigger projects was repainting the foyer and staircase (spindles and all!), and my parents helped us with that one.  It was tedious and time consuming, primarily because my husband and I were newbie painters on a budget and we did not have the best paint or supplies for the project.
We painted the risers, spindles and moulding white, and it made a dramatic difference.  But within a few years, the cheap paint had started to wear off and the staircase looked dirty and dingy.  See the peeling paint, scuff marks and shoddy paint job on the dark brown trim?
Painting a staircase is a pain. Make it less of a pain by reading this post and learning of five tips to make your staircase painting project easier!
Because the staircase is one of the first things you see when you enter my house, it was time for a makeover.  I used bright white semi-gloss paint on the risers, trim (no longer brown!), and moulding.  It now looks so fresh, clean and happy!
Painting a staircase is a pain. Make it less of a pain by reading this post and learning of five tips to make your staircase painting project easier!
  So what are the things I learned this second time around?
1.  Clean, Clean, Clean.
Stairs are dirty, dirty places.  I Swiffered them and dusted the moulding as part of my prep process, but that wasn’t enough.  I quickly realized that I needed to actually wash every part of the staircase in order to ensure that dust and dirt wasn’t making its way into my paint.  This is key to a clean and quality paint job.
2.  Purchase the Right Tools.
When we first painted this staircase, we were using full-size paint brushes.  But stairs are small.  Regular size brushes were too large.  This time I worked with a small roller and roller pan (made for doors and cabinets), and a small trim brush.  The quality of my work was so much better this time!  The right tools really make a difference.
3.  Use Quality Paint, Preferably with Primer Built In.
Stairs get a lot of action and suffer a lot of abuse.  I definitely learned that you want to use a really good paint that will withstand daily wear and tear, and the scuff removal sessions with the trusty Magic Eraser.  Because the stairs you’re repainting will likely have scuff marks on them already, it will save you time covering those scuff marks if you buy a paint with primer built in.
4.  Work With a Moist Paper Towel in Hand.
No matter how careful you are with paint, while painting stairs you will inevitably bump a wet riser and spread paint to the treads.  If you make sure to have a moist paper towel within arm’s length at all times, you will avoid a difficult clean up later!
5.  Tape as Little as Possible.
Taping takes a lot of time and costs you money.  If you buy the right tools (see Tip No. 2 above), you should be able to tape less.  On this project, I only taped where the riser met the treads (and I did not tape along the moulding or at the top of the quarter round).  This was such a huge time saver!
Painting a staircase is a tedious project, but doing it right definitely pays off!  I hope these tips are helpful to you.
Do you have any other tips to add for painting a staircase?
 
– Bre
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Creative “PLAY” Art for the Playroom

After dealing with sick kids all last week and over the weekend, this week just has to be better for me!  Fingers crossed that my kids will spend less time in front of the TV and more time in their playroom having fun (and not whining and crying – I can’t take much more)!

Speaking of their playroom, I’m so excited to show you some art that I recently made some to help liven the place up a bit.  This “PLAY” art used leftover canvases, scrapbook paper I had on hand, and materials from Dollar Tree.  It was easy and inexpensive, which are necessary attributes of any project of mine!

PLAY art is easy to make using toys and craft supplies from a dollar store!
I made the letter “P” with graphite and yellow scrapbook paper that I Mod Podged to the canvas.  I then hot glued some toy cars to the “P” to make it look like a road.
PLAY art is easy to make using toys and craft supplies from a dollar store!
Next, I made the letter “L” by hot gluing crayons to the canvas.  I alternated the direction of each crayon and did not trim or cut any of them.  That probably would have led to a nicer looking letter, but I didn’t have the time or patience for that.
PLAY art is easy to make using toys and craft supplies from a dollar store!
For the letter “A,” I purchased a 500 piece puzzle from Dollar Tree and whipped out the hot glue gun.  I drew an “A” on the canvas with pencil and glued all the pieces within the letter outline.  The pieces were really small so this was pretty tedious.  It also led to a lot of hot glued fingers.  I think it was worth it in the end, however.
PLAY art is easy to make using toys and craft supplies from a dollar store!
Finally, I made the “Y” by outlining the letter in pencil on my canvas, and then hot gluing metallic pipe cleaners and pom poms within the outline.  This is my least favorite of all the letters, but it will do.
PLAY art is easy to make using toys and craft supplies from a dollar store!
My daughter was really excited to see this art go up in the playroom, so that made me happy.  And my son has finally stopped trying to scale the toy shelves to get the cars off of the letter “P,” so that has also made me happy.
PLAY art is easy to make using toys and craft supplies from a dollar store!
PLAY art is easy to make using toys and craft supplies from a dollar store!
PLAY art is easy to make using toys and craft supplies from a dollar store!
– Bre

Stenciled Chair Seats – A Thrifty and Fun Kitchen Chair Makeover

Thank you to Cutting Edge Stencils for providing the stencil used in this project and the prize to be awarded in the giveaway.  The project and opinions are all my own. One thing I love is giving a plain object new life and personality with a simple change.  Stenciling the seats of my beat up kitchen […]

Two-Tone Painted Dresser Makeover in Cypress Vine Green and Wood

Have you ever had a vision of how something would look in your home – and you were convinced it would be awesome?  That’s what happened to me when I purchased this antique tall dresser in a Facebook resale group recently.  I knew it would be gorgeous in my living room (to take the place […]

Chalk Painted Drop Leaf Table Makeover

Several weeks ago my kids and I were driving when I spotted a table in the alley behind our church.  Like the dedicated furniture hoarder that I am, I immediately threw the car into reverse and backed into the alley to check it out.  It was an old drop leaf table that hadn’t sold at […]