My husband and I have had a few issues getting our paint to stick to the walls after taking down wallpaper. While I was looking for some advice, I found another helpful trick that would have saved me hours repainting my trim!

 

 

 

Every now and again my steady hand would fail me while using my edger tool and paint would end up on the trim. Or, the paint roller went wild and painted over the electrical outlet or heaters.

 

 

I highly recommend investing in a edger. I paint the corners and around the trim while my husband uses a roller right behind me.

 

 

 

The one painting trick that could save you hours is something you probably have in a closet somewhere: Windex! Windex lifts wet paint off trim. Another fun fact I learned today: Windex removes dry paint from wood floors too!

 

Baby blue paint mishap!

 

All gone!

I spent many nights repainting trim more coats than necessary just to cover up blue or grey paint. I’m not sure if it feels like it takes so long to paint trim because its detail oriented or its because I’m so sick of doing it. All I did was use a dry paper towel to wipe of  the paint and then applied Windex to anything that didn't come off immediately. Use a small paint brush instead of a paper towel for tighter spaces.

With only two rooms left to paint, we’ll be using this trick from now on!

 

 

The basement is next!



Jewelry Organizer Makeover

 

 

This dated jewelry organizer was brought up to 2017. Fresh and fun! I love the aqua with the gold accents. Lightly distressed. The inside in lined with grey felt.

Finished in Rustoleum's Lagoon.

Dimensions: 1 ft. (l) x 7 in. (w) x 4 in. (h)

 

 

Create Your Own Craft Storage using Old Candles

I love using candles in beautiful containers. I’ve seen tutorials about cleaning out the wax and reusing them but I never thought of how I could use them. In my workshop I have a space for all of my larger equipment, but the smaller pieces scatter. If you’re like me, you can use more storage in your craft room!

 

1.       Freeze Candles.

 

 

2.       Break wax apart with knife.

 

3.       Clean soot and leftover wax with baby oil.

 

 

4.       Clean with paper towel and dish soap.

5.       Reuse for storage!

 

Tips

• Use a knife you don’t care about when breaking up the wax. We only had our nice silverware and I feel like I just wasted a good knife since it is covered in soot and wax.

• The wick on one of my candles was glued to the bottom of the jar so it did not come up easily. Check for glue.

• Wear gloves! My hands had leftover soot after washing them 3 times!

 

 

• Old candle jars work well in the office (pens and paperclips), bathroom (Qtips and cotton swabs), and garage (nuts and bolts) too!

Perfect storage for my bobbins!

 

 

Island Water Nightstand

I went to a Do-It-Herself class at Home Depot and learned how to build a nightstand with storage and I absolutely love it! This nightstand was finished in Island Water stain by Minwax. The storage bins would be perfect for toys in the play room or beauty supplies in the bathroom.

 

 

 

 

Entryway Table Makeover

Before

Before

 

This entryway table can be used as a desk or vanity. The shelf in the center comes with the storage bins. Perfect space to store your laptop, makeup, or use as a fancy junk drawer.

After

 

 

 

Dimensions: 3 ft 11 in (l) x 1 ft 10 in (w) x 2 ft 8.5 in (h)

Status: For Sale

How to Use a Paint Pen

Usually when I paint words I just trust myself to free write with a can of paint and a paint brush. See some of those projects here:

Milestone Picture Frame
Selfie Station
Mother's Day Planter
Poetry Inspired Bookcase
Focal Word Centerpiece
Nursery Canvas Art

When I made this artwork for the living room I wanted to make sure it had a specific font and was spaced appropriately so I used a paint pen for the first time! Here’s how I did it!

 

You will need:

A paint pen

 

Printed phrase

Pen/pencil

1.       Print your words and lay them out across your artwork. (I use picmonkey.com to create my letters)

 

 

2.       Trace your letters onto the wood. There should be faint lines left on the wood for you to use as a guide while you paint.

 

That says "it's"

 

3.       Fill in your letters with the paint pen.

 

Pros:

·         Each letter will be consistent with each other.

·         The spacing will be pre-planned.

·         You can choose what type of font you want rather than your own handwriting.

Cons

·         If you press too hard with your pen it will leave indentations in the wood. (In reality, no one can see that unless you inspect the wood up close.)

·         If you press too hard with the paint pen, the paint can bleed onto the wood.

 

Come learn how to use a paint pen at my DIY party! Save the date: Sunday, April 2nd, 11 am. We will be making flower boxes and decorating using paint pens just in time for Spring!

Valentine's Day Gift: Wedding Song Wall Art

Our fireplace was so bare; I had to do something. This wall art is stained in Honey by Minwax. The line is from the song “Feeling Good” originally sang by Nina Simone. We danced to the Michael Buble version at our wedding.

 

It was a very serious Argentine Tango!