Painting & Antiquing Techniques Archives - Page 3 of 33

Aged, Bin, Build It, clamps, decor, distressing, drill, gifts, Home Decor, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, ReNew, thrifting, Toolbox, Trash to Treasure, Upcycling

Rustic Wooden Caddy with a Branch Handle

Spring is right around the corner and I’m itching to cut some fresh flowers to bring inside. I love displaying them in jars placed inside rustic wooden caddies. Making a little caddy or tote out of salvage wood and branches can be an easy beginner DIY project. But, it’s also satisfying for experienced woodworkers looking to use up some old scraps or upcycle an old wooden box. Here’s how to elevate a simple wooden box into something more quirky and special by adding a branch handle.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Old wooden box (Don’t have one? Make your own wooden box with this tutorial.)
Thick branch
Pry bar
Pliers
Clamps
Wood screws
Drill
Hand saw (coping or hack saw)
Spade bits
Paint
Sandpaper

I happened to be browsing through a yard sale and spotted a sad little box begging for me to buy it and give it a new life:

How could I say no! It was only $3. I couldn’t leave it at the yard sale in its sad burgundy dust-covered state. I brought it home so it could sit in my garage collecting more dust. (This happens more often than I’d like to admit. It’s a sickness I have.)

Using the pry bar and pliers, I pulled off the lid of the box and removed any nails.

Then I had a basic box to work with. You can use this tutorial to create a simple box if you don’t have one.

Instructions:

Cut upper handle supports out of 1×3 or other scraps. Clamp them inside the box.

Pre-drill holes and drive wood screws through the sides of the box and into the vertical supports.

Now it the time to finish the wooden caddy using your choice of paint or stain. (I like to create a rustic look using a relatively dry brush and by letting some of the wood grain show through your brush stokes.)

While the paint is drying, use a hack or coping saw to remove any bumps or burrs from your branch.

Measure the ends of your branch and select the spade bits that are closest in diameter to your branch (you want the holes to be equal to or wider than the branch.)

Drill a hole into each side of the vertical handle supports.

Insert the branch into the side of the caddy. You might have to experiment with which direction to install the branch.

Fill some jars with flowers and set them inside the crate.

Set it out in a prominent spot in your home.

Enjoy your shabby chic crate, caddy, tool box, or whatever you like to call it.

Personally I can’t get enough of this branch handle:

I’m curious, would you have bought that little dusty box too?!

If you liked this tutorial, you’ll love these other easy DIY Projects:

Mini-Picket Fence Caddy

Make Your Own Driftwood Crate

February 25, 2019/33 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Saving Etta

Saving Etta: Exterior Paint Choices

Off white farmhouse exterior house color, green door

I’m so excited to show off the colors I chose for Etta’s exterior! However, I’m equally excited to share with you a new paint line from Magnolia Paint by KILZ. (This post is a sponsored post for Magnolia Home Paint by KILZ.)

When KILZ agreed to be a Saving Etta sponsor, I was incredibly excited because I have fallen in love with their paint. In fact, I had been testing the paints on interior and exterior surfaces for a while now. When the Magnolia Paint lines were first introduced, I had the honor of flying to Waco, TX to learn more about them. (I also happened to get the chance to rub elbows with these two famous house rehabbers. I can honestly say, Chip and Joanna Gaines are as down to earth as they are on TV.)

During the trip I spent a fair amount of time talking to one of the scientists who worked on developing the paints. She assured me I’d love the coverage, durability, and low odor of the Magnolia Home interior paint. I was skeptical, but after trying the paint I was a convert. And I wasn’t the only convert: my painters loved the paint. They raved about it on multiple occasions, saying “This is really good paint. It has great coverage and doesn’t show overlap marks.” After the painting was finished, a neighbor came over to ask me about the paint I was using. He told me he used to be a painter and apparently my painters had struck up a conversation with him telling him this “new” paint was really good quality. The neighbor asked me what my painters were using and where he could get some.

Magnolia Home Paint Products:

Chalk Style Paint – This paint was a dream to work with. It’s much smoother than some of the competitors. After it dries, you can get rid of the chalky feel by lightly sanding with fine sandpaper and finish off with furniture wax. The pre-mixed color palette is beautiful and offers 44 beautiful hues. This is my new go to paint for furniture, home decor, and anything I would use a chalk style paint on.
Magnolia Home Interior Paint – I’ve been using another brand for years and swore I’d never use anything else, but the Magnolia Home Interior Paint is smooth, not too thick, and has great coverage on pre-primed walls. What I love most about this paint line are the multitude of colors to choose from. And, they all work well together. This made choosing colors for the interior of the house super easy (thank you Joanna for curating a cohesive color palette anyone will love.)
Peel & Stick Color Samples – If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw all the re-useable peel & stick paint color samples I put up on the walls. This was the easiest (no mess, no fuss) way to choose colors. I will definitely order more to keep on hand for client consultations and my own person use.

Now, the secret I’ve been holding onto for months:

Magnolia Paint has an Exterior Paint Line!

Exterior Paint – KILZ let me try out their new exterior paint before it was released to the public. Hopefully it will be available on store shelves soon. I know you’ll be as excited as I was to choose Magnolia Home paint for a home exterior. The latest update is it will be a few months before you can purchase Magnolia Home Exterior Paint from select local hardware stores or other suppliers. Be on the lookout! I can’t wait for you to try it. Maybe start by painting your front door a new color.

Speaking of front doors…

The front door color choice at Saving Etta was a carefully thought out decision. The colors had to appeal to a wide variety of buyers. In an area with multiple rival colleges (NC State, Duke, UNC, East Carolina University and a few more), I needed a color that didn’t pledge loyalty to any school. As a reminder, these are the color choices I was contemplating:

I love this color combination and would have chosen it for Etta except, she is a mere few miles from NC State. And NC State alumni would never paint their door Carolina Blue (or any color similar to it.) Unfortunately, I had to nix this idea immediately to risk turning off potential buyers.

After a brief time contemplating navy as a siding color, a navy blue front door felt like a good compromise. But, I worried it was too close to Duke University blue. Do you see why I was struggling with front door colors?

Next, I contemplated a pretty burnt orange color for the front door. The color looked beautiful in the fall. But, when I looked across the street and saw a neighboring house had an orange front door, I changed my mind.

This was the last color combo I contemplated. No local schools could lay claim to the green. And, I loved the freshness and timelessness of Magnolia Green. I think we have a winner!

For weeks after the house was painted, many local neighbors would stop and tell me how great the house looked. It honestly felt like Etta had finally gotten her beauty back.

Siding Colors:

As I mentioned previously, the siding colors I toyed with were either a dark navy or light off white. Ultimately the white siding won. I wanted to choose a neutral off white color. But, I didn’t want it to be a yellowy cream color. I tested three Magnolia Paint colors: One Horn White, Locally Sown, and Blanched by painting samples on big pieces of foam board. For a few days I moved them around the house. Ultimately, I liked Locally Sown the best. One Horn White had a slight green undertone and Blanched had a yellowy undertone. Locally Sown from Magnolia Paint was the perfect light greige white color.

The trim color I chose was True White in semi-gloss. The photo below shows how it has some contrast with the siding color.

I must admit, I really love how it makes Etta’s attic vent louvers stand out as opposed to a traditional all white farmhouse color palette.

What do you think about the exterior paint choice? Do you like it? Will you try any of the Magnolia Home Paint lines soon? If you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Disclosure: Magnolia Home Paint by KILZ is a Saving Etta material sponsor. I’m honored to work with them on this project. All words and opinions are my own. I have not been told what to say. As always I am very particular about the sponsors I work with and you will be told if you are reading a post that has been sponsored or in which materials were provided.

October 19, 2018/14 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Chalk marker, Chalkboard paint, Home Tour, organizational tips, Painting & Antiquing Techniques

DIY Chalkboard Wall Calendar

DIY Chalkboard Calendar | Pretty Handy Girl

Create this DIY Chalkboard Calendar to get you and your family organized. It will only take you about half an hour to create but it will save you the headache of double booking yourself and get the kids on board with upcoming activities and trips.

DIY Chalkboard Wall Calendar

I’m bring back this tutorial for those of you that may have missed it. Why? Because this DIY Chalkboard Wall Calendar has been in our kitchen for over four years and it has held up beautifully! This calendar is an important part of our daily routine. My kids look at it frequently to see what activities and trips are coming up. My husband and I use a Google calendar to stay current, but this calendar is a great way to keep the kids organized and to let me look at a glance what’s coming up while I’m on the phone. Seriously, this is one of the best things I created for our family. In the spirit of getting organized, I’m going to share with you my easy DIY chalkboard wall calendar. But, first here are some great uses for a chalkboard calendar.

Ways to Use a Chalkboard Calendar:

Keep Track of After School Activities
Menu Plan
Chore Reminders
School Lunch Menu
Holidays
Birthdays
Reminder for Pets Flea, Tick and Heartworm Medicine
Business Trips
Vacations
Date Nights
Family Activities
Blog Calendar
Schedule Meetings
Work Calendar
Project Planning

Have I left anything out?

Easy to Clean:

In the past I used to draw out the calendar lines, but trying to erase inside the lines was tedious and time consuming. What busy mom has time for that?! By using the vinyl stripes, I can easily erase the calendar after two months and add new dates.

To save extra time, I like to put recurring items on the bottom line so I can wipe around them and keep the items there from month-to-month.

I also use consistent color coding. One color per person and I use separate colors for school or trips. But, feel free to do what works for your family.

To create this quick chalkboard calendar you need to start with a chalkboard wall (or large chalkboard.) Then gather some supplies.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Chalk
Ruler
Level
Vinyl lines (cut your own on a cutting machine or purchase this one from Leen the Graphics Queen)

Instructions:

Using the level, make a straight (and level) line for the top of your calendar. (Mine is 28″ wide.)

Using your ruler, mark a tick mark horizontally every 4″ (more or less depending on your space availability) for the 7 days. Make 5 tick marks down from the top line vertically every 4″. Repeat on the opposite side. Then add your horizontal tick marks for the days at the bottom.

Use your vinyl lines to outline the calendar and create the horizontal lines.

Connect the vertical tick marks with vinyl lines. If you have excess vinyl, snip off the excess with a pair of scissors. (Our calendar is 20″ tall.)

In our house I added two calendars. It’s always nice to see a month ahead! Sometimes I contemplate moving the calendars up and added a third month, but for now this works well for us.

The chalkboard calendar lets you get creative and practice your chalk lettering. (It’s been fun for me to practice since picking up these hand-lettering books.)

Can you think of other ways to keep you and your family organized? I’d love to hear it.

By the way, Leen has a chalkboard calendar for those of you that don’t want to commit to a large painted chalkboard wall in your home!

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. Leen is just a good friend and my go to source for vinyl graphics and designs.

You may also like Jacque’s Perpetual Menu Calendar:

Or this refrigerator chalkboard calendar:

August 1, 2018/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Chalkboard paint, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Tutorial

How to Make a SMOOTH Chalkboard Wall {For Imperfect Walls}

Have you ever wished you had a chalkboard wall in your home? But, those bumpy textured walls or damaged drywall are not smooth enough? Well, today I’m about to rock your world by showing you How to Make a SMOOTH Chalkboard Wall For Imperfect Walls!

How to Make a SMOOTH Chalkboard Wall {For Imperfect Walls}

I feel your pain! We have a little wall between the kitchen and the dining room that was the perfect spot for a chalkboard wall. But the drywall was ripped from the removal of the beadboard. Sure, I could have ripped out the drywall and added new, but honestly I was beyond drywall in our kitchen renovation process and I didn’t want to back track.

I’m cringing at the photo below because the pantry looked like that long after we finished the kitchen. Luckily, I finished the pantry last year. You would not recognize it as the same space!

But enough about the kitchen renovation. I came up with a new solution for making the wall smooth enough for a chalkboard! You could also use this technique if you wanted to remove the chalkboard in the future if you live in a rental and aren’t allowed to paint walls.

Ready? Alright, let’s get this chalkboard party started now!

SMOOTH Chalkboard Wall Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Rustoleum chalkboard paint
Masonite sheet (sold in 4’x8′ sheets at your local home improvement store. Have them cut to size or cut it yourself.)
Primer tinted gray (Ask the paint department to tint your primer gray.)
Foam roller
Sanding sponge
Wood putty
Putty knife
Finish nailer (or simply a hammer and finish nails)
Construction adhesive
Caulk gun
Chalk
Rag

Optional (if you have an outlet or switch to work around):

Lipstick
Drill
Jigsaw

SMOOTH Chalkboard Wall Instructions:

Cut Your Pieces:

Cut your masonite to size. (Or bring your measurements and ask the store to cut it to size for you.)

Use a jigsaw, circular saw, table saw, or other power saw to cut each panel. Dry fit the panels on the wall and make any adjustments as necessary.

Plan your sections:

Use one large sheet to cover as much wall as possible. The fewer the seams the better. Plan to hang a small piece for over any doors. (Note: The skinny little section on the left side of the door was left blank, no one has noticed after it was painted black.)

If you have an outlet or light switch, you need to cut a hole in the masonite to accommodate them. To cut the hole, smear lipstick around the edges of the box (or you can smear it on an outlet as shown in this post.) Hold the masonite panel in place and push against the outlet box. When removed you should see the lipstick impressions. (I used an extra outlet box to trace around for lines that were easier to see.)

Drill holes in the corner of the outlined shape. Use a jigsaw to cut from hole to hole. Test fit your panel.

Install Panels:

Time to hang the masonite panels. For a permanent hold, use construction glue and then secure with finish nails. If you want to be able to remove the panels later, skip the adhesive and use only finish nails.

Fill nail holes and seams with wood putty. Lightly sand smooth after the putty has dried.

Prime and Paint:

Using a foam roller, prime the chalkboard with tinted primer (ask your paint department to add as much black as they can to a small can of primer. This will reduce the number of coats of chalkboard paint needed.) My Lowe’s store was able to produce a 50% gray color.

After the primer dries, lightly sand, and wipe clean. It’s important to sand between coats because this will give you the smoothest results and it gives a little tooth for the next layer to adhere to. You’ll need at least two coats of chalkboard paint.

Seasoning the Chalkboard:

After the paint has dried thoroughly, enlist the help of your son or daughter to help season the chalkboard (rub chalk on its side over the entire surface.)

Then wipe off the chalk using a completely dry rag.

There is beauty in the gray movement on a chalkboard wall, wouldn’t you agree?

Don’t forget to add your outlet covers. You can paint them with chalkboard paint to match the wall. (Important: Do not paint the actual outlet, this violates electrical codes.)

Christen your chalkboard with drawings or your to do list.

Within two hours I had to erase the list because I was feeling a little stressed by all the things I needed to complete in our kitchen renovation.

This fun quote was a lot less stressful!

We added a chalkboard calendar a few years ago and this has been the best way for our family to stay organized (also the kids love seeing what’s coming up each week.)

What would you use a chalkboard wall for? I’d love to hear your ideas.

July 30, 2018/58 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Decorating, faux finish, mirrored glass, Painting & Antiquing Techniques

Can You Make a Mirrored Window with Spray Paint?

Can You Create a Mirrored Window with Spray Paint

Can You REALLY Make a Mirrored Window with Spray Paint?

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I picked up a can of Krylon Looking Glass spray paint. According to the directions, you can Make Your Own Mirrored Glass with Spray Paint. I decided to give this “magical” spray paint a try, and I’ll let you know how well it works. Luckily, I had the perfect project to use it on: a faux window on the back of our garden shed.

When I built this cute garden shed, I was very concerned about the view from the neighbors’ house. The plans were to build the shed on the side of our property, but the back of the shed was facing my neighbor’s driveway. I wanted to make sure they had something pretty to look at instead of a big gray shed butt. I toyed with the idea of installing a trellis with a pretty climbing vine. But, that side of the shed gets very little sun. Ultimately my decision was helped by a trip to our local Habitat ReStore. While there I stumbled across a pile of old windows that were $10 each. Yes, $10! If you haven’t been to your local Habitat ReStore, you need to go right now. (Well, maybe wait until you finish reading this tutorial.)

Mirrored Window with Spray Paint Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Old window
Krylon Looking Glass Spray Paint
Clean rag
Windex
Clear exterior caulk sealant
Caulk gun
Scissors to cut caulk tube

Optional:

Mirrored Window with Spray Paint Instructions:

Clean the window with windex to get rid of any dust, dirt, and grime. Pop out the glass panes (if the glazing is super old and cracked it should come out easily. If not, use a utility knife and/or a 5-in-1 Painter’s tool to cut out the glazing and then remove the glass.) Unsure which side of the window is the glazed side? Look for the smooth side vs. the wood profiled side.

Set up an area to spray your panes of glass. Shake your can of Krylon Looking Glass spray paint for at least 2 minutes.

I finally tried this HomeRight Spray Shelter pop up tent. It definitely helps control the spray and makes clean up easy. Plus, the shelter folds down into a little bag to store in small spaces. (Disclosure: HomeRight sent it to me to try out ages ago. I just got around to using it. But, I’ll be using more often now.)

To get the best results with the Looking Glass spray paint, spray several light coats onto the back side of your glass. While the paint is drying, it will have a mottled look (do not panic.)

When you have finished applying several coats (and you have achieved an opaque mirror finish), let the glass dry completely.

Flip over your mirror spray painted glass. Secure the mirrored panes back into your window. Use a line of caulk on the back side of the mirrored glass where it sits against the window. (Yes, I forgot to take a picture as I caulked the window, this is a recycled picture from my artist inspiration board. You get the idea, right?)

Hang your mirrored glass window anywhere you want a faux window.

Are you wondering how good the looking glass mirror spray works? I placed one of the pieces of the spray painted glass next to real mirror. You can see that they are both reflective. But, the Looking Glass spray has a slightly muted look.

To be completely honest, I actually like the look. It gives the mirror finish an aged appearance.

You can see a good example of the finish here:

It’s still reflective enough to act like a mirror, but isn’t a perfect reflection when you look up close.

What do you think? Will you try the Krylon Looking Glass spray paint on something?

If you still have some mirror spray paint leftover, you can follow this tutorial to make your own mercury glass decor items (using a vinegar and water mixture.)

I am still debating whether to make some shutters to go on the sides of my faux window. What do you think?

Let me know if you have any other ideas for using this fun mirrored glass spray paint.

Have a great weekend, friends.

February 2, 2018/22 Comments/by Brittany Bailey