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How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

How to Paint an Ombre Wall Technique | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

Ombré painting is EVERYWHERE. Clothing, home décor and even wall paint techniques. An ombré wall is the paint technique I chose to create a misty and ethereal look in our master bedroom. It started when I fell in love with Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore but didn’t want to make our entire bedroom too dark (I have a hard enough time waking up in the morning.) I decided a good solution was to use the dark charcoal gray color on a focal wall behind the headboard. But, I didn’t want to stop the color in the corners and create a sharp line.

Instead, I wanted a softer edge that would make us feel like we were being hugged by the room.

How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

I used Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore to paint the other three walls in the bedroom, but created a random ragged edge where the two colors meet.

This is how the side walls look in preparation for the ombré wall technique.

Materials:

Dark latex paint color (Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore)
Lighter latex paint color (Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore)
A small container with a mixture of the two colors to create an in between gray
Paint brush
Dry brush
Water-filled spray bottle
ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape
Damp car wash sponge
Rubber gloves
Wet wipes or wet rag

Instructions: Read more

July 7, 2014/43 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

DIY Button Pendant Light | Pretty Handy Girl

While I was house touring on Tybee Island and having fun antique and salvage shopping in Savannah, I spied some bare lamp shade frame hanging lights. They immediately inspired me to design a DIY Button Pendant Light for over my bedside table in our master bedroom. Part of the desire was born out of the necessity to have more space on my bedside because the table actually doubles as my makeup vanity.

Making a Button Pendant Light is an easy DIY project, but you’ll need some patience while threading the buttons. I’ll also show you how to wire a lamp socket and lamp plug! Ready to get started?

(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.)

Materials:

Lamp shade with an interesting shape
Scissors
Lamp socket
Lamp rod nipple
Threaded cap with loop top (as shown in this kit)
Lamp cord
Two prong plug
Wire strippers
Nylon Clear Fishing line
Buttons (bought lots from eBay)
Chandelier pendant drops
Chandelier crystal swags
Sisal Rope
Copper Wire

Optional:

Instructions: Read more

June 30, 2014/24 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Door, Door Hardware, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, laundry room, repair, Tool Tutorials, Toolbox, Tutorial

How to Trim & Install Closet Doors {Dremel Ultra-Saw Review}

How to Trim Closet Doors with Dremel UltraSaw | Pretty Handy Girl

I have a friend named Holly. She and I live in the same neighborhood and we help each other out with DIY projects. Last week she asked me to help her come up with a solution to hide her dirty laundry.

Holly and I were trying to figure out how to replace her sad laundry room door(s). The right side door had broken off and was unusable. We floated several ideas, originally thinking about creating inexpensive sliding barn doors. But, we scaled back that idea after realizing that inexpensive pipe hardware (spanning over 8 feet) was still too expensive for the budget. We began discussing buying cheap bi-fold doors and dressing them up. However, even new bi-folds aren’t super cheap. I mentioned she “might” have luck going to the Habitat ReStore to find the exact size doors. We both knew that was a slim chance. Then an idea hit me like a bi-fold door falling off its hinges! Among the multitude of things I have stored in my attic, were two sets of closet doors! One that used to be on my son’s reading nook closet. And the second set used to be on the pantry.

Would it be fitting that the only before pictures I have of the pantry doors are these gems?

The Streaker

The Goofball

You get the picture. They are ordinary bi-fold doors. After the doors were removed from our pantry I liked how open it was. Although sometimes I wonder if I am just too lazy to open and shut the doors every time I want food.

Regardless, I liked the open concept, but not necessarily our food being constantly ON DISPLAY. I have plans to add built-in cabinets and shelving to the pantry, similar to what my friends The DIY Village created, but for now we just have it open.

I ran home to dig through the attic and find the two sets of doors that might work for Holly. I held my breath (partly because the attic was stifling hot) as I measured the doors. My son’s closet doors were…too narrow. Whomp wah. The pantry doors were… a perfect width!!! But, they were 2″ too tall. No worries, I knew I could trim them down.

Here’s how to remove (and install) closet doors and cut them down to size using a Dremel Ultra-Saw:

Easy Card Table Makeover

I can only imagine that Matt and I are not the only family in America with a less than stellar card table. In fact both of ours were hand me downs from grandparents and though they may have been fabulous in the 80’s, now they are really lacking in the attractive decor department. A few years go I picked up some vinyl table clothes with hopes of breathing new life into our sad card tables and once again life got in the way and I never recovered them. I recently came across the table clothes and decided it was time to move on with my project but there was a small problem, I no longer liked the table clothes I had previously picked out. Have no fear, after a quick trip to Target I was back in business and ready for my amazing, fabulous, incredible card table makeover!

Materials:

Card Table (old or new)
Damp rag for cleaning
Ratchet with socket
Vinyl Tablecloth
Drop Cloth
Spray Paint
Sand Paper – 180 grit
Drop Cloth
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue Sticks
Scissors

Instructions:

Give the table a good wipe down with a damp rag to remove any dust or possible cobwebs that may be lingering on the underside of the table.

Remove the top of the table from the frame and legs. (Be sure to store your screws in a safe place because you will need them later.) Most tables will be attached with a few hex screws that can easily be removed using a ratchet and socket or a socket wrench.

Wall-Mounted Desk Tutorial

Need a desk but lack floor space or the funds to buy a desk? This Wall-Mounted Desk tutorial will meet your needs! Plus, you can customize the length to meet your needs.

Wall Mounted Desk Tutorial

Hey, I hope you had a fabulous weekend! Was it productive? Full of DIY activities? Well, I’m back with a tutorial for building a wall-mounted desk. The great thing about a desk that is wall-mounted is it can be small or large and it won’t take up any floor space! This gives a nice clean look and makes the room feel larger. Plus, the materials will almost certainly cost less than buying a desk.

My son is starting to have more homework in school. (I didn’t realize that first grade was the new 3rd grade!) I figured soon enough he’s going to need a spot to sit and work on homework. Plus, he’s an avid Lego builder and this makes a great surface for him to build on.

Materials:

Finish grade plywood (my desktop is 16″ x 40″)
Painter’s Tape
1 – 2″ x 4″ x 93″
2 – 9.5″ x 9.5″ bird’s mouth brackets
4 – 3″ cabinet mounting screws
Paint
Paint brush
Drill
Drill bits
Level
Pencil

Instructions:

Begin by assessing where you want to mount your desk. For better perspective, you can outline the desk area with painter’s tape on the floor.

Cut your finish grade plywood to size. Using the Kreg Rip Saw with my miter saw is much easier than hauling out the table saw and getting as assistant to help lift the plywood. If you put a piece of rigid foam insulation underneath, you can cut almost anywhere! Just set your saw blade depth slightly below the plywood.

Cut your 2″x4″ stud 4″ narrower than the length of your desk top surface. (My desktop is 40″ long, therefore my mounting stud is 36″ long.) Locate the studs in your wall. Mark their location.

Pre-drill holes in the mounting board at the stud locations. Use a small bit slightly narrower than your screws. Then use a larger bit the width of your screw head to create a countersink hole. Drive the cabinet mounting screws into one end of the mounting board and into the stud. Use a level to make sure your mounting board is level, then drive the additional mounting screws into the other studs.

Cut two pieces of 2″x4″ at 8″ long. These will create the supports for the shelf brackets. For a clean look, bevel the end at a 45 degree angle when you cut them. Attach the 2″ x 4″ pieces below each end of the mounting board as shown below.

Your mounting boards should look like this:

Set two small screws into the shelf bracket keyholes. Line the bracket up with the top of the mounting board and center it on the vertical supports already attached to the wall. Make a pencil mark where the screws need to be set.

Use the pencil to mark the depth of the keyholes on the screws so you know how deep to drive the screws into the bracket support.

Attach the small screws to the vertical support where the pencil marks were and drive them to the point where you marked on each screw.

Slip the bracket onto the screws.

For added support, pre-drill one hole through the top of the bracket and into the mounting board. Pre-drill a second hole through the bird’s eye bracket at the narrowest point.

Drive screws into the two pre-drilled holes to further secure the shelf brackets to the mounting boards.

Repeat for the second bracket.

Lay your desktop surface on top of the brackets. You can either drive small screws through the top of the desk and into the mounting board. Or drive a small screw up through the underside of the bracket and into the desktop. I prefer the latter because you won’t have to wood putty the desk surface.

Wood putty all your holes. Allow the putty to dry and sand the putty smooth. Paint your brackets, mounting boards, and desktop. I chose to paint my desktop beforehand with a chalkboard surface.

Let the paint dry. If you want to protect the desk surface, you may choose to paint a few coats of polycrylic on top.

And my son has a spot to do homework, legos, or create a little book.

Don’t you just love his lego pencil holder he created?! I think he needs to start an Etsy store ;-).

I had fun decorating the wall with some vintage signs and an adorable London themed tea towel calendar from Spoonflower. Making tea towel calendars every year in November/December has been a tradition I started over a year ago. We anxiously await the release of the newest calendar designs on Spoonflower.

Source List:

Lumber from Lowe’s
Wooden corbels found here
Nickel Lamp from Ikea
Chair from a Craig’s List (similar chairs at Target)
Exit sign from Hobby Lobby
Vintage “G” from Hobby Lobby
Tea Towel calendar from Spoonflower
White star (forgot, I’ve had it so long)
Wall (& desk) paint color: Benjamin Moore Aura custom gray color: Base 1: 524-1x Gallon size S1 0 x 16.75 | Y2 0 x 1 | O1 0 x .50

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. It was an easy solution for my son’s room. Best of all, you can expand the width, but if you do add more brackets.

Pin for later!

If you liked this tutorial, you might also like this inexpensive desktop for $40!

May 19, 2014/20 Comments/by Brittany Bailey