Painting & Antique Techniques

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How to Spray Paint Brass Light Fixtures

The other day I showed you how to swag a chandelier. I think many of you fell in love with my sunny yellow light fixture (painted Summer Squash by Rustoleum.) Admit it, you fell for her! I will tell you how you can get your own! It shouldn't…
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Make Your Own Springtime and Easter Blue Bird Nest

My boys are off this week for Spring Break, so we'll be breaking out the craft supplies for sure! This is one of my favorite crafts for springtime. If you have time this week (or need to entertain your little chicks) definitely enlist some…
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White-washed Window Box from a Wine Crate

The other day I was wandering aimlessly shopping at Costco and spied an empty wooden wine crate. The angel stamped on the side was beckoning me to take her home. Actually, I read Funky Junk Interiors's post about making tool boxes last year…
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Glidden’s My Colortopia Widget – How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color

  I admit it, I'm a color snob. This is not to say that I don't love color — quite the opposite. But, I am particular about the colors I choose for my home. I have specific desires for an emotion that I want each room to invoke. Our…
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Shabby Chic Chest of Drawers – Guest Post by Storywood Designs

Hey y'all! I'm super stoked because I'm on my way to Blissdom in Nashville, TN for a few days. I can't wait to learn some new blogging tricks; network with a few blogging buddies; and listen to some inspiring speakers. Don't you worry,…
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Nope, It’s Not a Pier 1 Lantern

Thanks to my Facebook fan, Heather H., for the ultimate compliment on this lantern. She asked if I got it at Pier 1! Nope Heather, I got it at the Habitat ReStore and it found its way into my hands in this condition: After a Women…
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Coffee Lover’s Snowflake Gift Set using Martha Stewart Craft Stencils and Paints

Looking for a gift for those hard to buy people on your list? Or simply an inexpensive gift for your child's teachers? I found the perfect gift while grocery shopping. Our local Kroger had Illy ground coffee and tumbler sets on clearance.…
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It’s a ScotchBlue Painting Party and a Cabinet Door Revamp

"It's a Party and I'll Paint if I Want to...Paint if I Want to... Paint if I Want To...You Would Paint Too if you had Scotch Bluuuueee!" I think I'm going to call 3M ScotchBlue right now and suggest this as their new jingle. Kind of catchy…
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Painting an Antique Wash Stand

I have amassed quite a collection of "project" furniture and objects waiting for a future date with my creative magic sessions. I worry that some of this behavior is bordering on packratness (I don't think that is a word, at least my spell…
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Creating a Faux Ceiling Medallion with Cutting Edge Stencils

  When heard the word stencil, I used to involuntarily cringe slightly. I pictured those cutesy country stencils my mom used to use with geese, apples, and hearts on them. (Sorry Mom.) But, that all changed last week when Cutting…
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Caulking and Painting the Board and Batten

If you are just joining me and missed the tutorial for building board and batten moulding, you can view that tutorial HERE. Today I want to show you how to hide the holes, seams and how to paint the board and batten moulding. Plus, how I…
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Paint Problems and Surprising My Sister

I just got back from surprising my little sister, Caitlin in San Jose, CA. My sister's husband, Ryan, and I conspired to give her a real treat for her birthday. She was really sad when she couldn't make it to my 40th birthday party. And…
Bright and Bold Colorful Front Doors Social Media Image
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Go Bold or Go Home! Show Your True Colors.

33 Colorful Front Doors I am drawn to homes that have unique front door colors. I crave something beyond the normal white, black or burgundy. Give me a unique color that tells me something about its occupants! I love being able to say, we're…
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Refinishing a Garden Bench

Recently I decided my garden bench that used to be a Craig's List bed frame, needed to be refinished. I repaired, sanded and repainted the bench before setting it onto our porch where it would get less exposure to the rain. Well,…
Painted Bamboo Rug
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Painting a Bamboo Rug

  Back story and my ramblings: Sleeping outside on the screen porch was nice until I woke up with a sore neck. So, I won't be doing that again for a while. But, I won't complain because we are lucky to have a screened porch and I…
Spraypainted Bottle Vases
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Spray Painted Glass Jars and Bottles

I have a real problem throwing away perfectly good glass jars and bottles. To me they are little craft gems waiting for me to transform them. With Mother's Day and Teacher Appreciation coming up, I decided to turn some of our recycled bottles…
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Painting Like a Pro – Step 3. Painting and Touch Ups

Welcome back, I hope you are ready to paint with me today! If you are just stopping by and haven't prepped your room for painting, you may want to take a moment to read Painting Like a Pro Step 1 and Step 2. Okay, are you ready? I'm going…
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Painting Like a Pro – Part 2. Paint and Sheen

Let's talk about Paint, Baby... Before we start, let's talk paint. One factor for a perfect paint job is the quality of the paint you choose. Do yourself a favor, don't settle for the cheap store brand paint. You may save yourself a few bucks,…
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Painting Like a Pro – Step 1. 80% is the Prep Work

After years of painting rooms, I have perfected the process and can tell you that 80% of a professional paint job is in the preparation. Today's post will be about properly prepping your room before painting. Then I'll post next week on how…
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Faux Granite Painted Countertops – Guest Post by Creative Kristi

Hey all, I'm super excited to share a sweet friend with you today. I met Kristi at Blissdom and she is one of the most unselfish women I've ever met. She blows me away when it comes to her blogging knowledge and business savvy . But, what I…
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Isn’t it Amazing What a Little Paint Can Do?

No truer words have ever been spoken. I LOVE PAINT! I will always profess my undying love to this amazing mood changer! In the course of over three years (the time we've owned our house), we have repainted almost every room in our home.…
Purple_Honor_front_doors
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Making an Entrance – Sprucing Up Your Entryway

Sprucing up your entryway. If your home is like ours, we have two entrances. The front door, and the door near our driveway. The latter is used about 95% of the time by us and our friends. Creating an inviting entrance for yourself…
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Painted Smooth Ceilings – Falling in Love with Your Home

Welcome back. Many of you may participate or read a weekly WIWW (What I Wear Wednesday). Those women in blogland, they really know how to put an outfit together. I am seriously jealous because sometimes I feel wardrobe challenged. Maybe…
Faux Chippy Painted Metal Pail with Liner
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Aged Painted Pail Tutorial

I was strolling through our local Goodwill last week looking for goodies donated by people trying to claim a last-minute tax write-off. I came across a bucket with a $1 price on it and knew I could transform it into a beautiful aged painted…
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Tutorial for Painting Dandelion Wall Graphic

I'm back from a wonderful weekend getaway with three of my fellow mom friends. We enjoyed laughter (with a few snorts), good conversations (with no interruptions), cake (without a care about calories) and a few glasses of wine (with no whine…
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Painting Dandelions on the Wall

It's Friday!!! But, it's not just any friday. No, no, no. This friday I'm headed to the beach with some other mom friends. No kids, no husbands, NO BOYS, just us 5 mommas! I can't wait. But, I promised to show you the graphic I painted on our…
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Fireplace Makeovers – Readers’ Spotlight

Up on the rooftop click click click, down through the chimney with Good St. Nick! I think about this song when I gaze at my beautifully painted fireplace. That's right, I said painted! Those bricks you see – well – they are bricks, but…
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Shutters for Displaying Christmas Cards

Thank you to everyone who left me such wonderful comments on my rustic Christmas décor! I may not have been able to reply to all of you, but I DID read each and every comment! And thank you to the rest of you who took time out of your day to…
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Making a Decorative Barn Door

When Miss Mustard Seed and I were junkin' on Black Friday, she asked what I was looking for. I immediately answered rustic, rusty, and anything that looks aged and has a story to tell. I am so wacky like that, I could care less how well…
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Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner

The other day I started to show you some of the DIY projects we worked on at my sister, Alana's house. I mentioned the touch up painting we had to do in her kitchen. So, I figured I'd show you our tried and true paint tray liner. Easy clean…
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A New/Old Foyer Light

I have been looking for the perfect foyer light about three years now. In the search, I removed an ugly dated hanging light and replaced it with this: Okay, it is a little better, but I still wasn't in love! And that is the key to the right…
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Using Asphaltum Glaze to Antique Furniture

I've seen several talented furniture rescuers (Miss Mustard Seed comes to mind) using Valspar Asphaltum glaze on their shabby chic creations. Valspar Asphaltum Antiquing Glaze I have to tell you right now, I had not been…
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Adding Decorative Stencil to Dresser

The other day I shared with you my french provincial dresser makeover. I dubbed her the Diva Dresser because of all the changes she pushed me to make. But, in the end I really liked what she wanted. One of the tutorials that I promised you…
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The Perfect Color for a Craig’s List Dresser

I am in love with those adorable french provincial dressers. The flourishy handles are what really get my heart pounding.When I saw this dresser on Craig's List for $35 dollars, I pounced!  Disclaimer: I stole this picture from the previous…
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Paintbrushes: The Good, The Bad, and How to Make them Behave

Today I have the skinny on paintbrushes, they all look alike, but they don't behave alike! Pretty Handsome Guy and I have painted our fair share of rooms, especially dated brown trim moulding. One thing we learned early on is that buying a good…
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1970’s Guest Bathroom Makeover

I've been super busy this weekend finishing up some projects. I'm very excited and can't wait to show you some of them. However, because several of them are tutorials (which take a little longer to write up), I decided to share with you a…
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Dressing Up a Dormer Window with Shutters

Our home has beautiful dormer windows. I love the little recessed ledges inside each dormer. But, the window in our hallway always looked so sad. Then one day it hit me! This poor window has been neglected and has no character, jewelry…
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Aging is so Distressing – Techniques for Antiquing Furniture

Well, despite the fact that I am starting to feel my age, this post will help you achieve that beautiful well worn, loved, aged and antique look on furniture and decor items. This is something you can do to new furniture or to give old furniture…
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Chalk it up…to a busy day.

...to another busy day in the life of Pretty Handy Girl! I had fully intended on posting a tutorial on distressing furniture for you today. But, I got side tracked today and then let's just say that my evening ended up with a visit from…
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Painting Decorative Graphics on a Wall

On Monday I showed you my fireplace painting from white paint back to brick. This was only one step in our major living room renovation. I hope you will hop back again this week to see some of the other transformations we made to this room: 1.…