Kitchen Re-Do! Painted cabinets and more~

And now for the kitchen!  This is the before-

                                                                            Before




AFTER!



Glaze highlights all of the detailing in the cabinets

I made burlap roman shades.  YES, made them!  This gal has an easy DIY tutorial on how to make them yourself!  (Found her on Pinterest of course!) 


I added a simple valance on top of the Roman Shades,  No sew! I used the fusing tape and an iron to make this.  Super easy!

Lastly, I added some definitions to my glass canisters.  I love the way they turned out.  I must say however, I won't be selling these as the words are so small it is a nightmare to weed the negative parts of the vinyl out of the solid sheet!  If you just want the labels, ie. SUGAR, FLOUR etc.  No problem!  I can do that.  It' the little itty bitty words that were not fun!

This is always time consuming but well worth the effort!  It is actually a simple process. 

Here are some simple step by step instructions~

Quick glance guide-
1- Remove doors and hinges
2-Label doors
3-Clean doors and bases with TSP
4-Sand
5-Prime
6-Paint
7-Glaze
8-Seal
9- Hang

Detailed Instructions-

1-  Remove Each door and hinge ONE BY ONE.
 
2-  Label each door so that you know where it goes. 
(I know you may think that this is a silly step and your thinking- "Of course I will know where they will go"-      TRUST ME....label them.  It is much easier!  I wrote inside the hole where the hinge fits because  it provided enough room to write without it being covered with paint.  Another option is to use painters tape on the back side if you are not planning on painting the inside of the cupboard doors.)  I labeled them "U" for upper and then a #.  For example U1, U2 etc.  L for lower-

3.  Use "TSP" to clean the fronts of your doors and cabinet bases. This is an important step.  It will get all of the hidden grease and grime off of your cabinets.  It's there even if you don't see it! You can get this at your local hardware store.

4. Lightly sand or use a deglosser/liquid sander solution.  This will give the primer a better surface to stick to.  DON"T SKIP THIS STEP!  This is key to a good, long lasting finish.  I would recommend sanding over the liquid because it is a fail proof method.

5. Next prime.  I prefer "Gripper" brand primer as it is amazingly durable.  You can find it at Home Depot.  I cut into the grooves with a paint brush and then immediately roll over it with a smooth sponge roller.  This will prevent brush strokes and give a nice smooth finish.

6.  Time to paint!  Apply at least 2 coats of your paint in the same way you applied your primer.  Use a brush and then roll over it with a sponge roller.  BTW-  The paint people (at Home Depot) tried to tell me years ago when I started doing this not to use the sponge roller because it soaks up to much paint.  Don't listen to them.  :)  This is the only way to get the pro finish you want.  It doesn't soak up that much paint. 

7.  Lastly, if you want to glaze your cabinet doors, mix one part paint, (espresso)  to 2 parts glaze.  Brush the glaze over the doors where there are grooves.  I brushed mine over the beveled part of my doors.

Next, with a lint free cloth, rub away the glaze so that it leaves behind a rich dark color in the grooves of the door.   If you are picky like me, you can methodically pull your rag down one side of the groove and then the other to be sure the glaze leaves a nice straight (ish) line.

I ran a line of color around the edges of the doors as well even though there was no groove.  I just liked the look of it.  Again, I pulled the rag down both sides of the line to get an even line.  (If this seems confusing I basically wiped away the paint on each side of the line so that all that was left was a thin line.) You don't want it to be perfect because it is suppose to look a bit aged.  :)

8.  Last, (because I go a little over the top)  I applied a coat of glaze over the entire door to seal everything and protect the paint!  This makes it easier to clean and since your kitchen gets a lot of wear and tear, it is best to seal everything.

9. Once the cabinet bases and door are dry...(BE PATIENT,)  you get to hang them and admire all of your hard work!

Hand painted furniture tutorial!

I have been having way to much fun re-doing my kitchen and some furniture the last couple weeks!  I thought I would show the results!  First the cabinet-

I found the cabinet at an estate sale a couple weeks ago hiding in that back of someone's garage.  Of course it caught my eye and I convinced my hubby that I HAD to have it!  :) 

I brought it home and got to work!  After sanding, priming with "GRIPPER" primer and painting it, I distressed it with paint using an antiquing technique with paint!  I then rubbed it down with some burn sienna paint tint to give it an aged look.  I love how it turned out!  I will post the pics of the kitchen tomorrow! :)

Mirrored Cabinets!

OH MY!!!!  I just saw these and I am in love!  I HAVE to do this in my kitchen!  Yes, my kitchen.  Aren't they awesome.  Hmmmm....the wheels are spinning.  Let's see-  I can pop out the center panel of the cabinet door and install a mirror after it has been distressed.  :) 
Up next-  I will do a tutorial on distressing a mirror. 
Stay tuned....

http://houseandpost.blogspot.com

Unique Walls!

Do you want to make a dramatic difference in one of your rooms without redecorating the entire thing? Dress up your walls! Simple identify your focal wall and wallpaper it or paint it a fun or dramatic color! Yes, I said wallpaper. :) There are so many beautiful and unique wall coverings available now that you can't dismiss it as your grandmothers design idea anymore!

When deciding which wall is your focal wall, identify the area in which you want the eye to go to. If you have a fireplace, built-in bookcase or architectural element in the room, this is the most natural focal point. If your room has no distinguishing features, identify the largest furniture pieces.   In the bedroom, the wall behind your bed should be your focal wall, the kitchen may be the wall behind the eating nook etc.
Once you have identified your focal wall, its time to choose your wall covering or color!  Don't be afraid to go a bit beyond your comfort level.  Often times we do a project and don't quite go as bold as we would like and it just doesn't turn out as spectacular as we were hoping.  That is because we fail to push ourselves to go all the way with the design.  If you are using paint and don't like the color, simply paint over it!  Paint is easily changed and if you are doing a focal wall, it is typically a smaller area to change. 
When choosing your color, don't over saturate your room with one color.  If you have blonde wood in your bedroom, stay away from yellow.  The color on the wall should pop against the furniture or wood.  Of course there are exceptions to this rule.  If you are doing a monochromatic design, keep it subtle. If your bedding is Blue, don't do blue on the walls.  You may have a secondary accent color in your bedding or accessories that you can highlight by painting the wall a similar color. 

Take  your time.  Always test the color on your wall before buying an entire gallon. Lighting, current wall colors and number of coats will effect the overall outcome of the paint.  Look at your test area at different times of the day.  This will give you an idea of how the color will change due to lighting.  If you want to go nuetral, choose something a little more saturated than you may not typically go with.  A dark mocha, rich chocolate or silky cappuccino color rather than your everyday beige will be much more appealing!

Now for some inspiration!  Take a look at these FABULOUS wall treatments and colors! 

This is one of my FAVES!  I love the unique design and natural tones!
This wallpaper was developed by Wall and Deco!

Wall and Deco

http://www.kayainternational.com

http://www.decorpad.com

The Cross Decor and Design via Decor Pad

Nicholas Haslam

Apartment Therapy

Paint graphic designs using painters tape to add interest!
HGTV.com

Distressing painting technique

Do you have a piece of funiture that doesn't look quite the way you would like it to look? Update it or personalize it by painting it a fun color! Finsih it off with a nice drybrush technique that will give it some personality. Drybrushing is an easy painting tecnique that creates some depth and gives the peice of furniture an aged look without sanding. Sanding can sometimes damage the furniture so drybrushing is a better alternative.

How to drybrush-
After you sanded, primed and painted the base color on your furniture, choose a color such as burnt umber, black or any natural toned dark paint. When I say natural tone, I mean a color that would be an earthtone but it should be rather dark. To get an aged look on furniture you are more or less trying to make it look worn and somewhat "dirty". Therefore the colors must be in line with what the natural process would do.

After you have chosen your drybrush color, take a large brush, 4 inches or so and rough up the ends. The best way to do this is by pounding it into your driveway or any rough surface. Crazy I know! But it will give you the best result. You know it is "beat up" enough when you see fattening of the bristles at the end of the brush. Next grab a couple paper plates and we are ready to paint!

Dip the end of your brush into your paint. You only need a small amount of paint so it may be easier to put a small puddle of paint on a paper plate instead of dipping into the can. Next, wipe off most of the paint that is on your brush by swiping back and forth on a paper plate.

You are now ready to apply the paint to the furniture. Beginning at one end, drag your brush across the surface. Be careful to do it lightly. You can always add more. Concentrate on the edges of the furniture and the raised surfaces. Always go with the grain of the wood. Continue the process until the surface has the effect that you are trying to achieve. If you find that the drybrushing finish is heavier than you would like it to be, simply take your base coat color and drybrush with that color over the darker one. (Using a bit more paint.)

You now have a custom piece of furniture that you can enjoy for years to come!
If you have any projects that you have done, I would LOVE to see them and post them for others to see as well!