DIY Inside: Trying out Wall Color

When we moved into our house 5 years ago, my interior style was based on neutral walls and pops of color through artwork and details. I painted an accent wall in our kitchen a cocoa color. The brown wall color has never really satisfied me and doesn't create an accent like it was intended to! So here's an easy way to try out wall colors without the commitment.

Tools:
Camera
Photoshop or a computer photo editing program
Computer

Step 1: Take a picture of your existing room or wall that you will be painting.

Step 2: Upload photo to a photo editing program like Photoshop.

Step 3: Select only the wall(s) in the photo and "color" them in using a color that you love. Do this again (as many times as you like) with different colors. You will then have several "samples" to compare. This will help you narrow down the right color that will give your room the wow factor you've been craving.

Here are some colors I've been considering:

Happy painting,
 Grace

DIY Inside: A Sweet Dresser Makeover

Our 4 year old was in need of a dresser to contain her ever-growing amount of clothing. I searched department stores, Target, IKEA, online stores...to find that all of the storage products were made of fiberboard and laminate. Not to mention the chests and dressers I found were all priced above $200!I thought, "There has to be an alternative to faux materials and ugly finishes!" So off to search my local flea markets and thrift shops. During one of three flea market trips, I found a chest of drawers in need of some TLC for $30.

My daughter picked out a semi-gloss color by Valspar called "Tropical Bloom". I would describe it as a blend of melon and coral.  A quart of Valspar signature color is $18.54, so I color-matched a less expensive paint brand (Olympic) at Lowe's $14.48/qt. So here's how I did it. 

Tools:

semi gloss interior paint (1 quart for small-medium sized dresser)

medium grit sandpaper

medium sized paintbrush

foam paint roller

paint pan

Step 1: I lightly sanded the entire body with medium grit paper to knock off the old stain/shellac.

Step 2: I brushed the paint on with an inexpensive medium sized paintbrush.

Step 3: I then used a foam paint roller to get a smooth finish.

Drawer pulls: I wanted a unique look for the drawer pulls so I used a light grit and sanded the metal for a gold matte texture. 

 

Dresser $30

Paint $15

Brush $4

Roller $5

Sandpaper - already had some!

Project Total: $54

Happy Makeover,

Grace