State of the Painted Countertops

I’ve had a lot of inquiries into the state of the laminate countertops that we painted in our master bath.  Their report card so far, after being the landing place for many a bathroom thing is:  Good.  Not excellent, not bad, just good.

There hasn’t been any peeling or bubbling or fading but I think they’re a little less glossy today than they were the day they were painted three years ago.  They’re not matte by any means though.IMG_5129
Not a huge deal because they still look good, but just sayin’.

The one downfall about them is that they’ve acquired a few stains here and there, like this mysterious ring that’s in two spots on the countertop.  The only bottle whose bottom matches the size of the ring is my mousse bottle but it’s metal and clean so I’m not sure if that’s the culprit or not but either way, I can’t get the ring out.
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And then there’s this little nail polish splatter stain:
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But logic tells me nail polish isn’t nice to any countertop it’s spilled on so, whoops.

Also, there are several teeny tiny divots in the paint/polycrylic where my hot curling iron sits.  The divots were created by the curling iron stand.  They’re barely noticeable because they’re so small and because they’re at the far edge but they’re there.  To keep this from happening, I should just set my iron on a piece of heat resistant something – a tray or piece of fabric – while it’s in use.

On top of all that though, I still love the countertops and I’d definitely paint them again and even have plans to paint the guestroom tops in the future.  So, painting countertops = two thumbs up.  :)

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I’m hoping to get the tutorial and state of Jesse’s painted countertops up soon too!  She used a clear resin top coat vs. the polycrylic I used so the results are a little different.  Have you ever painted countertops?  How are they holding up?

State of the Painted Countertops

I’ve had a lot of inquiries into the state of the laminate countertops that we painted in our master bath.  Their report card so far, after being the landing place for many a bathroom thing is:  Good.  Not excellent, not bad, just good.

There hasn’t been any peeling or bubbling or fading but I think they’re a little less glossy today than they were the day they were painted.  They’re not matte by any means though.IMG_5129
Not a huge deal because they still look good, but just sayin’.

The one downfall about them is that they’ve acquired a few stains here and there, like this mysterious ring that’s in two spots on the countertop.  The only bottle whose bottom matches the size of the ring is my mousse bottle but it’s metal and clean so I’m not sure if that’s the culprit or not but either way, I can’t get the ring out.
 IMG_5130

And then there’s this little nail polish splatter stain:
IMG_5131 
But logic tells me nail polish isn’t nice to any countertop it’s spilled on so, whoops.

Also, there are several teeny tiny divots in the paint/polycrylic where my hot curling iron sits.  The divots were created by the curling iron stand.  They’re barely noticeable because they’re so small and because they’re at the far edge but they’re there.  To keep this from happening, I should just set my iron on a piece of heat resistant something – a tray or piece of fabric – while it’s in use.

On top of all that though, I still love the countertops and I’d definitely paint them again and even have plans to paint the guestroom tops in the future.  So, painting countertops = two thumbs up.  :)

IMG_5137

I’m hoping to get the tutorial and state of Jesse’s painted countertops up soon too!  She used a clear resin top coat vs. the polycrylic I used so the results are a little different.  Have you ever painted countertops?  How are they holding up?

That’s One Fancy Alphabet

The other day the three chicks and I were strolling through Target like we usually do once or twice a week when we came across the magnetic alphabet.  This pinned idea, spray painting magnetic letters gold, came to mind and so home they went with us.
 photo 1 (6)

Sadly, there was only one so we won’t be spelling anything that requires two of any one letter but for now, learning the ABC’s is all we can hope for anyway.

So, where I’m going with this post is here:
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I would just tell you to run thither for the tutorial but the pinned link appears to be broken so let me give you a run down like I like to do.

First I pulled out my favorite gold spray paint, Rustoleum’s, and laid the letters out on a cardboard box. photo 2 (7)
I was anxious to get the girls using them so I only did one coat but I wish I’d have done two.  I’ll explain in a minute.

Before I do, let me tell you that there is a right way to spray paint itty bitty letters.  It’s the way I spray paint most everything actually – from all sides.  I started by standing on one side of the box and spraying all of the letters from that side first.  Then I moved to the next side and sprayed them all from that side.  Next side, same thing.  Last side, same thing.  photo 3 (1)
Then I gave each letter a spray from directly overhead.  Spraying from all angles makes sure every millimeter of each letter is covered.

So next, for added protection from toddler fingers, I gave each letter a thin coat of this Rustoleum Lacquer that we had on hand (even though the label on the gold spray paint says that a clear top coat is not recommended):        photo 4 (1)
…and regretted it because it took some of the sheen of the gold away.  Boo.  I should’ve just followed recommendations and went with two coats of gold, period.

Either way, they’re a hit.  The girls have spent inordinate amounts of time at the front door, the only expanse of space the magnets bond to at the moment.  (We’re thinking about adding a magnetic ‘wall’ somewhere in our house but I’ll keep that cat in the bag until it’s actually done.)  :)
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We do have a crawler on the loose though so when the girls aren’t at the door with the alphabet, I try to stick ‘em to the fridge lest one gets knocked down without me knowing it and into the mouth of the wee one.
photo 5 (1)    
(Dry erase to-do list tutorial here.)

So, spray-painted learning tools.  Whoda thunk?

Feathered

I’m not one to wear dangling earrings.  Not because I don’t like them but because 1) my kids are grabbers, 2) I feel like they make me look overdone and 3) sometimes I think they make my small head look even smaller.  I’m weird.  I know.  :) 

With that being said, there are a few exceptions to the rule and these are one of them.  Way back when Anthony and I scored big time at Dirt Cheap, amongst the treasure in the cart was a pack of four inch long, dangling, feather earrings.  Three pairs – blush pink, white, and black.  Not me.  At all.  So, I stowed them away for a raining day project and that day was Sunday, sans the rain. 

Here’s what I started with:
photo 1 (4) 
They’re tickle-my-collar-bone long which also translates to long-enough-for-Sebastian-to-get-a-good-grip long.  That’s a painful thought, eh?  So, my plan was to simplify and shorten.

(Note:  I did all of this using my fingernails but you could grab a couple of needle-nose pliers to make it a little easier or better yet, some jewelry tools.)

First, I separated the ring that held the chains to the fishhook by opening the tiny loop on the bottom of the fishhook just enough to slide the ring off.
  photo 2 (5)

Then I opened the ring and slid off all of the chains:
photo 3

Next I picked out two feathers that were the closest thing to twins and separated them from their chains.
photo 4

And last I attached the tiny ring at the top of the feather to the larger ring and then to the fishhook.
photo 5

Simple and short.  Short and simple. 

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I did the same to the black and white feathered ‘rings so now I’ve got one for every outfit.  You can never have enough feathers in your nest, right?

Want to make some of your very own?  Check out these feather danglies for $1.79 on eBay, or these, or these.  Or there’s also the craft store route where all the supplies to make these from scratch live.  Or your unused/broken earring stash plus a down pillow.  Endless options.  ;)     

Hello Gorgeous

I don’t even know where to start with this post…what to say.  Maybe that’s because all three of our kids have the kind of colds that turn your nose into a faucet.  Imagine following your sick toddler/baby around so you can wipe his/her nose before it gets wiped on anything but a tissue and then multiply that by three.  Yes.  Glory days over here.  Anyway, really that’s just an excuse for my lack of words because in reality, your jaw will drop like mine when you see how amazing this kitchen is and speech will evade you.  Backtrack, shall we?  I clued you in on Monday that I’d be sharing my friend Jesse’s gorgeous kitchen here on the blog.  She diy-ed herself from start to finish and only shelled out $425 at that.  I KNOW!  Crazy, right?  I’ll share the show-stopping before’s and after’s today along with a few details and then in the next few weeks, I’ll share details on individual projects in her kitchen while she walks me through.  Stay tuned for that.  But, until then, feast your eyes my friends…

This is her kitchen a few months ago:
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Originally, the cabinets were white but gross, gross, gross complete with peeling paint, grease, cigarette fumes, and lots of other things you probably don’t want to know about.  Jesse washed, sanded, primed, and repainted them – the bottoms were colored-matched to Curry Green by Eddie Bauer Home (the matching yielded a paint a tad lighter than the swatch) and on the uppers is Crème Fraiche by Valspar.

Presently:
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Along with the cabinets, she also mixed a few colors of leftover paint she had on hand to get that amazing color on the walls…and then, like a good friend, she gave me a swatch because she’s awesome like that.  It’s always hard to view the true hue of a paint color via computer/phone/device but it’s light gray/greige-ish (I mean, how do you explain a color in words?)

Her diy-ed runner:
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Her runner is actually two Nate Berkus for Target rugs sewn together.  You’d never know it wasn’t one rug.

Before (but after cabinet painting):
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After:
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The sink area before:
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After:
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And those gorgeous marble countertops?  DIYed!!!!  IMG_5037
They look even more amazing in person, trust me.
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She also put in the subway tile backsplash herself.  She became my new hero the day she told me she was going to do that on her own.
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And the little things count too.  Like that concrete planter in the above picture – she made it.

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A view from the other direction:IMG_5033

Here’s the other side of her galley kitchen a few months ago:IMG_5815

And here’s the same side now:
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Her fridge/freezer used to be off-white but she took some chalkboard paint to it.  It looks superb, no?  Also, out of view, is the previously white range hood that she spray painted black to match the rest of the appliances.

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Let’s move further on down the galley, shall we?  Take a gander at this way-before and after:
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Jesse replaced the armoire with a small dresser found at a consignment store that she painted the same color as the lower cabinets and made that gorgeous round mirror that hangs above it.  Details on that coming soon. 

An in-process shot:
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After:
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And to the dining area we gaze:
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I couldn’t pick a favorite shot so, another:IMG_5058

Here’s what it used to look like:
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Inhabited by the one and onlies, Levi, Abel, and Vera.

And now:
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The roman shades hail from Overstock.com.

Jesse gave the base of her round table a coat of white and sanded the top down to it’s natural wood grain.  (Note:  after sanding down the top, she added a wax finish to it that apparently looked awful.  But, while I was at her house taking pictures, she rubbed coconut oil over it and said it’s looked great ever since!)  She found the chairs ‘round it on Craigslist.  Aren’t they awesome?
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The large frame on the wall was thrifted (for $1!) and she painted the nun symbol inside it with the help of her boys.IMG_5060

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And last but not least, turn your eyes skyward to the light.  It too is painted – Faded Seafoam by Valspar.IMG_5066

And that’s it!  I don’t know about yours, but my kitchen’s lower cabinets are screaming for color now and my stainless fridge is longing to get friendly with some chalk.  Next house…

Thank you to Jesse for letting me plaster her kitchen onto this here blog post!  No kitchen this beautiful should be hidden from the virtual world, right?

before & after - jjs kitchen

Stay tuned for project details from Jesse and Jeremy’s kitchen in the coming weeks!  Oh, and ps, say a prayer (or 3955) for us because we’re going to potty train next week again.  Last time things went a little south, only just not where they were supposed to…  

.           .           .

Bonus pic of what our kids were ransacking while we moms styled and shot:
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Levi Spiderman entertaining the twins in the front row, Abel and Vera in the nose bleeds, and Sebastian in his own little world.  :)