8.25.2010

That kind of day

It's just one of those days where I can only muster up enough energy to post pretty photos.







UPDATE- Check out more of Karen's house at her blog The Art of Doing Stuff, its amazing!  Be SURE to see her backyard makeover, WOAH is all I have to say! 


Photos of Karen Bertelsen's home from Style at Home. Photographer Donna Griffith

8.24.2010

A no brainer

While working on my tray I tried both Krylon and Rust-Oleum's clear lacquer sprays.  In my opinion there is NO COMPARISON!

While I try not to bad mouth products on here (I'd rather just not mention them) I had to share with my readers the difference between the two of these.  I used Krylon Lacquer first and it was not clear or smooth looking.  It was foggy and didn't have that even finish that I was looking for at all. I was really disappointed with the results.


I was so upset that I thought I had ruined my tray and all my hard work. 

I used my mouse sander and sanded down the clear layer without ruining the zig zag pattern (use a 220 grit sand paper or finer for this) and decided to start over.  

This time I tried the Rust-Oleum Clear Lacquer Spray and crossed my fingers.


BINGO,  It worked like a charm!  Best spray lacquer out there, I will NEVER go back.  It gave my tray the even, smooth and CLEAR finish I was looking for.  It even looks like a professionally manufactured tray, it's so pretty!


* I know I'm no expert spray painter, but I have done my share of spray painting lately and I would have to say Rust-Oleum Lacquer Clear Spray is the clear winner (no pun intended).

** And NO, they are not paying me to say this or providing me with free spray paint- this is just my opinion.

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I'm guest posting over at DomestiKatedLife. today.  Head on over to check out my favorite Back To School Supplies.

8.23.2010

It's in the details

Wedding planning is ALOT harder then I anticipated!  I was expecting it to be hard and time consuming, but I didn't expect it would be as hard as it is.  I know its only because I love weddings so much and i have extremely high expectations of myself. 

I mean, I used to plan peoples weddings during the summer in college.  I was the the assistant to the wedding planner and at the end of the summer she let me take over a few weddings.  It was a blast!  So I can plan anyone another brides wedding with no issue, right down to what color toilet paper they would have (well, if there was a choice other than white) but when it comes to my own I'm having a hard time with everything. 

I think I finally made one big decision with the colors though. 

Orange & Cobalt Blue with hints of gold


And wouldnt you know as soon as I picked those colors I am seeing colbalt blue bridesmaids dresses everywhere, just my luck!

PS- The wedding is in March 2011.  Yea, that doesnt leave me with alot of time to get this all pulled together.  Crunch time is coming!

8.19.2010

Tres Chic

I finally finished my latest project, and of course it has to do with some spray paint.  But lets start at the beginning, this is what I started with

A $3 tray on clearance from TJ's

I sanded it down, gave it a few coats of Zinsser primer and a coat or two of white spray paint and my tray looked brand new


Of course a plain white tray wasn't going to do, so I decided to spice it up with a zig zag pattern

I went online and found this one and printed out a few sheets.  Once taped together I cut out the right size for my tray.

Since I didnt want to paint all the zig zag lines by hand I decided to tape the whole thing and then cut the pattern out with an x-acto knife.

Here is the bottom of the tray all taped and ready to be cut. 

The zig zag pattern is off to the left, I just used double sided tape to stick that to the tape and then cut through the paper and the tape to get the correct pattern.

Here is my tray all cut with almost all of the tape pulled off.

Warning! Be careful with the x-acto knife!  The blade can slip and cause damage- I have the sliced finger to prove it

ouch!

Once my pattern was all set on the tray I taped off the parts I didn't want spray painted


I then took this outside and with my orange spray paint covered the bottom of my tray. 

Once dried, I peeled off the tape to reveal my orange zig zags. I had to touch up a few areas where orange paint got on the white edges and then gave it a final coat of clear lacquer spray paint to protect all my hard work

All my hard work paid off as this is what I was left with

A fun orange zig zag tray for my entryway


It will be the perfect place for change, keys, mail, sunglasses, etc.  All those things that end up on the table closest to the door now have a proper home.








Since I had the tape and spray paint left over from other little projects this was another cheapy makeover that cost me around $3.  Can't beat those kinds of deals.


PS- I'm guest posting over at JourneyChic today sharing one of my favorite summer drinks!

8.18.2010

Happy 2nd Birthday!


I almost forgot that today was my blogs 2nd birthday!


I can't believe its been 2 years.  That equals: 587 posts, 593 wonderful followers, and about 1,569,456 hours of getting posts ready, photo taking, crafting, project starting and finishing, commenting and so much more!

My blog has come so far and I can't wait to see where else it goes in the future.  More importantly I can't wait to see where this blog takes ME in the future.  More projects, more DIY, maybe even a new career?  Who knows, all I know is that I'm along for the ride and I've loved every minute so far.

Of course I can't talk about my 2nd blog birthday and not mention all of you!  My amazing readers, commenters, stalkers, friends, family etc., this would be nothing without all of you so THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all that you do!

Taking a little trip down memory lane, here are a few of my favorite and most popular posts from the last two years.








Thank you everyone for making this blog what it is today!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Everything LEB!