paint | This Old Colonial Home

January 20, 2014
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A Little Paint Goes a Long Way

We’re slowly but surely making progress on changing our walls from being all white. This weekend I tackled the upstairs bathroom while my husband took on the dining room. Isn’t it amazing how just a coat (or two) of paint can make such a difference?

For the upstairs bath we both wanted a light blue. We decided to go with Tinsel Beam by Valspar. And I must say I love it! This bathroom was meant to be blue – now it pops!

Before

After

Note: I really can’t take all the credit. Jamie actually painted the first coat awhile ago. I just added the second coat :-p

As for the dining room, we both agreed we wanted a sage-y color. We chose Mint Frost by Valspar. Again, I’m so happy with this color! Jamie did a great job! Here’s a before and after:

Before

And just for fun here’s a panorama of our front three rooms – dining room, entryway/hall and living room. The entryway/hall was painted awhile back too. The color is Cream in My Coffee by Valspar. It’s a shade lighter than the living room, which is Desert Fortress by Valspar. (We’re big fans of Lowe’s paint if you couldn’t tell!)

Next up for paint is the family room and then the master bedroom. What are some of your favorite paint colors?

August 14, 2013
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Chalk it Up

This is by no means original, but it’s a decor item that I’ve been wanting for awhile — a silver platter chalkboard. I, of course, took matters into my own hands. It’s a fairly simple DIY project. I already had the chalkboard paint, it was just a matter of finding the platter. I checked out a couple flea markets without any luck. But I soon found this beaut at a local thrift store!All I had to do was lightly sand the surface so the paint would stick. I used a foam brush to apply the paint. I didn’t bother taping off the edge, so that was a little tricky because of the pattern, but I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.It’s not perfect, but I kind of prefer it that way. It looks great on a mantel or buffet! What have you created with chalkboard paint that you’re proud of?

August 10, 2013
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Small Weekend Project

This weekend’s project consisted of going to Lowe’s to pick up paint supplies for the living room. We purchased rollers, brushes, pans, and tape. We, of course, also grabbed some paint card samples and brought them home to decide. You really can’t choose under those fluorescent lights in the store.

We knew we wanted something in the beige family, and luckily we both agreed on one! It’s looking like Desert Fortress (middle) is the winner.

But before we go back out and get the paint, we need to do a little prep work first — spackling and sanding. And by we, I really mean my husband! He’s also in the midst of changing all of the outlets. He’s converting them from two-prong to three-prong and adding new cover plates.

Obviously those will have to be taken back off once we paint, but it looks so much better and is now more functional. Little changes can make a big difference!