First Lakehouse Project!

Things are progressing at the lakehouse, but I'm kind of a crazy person and that impedes things.  It seems to me a lot of people move into a house, then tackle projects room by room.  I opt for a marathon makeover session before moving in.  With the townhouse, the weeks before moving in saw carpets and bathrooms ripped out, new flooring installed, more than 12 gallons of paint applied to walls, and bathrooms re-installed.  Frankly, it still looked awful when we moved in, but it felt so good to get such a big chunk of work done before we lugged in all of our stuff. 

This time around, we don't have the funds for big makeovers right away.  We're relying on paint to make a major impact, and give us a blank canvas for fun projects.  But gosh, do we ever have a lot of painting to do!

I've partnered with Canadian Tire to paint out the skinny oak trim, dusty rose, pale green and taupe walls, and . . . shudder . . . the greyed popcorn ceilings.  Plus we've partnered to see my turquoise kitchen plans come to fruition!  The place is a mess right now, but after the first stripe of white went on the walls it immediately felt like our home (and not like someone else's home).  I actually brought in the same paint chip we used for the townhouse (Behr Snowfall) and had it custom matched at Canadian Tire.  I like bringing a piece of the townhouse to the lake.

It's plain, but it's an enticing blank canvas.  I have some really bold projects in store so this fresh white backdrop is exactly what I need.  Plus, the dated trim disappears when painted white - wait until you see the living room windows!!  More details on de-oaking next week, plus hopefully we'll have all of the boob lights replaced too.

Painting Around Carpet & Picking a Floor Colour

If you didn't already, now you know my excellent reason for dragging my feet on the basement makeover.  But we're back at it.  Hubby's the wall maker, I'm the wall painter.  There is a tiny area left of the basement left to strip and paint before I can tackle the laundry room.  The carpet might be giving the centipedes a run for their money in the "making this job less fun" category.  I've never lived with carpet (we tore the carpet out upstairs within minutes of taking possession of the townhouse), so painting around carpet is new to me.  It makes me loathe carpet even more.

But I've got this.

In addition to laying down painter's tape, I've been using a wide scraper to push the carpet away so I can neatly edge.  I have a larger edger too (maybe meant for carpets?), but it proved too big and unwieldy so I switched to this.  I've done about 90% of the basement with my scraper pal by my side and it's worked pretty well.  I almost hesitate to ask because it's so late in the game for me: do you have a trick for painting around carpet?

Meanwhile, I'm thinking about what colour to paint the laundry room floor.  It will have the same greige walls as the basement, with black and white textiles (it's a surprise), and industrial-style shelving (I hope).  I had narrowed down the choice to turquoise, orange or raspberry but because of my passion for turquoise, it was an easy choice: something in the green-blue family.  Now I'm thinking . . . do I want a deep teal, a super bright Caribbean turquouise, maybe more of an on-trend emerald hue, or something soft and vintage like mint green?

Colour chart via

 
Decisions, decisions, decisions.

(left to right): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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DIY Abstract Tutorial with Step by Step Photos + Instructions

You might have guessed, I really enjoy painting.  One day, in high school art class - which I cannot believe was 10 years ago - I was working with such vim and vigor on a painting (the black tree in the office, actually) that in addition to getting paint in my hair, on my glasses, on my school uniform and up my nose, I totally demolished the delicate watercolour of the girl next to me with my crazy over spray of paint.  I thought "good artists" painted with "flair" (which to 18 year old me meant flailing arms).  After the "incident" I was sent to paint alone in a small, windowless supply room, where I splashed around and got 98% for my final mark (high marks for enthusiasm, plus Handy Hubby - who was Buildy Boyfriend then - made custom stretchers and frames for all of my work). 

I highly recommend painting as stress relief and a creative outlet, but a lot of readers have expressed some hesitation about getting started.  I think once you get started, you'll quickly and easily develop your own style and compose a beautiful abstract without even thinking about it!

To get you started, here's a look at how a recent painting I made involved.  Hopefully these step by step photos will inspire you to pick up a brush!

How to make an abstract painting:

To achieve a loose, drippy look, I started with a dry brush and acrylic paint and then used a plant mister filled with water to spray the paint after I applied it to the canvas.  It gave me more control than a wet brush and kept things looking kind of light and watery.

Then I just kept working at it, applying paint where I saw fit.  (And trying not to douse the whole room in paint.)  Here are a few full size photos from the progress collage:

As a last step, I added some black and white paint in sharper lines to contrast the softness.  

It was an experiment and - most important - a ton of fun!

Don't worry if you don't like your result - it is easy to paint over acrylic paint.  Remember how I tweaked the bedroom triptych and then totally fell in love with version 2?  I also reworked this geographic painting (details soon). 

If you're really worried about creating something worthy of your walls, here's my tip: I think even the simplest painting looks good in a large scale, like the giant drippy piece on the left:

The Apartment Via

The Apartment Via

Try a DIY painting - you won't be disappointed!

P.S. This abstract art tutorial was featured by Domino & In Style!

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Geometric Painting Knock-off

I took a stab at making a geometric painting (inspiration below).  I painted a canvas a shade of grey I mixed, using acrylic paint.  It is a bit darker than the inspiration, because I didn't want it to blend in with the basement walls (where I think it's destined to hang).  Then I drew the pattern I wanted with a pencil and ruler.

Using a short, hard bristled brush I traced my lines in white paint (I needed to go over them twice for an opaque look).  Then I filled in the triangles.

The result:

Meh.

This is the original Etsy inspiration (which must have sold because everyone's links are an Etsy dead-end.  Anyone know the seller?)  I didn't realize until writing this post how overboard I went on the coloured triangles. 

Via Pinterest

Kristin F. Davis did a tutorial for Pantone.  Even though she started with same piece as inspiration, hers and mine look totally different from each others' and the original.

Kristin F Davis Designs

Honestly, I think I like mine the least.  Sad face.  But copying the work of someone else is not as easy as one might think.  Further, just making a decent abstract is tough.  It can slide into cheesy, my-kid-could-paint-that territory super quickly. 

 

But I gave it a whirl.  Unless I have the urge to paint over it (I'm seriously tempted), it will be making an appearance in the decorated basement.  Maybe a better method might have been to use some type of white marker (do those exist?) and make the white lines with a marker and ruler.  I'm also not convinced about my composition, it looks wobbly and unbalanced.

P.S. I linked this project here: My Girlish Whims, Junk in their Trunk, Creations by Kara, Fabulously Flawed,
Addicted to Decorating, DIY Showoff Project Parade, Polly Want a Crafter? Craft Party

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Basement Update: How to Paint Drop Ceilings You Cannot Remove

I think I am the least glamorous blogger.  Other folks are doing major renovations with fabulous, luxury finishes like marble and hardwood, and I'm over here painting my janky drop ceiling.

I hate drop ceilings.  But they are convenient and, with our goal of giving the basement the cheapest makeover in history, I had to figure out how to decorate around our shabby drop ceiling.  I decided to paint the drop ceiling the same colour as the walls, so the ceiling won't stand out and the basement will look cozy and warm.  This basement will never feel tall or spacious so there's no sense fighting it; I'm going to emphasis its small size and make it feel like you could curl up here with a book or craft project.  Plus, I'm not going to lie, I'm too lazy to cut in neatly.

The Best Way to Paint Ceiling Tiles That Cannot be Removed

We tried removing the ceiling tiles, but ours only move side to side (to access pipes, etc) so taking them down would have required dismantling the framework (too much work).  After much cursing, tugging and general wriggling, we gave up.  Next idea.  I tried painting them in place, like a regular ceiling but the paint made the tiles stick to the frame and when they shifted a bit, I had weird cracks and peeling paint.  Arrgh.  More swearing.  Next idea.  With Hubby building walls and a nice, not-drop ceiling in the next room, I eyed some of his furring strips and we came up with this solution for painting drop ceiling tiles that cannot be remove:

1. Prop up a few ceiling tiles with furring strips
2. Using a large paintbrush, paint the edges and the frame holding the tiles
3. Once paint is dry, drop the tile back
4. Using a roller, apply paint to the middle of the tile
5. Congratulate yourself with a Guinness, for outsmarting a ceiling

Success!  I'm loving the painted ceiling because it blends it.  I used a good quality primer and paint in one, so this job is fairly straightforward and only required one coat in most spots.  For this project, you definitely want to speed up the process so I recommend a good primer and paint in one. 

I'm really thrilled with how well my bizarre hack worked, although I could only do about 6 tiles at a time - unless we were to splurge on some extra furring strips.  Hubby was quickly finishing his work in the laundry room, so I was against the clock to finish up my task before I had to relinquish the wood!

So that's my quick tip for painting ceiling tiles that you cannot remove.

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Basement Update: Actual Progress

I promised I wouldn't blog about the teeniest details of our cheap-cheap-cheap basement facelift but I'm super excited.  After painting the stairwell (which I thought would motivate me) I kind of stalled.  I painted the railing, sure, but then totally distracted myself painting wood spoons and canvases.

However, yesterday I painted a wall in the basement!!  Yep - actual work on the basement took place.  I shoved all of the stuff to one side and painted an entire wall.  I will need to work around the basement slowly, shifting our stuff as we go.  No way am I letting this mess spill into another part of the house.

But that's not all!  I also:

• Started work on  the play kitchen I finally decided to make
• Primed an ornate mirror I bought ages ago
• Painted a frame Hubby made for this painting (details next week)

Hubby:

• Measured the laundry room and made a supply list (lots of drywall . . . )
• Removed the Styrofoam that releases toxic fumes if caught on fire
• Removed the hideous door/curtain thing 
• Ran out to get more paint, and tried not to laugh at me when he discovered I had sat in paint in his absence (I guess I shouldn't DIY unattended)

 

And today . . . we are off to Lowe's to get drywall and supplies.  We're hoping to make a major dent in the basement this weekend (even one wall actually created in the laundry room would be swell) and I hope to knock off at least a couple of my in-progress projects so I can show you next week.

Here's a sneak peak:

Meanwhile, my painting area is out of commission, which is a bummer because I was disappointed with the last two paintings I made (although I am still loving the bedroom abstract changes and the new bold painting, which will soon find a home).  But maybe, given my track records, it is best if I have fewer DIY distractions.

Meh . . .

What are you up to this weekend?

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Happy House?

I used my laptop in a bed.  Because I am a grad student (and blogger!) sometimes I feel like my entire reason for existence is contained within my laptop so, even though it is backed-up regularly, I rarely use it anywhere but my desk where it is safely hooked up to a monitor and kept far away from liquids.  My Hubby mocks me for this so I figured it's noteworthy.  But my laptop is on an excursion because I huddled in the guest bed of my uncle's lovely home to create most of this post (nope, this lazy bones isn't still in bed). 

I've been visiting my grandpa and he is in good spirits, although not out of the woods yet.  My visit was an extremely well received surprise.  He was so happy to see me.  He did say I was a nutter butter though, for just hopping in the car and driving 5 hours to see him (Hubby was at work, so I made the journey alone). 

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and well wishes.  Reading the comments for my last post made me feel very positive.  I'm not a very spiritual person but I do believe that our "energy" (whatever that means) and happiness have profound effects upon our health.  I routinely send "good vibes" to friends or family by simply cheering them up.  I hope I've cheered my Papa up a bit. 

To say thanks for your support, here's a little giggle (you know I'm always up for something funny).

Check out this painting (found in the home we rented for the holidays - see more photos in this post).  Is the house screaming or laughing???

Not everyone I show this to sees a face.  Do you?

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My Expedit Hack Paintings - Close Up

Lovely readers have asked for close-up photos of the paintings I made for the Artful Ikea Expedit Hack, so I tried my best.  Take a look, as long as you remember three things:

a. Taking good photos of paintings is no easy feat.

b. I'm not sure I like all of these paintings.  You might see a switch-up in the months to come.

c. I'm not an artist.  I'm just a crafty gal who likes to smoosh paint around.

The How-to's:

Numbers 3 & 4

The chevron painted canvases are the same shade of turquoise but one is pale cream and the other a muted pink.  I'm feeling lukewarm about the colours but here's how, with Hubby's help, I taped off the canvases using a plastic triangle drafting tool as a guide:

The pattern lines up, but it also wraps around the sides so the paintings look nice hung side-by-side, or on their own.

Number 5

People often ask for a how-to for paintings (especially my yellow abstract) but unless it is something really rigid, like the Sigh painting, it is tricky because I really just move paint around.  And my mood really affects the product - I don't completely control the outcome so it is impossible to provide instructions . . . but I did try to chart the progress of painting #5 and maybe I can do an even better job next time:

And, speaking of artistic endeavours, Salvage Love (remember I featured Janine's awesome wood scrap art?) featured my framed bakelite brooches - click here to see the feature.  I love blog love.

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