These colors were not my style so I requested SoSoft fabric paint from DecoArt to paint it! DecoArt generously gave me enough fabric paint to cover the whole rug twice (~80 ounces).

I began by using a mini roller with a 3/8″ nap and applied the DecoArt SoSoft white and black colored paint.

I paused during painting to cut off the tassels. It was too hard for me to cover them in paint so they had to go.

After the first coat of paint where I just arbitrarily applied black and white, the rug looked like this.

At this point, my husband was intrigued. He came into the garage and said “What are you doing now?”

I replied, “Painting a rug. Do you like it?”

He rolled his eyes at me and went back inside the house. Luckily, he came around and agreed to film a Live video of me painting the rug for my Facebook Page. Here you can watch me apply the second coat of paint.

When this layer of paint was permanent 72 hours later, I sprayed the whole rug down with a hose nozzle set on mist. Then I used old towels to soak up the water and wash the rug around to the best of my ability.

A couple days later when the rug was dry, I vacuumed the rug and brought it inside!

Paint a Living Room Rug

Washing a vacuuming did fade the paint slightly, but I think this is because I tried to paint a rug with a higher pile. Painting a rug would work better with a 1/2 inch pile or lower and I will choose one like that if I paint a rug ever again. My mistake!

I think the rug looks cool in front of my abstract teal wall painting. They give me a similar feel!

Please pin and share this idea if you would ever paint a living room rug!

Thanks for reading! Come back next week to see how I boosted my curb appeal just in time for fall!

For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links. For my full disclosures and policies, visit here.

The post Paint a Living Room Rug appeared first on .

Step 1: Wash the Trim and Wall

Before you start, make sure cobwebs are gone from where the wall meets the ceiling, baseboards have been dusted, and everything is clean. Wash the trim and wall with warm, soapy water and a washcloth.

Step 2: Remove Obstacles

I have seen people paint around outlet covers and I always think, what’s the point? Remove any easy obstacle like outlet covers, air vents, curtain rods, etc. Move furniture and take down wall art.

Step 3: Caulk

**If you do not have painted trim, you can skip this step.**

This step has to come next because of you do it after painting, the caulk will collect dirt and dust like you would not believe. I’ve been there. Whenever you apply latex caulk, you should always paint it. I prefer latex caulk because it cleans up with water. Silicone caulk requires acetone to smooth over and clean up.

When applying caulk, cut the tube at a 45 degree angle and load it in your caulk gun. Facing the cut hole down, squeeze a bead of caulk across the crevice between the trim and the wall. If you have existing caulk in the space, simply touch up caulk where it has cracked or deteriorated.

Next use a gloved finger or rag and dip it in warm water. Smooth over the bead of caulk to push it into the crevice and get a smooth finish.

Step 4: Paint Trim

**If you do not have painted trim, you can skip this step.**

When the caulk has dried, paint all the trim in the room. I have mine painted a high gloss enamel latex white paint. High gloss is a good choice for durability. When painting, protect the floor with a flat piece of cardboard or a large drywall knife if you have one. This tool is fabulous for pushing down high pile carpet in order to paint the trim.

It is important to over-paint the top of the trim. Just slap paint on sloppily and over extend the line where trim meets wall. You want to get all that caulk covered. The time to get a straight line will come next.

Whenever you paint a room with painted trim, don’t skip the trim. Spending the extra steps to caulk and throw one coat of paint on the trim will make your paint job look way more professional.

Step 5: Edge the Wall

Use an angled brush (this is my fav) to edge against the trim. I put a lot of paint on my brush and apply it to the wall close to the line where the trim meet the wall. Then I “cut in” by pushing my brush down to make a precise edge with the bristles. I slide the edge of the bristles with paint on it against the line where the wall meets the trim.

This step is where you need to make a straight line. I prefer not to use “special tools” for this task, but if you would like you could try Frogtape. If you are going to tape a straight line, remember to buy one-coat coverage paint so that you can remove the tape before the paint dries for a cleaner line. Also – run a wet washcloth over the tape after application to “seal” the adhesive edge. This results in a cleaner line as well.

I prefer to just use my angled Wooster brush without tape. It is important to look at the line straight on. When painting baseboards, I usually rest my head on the floor so my eyes are straight on with where I am painting.

Another tip: It may seem counter-intuitive, but I actually think it is easier to get a straight line painting fast. Going too slow can prevent my arm motion from following the natural paint line.

**Important** The biggest mistake people make when edging the wall paint against trim is making big brush marks. This is because “cutting in” creates a circular motion with the brush and uneven distribution of the paint. After I am finished cutting a straight line, I always run my brush flat across the area to apply even coverage near the trim.

Step 6: Roll The Wall

Use a 1/2″ nap roller if you are hoping for one-coat coverage. Just watch for drips! If you are planning to do two coats of paint, use a 3/8″ nap roller.

Larger areas will go fast with a 9″ roller on a short handle for control. I avoid using long handled rollers unless I am painting a floor or ceiling. Use a 4″ roller for hard to reach or smaller areas like below and above windows, above doorways, and on skinny walls. The right tool makes all the difference.

Tip: Paint in a “W” motion to prevent streaks or drips and increase coverage.

Another Tip: It doesn’t matter if you edge first or roll first. However, you should try to prevent the paint from drying before meeting the edging with the rolling area. Having one person edging and one rolling helps achieve this.

The Proper Way to Paint a Wall Video

A lot of people get confused when a room has painted trim about what order to paint the wall. Following this step by step tutorial will help you navigate painting a room like a professional! I hope you enjoyed the proper way to paint a wall tutorial.

For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosures and policies here.

The post The Proper Way to Paint a Wall appeared first on .

I was able to snag a couple vintage sleds from my parent’s farm before Christmas. These wooden sleighs had been in storage for who knows how many decades. I cleaned them with water and lightly sanded the wood before I started painting.

As you can see in the video tutorial, painting the pine trees was not all that hard. The brush stroke used is a simple dabbing motion and you just repeat that in varying shades of evergreen or white.

The hand-lettered toboggan involved shadowing and I simply stapled on real evergreens and painted pine cones to give it an extra special touch.

These sleds make for a very welcoming front entrance to our home! If you are interested to see the red twig dogwood wreath or the planter topiary tutorials, watch this video.

Also, be sure to pin these images!

Thank you for reading and watching my painted vintage sled tutorial! If you have done a project similar to this, please connect with me and share a picture! I love to see what my readers have created.

The post Painted Vintage Sled Tutorial Christmas Decor appeared first on .

I was recently told about Hollar.com by some of my viewers who know me very well. It is an online dollar store and I was totally BLOWN AWAY by the amazing selection of practical and stylish options on their site. It was almost unreal how cheap everything was. After ordering boxes for organizing Stephen’s new office space and a shower curtain for only $3, I got totally caught up in the Christmas decor. Hollar generously provided me with the Christmas decor items for free so that I could put together this post and a Hometalk Live for you all!

So let’s get started with the pinecones! After gathering pinecones outside, you are going to want to bake them at 300 degrees for 15 minutes in the oven.

Baking them does 3 things:

1. Kills any bugs that might be in them
2. Dries out the dirt and debris for easy removal
3. Opens the cone up all the way

Then throw them in a large opening strainer and shake out the dirt.

Look at all the stuff coming off these pine cones into the sink! Yuck!

Next, I painted half with spray paint.

Using a box is best for spray painted pinecones because you can pick up the box to shake the cones around while you coat each side. It also prevents overspray!

For the other half of the pinecones, I simply painted the tips white with an artist brush and white acrylic craft paint.

Then while the paint was still wet, I sprinkled them with glitter! I love glitter.

Here is my Hollar swag. Seriously, NOTHING at this table costs more than $5! That mirror is 16″ wide you guys. $5! The site is amazing.

For my holiday display, I wanted to show you an aerial version first so that you could see better how I balanced things. I lined up the tea light lanterns in a diagonal line, then I lined up the two metallic trees and faux evergreen trees in a diagonal line the opposite way. Add in the rhinestone deer (my fav) and then mix in natural decor.

Here it is! Gorgeous isn’t it!? I placed cedar branches around the spaces between large decor items and then sprinkled my painted pinecones throughout.

I think just a touch of red makes it look more festive and it still goes with the turquoise that dominates my house. Now, this last picture is perfectly pinnable, so go ahead and share it on your Pinterest!

Thanks for joining me today for this adorable holiday display and easy tutorial for painted pinecones! See you again soon!

Read my full income policies and disclosures here.

The post Painted Pinecones Hollar Holiday Display appeared first on .

Since my littlest, Theo, is not really a baby anymore, we moved him into the old office downstairs and put him in a toddler bed. After liquidating all the nursery furniture (crib, changing table, etc) it’s safe to say we are done having babies. This left the nursery ready to become my husband’s new office. The room is perfect because it is right next to our master bedroom and will ensure that all the rooms upstairs are now “grown-up” spaces. I love that. This is what the nursery looked like up until this point:

The only thing we kept is the IKEA blonde shelving which I put downstairs in the playroom. The first thing I did (admittedly a while ago) is paint all the trim white. I pushed all the furniture to the middle of the room to get that job done.

What I’ve gotten done more recently is the wall color. I mixed a medium gray from leftover paint I got for free at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Learn how to mix your own custom paint color here.

First I prepped the room by removing outlet covers and vents. I also removed curtains and took everything I could out of the space.

The little birds I drew with Sharpie on the wall above the changing table had to go, so I put a coat of stain-blocking primer on them before painting.

Office Makeover Paint Color

After painting, the room looks a LOT different.

I think wall color makes such a big difference.

I’m already excited for the direction this room is going. For design, I wanted to show you a mood board. If you’ve never heard of a mood board, it’s a compilation of ideas, items, colors, and textures a designer wants to put together in a room. It helps give you a sense of the design and make sure things are cohesive before starting.

My mood board shows some elements I already own (like the marble/copper lamps you can see here) and some things I want to make myself (the industrial shelving and artwork).

Here’s my to-do list for this room makeover:

• Paint walls gray & trim white
• Build industrial shelving with IKEA hyllis hack
• Paint abstract piece of artwork
• Paint frame of hexagon mirror white
• Make DIY lamp shade chandelier
• Hang cream curtains
• Decorate space using copper accents and multiple textures

That’s all for today. The office makeover paint color is done and I am on to the next step. On Monday I will be back to make a DIY chandelier from a lamp shade for the office makeover. You will love how easy it is and I will post step-by-step photos!

The post Office Makeover Paint Color & Plan One Room Challenge appeared first on .

The balustrade you see to the left was revamped in November and really changed the look of my house to a more modern feel. See how I redid the stair railing here.
[the_ad_placement id=”middle-of-post”]

However, the rest of the entry stayed outdated and ugly until this past month when I got busy painting.

First, I tackled the garage door entrance. I painted both the inside and outside of the door black so you could no longer see all the dirt that accumulates there. (Look by the door handle…ew).

From inside the garage, this door now looks like this:

The next thing I did was paint all the trim white! I have had a LOT of experience painting trim white. The entryway was tedious with three doorways, but I completed the space in one week.
[the_ad_placement id=”middle-of-post”]

This is the door that enters into the garage now that everything is painted. I just love the combo of black doors and white trim.

The next thing I did was remove the closet doors. I’ve done this in our nursery and master bedroom now and enjoy it. Not having closet doors makes the room feel larger and forces me to keep more organized.

Click to learn how to make those inexpensive (I made them for free) organizers on my top shelf.

The front door was also painted the same color on the inside and outside.

It brings some brightness and color into the space.

Over-all, my entryway looks more inviting, open, and bright.
[the_ad_placement id=”middle-of-post”]

I’m so glad I took the time to complete the entryway makeover because entering my home every day has made me much happier than before.

Entryway Makeover Before & After

Here are some before and after photos!

This entryway makeover took the whole space went from 1980’s outdated oak to bright & modern.

I love seeing the satisfying results of my hard work in the before and after photos! Tell me what you thought of this makeover? I would love for you to share it with your friends!

The post Entryway Makeover Part 3: Interior Paint appeared first on .

Isn’t that how it always goes? You improve something in your home that highlights the next thing to be done. It is never-ending. Anyways, after I moved to a monochromatic color scheme in my home design, I have felt my front door just doesn’t fit in anymore. It was time for a new paint color that matched the inside. As you know, my living room looks like this:

I used that same teal color I mixed up for the coffee table to paint the walls of my bathroom. This time I mixed it with a little gray to tone it down and completed a front door refresh!

To get started, I removed the hardware from the door, the handle and deadbolt.

My daughter was playing peekaboo through these holes for a solid half hour afterwards.

I didn’t take process pictures because it really was as simple as mixing up my color and rolling it on. I used a mini roller with a 3/8″ nap to get a heavy coat. After two coats of paint and a day of dry time, the front door refresh was done.

Bam! Totally different, right?

This color is so cheerful, I hung a flowering spring wreath up right away.

The difference still catches me off guard every time I come home. However, it certainly goes with the rest of the house now!

What do you think of the new color!? I asked my readers on Facebook what I should do beforehand; the winning choice was some sort of teal. Did I pick the kind of color you would go for on your house?

If you liked this interior upgrade DIY and want to see more, my post on how to lay self leveling concrete is great place to start!

The post Front Door Refresh: Paint It Turquoise! Entryway Makeover Part 1 appeared first on .

[the_ad_group id=”8″]

You push ALL your furniture to the middle of the room…

…and squeeze in the space between the mass of furniture and the wall to paint.

You never realized how filthy your trim was before…

That all came off of my wood trim just by wiping it down with water. Ew.

Suddenly your heat registers and light switch plates need to be white, too.

Why didn’t I realize that before I got started?

Your step stool is ALWAYS in the way, except when you’re using it.

Almost like it’s stalking me…

[the_ad_group id=”8″]

Your brush and your tape will become your best friends.

Specifically this tape and this brush.

Before you know it, you’re painting everything white…

Pallet wood clock

Bamboo vase decor

Kitchen walls

This entertainment center turned child’s closet.

It’s just so addicting!

[the_ad_group id=”8″]

Beware if you paint your trim white, these things will happen to you!

It always goes faster (and feels less tedious) with a friend, so be sure to enlist help. Tell me if you’ve ever painted trim in your home? Were you happy with the transformation? I know I sure was. Here’s some photos to show off the amazing transformation in just some of the rooms in my home:

My dining room looks so much bigger and brighter now!

More before and afters of the hallway makeover here.

This closet is in the master bedroom, and I never liked the doors anyway.

That’s all for now. I’ll stop sharing all my white trim makeovers, even though I love them! Tell me what you think of all my hard work, did it pay off? Come back next week and check out the fun Halloween costumes I created for my husband and myself this year!

The post What it’s Really Like to Paint Your Trim White appeared first on .

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel to see more great projects!

I’m sharing a detailed tutorial today for exactly how to paint wood trim. You might be familiar with my painting process because I’ve shown you how I transform furniture. Well, it’s important to follow all the steps and paint trim the old fashioned way so that it really lasts. Methods that skip steps will chip and look bad after only a couple years. It seems all I’ve been doing this week is painting trim! If you’re joining me from the One Room Challenge, you can say hooray with me as I check that off my to-do list for my kitchen makeover.

• Paint walls
• Paint baseboard trim white
• Place interesting decor in dining room corner
• Paint light switch & outlet covers white
• Purchase curtains for dining room window
• Paint fabric curtains with a modern design
• Perhaps buy a dining room rug
• Plan a task that doesn’t start with “P”

Paint Wood Trim Tutorial

I wanted to make an easy to follow tutorial so I created a video! It’s not filmed in my kitchen where the makeover is happening, it was hard for me to set up in there with the kids and cooking and everything. So I filmed in our nursery, which is expecting its newest occupant any day now. I’m sure you’ll enjoy seeing my big pregnant belly in the video, as well as my two year old son wearing a princess dress.

Video Tutorial

So to recap, there’s basically 7 steps to paint wood trim successfully.

1. Use an electric sander or coarse sandpaper to sand wood finish and remove grime.
2. Wash off the wood trim and let dry. Be sure to get sawdust out of every crevice and all the dust off.This was my water when I finished washing my trim. Yuck!
3. Prime with a stain blocking primer. I recommend Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 Indoor/Outdoor Primer in either quart size or gallon size. Use a precision paintbrush and drywall taping knife to eliminate the need for painters tape. I recommend the Wooster Brush and this 20″ Drywall Taping Knife. I got my drywall taping knife from my local home improvement store on sale for only $8!
4. Use high quality paint made for trim. Increased durability if you choose a paint with one or more of these qualities:
   -high gloss
   -oil based
   -enamel
5. Let paint dry for the time detailed on your paint can, usually 4 hours.
   -Oil-based paint dries inside out (dry to the touch means the wait is done)
   -Latex-based paint dries outside in (even if it feels dry, it might not be)
6. Use latex caulking to caulk seams and nail holes showing in your trim. I recommend this Acrylic Latex Caulk. You’ll want to caulk between coats of paint because dust sticks to caulk more. If you do it last, you will regret it. Painting your last coat of paint over the caulking will give you a professional finish.
   -TIP: use hot water to smooth over the latex caulking using your finger. If you happen to use silicon caulking, use rubbing alcohol.
7. Paint your second coat, being sure to smooth out brush strokes and use enough paint on the brush.

Thank you for stopping by to read! Tell me if you have tried to paint wood trim in your home or want to in the future. It is a tedious task, but worth it for sure!

The post Paint Wood Trim Tutorial–ORC Week 2 appeared first on .

I recently found this pair of outdated brass lamps on Craigslist and thought I’d take a chance on making them great. I went and bought a can of spray primer and spray paint from Walmart and devised a plan to paint these suckers, even though it was exactly 25 degrees outside. Check out the full DIY here.

RULE 1. Clean the Item Being Spray Painted Rigorously

The reason the can says to only paint when it’s warmer than 50 degrees is because colder temperatures affect adhesion. This would imply no spray paint in winter. This means you must make sure nothing else is hindering the paint from adhering like; dust, grime, or a glossy finish. Prep your surface by thoroughly cleaning and potentially sanding it before you paint.

RULE 2. Primer is Necessary to Spray Paint in Winter

Again, to help with adhesion.

RULE 3. Keep Item & Paints Indoors Until Just Before Use

Your item and paint should be stored inside at room temperature until immediately before painting. I kept my lamps & cans of paint in the foyer. When I was ready to put a coat of paint on my lamps, I brought the spray paint outside, sprayed the lamps, let them sit for about 2-4 minutes, and then brought both the spray paint and lamps inside my house. 

RULE 4. Bring the Item Indoors After EVERY Coat

This rule is the most important! If your item remains outside in the cold, your paint will not dry or adhere properly. Bring the object being spray painted inside after every coat of paint to ensure that the paint will dry properly. Again, minimize the time your item and cans of paint are outside in the cold temperatures for good results.

RULE 5. Store Item in Well Ventilated Area Indoors During Drying Time

Between each coat of primer or paint, I brought the lamps to my bathroom to dry. I opened the small window, turned on the ceiling fan, and closed the bathroom door. Basically, this sucked cold air from outside into my house and through the fan to the attic, creating airflow. The bathroom never got colder than 50 degrees, even with the window open and it being 25 degrees outside. 

RULE 6. Avoid the Spray Paint Smell in Your House

The majority of the smell is caused by actually spray painting (which is why you do that part outside). Since I closed the door to my well-ventilated room, the smell was contained to just the bathroom pretty well and went away as soon as the paint dried fully. If the smell is bothering you, just light a candle in the bathroom when you’re all finished, and the smell should be gone in about an hour. 

This is the way I spray paint in the winter! I’m happy to say the project was a success! The lamp bases are now painted and beautiful. I thought trying to spray paint in winter would yield bad results, but taking the rules into consideration I outlined above made the end result just the same as if I had painted in the summer. If you are too impatient to paint that picture frame, vase, or sign until it’s 50 degrees outside, follow my rules and you too can spray paint in winter!

Thanks for reading & happy spray painting! If you want to check out more of my outdoor projects, my blog post Build a Retaining Wall in One Day is a great place to start!

The post Spray Paint in Winter appeared first on .