How To Paint Stripes: the easiest tutorial ever!

I recently updated our 1970's guest bathroom by painting the cabinetry, replacing the builder grade mirror, painting the walls, and adding a striped accent wall.

I started out with a bathroom that looked like this.

And after just a few days and less than $200, I ended up with a space that I love. It just feels so much better now.

Since the reveal, many of you have asked how to paint stripes.
So, today we'll breeze through a quick tutorial.

You just need a few supplies.

Here's what I used:

1. Paint
2. Paintbrush (I use a Wooster Shortcut Paintbrush and swear by it. It saves so much time.)
4. Tape measure
5. Painter's Tape (This one is great for getting a crisp line.)  
6. Level

*Above links are affiliate links.

Here are the paint colors I used in our guest bath.

 I used the Ocean Pearl (flat finish) as my main color and the Sea Salt (flat finish) as my accent stripe color. 

And a closeup:

To read how I made that bird art for free, go here.

Now let's get started.
The first thing you need to do is decide how big to make your stripes. I measured the height of my wall, and divided the height by the number of stripes I wanted. For my wall, this determined that I should make each stripe 11 inches wide. (Doing this insures that you don't end up with a half stripe up at the top or bottom of your wall.)

Once you know the width of each stripe, use your tape measure, level, and painter's tape, and start taping off the wall where the stripes should be.

Make sure to press firmly on the edges of the tape. Run your finger along the edge, or use something like a credit card. This will prevent your paint from bleeding underneath the tape. As long as you've pressed down the tape, you should get a nice clean line.

 Then paint every other stripe with the accent color you've chosen.

As you can see in the above photo, when I was done painting a stripe, I took the tape down. You'll want to take the tape down while the paint is still wet to avoid damaging the paint.

When it's done, you should have something like this:

And that's all for today, ya'll.
Thanks so much for being here!

I'll be back soon to share the makeovers of the office, kitchen, and the master bath.

Follow my blog with

Follow my blog on or
or

Subscribe to LiveLoveDIY with email!
Enter your email address:

-->

How To Spray Paint Accessories

I'm sharing my DIY centerpiece today and the cheapest way ever to repurpose your old mismatched knick-knacks.

I've really been wanting some milk glass lately, but after seeing the price of it at the antique store over vacation, I got to thinking I could probably create a similar look with spray paint.

 So, I raided my closets and found a few random bits of junk.

None of it matched. None of it was pretty. All of it was random junk you can find at any thrift store.

To update my little knick knacks, I used my favorite off-white spray paint, Rustoleum Heirloom White. It's not a stark white and it's not beige....it's the perfect soft white.

I took my one can of paint (you don't need much), and headed out to my backyard with my junk. Spray paint your items sitting up straight. Let them dry. Flip them over and spray the underside.

So, that's what I did today. Find Junk. Spray paint it. Assemble in a pretty fashion. I love how cohesive random junk looks when you spray paint it the same color!

Don't forget to pin this post so you'll have it when you need it!

Follow my blog with

Follow my blog on or
or

Subscribe to LiveLoveDIY with email!
Enter your email address:

-->

Our Entryway Makeover: The Before & After

Our entryway was the first thing we saw when we first looked at our house 2 years ago. Most people wouldn't have been too jazzed about the sight I saw, but I saw something special. Sure, the foyer was filled with terrible orange-toned wood, had parquet floors, and carpeted stairs, but it also had sweeping 30 feet high ceilings, cool light fixtures, and a whole lot of potential.
 I saw what could be, not was was.

This it what the foyer looked like when we first moved in to the house.

Well, actually that's what the foyer looked like after hours of sanding down all the wood and prepping it for paint. Still though, that's pretty much what I lived with at the time. 
My own personal wooden nightmare.

I've probably gone through 10 cans of white paint since we bought this house, and have painted nearly everything I own white. I've had several people ask me what my aversion to wood is. Let me clear a few things up. I like wood. But it has to be the right type of wood. Not the horrid outdated 1980's orange wood this house was filled with. Plus, for someone like me who is constantly treasure hunting, white paint is a great way to unify a house full of mismatched thrift store furniture! 
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Shortly after we moved in, I spent several days painting all of the trim and woodwork. It completely transformed the space. Here is the foyer today.

The neutral paint and white trim really updates the space so much.

Also, check out the little nook I created.

There just wasn't any room for a console table area in this foyer, so I removed the closet doors and created a nook by painting it with some leftover paint from the bathroom. I really love the way it turned out. It's unexpected and fun, yet totally functional. 
Here's a closeup.

I used an old dresser and some accessories I found while thrift store shopping to style the nook. Here is the before/after of that dresser. I painted it white the same way I did our bedroom dresser. I also changed out the hardware. 

Let's look at some other views of the entryway.

I  envision this entire space with really dark ebony hardwood floors. I plan to start the hardwood in the foyer and have it come up the stairs and into the entire upstairs area.

Here are some side by side comparisons:

It's come a long way, and I'm really pleased with the progress.

I think once the carpet and parquet are replaced with dark hardwood, this space will really shine.
 This is what you see when you head up the stairs.

And this is the view you see when you come in the door. The house is a split level and you come in on a landing and then the stairs go up to the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then there is a long hallway that leads to the master bedroom, guest bath, guest bed, and office. Going down the other set of stairs leads to the basement living room, another guest bedroom (currently our home gym) and another bathroom. I've not yet worked on the downstairs area, so it's still pretty outdated.

The entryway is one of my favorite parts of the house. It's still a work in progress, and has a long way to go, but I think it's already come a long way! I love walking into the house because it feels so open and spacious. It's one of the parts of the house that really sold me in the very beginning.

And it still hasn't lost it's charm!

Follow my blog with

Follow my blog on or
or

Subscribe to LiveLoveDIY with email!
Enter your email address:

-->