Before and After

If you’re a follower of my blog you know I tend to paint first, and think later. Sometimes I’ll see a pretty picture and it’s enough to inspire me to paint something. And I don’t spend a lot of time agonizing over the perfect shade either, I’m too impatient. My attitude with mistakes is always, “oh well, it’s just paint.”

I originally had white French doors in our entry. Then I painted them black which I liked better with all our white woodwork. But then I thought this little chest and mirror looked too dark.

Before

Don’t you love looking at Before and After photos?  

I think there’s something so optimistic about looking at the After shots, because no matter what someone decides to change, I think it’s admirable to see the result of one’s hard work. You end up thinking, “Hey, I could do that.”

Plus, I think DIYers appreciate all the hidden elbow grease and time that’s behind any home project…

Now back to the French doors. As you can see one paint job led to another and….

..the white frame was definitely a keeper.

But even though the Anne Sloan’s Emperor’s Silk Red was especially pretty during the holidays, I discovered I’m not really a red furniture person.

I thought it was “too much” with my floor tiles.

So the day before our last Open House, I went out to the garage and spotted a leftover can of AS French Linen and right in the middle of all my cleaning… I stopped and re-painted the chest.

Yep. Even when Mr. M. walked by and said, “Les, do you really have time for that right now?”

I kept painting.

And here’s the chest now in a more subdued, softer paint shade.

The minute I finished it I literally sighed with relief.

I prefer this color next to the black doors, and it actually feels calmer in our entry now.

Funny how a shade of color can influence the mood of a room. Does that make sense to you?

Before

Oh, and here’s another quickie, inexpensive project.

See how plain this bedroom window looks?

Well I didn’t want to go out and buy a window treatment since we’re moving soon. But this empty space really gnawed at me… until suddenly I remembered my old window treatment from the kitchen.

For awhile I had moved this valance from my office to the kitchen.

I had it taped inside this wood section over my window. And ever since I took it down, it’s been folded inside my cupboard just waiting for me to see THIS creative project.

After I saw that window treatment, I purchased some burlap and hooks from the Hobby Lobby for under twenty dollars (love them coupons) and using no sew fusible tape, I made a piece of burlap the would cover the back side of this valance, allowing the trim to show.

I purposely left the cream and black damask side alone, in case I decide to use this again.

Once I fused the burlap ends, I glued the entire piece to the valance with my hot glue gun.

But I was careful to use a thin line of hot glue to avoid puckers in the fabric.

 

Next, I hot glued black ribbon to the edges for a more finished look. And cut and hot glued pieces of black ribbon ties for the top of the valance.

I spray painted the hooks white…

…and thanks to my Dad, we got the valance measured and the hooks spaced properly over the window.

After

and here it is!

My no-sew burlap window treatment. I wish I had more photos to show you but it’s raining today and too dark in that room to take good pictures right now.

But I hope this DIY project reminds you to look through your stuffed cupboards again.

 

Because these are the kind of surprises that make me happy.

xo

Leslie

 

I’m linking this post up here:

http://www.commonground-do.com/2014/02/be-inspired-175.html?

 

 

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