Painted Storage Box Craft

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Roeshel

Organizing the desk top / homework station for the back-to-school season? A small storage box keeps school and homework accessories within easy reach but not on display.

Materials:

FrogTape® Multi-Surface
acrylic craft paints and foam paint brushes
spray laquer
wooden box from craft store (or DIY)

What to do:

Tape off a design using your FrogTape. Stripes, checkers, plaid, triangles. So many options!

Using a credit card, gift card or just your own thumbnail, burnish the edges of the tape. Meaning: make sure the edges of FrogTape are good and stuck down with no gaps.

Now the fun part: paint each section. YOU customize colors to coordinate with decor or season.

While paint is still wet, carefully remove FrogTape. Then let the paint dry.

Give it a quick light spray of lacquer and let dry.

*Optional: embellish with washi-tape and decoupage, add a drawer knob, drawer pull or leather handle, adhere something from the junk drawer or little plastic animal using hot glue, add vinyl decals or stickers. Get creative!

Use as a pencil box, for keepsake treasures, to store note or recipe cards, for organizing an essential oils collection, to tuck on a bookcase filled with bookmakers and highlighters, to keep cords handy or for a unique way of wrapping gifts.

It’s perfect for storing 70 15ml Young Living essential oils (more if you’re mixing in 5 ml sizes). Great idea for incentives, prizes or gifts – and YOU customize it to coordinate with your home.

Disclaimer: I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.

Painted Staggered Striped Accent Wall

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Roeshel

I’ve shared bits and pieces and sneak peeks of the accent wall in the laundry room and I have to say, photographing that small space is a big challenge but here’s the gist of what we did and how it’s looking. A small wall in a laundry room is a great way to play with a bold design.

The base color on my walls is white. Clean, plain, simple.

But adding black staggered stripes is a fun way to add a punch of wow!

Supplies:

Paint – I use latex in an eggshell finish. One color as the base, a bolder color for the accent.
FrogTape® Delicate Surface (I also used FrogTape® Multi-Surface to start)

What I did:

Planning/measurements: I started by measuring the wall width and height. For me it’s 45.5 inches wide by 107 inches or so tall. My baseboard is 6 inches tall, leaving me with 101 inches of height. I decided on 5 inch high stripes. With a 45.5 inch width, I decided on roughly three 15 inch columns.

I’m going to start with how I did the design since painting the base color is basic…just paint the wall! For the stripes, using a yard stick, I made pencil marks every 5 inches above the baseboard and along the wall.

I then connected the dots using a light pencil line and my level to create evenly spaced horizontal lines up the wall from baseboard to ceiling.

Because dividing 45.5 into 3 equal sections gets an odd long number, I made a mark in the center of each horizontal line on the wall (for me that was 27.75). From the center, I made a pencil mark at 7.5 inches left and right. My center column on the wall will measure exactly 15 inches. The left and right columns will be slightly larger than the center 15 inch column (but unnoticeable).

I then used my level to connect the dots to mark my vertical lines and to create three columns on the wall.

Time for FrogTape®! Starting with the center column, I taped off the “outside” of every other rectangle.

Burnish the edges of the FrogTape with a thumbnail.

Using a dense foam roller, I painted each rectangle. I did three coats since I painted black on white.

While the last coat of paint was still wet, I removed the FrogTape by pulling away from the paint. Let dry 24 hours.

Time to paint the left and right columns! Using FrogTape Delicate Surface (since the black paint is still fairly fresh), I taped off each rectangle (staggered from the center column).

Again, burnish the edges of the FrogTape with a thumbnail then paint. I did three coats throughout the day.

While the last coat of paint is still wet, remove the FrogTape by pulling away from the paint. Let dry 24 hours.

As is the way with DIY, I was not liking my initial design. It was more of a check board/racing flag look. Not what I was going for at all! Yikes! OH NO NO NO!

The fix: So, on the right and left columns I applied a strip of FrogTape Delicate to the white rectangle boxes/stripes…one on the top edge, one on the bottom edge.

Then painted the white middle section of each rectangle black. Again, 3 coats!

While the last coat was still wet, I removed the FrogTape….and the result was MUCH BETTER! It has a sort of 3D look to it. I was going to do that last paint step on the middle column’s black rectangle with white paint in the center but ended up liking it as is.

It really pops agains the otherwise neutral white laundry room with silver appliances, black walnut porcelain tile floor, bright green decorative accents and adds some fun dimension.

Well worth the math. Well worth the few hours of work a day for a couple of days. Now I get to enjoy the result for years! *I had to lighten the pictures (causing graininess) because there is NO natural light in this room.

It’s the perfect back drop for my ironing board with DIY cover too! Don’t you think?

More FrogTape Wall Ideas:

The annual Earn Your Stripes™ painting contest is taking place right now!!! Grand prize is $5,000.00!! I’d LOVE for a DIYShowOff reader to win! Imagine what you can do with $5000! Since I can’t enter, I hope you will! I’ll be participating in the judging! Enter here —> https://promotions.frogtape.com/earn-your-stripes/

Deadline to enter is now through July 1st – so, plenty of time to get creative hats on and execute a project. You’ll need before, during and after photos. Here are the official rules: https://promotions.frogtape.com/earn-your-stripes/rules. Here are the FAQ’s for the contest: https://promotions.frogtape.com/earn-your-stripes/faqs

Best part, all entries (see official rules) will receive a free roll of Shape Tape! Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.

Add a Pop of Color to Your Decor (step stool makeover)

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Roeshel

The Lowe’s Creative Ideas challenge for May is Pop of Color. We’ve been working on a laundry room makeover (still in progress) and while my goal is to keep the walls and fixtures neutral, I wanted to introduce fun pops of color in small amounts with accessories that I could easily swap out when the mood (often) strikes. Spray paint is a great way to update old pieces to add a pop of color to your existing decor.

With the washer and dryer on a DIY pedestal, adding a step stool to the laundry room was necessary and this $10 vintage step stool was a great estate sale find…don’t you love the wooden carrying handle? Sweet!

…it just needed a little DIY TLC.

I carefully removed the old tread and used it as a pattern for a newer piece (rubber stair tread available at Lowe’s) since I wanted the stool to have the same original look (only not quite so worn, chipped and peeling).

Next I gave the stool a light sanding and wiped it clean.

The color I chose is Valspar’s Paint + Primer spray paint (Luscious Green). I applied one coat, let it dry then sprayed another.

I re-used the old tacks to attach the new piece of tread.

And it’s as good as new and adds an awesome pop of color to our laundry room.

Before…

After…

More DIY ideas at Lowe’s Creative Ideas, follow Lowe’s on Instagram, Pinterest and sign up for the Creative Ideas magazine and app!

*Disclaimer: As a member of the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Creators and Influencers network, I received a Lowe’s gift card to complete this challenge. As always, all ideas and opinions are in my own words. The blog post above is what worked for me. Results may vary. Remember to work in a well-ventilated area and to take the proper safety precautions.

Mismatched Baskets to Matching Spring Collection

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Roeshel

Have a bunch of mismatched baskets sitting around? Why not gather them up and create a matching collection just in time for spring organizing or Easter decorating?

Materials:

baskets (thrift stores or your own stash)
spray paint
FrogTape® Delicate Surface

I first cleaned up my baskets since they were a bit dusty. Then sprayed each basket with a different color of spray paint around the middle/outside and let dry.

After 24 hours, I used FrogTape® Delicate Surface to create (and protect) a stripe around each basket.

Use a thumbnail or credit card to activate the patented PaintBlock® Technology, giving the edges of the tape a good seal the best you can with the woven basket texture.

Next I sprayed each basket inside and out with white spray paint.

You can remove the tape while paint is wet but I forgot and removed it about four days later without any problem.

Now instead of 3 junky baskets, I have a set of 3 cute matching baskets all ready for the Easter Bunny…

Disclaimer: I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.

Dresser Makeover

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Roeshel

I recently had an opportunity to try out Maison Blanche furniture paint and just happened to have an old painted dresser that needed a fresh new look. If you know me, you know I like to rearrange furniture from room to room and as is (before) just wasn’t versatile. Time for a change!

No prep? You got it! No stripping, no sanding, no priming! Count me in! Here is the dresser before. I wiped it down to clear away the dirt and dust, removed the drawer pulls then jumped right in. Color is La Bonne Terre…to me it looks like a very light putty (sort of an ivory with a gray tone).

Being a DIY’er, I paint. A lot. And one of the things that makes a paint brand my favorite is the paint’s consistency. Maison Blanche paint did not disappoint! It’s thick. It was love at first sight. Plus! If I wanted it even thicker, I could leave the lid off to thicken it up without it developing that plastic-y painty film. Pretty cool!

I used a regular 2″ brush and gave the dresser coat of paint then started where I began and did a second coat. It goes on so nice and smooth. The paint had a light odor but it wasn’t unpleasant.

The next morning, I did a third coat and let it dry for about six hours. The finish is so soft and smooth. In the afternoon, using an old sock, I applied a coat of gray Lime Wax.

After 15-30 minutes, I buffed the wax finish.

It’s difficult to tell but it gives the paint a subtle pretty patina (transparent gray). I let everything dry overnight (because my oil rubbed bronze spray painted drawer pulls were still drying anyway). Then added the pulls and the result…

…is awesome, isn’t it? Much better! Get your own color at Shannon’s shop, here!

I could re-arrange, style and decorate all day, how about you?

La Bonne Terre with Gray Lime Wax

Need some more examples and inspiration? You’ll want to check these out:

Bayou Blue with White Lime Wax at Fox Hollow Cottage

Magnolia with White Lime Wax at Mom 4 Real

*I received Maison Blanche paint and Lime wax in exchange for a review. As always – opinion and experience is my own. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be sharing about it!

DIY Show Off ™ – DIY Decorating and Home Improvement Blog

DIYShowOff – Budget Friendly Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement and Decorating blog

Category Archives: Painting

Painted Storage Box Craft

Painted Staggered Striped Accent Wall

Add a Pop of Color to Your Decor (step stool makeover)

Mismatched Baskets to Matching Spring Collection

Dresser Makeover