Striped Ceiling!

Like I said back in the sun room post, I got very ambitious with the ceiling and I wanted a "wow factor!" I looked around at different blogs for "how tos" and there are things I liked and didn't like when doing the project. I will walk you through the basic steps and give you pointers that really helped us conquer this work of art... OK, it's no Michelangelo, but it's still pretty amazing!

To start, you will need to paint your ceiling your base color; in our case it was white. Painting a ceiling can be exhausting, so be patient and make sure to have drop cloths below you. Getting the roller brush extensions definitely help and have a small ladder handy. Next, you need to measure the width of your ceiling. Think about how big you want the stripes - remember, the smaller they are, the more you have to do. We tried to find the width that would get us an even look with the stripes (The one on the end had a 1/2" extra, but nothing noticeable). Then you want to make marks on the ends of the ceiling in order to know where you'll start the tape. Do this on both sides of the ceiling and measure carefully, so they'll match up. Now the next part is very important...tape! Finding good tape was the hardest part of this project and almost ruined it. We got the Frog Tape because it was supposed to be easy to take off - wouldn't even stick. Blue tape would stick, but then would pucker as we painted (even tried painting on top of the tape to secure it - big mess). I tried calling Lowe's and the guy told me nothing would stick, so I should give up. Um....sir aren't you supposed to make DIY dreams come true! My mom told me to call Sherwin Williams instead. That guy told me about this magical lime green extra stick tape:

Stripe life saver!

If you are going to paint stripes - this stuff is the key to success! One thing to keep in mind, it is extra stick so make sure you are not planning on leaving it on the surface for more than the day. Now that you have your fabulous tape, you need to have a partner help you put the tape up. Decide whether you are taping on the inside or outside of the pencil marking - helps keep the fighting with each other to a minimum! Then with each of you on a side, pull the tape as tight as you can and stick it. If it's crooked, you'll be able to tell because the tape will bump. I suggest pressing the tape on with a credit card edge or something similar to make sure edges are stuck. We did two stripes at a time, especially the first time, when you want to make sure it works - no point in taping the whole thing if you have a last second change of heart.

Once the tape is on, you can start painting! Using a roller and an edger were the best painting tools. If you don't make the stripes wide enough for a normal roller, you can get the smaller kinds.  For the edges, make sure you tape across the wall below and we suggest using a paint brush to paint along those edges. Worst stripe is the one against the wall - avoid if possible! Be patient and take your time. If you go too quick, you'll slip up.

Important Note: If your paint drips, wipe it up towards that color. I won't mention names, but the other person who lives in this house dripped a little black paint on the white wall. Instead of wiping up towards the black, he wiped it down the white wall - no bueno!

Looking good - we approved!

You'll start to have more faith in your project once you get a couple stripes accomplished! You can remove the tape soon after painting (just make sure you don't want any other coats!) because then the lines will peel off cleaner. Don't worry if they aren't perfect; people will be too amazed of your ambition to notice!

What kicked our stripe ceiling up another level, was the chandelier I ordered. It added that touch of elegant character I so badly wanted. It was a find from PB Teen - which has good sales and Teen is more affordable, plus the designs are more fun! This particular one is no longer available, but they have other chandeliers I adore:http://www.pbteen.com/shop/lighting/chandeliers-pendant-lighting/?cm_sp=SupCatHero-_-lighting-Supercat-_-Chandliers

I truly think doing the stripe ceiling made my sun room and it makes me smile every time I go in there. We get compliments on it constantly, which makes the pain and frustration worth it. I would definitely suggest booking a massage appointment as a reward for all your hard work. Now go out and stripe something!

Lots of Love, 

Sun Room Chairs

First DIY Explanation from the bright & sunny sun room!

Seating is a key factor to a fun sun room, and I had specific ideas in mind for what I was wanting...the problem was finding the ideas at a reasonable price! One day, my mom and I were playing around on Etsy and found fun, vintage chairs that were screaming for someone to love them! It came as a set of four and they were a score, even after shipping! I knew I would want some color and needed to spice up the old look. It may look hard to revamp some old chairs, but if they have screwed in cushions and you can spray paint, then it is possible!

Finding chairs: I suggest checking out Etsy, thrift stores, garage sales and antique stores for unique chairs that need some love. Better yet, maybe you or your parents have some in hiding!

Design: Think about where you want the chairs, what they will be used for and the look you are going for. I always love finding a fabric, pillow or painting for inspiration. Pinterest is a great outlet as well - you can always search for ideas as you start to get some inspiration.

Fabric: You can search around online or hit up your local fabric stores. I found this fun fabric at Hobby Lobby. I loved the two prints together, so I decided to do two of each. Make sure you measure to see how much fabric you will need. These chairs took a yard of each, but we had to be careful with the pattern.

Spray Paint: I read up on different spray paints and decided to go with the Rust-Oleum. I chose Meadow Green with a Glossy finish. You will need to remove the cushions from your chairs before spray painting. Old chairs can have some sketchy screws, so be careful! Another tip for chairs that have wheels, cover them with foil. Once the chairs are ready, make sure you wait for a day that isn't too windy (not very easy here in Kansas!). The plastic paint sheets are nice to put under the chairs as you spray, and make sure there is nothing around you that could be ruined. I suggest wearing a medical mask and rubber gloves. I had a green thumb for a couple days and it was not due to gardening! You also want to make sure you aren't wearing anything you don't want paint on - think about your jewelry ladies!

When spray painting, make sure you keep a smooth spray and don't get too close. It took me about a can for each chair to get them really covered. The spraying went pretty quickly, but I ended up doing two a day because my thumb started to get sore. Make sure you have some where you can keep them to dry - a garage is perfect!

Recovering the cushions: It definitely helps to have two people for this process. Luckily, Hailey was easily bribed by wine! Lay your cushions on the fabric and decide the best place to cut. Once you have them cut, you can start the stapling process. Make sure the pattern is lined up. I like to start in the middle of the front or back. Once you have a few staples in, make sure you start pulling really tightly on the fabric because you don't want it to stretch out on you. For the front corners that will be seen, make sure you take the time to fold in the fabric neatly. If there is too much excess fabric, you should trim it up so it doesn't hang down. 

Once you finish recovering, screw the cushions back in and viola! chairs with character!

Lots of Love,

Adding Sunshine to the Sun Room!

One of the first projects I decided to take on to add some character to our new house was updating the sun room. It was a blank canvas with a lot of potential and I wanted it to be fabUlous! Since it is full of windows, I decided white walls would be best. That meant I needed to add the touch of fun to the ceiling...what to do??? I started looking through Pinterest and my initial (and crazy) idea was to wallpaper the ceiling. I started the search for fun wallpaper, but was struggling to find one I loved. Then I saw a black & white stripe wall pin and I fell in love!

After deciding on what to do for the paint, I needed to find some great pieces to put into the room. I found great vintage chairs that I (with help from my amazing friend Hailey) vamped up. Then I started adding in fun pieces like the rug, table, lamp and shelf decorations. Eventually, it became the perfect little sun room for cocktails and gossip!

Here is a sneak peak of the before and after... I will breakdown all the DIYs in future posts this week!

Lots of Love,