Trend Spotting: Orange Front Doors

In previous 'trend spotting' posts (here and here) I went with less obvious trends, but this trend is pretty easy to spot. Brightly colored front doors are nothing new but bright orange doors have been popping up everywhere these days. And I have to say, I'm a big fan! All images via my 'Outdoor Spaces' board on Pinterest here.

It is very possible that I love this trend so much because I can't paint my front door. I know what you are thinking, why can't you paint your front door? It is because I live in a historical home in a historical neighborhood and we are strongly encouraged to leave any original exterior elements as is. My front door is lovely so I shouldn't complain...

but wouldn't my door looks so nice painted a bright orange??? I think it would look amazing, but alas it is not meant to be. So for now I will just dream of orange doors and encourage others to go big and bold with their exterior paint colors. 

Ottoman Makeover: Part 2

My painted fabric ottoman is finished!

For a refresher, I bought the ottoman here for $25 and then in Part 1 of this makeover I re-attached the lining and re-stained the legs here. For part 2, I opted to paint the fabric.

It's hard to capture the difference, but in person this ottoman went from a dingy and faded blue to a super-saturated bold blue (it isn't as purple as it looks above). 

When I first saw this ottoman hiding in a dingy corner of a thrift shop I knew it had major potential but I sat on it for a few weeks because I was unsure of how to make it over. I considered re-upholstering it but then a friend suggested I paint it. Which reminded me that a year ago I pinned a fabric painting tutorial (here), but I hadn't thought much about it since. Then I saw that it was time for the Spring Pinterest Challenge and I knew it was the perfect time to just go for it!

via YHL

Here are the materials and the steps I took to paint my fabric ottoman:

Materials:
1 Quart Latex Satin Paint
1 Spray Bottle for Water
2"-3" Paint Brush
Fabric Medium (I used 4 - 2 oz bottles)

1) Prepare the paint mixture. I found different 'recipes' online but the one I chose to use was:

1 part fabric medium + 1 part latex paint + 1 part water

I found that two 2 oz bottles of fabric medium are exactly a 1/2 cup so I went with that as my starting point and then added 1/2 cup latex paint and a 1/2 cup of water. It doesn't look like a lot of paint (it's only 1 & 1/2 cups of liquid) so I wasn't sure it would be enough but I went with it and figured I could mix up more if I needed to.

To show you how 'soupy' it is here is a visual aid: 

The top is the mixture of water+fabric medium+latex paint and the bottom is just latex paint. I'm showing you this to explain that painting fabric like this doesn't cover up major flaws or stains in the fabric. So if you are trying to decide if you want to paint that chair with the huge stain on the seat, this won't cover it up. If anything, I found that this process was more like tinting the fabric not painting it. Thankfully I was just going from dingy light blue to a more saturated dark blue so it worked for me. The point is this: You need to start with a fabric that is lighter and that doesn't have major blemishes. 

2) Wet the fabric.

I used this large industrial sprayer that I have and it worked great. The wetter the fabric the better the paint goes on so don't be shy with the amount of water you spray on. See how I have newspaper down? That was a very bad idea, don't use newspaper! I didn't realize how much water I would be using and the newspaper just got soggy, for the second coat I used a garbage bag and it worked much better.

I wet the ottoman in sections (about a foot in diameter). And then brushed on a small amount of the paint mixture. 

It was pretty simple and it went super fast. I wasn't sure I would have enough paint to cover the whole thing but the 1 & 1/2 cups of liquid did a whole coat on this ottoman (it's about 2'x4'x1' for reference).

I was nervous about how hard it would be to paint all those tufts, but it was really pretty easy. I just jammed my brush into all the crevices (there's a dirty joke in there) and I tried not to let too much paint and water/paint gather in the holes and folds.

Though it's slightly blurry, you can see from left to right it's dry, wet, and painted.

After the first coat:

It only took me 45 minutes to do the first coat! I thought it would be a much longer project. I let it dry overnight and then repeated the whole process. The second coat didn't use nearly as much paint so I actually ended up doing a third coat right after the second just because I had the paint already mixed. 

After two coats: 

Cost Breakdown:

Ottoman: $25

Latex Paint: $14 (I only used 1 cup of this so there are lots more projects left in this quart)

Fabric Medium: $10 ( 4 - 2oz bottles at $1.99 each)

Sanding blocks, foam paint brush, regular paint brush, spray bottle, stain: $0 (I had all these times already)

Total: $49 

Considering that similar ottomans sell for well over $250, I am completely satisfied with this price. And amazingly, I sold my old glass coffee table on craigslist for $50 so I basically broke even!

I highly recommend painting fabric, it was easy, quick, and it looks great! My only caution is that you pick the right piece to paint. You want a piece that is fairly light in color (or at least a simliar color to what you want to paint it) with no major stains or blemishes on the fabric.

I'm crazy in love with this ottoman! 

Nearly Free Home Updates

I'm itching for spring which makes me want to do drastic things. Thankfully, my bank account doesn't allow me to be too crazy but since I am craving change I've compiled a list of zero to low cost home updates. Hopefully doing a few little tweaks around my house will appease me until the sun decides to come back out and stay.

Washi Tape

So washi tape is definitely a thing now. I remember it was about this time last year when I first heard of it. My friend was planning her wedding and she used it on her invitations. I thought it was cool but I didn't think too much about it. Then suddenly, it was everywhere. Washi tape has many uses but I never thought about using it on my walls. Thankfully, there are people out there that are more creative than me to think of it.

via Pinterest

Want in on the animal head trend but don't want to pay for it? Done.

via Design Indulgences

I love this door design, mostly because it is graphic and black and white, but also because it isn't permanent and that is a beautiful thing. Maybe today you want a large geometric shape above your bed and tomorrow you will want to frame out pictures with the tape... who knows? The possibilites are endless and all for just the price of the tape itself (between $2-15). 

Paint

I don't think I've ever been to a house or apartment that didn't have at least one can of paint in the basement or utility closet (you know I have like 17), so for the majority of you these projects can be free if you use what you've got. Don't be afraid to use the wall color from one room as an accent color in another. For example, I painted my kitchen with one color, used the same color for the accent stripe in the entry way, and then I used the rest of the gallon to paint the second bedroom after I repainted the kitchen a different color. Same for a gallon of glossy white paint that was used for my campaign dresser, to touch up the trim around the house, and to paint a small serving tray. 

via Flickr

I like the idea of painting the back of a bookcase, but it may be more work than it's worth. 

via Apartment Therapy

This is a picture of a kids room but you know I'd totally paint stripes on my own ceiling. This project could be free but dang would it be a lot of work. 

via Shannon Berrey

Painting a design on the wall can be a very simple and easy update. I painted a thick vertical stripe in my entry in under an hour (half of that was measuring and taping) and it cost me nothing. Not only is painting a design on the wall pretty cheap it is also super easy to cover up when you're over it.

via Oh Joy

Don't limit your painting to just walls, I love this door with polka dots. So cheeky.

via Radical Possibility

Or if polka dots are too much for you this little sliver of pink is just enough whimsy to make anyone smile. 

Photo Wall

Frames can get expensive and hanging them can be tiresome so chuck it all and just stick the photos directly on the wall. Why not? This reminds me of my postcard wall art which only cost about $25. Chances are you have a bunch of printed pictures in albums lying around so grab a bunch and stick them on the wall. If you're anything like me all your pictures will be pre-2008 (which was the last time I bothered to print a picture), but who cares if everyone thinks you are obsessed with the year 2006 or your vacation to Daytona Beach, you just tell them you are frugal and that was the last time you spent the time and money to print pictures. 

via The Nest

I like this sort of circular pattern tucked in a corner. 

via Jessica Comingore

This is bananas. I love it. Also, they may be more expensive but I highly recommend 3M strips for projects like this. They stick good enough for a long term hold but they won't damage your wall or pictures. 

Fabric Wall Art

If you are even remotely crafty you probably have random bits of fabric hoarded away some where. Or maybe you have an old shower curtain or duvet cover lying around. Either way you probably have fabric of some kind that can be repurposed as art. Whether framed (I've used fabric as faux picture mats before) or hanging like a tapestry, fabric looks great on walls and if you use what you've got it can be a pretty cheap project too. 

via Couture Splash

I love this big ol' piece of framed fabric. They could have easily used that fabric for pillow covers but framing it is unexpected. 

via Randomitus

With the aid of an inexpensive curtain rod these two panels of fabric look like a dramatic headboard. 

Art

Making your own art can be hard and often more expensive than you planned but here are a few projects that are actually cheap.

via Pinterest

I love this image for a lot of reason but mostly for that dark grey wall and the bright yellow branches. So go find a few branches to clip off and spray paint them yellow (or whatever color makes your heart happy) and stick them in whatever vase you have or lay them on top of a bookcase or on your coffee table and then just enjoy them. 

via Sweet Home Style

I've been obsessed with paper cranes since I was in the 4th grade, I still remember how to make one, so this installation of floating paper cranes makes me very happy. Gather some colorful paper, string, and thumbtacks, watch a YouTube video on how to make a paper crane and bam! You have an awesome art installation.

via JKizzle

String art is majorly trending and I can't say I'm a fan, but I do like this one because they just nailed it right into the wall and wove the string around. It's sort of irreverent and I like that. 

via Trendenser

I'm super inspired by all the creative inspiration boards floating around out there but there is something about this big piece of unfinished plywood leaning against the wall that I really like. It's bold and raw. Bonus points for the use of washi tape and the bulb draped over top. 

Good luck trying not to catch seasonal affective disorder!