Color Class – Country Design Home

Mar 6, 2020

Peel & Stick Brick!

It all started with the windows. You know, the old double-paned ones where the seal has broken and you can no longer see out of them because they’re all foggy? When you live in a very old house, there is always a longgggg to-do list and never enough time or resources. When we finally had them replaced, we discovered…we actually have sunlight-and a view! Who knew we had a water view from our master bedroom-it had been so long since I actually looked out that window… Master Bedroom Makeover Water View … and spotted a tiny sliver of the lake, but a realtor would list it as a water view, am I right? So…new sparkly windows means its time for a refresh of the entire room from the (seafoam green) ceiling down. Whenever I mention the ceiling, people look at me quizzically and ask “was that a thing?” I don’t know, but at the time, many moons ago, I thought it was…

Master Bedroom Green Ceiling When there isn’t much in the way of architectural detail in a room, you have to create some interest in other ways. I guess that was my thinking at the time…soooo, on to the refresh! I started by painting the ceiling with two coats of Benjamin Moore Ceiling White-my go-to for any ceiling painting. Once that was completed, I tackled the walls. I painted three of them in Benjamin Moore Wedding Veil, the same color we used in the Black & White Woodland Nursery.

Hudson the Polar Bear on Crib It is a very soft, subtle gray, (almost white), color that works well with the new brick wallpaper that was applied to the accent wall. Wait, what?! Bricks are made from wallpaper?? Well, these bricks are! Can you tell they’re not real…well, at least online?

1c7a4ef8-3203-488e-884f-3c994b5dc7ca And I can tell you that they are a heck of a lot easier to lay than real bricks, or even faux bricks. No mortar involved- just the paper, a level and a pair of sharp scissors.

The paper is very forgiving with cuts and corners-it already has the appearance of old brick so a couple of wrinkles or slices cannot do anything but enhance the look. Last fall, I had decorated the “log room” in our Maine cottage with birch tree paper-also peel and stick.

Log Cabin Paper That was pretty easy, but this peel-and-stick paper by NuWallpaper is truly mistake-proof. Super easy to cut, peel off and reposition if needed (and yes, it was needed) and looks soooo realistic. Can’t even see the seams (well, barely…if you stand back and squint…)

For each row, I positioned and leveled the top, then pulled back about 12 inches of the paper backing, allowing the paper to stick to the wall. From there, it was just a matter of peeling and sticking and smoothing all the way to the bottom.

You know the wise, old adage, “measure twice, cut once”? Well, I measured three times, then ordered it online, got started and promptly ran out of paper before the last window. With wallpaper, you typically start on the far left and work your way across, matching the seams and pattern as you go…until you run out : (

You see, I hadn’t accounted for the waste while matching the repeat pattern of the bricks. A rookie mistake, but trust me, I am no rookie at paper-hanging. So, what to do? I went back online to the original website to order another roll, but with the shipping costs (I had avoided that the first time because of the amount I had ordered) it was almost the cost of 2 rolls! So I decided to check Amazon because, well, you know, PRIME. And there was the same paper, same manufacturer-NuWallpaper- and code numbers-a bit cheaper and no shipping costs- except it had a different company name on each website-but it was the exact same paper from NuWallpaper. Go figure. It was on my doorstep the next day. Perfect match, perfect accent wall! Still adding some finishing touches to the room, but now we have these gorgeous, super soft curtains! From HomeSense, of course : )

And an architectural accent piece for over our bed from Hobby Lobby. That “Always & Forever” pillow, also from HomeSense.

Still have loads to do, and the clock is ticking before we head back to Maine, but one step at a time…Next up, furniture painting. Have an immeasurably great weekend, everyone!

xoxoxo Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, D.I.M. Do It Myself Because If I Don't Who Will?, Inspiration, My Little Red House, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #amazonprime, #benjaminmoorepaint, #brickwallpaper, #countrydesign, #fauxbrickwalls, #graybrickwallpaper, #hobbylobby, #homesense, #Nuwallpaper, #weddingveilwhite

Jul 18, 2018

A Log On A Blog

By countrydesignhome · 8 Comments

I have a dilemma. Once Coach and I decided to go ahead and find the summer home of my dreams…a log cabin in the woods…I started decorating (in my head and on Pinterest ) One thing that I knew for sure…I was going to do a “log cabin” bedroom, complete with birch trees and a log bed. Like this one:

So I searched on FB Marketplace and CL until I found the perfect log bed! Not too rustic, sans bark, easy to assemble and not that heavy and clunky like some I had seen.

Log Bed Closeup And the price, well, it was sooooo inexpensive! The perfect anchor for my log cabin bedroom. EXCEPT…now that our log cabin is no longer a log cabin but a charming, light -filled condo cottage, well…the idea of a dark, heavy cabin scheme just doesn’t fit the bill. BUT, I still have my log bed and am going to use it…only in a lighter, brighter color scheme. But the one thing about this “au natural” bed- is that is actually kind of yellow. So, my question to you, dear readers, is this: should I paint it, stain it or leave it alone? I attempted a bit of gray stain on one of the frame supports, but it looked so dark that I abandoned that and set up the bed as is.

Log Bed in Window The walls are Reflection (a very pale gray) by Sherwin Williams and the bedding is primarily gray with touches of lavender and white. Every time I glance into the doorway of this room, I fall in love with the space all over again.

But I’m still not sure about that log color. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! And if you’d like to have a look at my Log Cabin Pinterest Page, click Here. Have a great Wednesday, everyone! Logging off for now…xoxo Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, Maine Cottage, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #countrydesignhom, #logcabin, #logcabinbed, #logcabindecor, #rusticdecor

Dec 26, 2015

Re-Loved Red Country Cupboard

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had an incredible holiday…for us the past two days have been a whirlwind of family, food and so much fun! Even this little guy has gotten into the holiday spirit (this IS his happy face : )And we still have the weekend yet to party! But, in the meantime, I thought I would share my latest project with you, since it is so merry and bright : ) This was a Craigslist purchase that Coach picked up about a month ago. It sat on the porch, waiting for my broken foot to heal (UGH) until finally, I just went ahead and worked on it, boot and all,

$Walking Boot for fractured foot$ because I needed to get it out of the family room before the holiday! The BEFORE: scratched, dark pine cupboard with a veneer plywood backing.

AFTER: A Re-Loved Red Country Cupboard with a ship-lap planking background. A happy piece for (I hope) a happy home!

Here’s my how-to:

Sanded down the surfaces, buffing out the deep scratches on the lowest exposed shelf. Luckily for me, other than some scratches and dirt, this piece was in good shape. No mildewy or cigarette odors-that is the worst to try and remove!
Painted with two coats of Annie Sloan Emperor’s Silk Chalk Paint- the most gorgeous color red. But, the funny thing about the color red is, no matter what brand you use, it still takes several coats to get a uniform color throughout the piece, especially when painting over a dark surface. In this case, I was planning to distress it anyway so it really didn’t matter that it wasn’t a super uniform finish. I sanded down the edges, then finished it with a coat of Varathane Matte Interior Polyurethane. I love this stuff- has essentially no odor, dries quickly and leaves a soft, slight sheen.
For the backing, I just couldn’t leave that dark pine veneer, so I added some ship-lap pieces of rustic pine planking Coach dug out of the barn. I cut them to the right size, fitting them behind each shelf like a puzzle.
I then stained them a with a General Finishes Country Pine stain for some added contrast.
Dry-brushed them with a light coat of Americana Chalky Paint.
I laid them all into place, then used Gorilla glue to secure them to the back wall. Once dried, I used my staple/ finish nail gun to secure them permanently without making any apparent nail holes.
Of course, as I was lining up the planking, I created a few scratches on the already finished red cupboard.
So I mixed some paint and poly together and re-applied to the scratched areas, blending into the already finished wood.
I replaced the “colonial kitchen hardware” with a simple wood knob and some iron hinges and we’re done!
AFTER: the Red Country Cupboard all decked out and ready for the holidays : )I hope you all had a magical holiday and that your new year will bring you much joy-I know we are all looking forward to 2016!! Have a great post-holiday weekend, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Americana Chalky Paint, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, country cupboard, General Finishes Country Pine Stain, Re-loved Country Cupboard, Varathan Matte Finish Polyurethane

Jun 8, 2015

Americana Decor Chalky Paint Contest-WOW!

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Announcing…Whenever I am choosing chalk paints to transform a piece of furniture, I typically go to Michaels to grab a pot or two of Americana Chalky Paints by DecoArt.

These are 8oz containers, which is usually enough to transform one to two pieces of furniture, depending on the size. They are available in an array of colors and, with a coupon, are incredibly affordable at around $4.00 each-that’s $16 per quart!! This paint requires little to no prep work and leaves a smooth, ultra-matte finish. Most recently, I completed this sideboard for my family room:

and this incredible painted globe that we will be using at our daughter’s upcoming wedding (yikes, it’s getting closer…)

but now I’m excitedly planning my newest project because this time I can win a prize…a BIG prize… for the best design…and so can you!!! DecoArt is holding a contest called “All About Second Chances Chalky Paint Contest!” . This is your chance to show off that gem of a makeover using Americana Decor Chalky Paints and win…wait for it…$$$...the Grand Prize is $2000 cash and $500 in retail prizes…amazing!!! The judging will be based on 40% creativity, 40% final photo and 20% inspiration story…was this grandmother’s treasured chest that was tucked away in the attic, or did you rescue an old table in total disrepair from the dumpster and give it a fresh new look??? Either way, it’s time to grab a paintbrush and start your makeover today…because everyone…and everything…needs a second chance. The contest runs through August 31st, which gives you plenty of time to get inspired and complete your transformation. For contest details, go to http://decoart.com/secondchances/ or click the pic below:

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a dresser to chalky paint…here’s hope your week starts off with a fresh new look! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #americanachalkypaint, #chalkypaintbydecoart, #DecoArt Chalky Paints, Americana Chalky Paint by DecoArt, Americana Chalky Paint Contest, chalk paint, chalky paint contest, DecoArt Chalky Paint contest, win money for chalky paint transformation

May 28, 2015

American Flag Coffee Table

By countrydesignhome · 6 Comments

Inspired by the red, white and blue decor from last week’s blog, this past weekend I decided to create an American Flag Coffee Table.

Using an old brown table that we picked up at a flea market for $5 (you know, those ones that were mass-produced in the 70’s and are at every flea market and yard sale throughout the land…)

I transformed it from a drab brown circle to a colorful Americana coffee table! Here is the how-I-did-it:

1. I painted the base legs with a couple of coats of Heritage Blue Stain by General Finishes.

Love this stuff. It is water-based, has very little odor, dries quickly, can go on any surface and leaves a beautiful, satin finish.

2. Sanded the scratched and worn top…I am not sure what the finish was, but it certainly made a powdery white mess! Thank goodness it is finally warm enough to use my mouse sander outdoors!

3. Once it was sanded and wiped clean, I taped it off. The American Flag is probably one of the simplest designs you can use-stars and stripes. Easy to do with painter’s tape and a stencil. The table was just the right size to have 13 2″ stripes, so I doubled up my rows of 1″ painter’s tape from top to bottom.

Then I blocked off the area that would be the star field, and used the Heritage Blue to paint that area as well.

3. Painted the red stripes first, then allowed to dry completely…actually overnight. Because I knew I would be taping right on them and didn’t want to risk pulling the red paint off if it wasn’t completely dry. I used some homemade red chalk paint…need the recipe? Click here…

4. Re-taped along the edges of the red stripes and painted with white (also used some homemade custom chalk paint).

5. Using the same white from the stripes, I stenciled the stars onto the blue field. You could also use a star-shaped stamp as well. I just happened to have a whole bunch of different style star stencils…

I knew I would not be able to fit 50 stars, so I just went with a pleasing arrangement using a simple star pattern.

6. Sanded down the entire piece to distress it just a bit.

TIP: when you are sanding red alongside white, keep the sanders separate. The red builds up on the sanding bar and can smear onto the white.

In which case you end up with pink stripes. Which is cute, but not necessarily all-american.

7. Finished with 2 coats of General Finishes Natural Stain.

It is clear and works as a nice satin finish for any surface where you don’t want to add color.

8. Voila! A Red, white and blue table-perfect for a nautical or Americana theme for your red, white and blue porch or family room!

So where is the table now? At the Barn at Todd Farm! Since I already have an American Flag Whale Table,

it only seems right that someone else has this beauty for their home. Wow-it’s Thursday again already, everyone!! Hope it is memorable! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: American Flag Coffee Table, American Flag DIY Table, American Flag Table with Stars and Stripes, General Finishes Natural Stain

Feb 2, 2015

Paint By Number…Vintage Sideboard Makeover

By countrydesignhome · 6 Comments

Today’s Vintage Sideboard Makeover brought to you by DecoArt’s Americana Paints and the numbers 1 through 7 : )

I’m so pleased to announce that I am now a contributing blogger to the Deco Art Blogger Outreach Program!

I use their line of Americana chalky paints and finishes quite frequently and am happy to share my latest furniture makeover featuring their great products with you! This vintage sideboard has been in our family room since we purchased it at a second-hand shop a few years back. Every time I walked in the back door, I was greeted by this drab brown large block of wood.

No matter how I styled the top, the fact was that it was dark and sucked up all the light in the space. I have been on a painting and DIY overdrive since all of the snow started piling up, and I figured it was high time to take this old wood-paneled station wagon and transform it into a bright, shiny red cadillac. Here is the how-to:

1. Cleaned the wood surfaces. The top was not part of the original piece, it was constructed with reclaimed wood, attached and sanded down to a clean blonde wood (but not by me-thanks to whomever did this step for me : ) Which is how has remained until I got inspired. Because the plank wood was quite pretty in its raw state, I knew I did not want to paint it, so decided to wax/stain it instead.

2. So I finished the top with two coats of Americana Crème Wax in Golden Brown, allowing time to dry between the coats, which enhances the color and grain of the wood while providing a beautiful glowing finish.

These waxes are water based, have no odor, are very easy to apply and clean up. You paint on or wipe on with a soft rag,

then wipe off the excess. If it gets too tacky while you are working, you can dampen the rag to soften the wax and smooth the edges. Allow to dry, then buff with a soft cloth.

3. I was on the fence about the wood knobs-whether to replace them or not-when I realized they were screwed and glued into place. Decision made. I taped them and painted around them to keep the wood knobs to match the wood top.

For the doors and drawers, I painted them with two coats of Americana Chalky Paint called Primitive, which is a creamy greige (that’s a gray and beige combined). Using Americana stencils and Chalky Paint called Relic (a deep charcoal gray) per my No-Fail Stenciling Techniques, I added the numbers to the drawers and doors for a touch of whimsy, then sanded the edges and finished with a coat of Americana Clear Creme Wax.

4. I decided to antique the doors’ center panels for a little bit of color and contrast, so I taped them off, then painted with two coats of Americana Serene Blue Chalky Paint.

5. Allowed to dry, then painted with a coat of Americana Crackle Medium. This is a clear finish that you paint on to a sealed or painted surface, then allow to dry. As it dries, it crackles the paint underneath it and antiques it at the same time. If I had the time-lapse option on my camera, I could’ve shared this process. But trust me when I tell you it looks like a science experiment! The thicker you paint it on, the more crackling appears. In this case, I put it on really thick and most of the blue paint actually crackled off.

Whoops. But I was OK with that, as it gave the panels the appearance of old paint that had been worn away by time and use.

6. For the body of the piece, I had decided to paint it an antique red to co-ordinate with the rug that sits directly in front of it. The plan was to paint with two coats, then add the darker wax finish. But, when I started painting the Americana Chalky Paint in Romance Red

over the dark brown finished wood (remember, with these paints you do not need to prep or sand…just paint away!)

I got a little panicky because it was really, really bright!

BUT, then a miracle happened (not unlike that end zone interception with 30 seconds left in the game last night…) it basically antiqued itself! I painted it on, then wiped off the excess with a rag,

essentially staining it red while allowing the brown tone and grain of the wood to show through! The chalky paint acted like a stain, allowing me to leave on as much or little as I preferred to get the perfect shade of antique red. I love it when the unexpected happens…in a good way : ) Had I preferred, I could have painted the entire piece with the two coats of red and then waxed with the darker finish. But this was so much easier! So all it took was one quick coat of paint on the wood, wiping it off, allowing it to dry, then coating with the Americana Clear Crème Wax, which gives the entire piece a bright, glowing finish.

7. After I re-affixed the doors back onto the sideboard, I then re-staged it with some of my favorite things. And although much of those are the same, the entire wall takes on a whole new look with this bright, fun Americana Vintage Sideboard Makeover. This sideboard is a very functional piece of furniture in our home, holding a variety of household items like glasses, batteries, candles and more-essentially one large junk drawer…now when Coach asks me where I can find the IPhone chargers and cases, I can direct him to drawer #5!

Thanks to Deco-Art for supplying the Americana Chalky Paints and finishes but allowing me to use my own DIY imagination. Hope you all had a Super Sunday, everyone-I know we Pats fans sure did! Time for some more snow shoveling… but at least we’ll know where to find our winter scarves…behind door #6!! Xoxo Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, Inspiration, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Americana, Americana Creme Wax, Americana number stencils, Chalky Paints by Americana, crackle glaze on furntiure, DecoArts, painting furniture with chalky paint, using chalk paint as stain, waxing furniture for a finish

Oct 16, 2014

Dye-ing for a Change!

By countrydesignhome · 5 Comments

Back in 2006, when my kids were still in college and blogging was the furthest thing from my mind, Coach and I decided we needed a new couch for our family room. After much deliberation and shopping at various furniture stores, we went with our then-college-age-daughter as a tie-breaker in tow and together we decided on this slip-covered, floral cotton sofa, which was (and still is) super comfy and sturdy with it’s foam and goose down cushions. After a while, as my tastes evolved and the room became more “rustic countrified”, the floral slipcover wasn’t working for me.

Somewhere along the way, I purchased a second slipcover in a brick red color at a discount (a mere $200!) but that became so drab and faded as well.

Back to the furniture store to have a new slipcover made, only to find that $700 price tag (that’s just for the cover, folks, NOT the sofa!) a bit too steep. At that point, I realized that my choices were to 1. Bite the bullet and have the new slipcover made or 2. Bite a bigger bullet and buy a new sofa, but Coach wasn’t buying either of those options. He suggested that I dye the red cover white (Oh, Coach…). So, I decided to try a third option: dyeing the floral sofa blue! What did I have to lose except a faded, floral slipcover? First, I washed the old slipcover in hot water and bleach to remove any stains and sizing in the fabric. You can see how they don’t quite match-over the years, the covers and cushions were washed a lot more than the main slipcover.

Grabbed a couple of bottles of Rit Dye in Denim Blue @ $2.67 each,

plus 2 cups of salt (I guess that helps the fabric accept the dye.)

I threw all of the cushion and pillow covers in the first load, then the main cover in the second load. I was a little nervous when I opened the machine top and saw a sea of indigo blue-the room is dark enough-I was looking for light and bright. But once they came out of the dryer, they were exactly what I had hoped for: a soft, washed-denim blue with a hint of the floral design.

So I redressed the sofa which looked great. BUT, that meant I needed some new throw pillows… and some new lighter drapery panels for the window directly behind the sofa. And a new throw to hang on the back of the sofa. And to paint the side table next to the sofa because that was blue too. Oh, and a new lamp for the table next to the sofa. After all that change, I was so excited about the new look! (You’ll have to excuse the “after” pic. I dropped my phone on the concrete floor while painting some wooden pumpkins this past weekend and am waiting for the replacement to arrive. In the meantime, the photos I’m taking are a bit off kilter and color : (

Then Coach came home and didn’t even notice. And then our daughter (the one who helped us choose the original sofa so many years ago) didn’t notice either. That’s OK- I notice, and the change makes the old sofa look fresh and new(ish), and for $6 (plus a trip to HomeGoods for all the new accessories), that’s a good deal! Have a terrific Thursday, everyone- make one change for the better today-even if no one notices-you’ll be glad you did! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: changing slipcovers, dyeing a slipcover, dyeing an old sofa, dyeing slipcover in washing machine, Rit Dye, slipcover for couch, using Rit Dye

Oct 9, 2014

Cheap Crackled Halloween Mason Jar

By countrydesignhome · 7 Comments

I love to crackle stuff. What does that mean? You take new stuff and make it look like the paint has been on it forever and is cracking and flaking off. Sort of a faux old look. Typically I use different brands of crackle medium available at my local crafts store, depending on the price and my coupon stash. To see a before and after on a piece of furniture I redid for our family room, check this coffee table out.

So, the other morning I wanted to crackle a mason jar or two for Halloween, but when I went to grab the crackle medium, I didn’t have any left! Apparently I have been crackling up a lot, so the bottle(s) were empty : (

I had seen many “pins” on Pinterest about using regular glue to get the same effect as the more expensive crackle medium. In fact, I had I previously attempted said technique, but it was a fail. Painted on the glue, allowed to dry, painted on the paint and waited. And waited. And nothing happened. (Normally I would have pics of this, but I deleted the fail photos. No sense writing about nothing.) But, I’m nothing if not persistant in my awesome DIY attempts, so I tried for round two. Before I did, I rechecked the glue instructions and noted my one fatal flaw: I allowed the glue to dry completely (what you would normally do with the crackle medium), which was so wrong! You only wait for it to get tacky (about 15-20 minutes), then paint over it! So here is the new successful DIY crackle with dollar store glue tutorial.

1. Take a jar, a brush and a bottle of cheap school glue.

2. Paint the entire surface with the glue, wherever you would like the crackle to appear.

3. Allow to get tacky (not like that’s really cheap and gaudy, just sticky), but NOT DRY. This takes about 15-20 minutes depending on how thick you painted the glue on. The thicker the glue, the larger the cracks.

4. Paint the top coat whatever color you would like. I happened to use some orange chalk paint I mixed up for some other projects. But you don’t need to use chalk paint. Make sure when you are painting that you only go over each section once and in one direction. Trying to go back over a section you already painted results in messy clumps of glue and paint. Which also looks old, but not necessarily good.

5. While you watch the paint dry, you check out the other mason jars that you had already painted and applied a watered-down matte glaze to and notice that those are involuntarily crackling as well!! Hmmm. Gonna experiment more on that later.

6. Go to bed and wake up in the morning to run to the basement to check out the dried jar. (Kind of like Christmas morning when you are so excited to see what it under the tree. Except you have to go to the yucky basement. And there’s no tree.) BUT, there is a crackled jar!!

7. Decorate jar with a bit of raffia (also from the dollar store) and place it on your window shelf. Light the candle, but be careful, don’t want to set that raffia on fire and ruin your freshly crackled jar!

So, there you have it. Crackling with cheap school glue really DOES work-the total cost? The mason jar- well you know about the mason jars, we have dozens. The raffia rope and glue, $1 each but I only used a tiny bit so we will say 20 cents. Hope your Thursday is all its cracked up to be! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: dollar store glue, dollar store raffia ribbon, halloween mason jar, orange crackled mason jar, orange mason jar

Sep 9, 2014

Thrifty Kitchen Transformation-The Backsplash

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

I know, I know, it’s been so long since my last blog post about the thrifty kitchen transformation.

The reason is because I’ve been doing such other crazy stuff like traveling to Ireland and opening up a retail vintage shop and planning a wedding and building marquee lights…

but, no excuses! My poor mum has been patiently waiting for me to finish the job we started way back in the spring, soooo next up on the to-do list, the backsplash! With all of the available options out there, it was so difficult to make a decision about which type of backsplash to choose. There are many beautiful tiles including marble, glass, silver and tin that each had its own special quality. But hands down, the winner was this gorgeous travertine subway tile we purchased at Grossman’s Bargain Outlet (the same place we got the amazing hardware) for $5.99 a square foot!

Richly textured, with a light terra cotta color that would instantly add a more rustic “French chateau” feel to the newly painted kitchen cabinets and shiny black granite countertops. It has a lovely chair rail at the top between the cabinets that will eventually hold a shelf of some sort.

**Full disclosure: I did not install this tile. If you all remember the glass tile backsplash we installed at my daughter’s condo last year, I believe my final comment was “But in the future, all tile installations will be left to the pros.” Which I did. What would have taken me a week+ took the installer 1 1/2 days. My job was to remove the old black & white tiles and prepare the surface for retiling.

Which was very hard work that included a hammer and a crowbar, Coach,

chisels and a little blood-yuck. (that’s Coach’s, not mine, as I was smart enough to wear gloves during the process).

Did you ever pull an appliance away from the wall to work behind it, then pull it back in, only to be stuck behind it with no way out? No? So that’s just Coach…

My other job (other than pulling Coach out from behind the stove) was to seal the tile using liquid sealer that you brush on. This keeps this very porous tile from absorbing splattered spaghetti sauce and hot fudge : ) I applied one coat before the installation, then a second coat onto the tiles and grout after it dried (48 hours). So this is the black and white tile backsplash before:

And here is the new backsplash. So pretty.

Next up, the trim and crown molding (this oughtta be good…) Hope you’re checking off your to-do list this Tuesday!! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series · Tagged: budget kitchen transformation, installing travertine tiles for backsplash, THrifty Kitchen Transformation, travertine subway tiles, travertine tile backsplash

Sep 1, 2014

Rusty Bedsprings Marquee Lights

By countrydesignhome · 21 Comments

Hi, all ! Happy Labor Day!

So, ever since Coach acquired that first set of rusty bedsprings, I had an idea for creating a marquee light for the barn shop. Inspired by the rusty bedspring coil lights in Salvage Secrets Design & Decor by Joanne Palmisano, I figured I could just take the bedsprings and attach some lights in the shape of an arrow to the back of the bedframe using pieces of wire.

It worked, somewhat, and the arrow became a beacon in our shop in the barn. (This is another one of my creations that, like the vintage sink, that is NOT FOR SALE…says me.) But it bothered me because the cords showed,

the lights were all crookedey and I wouldn’t be able to change the light shape without removing them and starting all over. Plus, because the background was the antique brown wood of the barn walls, you really couldn’t see the form unless you squinted. Or took a photo.

Or looked at it in reverse in the mirror across the barn. So, I decided to take it down and remake it into a true marquee sign. Here is the how-I-did-it:

1. Removed all the little pieces of wire and the lights from the bedsprings. THAT was fun. 2. Went to Home Depot and purchased a 4 x 8 sheet of lightweight plywood.

They have a nifty wall-mounted cutter thing and a very nice guy who will do the cutting for you, which is pretty awesome. LOVE Home Depot!

The plywood was cut down to the size of the rusty bedsprings with a 2 inch edge all around to allow for framing.

3. I built a frame out of 2 x 4’s and secured it to the back of the plywood to give me something to screw the brackets into that would hold the springs in place.

4. Measured and marked the holes I would have to make for the light sockets to be installed.

Of course, rusty old bedsprings are not necessarily even, so once I measured and marked the holes, then put the springs back onto the board, I noticed that several did not actually line up with the markings. So I tweaked them just a bit, and then a bit more, and then I drilled the holes.

After drilling, I used this handy sheet metal grinder bit to make the holes smooth and just big enough to fit the sockets so that they were snug.

5. Painted the board with Rustoleum High Heat spray paint.

Now, these little patio globe lights (from Target, LOVE these!) do not get up to a temperature of 1200 degrees Farenheit, but it’s good to know I’ll be safe just in case.

6. Painted a base coat of dark gray. Why gray, you ask? White would be too bright so the lights wouldn’t show up when lit. Black would be too dark so the bedsprings wouldn’t show up. Gray seemed like the perfect neutral alternative. This can of dark gray was a yard sale find, but a very nice quality paint from Mythic Paint. Went on smoothly, minimal drippage, good coverage and is completely non-toxic. Unfortunately, there aren’t any local stores near me that sell it : (

7. I wanted the plywood to not look like plywood, but more like some antique barn board or metal. So I dry brushed some darker gray streaks over it.

8. Once the paint was dry, I placed the bedsprings back on the board to make sure everything lined up nicely, which it did.

To attach the springs to the board, I used some steel plumbing clamps that I spray painted.

First with some metallic oil-rubbed bronze, but then with a rusty metal primer, both by Rustoleum.

I know the primer was supposed to go on first, but I really wanted the bracket and screws to look rusted to match the springs. Done.

9. Attached the springs to the board, then flipped the board over and placed the light sockets into each hole. Note that the wires are now nicely hidden behind the board where they are not all tangly and messy.

10. Tested out the board by screwing in the lights into the shape I wanted just to ensure they were in proper working order before transporting it back to the barn. In this case, just Hi!. Sent a text to my friends and family : )

There is one problem with using rusty bedsprings as your form: there are exactly 66 coils, so there are 66 lights in total: 6 down and 11 across in straight horizontal and vertical rows. Which means that I can’t really make any curved letters. Block letters it is.

11. Re-installed the “light bright” board onto the rear wall of the barn using some big-ass brackets to make sure it didn’t come tumbling off the wall and onto someone’s head! This thing is HEAVY!! Here is the new, improved Rusty Bedspring Marquee Sign that is now the beacon of light on our shop.

Which is really fun and draws a lot of attention. And, I heard more than a few browsers say “that must be a new sign, it was an arrow before.” Which is great, because that means they are returning to the Barn at Todd Farm to shop some more! Yay!

12. We do a lot of standing around at the shop (oftentimes the booth is so full of shoppers, we can’t fit in it-which is a very good thing!) Sometimes we’re just taking a break from all of the furniture moving, like this old girl.

Other times we’re just goofing off-good thing we’re the bosses…).

So we had some time to try to come up with other words for the light board, now that we can easily change it out. Subliminal messages like BUY could work, but I am thinking HUH? or MEH might draw a smile. Do you have any suggestions?? (no profanities, please : 0 Remember, we only have 11 letters across, 6 letters down and no curves!! Have a great holiday Monday, everyone! Hope you are enjoying the fruits of your labor : ) Susan