Home Depot – Country Design Home

Oct 22, 2020

It’s Been Quite Awhile…Pandemically Speaking.

So, what have you all been up to these past looong months? It certainly has been a challenge keeping up with everything that is going on in the world

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without feeling overwhelmed, anxious and just a bit nuts. My solution? Stay busy! Since last winter, then through the spring and summer and into the fall, I have been working on many, many DIY projects, because doing all the work myself keeps me occupied & helps me to steady myself during these unsettling times.

Using a combination of Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray, Wickham Gray, Wedding Veil and Snowfall White,

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I am slowly making my way through our home, one room at a time, sanding and painting, adding wallpaper touches and new art. (I am not sure if it is my current mood, but everything inside is going gray…perhaps inspired by my hair, since I had not been to a hairdresser in soooo many months, until a few weeks ago!) Back in February, after I completed the master bedroom refresh,

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I moved onto the upstairs bathroom. Goodbye teal, hello Wickham Gray and Snowfall White. (and yes, that is an empty curtain rod because I still can’t decide what to hang there. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!)

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Once the warmer spring weather arrived, I moved outdoors and started with the old porch screen door that was literally falling apart. It was simple to remove and replace with a new one-this beauty was less than $40 at our local Home Depot!

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Painting the trim plus the back and side areas of the house was next, but some of the clapboards were pretty rotted, so those needed to be replaced, primed and painted.

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From there, I started painting and repairing the trellis below the deck, (apparently some critters have been eating their way into an entrance…)

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then the deck railings and porch trim, which led me to the realization that the leaky porch roof really needed to be redone. But NOT by me. It took 2 days and 5 workers to install our weather-proof porch roof…

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but while that was happening, I stripped the old, dark wallpaper off of the downstairs 1/2 bath (a work in progress) and built an “entry drop-zone” by the back door with shiplap and an antique work bench for shoes, keys, hats and of course, our masks.

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(DIY info to follow) Every day Coach comes home from school (yes, he is back in school full-time, which is a story for another day…but he is OK and safe and doing what he loves to do…teach) and checks on my seemingly never-ending progress. And somehow, in the midst of all these ongoing home projects, I’ve sewn well over 300 masks for my family and friends,

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and painted new signs for the shop.

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We’ve celebrated birthdays (socially-distanced, of course) and anniversaries, visited with friends & stayed in touch via Zoom.

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We even celebrated an epic virtual Boston Marathon run by our son-in-law!

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We’ve been back and forth to Maine, simply to unwind at the beach

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or indulge in a few too many Congdon’s Donuts.

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No dining-in for us, its strictly outdoors or take-out, which is fine and fun and makes everything seem OK, at least for a short time. Summer nights in the Kowloon parking lot feasting on pu-pu platters and rocking to our son’s band was definitely the new normal (if you can call any of this normal).

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As I am scrolling through all of my photos that I’ve taken since the pandemic started, its unimaginable that back in March we thought this would all be over by summer or fall. Where and when it finally ends, none of us really know. But what I do know that as long as every one of my loved ones are all still here when its over, I will be eternally grateful. In the meantime…in the words of the great Carole King…

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Be kind, be patient, be smart about where you go & who you go with,

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say thank you, as loudly and often as you can, to all the people who are working so hard in the most dire of circumstances,

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add an extra tip for your delivery people and at the drive-thru window, wear a mask, wash your hands, keep your distance, stay busy &

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tell the people you love the most that you love them…over and over.

and VOTE.

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Here’s to a totally terrific Thursday, everyone! xoxoxo Susan

Filed Under: Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Benjamin Moore, DIY, Home Depot, home improvement

Jul 15, 2014

Coastal Kitchen Cupboard DIY Makeover

By countrydesignhome · 14 Comments

Blogger’s note: NO REAL WOOD WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS CUPBOARD**

This past weekend, I completed a few more projects while awaiting the granite guy’s countertop installation at mom’s house. I have been working on this piece in my kitchen for quite awhile, and am happy to finally have it done! This is the before:

a red cupboard (made of MDF) we purchased a few years back at Jordan’s Furniture Colossal Clearance Center in Avon, Mass (if you haven’t been there, it is so definitely worth the trip! Lots of great furniture at significantly discounted prices!) This piece fits nicely in the narrow passageway between our kitchen and dining room and holds a ton of stuff like paper towels, napkins and several pieces of kitchen equipment that just won’t fit anywhere else. The problem is, since it’s in the highest traffic point of our home, it had been scratched and worn-the finish was like a plastic veneer and scratched off quite easily (and I was tired of the dark red anyway…). Time for a fix, so this is the after: a pretty, light coastal cabinet with a top created from reclaimed window shutters!

Here is the how-I-did-it: Sanded everything down to rough up the shiny veneer plasticy surface, and sanded the edges to round them off a bit.

Nothing says “mass-produced” more than sharp, clean edges on furniture. Primed with my go-to primer: Glidden Gripper (you can find this at Home Depot in the paint dept)

The Americana Chalky paint I planned on using says it doesn’t need a primer, but the before color was so dark, and the new color was so light, I figured I had better just to be safe.

Before I painted the entire piece, I accented the frames around the door panel inserts with the Americana Chalky Paint Called Vintage. It is a soft blue/green color that ties in beautifully with the shutter slats on the top.

Then I applied some wallpaper wainscoting (LOVE this stuff too!) to the inside of the panels to give a more country feel to the piece. (For the DIY how-to on using the wallpaper, click here.

I then painted the entire cupboard, including the inside panels, with two coats of Americana Chalky paint in the color Everlasting-so soft and pretty white.

The more I used this paint, the more I love it. No brush strokes, so easy to apply and clean up. I then sanded the edges to give it a bit of character and contrast.

The final coat was the Americana Ultra Matte Varnish from DecoArt. No shine, protects the white paint from fingerprints.

For the star of this show, the top, I used some old shutter slats that Coach and I had picked up off the side of the road on a drive to Cape Cod. That was one of my very first blog posts, and also one of the first times we trash picked on the side of the road. What a score! The colors are all the original ones-so coastal pretty!!

I have been using parts of them for several projects, including some little hanging chalkboards which I decided to reclaim for this project. As I was arranging the slats on the top, my original plan was to flip the chalkboard ones over and use the reverse side. But then I thought, why not just leave them so I could write cute little sayings on the surface? Fun!

Once I had placed all of the slats, there were a few that hung over the edges, which I quickly remedied with a few jigsaw cuts.

Then sanded the edge smooth with my Black & Decker Mouse sander, which I also picked up at my local Home Depot. Honestly, I spend more time at Home Depot and Home Goods than I do at home!!

While I was sanding, I made sure that I sanded the top edge just a bit so that the cut pieces had the same worn edge as the rest. (this is the area that fits into the frame of the shutters when they are whole).

Once they were cut and sanded, I glued them into place with this strong sticky stuff-didn’t even require any nailing!!

The original knobs were a nice heavy iron, but I wanted something lighter so there wasn’t as much of a contrast. These mercury glass knobs I found at (where else) HomeGoods, but I couldn’t find handles for the doors that I really liked.

So, I grabbed a pair of stainless ones I kept from my old kitchen and painted them with the chalk paint. What, you say?! Painted knobs? But, of course! This week’s Tuesday DIY Tip: you can paint any hardware quickly and easily, especially with this chalk paint! You just paint it on, making sure you get in all the tiny holes and crevices, then wipe it off,

allow to dry and done. Wipe away as much or as little depending on the look you are going for.

The finished cupboard now stands in the space under my incredible driftwood mirror I purchased at (where else) HomeGoods a few months back, along with some other coastal-inspired decor.

Which will all go so nicely in my coastal dream home (if I ever get a coast dream home…) In the meantime, have a dreamy Tuesday, everyone!! Susan

**PS: That disclaimer at the top of this article is for all the wood enthusiasts who think that no wood furniture should ever be painted…

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: #BobVilaNation, Americana Chalky Paint, Americana Chalky Paint Vintage, Americana Ultra-Matte Varnish, coastal inspired kitchen cupboard, DecoArt Americana Chalky Paint, DIY coastal insprired cupboard, Glidden Gripper, Home Depot, HomeGoods, shutter slats for kitchen cupboard top, transforming a cabinet with chalky paint

Jul 1, 2014

Thrifty Kitchen Transformation-DIY Series-Wax On!

By countrydesignhome · 10 Comments

The final step of the kitchen cabinet transformation was the finish coat on the doors, drawers and boxes. To this point, we have painted 2 coats of primer, 2 coats of paint + I coat of tinted glaze to give the cabinets a slightly aged look.

But they still required one last coat of protection-this is a kitchen, and kitchens get messy right? Don’t want some splashing spaghetti sauce messing up my hard work! First, I tried a satin polyurethane, but it was too shiny. I also have a can of absolute matte finish, but I knew that would be too flat. So I decided on a wax finish that would provide protection while adding just a touch of shine. In the past I have used paste waxes that you wipe or stipple brush on, then buff off. They do give a nice finish, but I don’t like the odor and the elbow grease necessary to get the job done. Having recently discovered a new Crème Wax from Americana, I knew this was the perfect solution!

You literally brush this odorless opaque, white creamy liquid on with a foam brush,

allow to dry (about 1/2 hour), then buff it. The more you buff, the brighter the shine. I purchased this product at Michaels Crafts (with a coupon, of course : ), but it is available online at HomeDepot.com as well. Now, this is Tuesday’s DIY Tip: I use my little mouse sander to buff my finishes (if auto detailers can do it, why can’t I??)

Simply remove the velcroed sandpaper, stick on a soft cloth or rag in its place and buff away!

Use a soft flannel or fleece, not terrycloth, as the loops in the cloth will make it a rougher finish. Unless, of course, that is the look you are trying to achieve. The buffed finish is perfect-smooth and with a low satiny shine-the look we had imagined when we first decided to make over mom’s kitchen. The wax finish is essentially colorless, so it doesn’t tint the finish, but it did enhance the glazing color I had already applied. So, this part of the transformation is complete and we’ve gone from this:

to this:

If you are just joining us now, you can check out my Pinterest page with all of the links starting at the beginning here. But we still have a long way to go! Up next, the hardware. Have and buffed and shiny Tuesday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Americana Chalky Paints, Americana Creme Wax, DecoArt Wax Creme, finishing kitchen cabients with wax, Home Depot, Michaels, waxing and glazing kitchen cabinets, waxing kitchen cabinets

Apr 18, 2014

Cottage Fresh Country Cupboard

By countrydesignhome · 7 Comments

A few days ago I shared a project that I had been working on: transforming a country cupboard from this ugly, broken, junky piece to a cottage fresh country cupboard. This was the before:

this was the during

this is now.

A simple fresh white country cupboard that is filled with some of my cherished blue and white pieces, including this vintage set of Block China that I have kept stored away for over 30 years!

I have treasured this dinner set with the luscious blue strawberries for so long, but have never had an open cupboard to display them…and now I do! In this close-up pic you can also see the wainscoting wallpaper that I had installed and painted. It just gives a little extra depth to the otherwise plain back of the piece.

You can read about the initial transformation process, including the prepping and installation of the wainscoting wallpaper here:

https://countrydesignhome.com/2014/04/10/wow-wainscoting-wallpaper/

Once I had finished painting the cupboard, I wanted to add just a bit of glazing to the detailed trim to enhance it. BUT, I did not want to change the overall look of the piece. It needed to remain bright white to contrast with the red walls of my dining room. This concoction of DecoArt Metallic Pearl White Paint + Behr Custom Color Sample (kind of a soft tan-but I’m not sure of the color because it was in the OOPs bin at HomeDepot for 50 cents!) + Martha Stewart Tintable Glaze Effects.

I mixed it all together- lets say 6 parts glaze to two parts metallic paint to one part tan paint. Very scientific.

Then I painted it only on the areas where I wanted the trim to be defined- then wiped it off with a damp rag.

Just a hint of color was left behind to enhance the deep trim work.

Once it dried, I then mixed the Metallic Pearl White paint and the Tintable Glaze (about 50/50) and painted over all of the raised detail and trim areas. So what I have now is an elegant piece with a pearlescent glaze finish that captures the light and makes the detail pop.

Perfect. It just goes to show you what a little TLC and elbow grease can do to transform any ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. And just in time-now I can clean up the dining room and get ready for Easter, whew!! Have a terrific Tuesday, 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: Behr Sample Paint, blue and white china in cupboard, cottage style country cupboard, DecoArt Metallic Pearl White, filled country cupboard with blue china, Home Depot, Martha Stewart Glaze Effects, transforming a country cabinet with paint, white cottage country cupboard

Jan 14, 2014

Vintage Butcher Block Table

By countrydesignhome · 7 Comments

Yet another DIY project to share. This butcher block table was actually in two pieces-the bottom had been kicking around the barn loft for the past 15-20 years, and the top was a throw-away Coach picked up over the summer at a yard sale.

The bottom looked like this:

The top looked like this:

And now the whole piece looks like this!

I started with the base, painting it in my favorite dark charcoal gray home-made chalk-like paint.

You can find that recipe here. Then I sanded down the edges, added a glaze finish with Martha Stewart Antique Glaze mixed with Madagascar Mocha Couture Paint.

The glazing technique is so simple: Mix the glaze and paint together, paint it on your piece,

then wipe it off where you don’t want it.

Allowed the entire base to dry. Finished with a coat of Fidde’s Soft Wax, which gives it a nice glowing finish.

The top required a bit more elbow grease and some heavy implements.

I wanted to rough it up just a bit to give it a more “antiqued” appearance, but since there will be food prep on it, I didn’t want it to be so rustic as to have holes in it where food could get caught!

Used a chain, a hammer and a screwdriver and just banged it around a bit. (I wonder why my hands are so cracked and bleeding…) Since I wanted this to be a food safe butcher block top, but also wanted a shade or two darker, I attempted a technique I had found online: staining with brewed coffee grounds.

Really didn’t work out too well, but it smelled great! The butcher block top is finished with Howard Butcher Block Conditioner. This is a product that I picked up at Home Depot -its FDA food safe-perfect!

To secure the top to the base, I used some old black iron decorative brackets Coach got from somewhere…(seems to be a recurrent theme, right? I tell him what I need, he finds it.)

The brackets were a little too black and “new-looking”, even though they are pretty old, so I sprayed them with Rustoleum Gray gloss paint,

but that was a bit too shiny, so I resprayed them with Rustoelum soft flat iron black spray paint.

to complement the antiqued gray base color. I found that the simplest way to attach the top to the base was to place it on top, measured the four corners to ensure they were evenly spaced,

marked the holes with a sharpie, (apologies for the blurry pic-too much leftover coffee, perhaps?)

then drilled starter holes for the screws,

flipped the top upside down and secured the brackets to the underside of the top.

Slipped the top back onto the base and secured it with screws. For the embellishments, I added this cool, rustic, vintage, winged front piece to be used as a towel or utensil hanger.

I am told it was the handle to an old wood planer. These side pieces

are old window lock parts.

Perfect for hanging a pot or pan with an “s” hook. Old wooden rulers are kind of a thing right now, so I added one from “A.J. Wilkinson, The Oldest Hardware Company in Boston” across the front (perfect for measuring out dough!) and secured it with some rustic corner brackets to give it industrial “old general store” kind of vibe. Then I rubbed that with the Howard Butcher Block Conditioning to finish it.

Done and ready for some butchering, or pie-making, or whatever. But it won’t be in my kitchen, or my daughter’s (sorry, Kate-I promise I will make you another one), because it was sold this past weekend at the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market-yay! And, if you are in the market for an old wooden ruler, drop me a line. Since I mentioned to Coach that I needed a few, he’s been on the lookout, and now I have an immeasurable amount to choose from!

Have a “block-buster” Tuesday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series · Tagged: butcher block table vintage, country design butcher block table, country design table, country style butcher block, Home Depot, Howard Butcher Block Conditioning, Martha Stewart Antique Glaze, Paint Couture, retro butcher block, vintage butcher block table

Oct 23, 2013

Paint A La Cart

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

Coach and I did a LOT of picking this weekend and scored many great items for some upcoming markets. Mirrors, and oak bookcases, furniture, rugs, and more mirrors-all amazing!

Saturday morning, I was busy doing house sort of stuff, so Coach went off himself, only to call me within a few minutes to tell me that someone was selling cases of paint for $1 per can! So he grabbed the first boxful of colors he thought I might use.

I went back with him later and struck up a convo with the homeowner. Turns out he had owned an unfinished furniture store for years, and had recently closed it down. These were the leftover paints, stains and finishes.

So I grabbed some stains (now, I know Hunter Green is not in style right now, but you never know when it might return to its former backwoods glory)

some Milk Paints-can’t wait to try these

and Glazes- so many colors to choose from.

This ought to be fun! But my best yard sale buy of the weekend? This awesome heavy-duty stainless steel rolling kitchen cart!

The guy was asking $10 and Coach asked if he would take $5. He said “sure, quick, just take it before my wife comes back outside-she has an emotional attachment to everything!” LOL!! We all know how that goes! So, I brought it home with the intent of finally organizing all of my paints, stains and finishes into one spot instead of scattered all over my work shop.

Before I could use it, though, I spent about 2 hours with many household products including Awesome Orange cleaner, vinegar, baking soda, bleach spray, scrubbing brushes and many kettles of boiling water to clean off layer upon layer of grease-yuck! I am not sure where this thing had been, but I sure as heck didn’t want it in my basement attracting critters! Finally, the finished cart was sparkly and ready to go. I made quick work of filling it with so many cans and bottles and pots of paints and finishes.

So now its filled with my newest additions

to go along with my ever-growing collection of Behr paint sample pots I get at Home Depot,

plus a new paint with some amazing colors

from a company called Paint Couture

and my first ever Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint (in a very special color, more on that later..).

Boy, do I have a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks! As I try each new product, I will give my unbiased opinion on the overall painting experience. But tonight is game one of the World Series, so paintbrushes away! And Go SOX! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: Behr Paint, General Finishes Paint, Home Depot, Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, Paint Couture

Oct 8, 2013

Cabbage Roses to Country Charm

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

The 80’s called and they wanted their dusty rose cabbage roses back. So I obliged. And our downstairs 1/2 bath, that used to look like this

now looks like this! (I need to apologize for the not-so-great-pics. Do you know how difficult it was to squeeze into a 5 x 8 bathroom to take these?!)

Many of the DIY projects in this tiny bath have been featured on my blog, including the vanity transformation, from boring beige

to rustic navy

the American flag art piece

and of course, my Oh Deer Buck Towel Rack.

So what was once pink and beige with roses and LLadro dolls and shiny brass fixtures

is now all dolled up with the new color palette of navy and green and polished nickel fixtures. The inspiration came from the fabulous wallpaper.

This paper, that I scooped out of a clearance bin over a year ago for $10, has the appearance of old barn walls with textured crackled vertical striping. The woodwork, once Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee, is now Benjamin Moore Snowfall White.

The floor, previously smoky pale blue tiles (many of which were broken or cracked)

is now a stunning slate subway tile I picked up in a clearance bin at Lowes for $1.12 per s/f!

Love our new faucet from Home Depot, which resembles an old well pump.

The sconces used to be shiny brass and hung next to an ornate, floral gold mirror.

but when I (my daughter found these, actually, but as soon as I saw them I had to have them! She and I installed them together, so thanks Kate!)

found these at Home Depot I knew they would be the perfect complement to the rustic old mirror Coach had picked up at a yard sale. I just cleaned it and added some Annie Sloan Soft Wax for a glowing finish.

This cute little tin shelf came from a downtown shop, and its the perfect size for holding tissues, soaps and some reading material.

Love this feature wall. Well, this was the feature wall until I was blow-drying my hair the other morning and the needlepoint picture ($1 at a flea market, oak frame from AC Moore with a coupon) that was resting on the shelf got blown off the shelf, taking the brown wood vase with it, smashing them onto the new slate floor. Luckily, the floor was spared any damage.

So now this is the feature wall.

This was a budget makeover, with the only major changes being a new toilet, new faucet and the sconces, all from Home Depot. The towels, candle holders, soap dispenser, toilet paper holder and scatter rug were from Home Goods, of course. Everything else is reclaimed, refashioned and repurposed, like these beautiful Mason Jars, once filled with preserves, now preserving the past while serving as functional containers.

The only thing I am still on the fence about is the sink. It is old, and has lost most of its shine, but it is granite. And blue.

My original intent was to paint it white using epoxy paint. But, after reading the scary warning label (my nervous system has taken enough hits lately…)

and knowing that there is virtually no ventilation in the tiny space, I decided to pass for now. So blue it stays, but it does look like a sink you might find in an old farm bathroom, so I’m OK with it. This, by far, has been one of my all-time favorite transformation projects in our home. It captures the essence and stays true to our country design home style, don’t you think? Stay true to your Tuesday style! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: Annie Sloan Soft Wax, Benjamin Moore, Country Style Bathroom, Home Depot, Lowes, recycling for decorating in bathroom, Rustic Bathroom Remodel

Sep 17, 2013

Drawer Pull Puppets

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

Did you ever decide that you wanted to paint some drawer pulls, but the pulling part that is hinged to the face plate keeps swinging back and forth while you are trying to hold it still to apply the paint? So frustrating! Simple solution: drawer pull puppets!

All you need is a place to hang the pulls while you paint, some thread, (you can use string, but the thinner the better so you don’t see the lines),

scissors, painters tape and some newspaper, and of course, the paint. In this case I used Rustoleum Hammered Silver paint purchased at The Home Depot.

to give the old pitted brass a new old distressed look. Cut the thread and loop it over the wire. I used our cable wires in the basement that are attached to the beams in the ceiling over my work space.

Now, obviously, if you have a nice, decorated basement, you would not be spray-painting in there anyway. I, on the other hand, have become a basement dweller surrounded by old pipes and cobwebs, concrete floors, hanging exposed wires and gray stone walls. No worries about ruining anything. So, I hung the hinges to just above the work table top, then taped them underneath to the table to stop them from swinging-uggh!

(if I ever tell you I want to add a puppeteer to my bucket list, remind me of this post, please).

Spray painted them, one coat needed. This paint adds a cool textured finish to the metal.

Now, I wanted to add a little more interest to them, so I dry-brushed some of the Behr Stealth Jet Gray on top, the same color as the desk I had painted.

Then I wiped most of it away, leaving just a hint of the darker gray to match the desk. Allowed to dry, then cut them down.

This is the point where I typically show you the finished piece. Sadly, I forgot to take that pic! (sigh, I really need a camera crew to follow me around to take pics. Too many things to remember!!) Happily, I sold the desk at the Vintage Thymes Market this past weekend : ) But it did look pretty awesome, and that’s my unbiased opinion.

Have a non-distressing Tuesday everyone- stop hanging around and go do something today!! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Behr Paint, Home Depot, how to paint drawer pulls, Painting drawer pulls, painting hinges, Rustoleum Hammered Silver Paint, Stealth Grey

May 17, 2013

Pretty Painted Bottles

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

Hey, it’s High Five for Friday time! But this week I am calling it Freakin’ Fun Friday, because I want to share with you this super fun craft project – any one can do this, it’s quick, easy (a little messy) but soooo country pretty!

Browsing Pinterest the other night, I came across this project from Work In Progress Kits and literally jumped off the couch and said “I can do this!”. Coach and I have collected quite a number of old bottles, some dug up right in our own backyard,

some in more recent estate sales and auctions. Many are old, rusted, scratched and lidless, essentially worthless (don’t worry Coach, I didn’t paint the Old Log Cabin Bourbon bottle in the back-turns out that one is worth something!) so I figured this would be just the trick to spice them up! Here’s the how-to: First, you need some clear glass bottles and jars. Anything will do, doesn’t matter if they’re old or new, but the ones with the embossed labels on the outside look especially cool once they are done.

Wash thoroughly- I put mine through the dishwasher to make sure I got all of the grease and dirt off. Choose your paint colors. Home Depot has these awesome Behr paint sample pots- for $2.94 each if you want custom colors-but these were in the Oops! Bin for 50 cents apiece!

I also have a number of the little craft paints, and those actually work better for the smaller-necked bottles.

So I grabbed a pile of paints, assembled my bottles and got to work. You simply take the paint and bottle of choice, pour the paint inside,

turn the bottle until it is completely coated on the inside

turn the bottle upside down and allow all of the excess paint to drip back out into its original container

wipe the edge to give it a nice clean finish (loving this little blue bottle with the mint green inside edge : )

allow to dry overnight…add flowers, battery tea lights, whatever you would like to decorate. But remember- this is acrylic paint- you can’t use real candles or put water in them! The paint makes the embossing stand out on the bottle- before the paint I didn’t even know there was a ship on this bottle.

You can mix and match the paint colors- like the blue and green one above. Or you can stick to all one color- whatever works for your decor. A couple of simple tips: more is better– pour in enough so you are not standing there trying to swirl around a little bit- takes forever! Remember, you will be pouring most of it back out anyway.

Propping for time’s sake. Watching paint drip is almost as bad as watching paint dry. So set up a propping/dripping area where you can set it and forget it until all of the big globs are gone.

Keep a container of wet wipes handy. This project does get messy, as you can see by the pics.

These are essential for getting a clean edge on the top of the bottle, and for cleaning off your hands as you go. You don’t want to transfer fingerprints from one jar to the next. So there you have it- super fun project for a rainy day. Simple enough for kids, pretty cool results. Have a great weekend everyone! We’re off to Brimfield on Saturday- can’t wait to share what we find. Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: Behr Paint, decorating with painted bottles, Home Depot, painted bottles, painting inside bottles

Nov 13, 2012

Wrapping It Up!

By countrydesignhome · 50 Comments

Last year Coach and I converted our deck into a screened-in porch, which was simply awesome. No more buggy nights, or rainy afternoons when we couldn’t use the deck for anything other than furniture storage!

Since we had decorated it with quite a few pieces of antique wicker, I decided to “shrink-wrap” it to prevent any winter weather from ruining our newest addition. We used thin plastic sheeting and some lathing strips and tacked it up all the way around. Functional, not very pretty and it wasn’t very transparent, it flapped in the wind (which drove me crazy!) and the plastic kept ripping away from the lathing. Uggh. So this year I decided to get a more permanent wrap, something we could re-use each season. I went online to purchase a custom porch weather-proofing system, only to find the prices @ $1500.00 and up, to be a bit exhorbitant. Sooo, this past weekend’s project was weather-proofing the porch, country design home style! With this how-to video on You Tube as my guide, we began the laborious task of wrapping it up!

The supplies: 20 gauge clear vinyl (heavy enough to withstand the winds and rain, clear to let in the light) and 2″ white Duck Tape

Dritz 7/16″ steel grommets

5/16″ screw-eye hooks.

I measured each section, determining the placement for the grommets. Cut the vinyl, then wrapped the edges with the tape on both sides for extra stability, overlapping in the corners where the grommets will be installed.

Some sections had to be taped together, since the width of the vinyl is only 54″. That proved to be the most difficult part of this project, as the unrolled edges were a bit curled. You just have to smooth it as you go.

Mark the center holes for the grommets, cut out the circles and then hammer the grommet into place (this pounding away with a hammer activity is fun for anyone wanting to vent some anger or angst : ).

Hanging the large panels requires 2 people to make it level and install the screw-eyes.

The finished project : )

Hard, painstaking work, this easily took 20+ hours. The cost? All of the materials, with the exception of the screw-eyes ($5.19/50 @ Home Depot), were purchased at Joann’s using 60% coupons, of course! So the vinyl that normally would have been $7.99/yard became $3.20/yard and in total we will probably use 25 yards-so $80 + tax. The grommets, screws and tape totalled approximately $70, so the grand total (aside from the band-aids, the Motrin and a trip to the nail salon to repair that damage) comes to $150+ tax- one tenth of what the online estimate was! It wasn’t easy, but it looks great, the sun shines through year round AND we don’t have to pack away all of our deck/patio furniture-it just stays in place! And now we will have another functional space for the holidays- as long as you wear your winter coat and mittens : ) And remember, always measure 3X…cut once!! Susan