Tuesday, February 14, 2012

White Washed

It is interesting to look back and see how my decorating tastes have changed.  As a newlywed, I was all country.  Remember the country red and blue?  That was me, along with the teddy bears, baskets and hearts. I even used to make country crafts and sell them at craft fairs for awhile.

We lived in rentals, moving 7 times in 6 years.  We could never paint so as soon as we bought our house I couldn't wait to paint.  I was never afraid of color.  After the blue and red stage I moved to Victorian pink.  Then later I moved on to my burgundy and evergreen phase.  That's where I got stuck.  The kids came along and life got crazy busy.

I'm not dissing any of these styles.  I liked them all at one time, but it was time to move on and I was so ready for change.

I've come full circle now, and after years of color, I am back to white.  There is something so refreshing, yet calming and soothing about it.  I'm not a fan of stark, modern white, but I love the play of soft whites, creams and light tans against each other, along with some texture and a few wood pieces.

I can't afford to go out and buy everything new, but a can of white paint can fix that.  If I don't like it, I'll white wash it, which brings me to the subject of this post.  I found this little galvanized pail at a Goodwill last year.    



I also white washed (sprayed with white primer) the wreath, which I recently posted here.



 I love galvanized anything, so I snatched that little pail up without blinking an eye.  I wasn't so crazy about the brown basket rim however, so I gave it a white wash.  



  It now holds my frequently used tools by my sewing machine.



Oh, you want a tutorial?

1. spend 10 minutes looking for masking tape that should have been in the desk drawer
2. tape off under rim
3. unearth white paint from the boxes of craft supplies stacked in the basement awaiting the new craft room.
4. ditto for the paint brush.
5. slap a bit of white paint on the rim, not too much, you want some of the original color to peek through.
6. rip off tape
7. make a chalkboard label from chalkboard contact paper...love that stuff!
8. using chalk, write on said label, erase, rewrite x 10 until you get it right, or throw the chalk against the wall because you can't stand your writing.

Easiest remake I've ever done...relatively speaking.








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10 comments:

  1. This is such a simple little item, but with you creativity it became a one-of-a-kind treasure! I like this idea...thanks for sharing it! Have a delightful day! Hugs

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  2. I see you & I share the same creative process! lol Thanks for following me, I'm following back!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is so great! I love that you got all these things for a deal and you are doing some cute stuff with them! I love seeing our button on your blog! Thanks for linking up!

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  4. I have always loved the dark colors, but, like you, lately I have decided to make my bedroom lighter and use some pastels and whites. I have always decorated the country style and still love it. Just not so country as I did before my remodel. So kinda hard for me to go with pretty and whites, but I will get there. Thanks for you lovely comment. Hugs, Lynn

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  5. is there much
    that lashings of white paint
    can't amend?

    love your delightful blog
    and now following via Linky Followers

    hope you'll take a moment
    to come and visit!

    alison

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks lovely!! Like you, recently I'm grown fond of white. I have deep color on my walls, but when I move into a house, I'm going to paint white and a light aqua color, then keep the furniture white.

    Love this easy project! Thanks for linking up to the Take it on Tuesday blog hop!

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  7. Love that tutorial! I love my diy with a big dollop of humor ...

    And I'm adding white back into my home too ...

    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks fantastic!
    -Melissa
    PS- I'm hosting a blog hop and would love for you to stop by and join in!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great idea! I love the added rope around the top!

    Thanks for linking it up at Creatively Living!

    --Katie

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the tutorial! It made me laugh! The white looks much better than it originally did too.

    ReplyDelete

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