a little something in the meantime . . .: Spray Paint

Showing posts with label Spray Paint. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

How To Customize A Lysol No-Touch Kitchen Soap Dispenser

My kitchen has been the target of most of my organizing and tweaking for the last few weeks. The coffee station started the ball rolling and it has felt like a different space ever since.

Over the weekend I decided it was time to make over some of the boring but necessary accessories with spray paint. I painted the paper towel holder and knife block and then spotted my sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb Lysol No-Touch Kitchen Soap Dispenser.

I love it and just used this video to very easily refill it with a different (and much less expensive) dish soap (Lysol is probably not going to like that but I’m in no way affiliated with them!). However, it’s not the prettiest gadget to have beside the sink.

The perfect candidate for my next spray paint makeover!

I’m familiar with the infamous House of Hepworths’ painted soap pump, but I couldn’t find anything related to the Lysol dispenser so this might actually be an original idea!

I turned off the switch so that I could inspect it without getting soaped and then tried to figure how I could paint the unit without affecting the sensor. There is a sensor at the top by the soap nozzle, but I believe the teardrop shaped window on the front does something, too.

I was about to give up when I noticed that the silver face plate was a completely separate piece. It comes right off – no tools required!

Time to customize!

The hardest part was choosing a spray paint colour.

In the end, the winner was Catalina Mist. It didn’t disappoint!

Since it was SO easy, here’s the very, very condensed how-to:

Turn off batteries.

Remove face plate, prime, spray paint with chosen colour, replace face plate.

Turn on batteries.

Done!

Do you have one of these wonderful dispensers in your kitchen?

I really like being able to wash my hands when I’m cooking or baking without contaminating everything else. I had a No-Touch soap dispenser in my classroom when I taught Grade 1 and it was great because it actually made my students WANT to wash their hands!

I’d love to see what colour (or colours) you use to customize yours!

Thanks for checking out my latest project!

P.S. Since the hand soap version doesn’t have a removable face plate, there’s no reason why you couldn’t refill the bottle of the kitchen dispenser with hand soap instead and then use this in your bathroom, too!

I link up at: Serenity Now, I {Heart} Naptime, Under The Table And Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things, Simply Klassic Home, Home Stories A to Z, Craftomaniac, Skip To My Lou, Not JUST A Housewife, A Bowl Full Of Lemons, Alderberry Hill, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, A Diamond In The Stuff, Creatively Living, The Winthrop Chronicles, Clean & Scentsible, Oopsey Daisy, Lil’ Luna, Someday Crafts, Live.Laugh.Rowe, The 36th Avenue, aka design, House of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Thrifty Decorating, Crafty Scrappy Happy, How To Nest For Less, Tatertots & Jello, The Grant Life, It’s Overflowing, Lolly Jane, Too Much Time, Six Sisters’ Stuff, Positively Splendid, My {Re}purposed Life, Unrefined By Design, Dragonfly Designs, Just Us Four, Liz Marie Blog, Every Creative Endeavor and The Crafted Sparrow

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Kitchen Update: Coffee Station

You’ve all heard about the power of paint to transform a space but what about the power of a basket?

In this case, a yellow paper basket.

This basket was originally home to my hair dryer and other bathroom essentials. It had lots of storage capacity which ultimately ended up being its downfall. I kept adding more stuff!

One day, after learning about Krylon’s Oil-Rubbed Bronze spray paint from my friend Wendy, I decided that this basket would be a good test project for a new colour.

The result was so lovely that a ripple effect took place in my kitchen.

First, the microwave moved, which meant that this . . .

became this . . .

It’s not pretty but it’s a much better spot for an appliance that we do not use on a daily basis.

The microwave previously occupied a small countertop beside the fridge. The countertop was barely deep enough to house the microwave as well as a basket of frequently accessed snacks and cereal.

Now, that same countertop serves as a coffee station for our relocated coffee maker (a morning essential for Tim Horton’s addicted Mr. Mechanic) which is perfect because it sits directly below this . . .

My coffee sack cork board!

The basket keeps all of our coffee-making essentials in one place, frees up space in the cupboard and makes it look like we have more counter space in the kitchen – something that has always been an issue for us with the kitchen layout.

There’s a reason why you see that messy cord in the photo.

Not only does this made over basket house everything needed for brewing a hot coffee, it also holds my Magic Bullet.

The basket handle means that I can leave my Magic Bullet plugged in along with the coffee maker.

When I want to make an iced cappuccino protein smoothie, I just pull it out of the basket letting the extra cord feed through the handle.

Isn’t it amazing what a basket can do?

P.S. Want another idea for how to make over a basket with spray paint? How about a two-toned effect?

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Spray Paint Makeover: Brass Floor Lamp Edition

We were at the cottage again last week – did you miss me?

There are still some repairs and updates to be done, but most of the major projects have been tackled. We actually stayed there overnight for the first time on Friday and Saturday so that is great progress.

In addition to more plumbing repairs, this trip involved several cosmetic updates – including multiple makeovers courtesy of two cans of Rust-Oleum Universal Hammered spray paint in Brown Hammered.

I have to say, even though I was not a fan of the way that the nozzle sprayed (my hands were all speckled!) or the smell, the way that it so easily covered a variety of surfaces won me over.

We used less than two cans to transform all of the bathroom hardware (towel rail, hooks, handles), curtain rod finials and this brass-coloured floor lamp.

It originally had a pleated lamp shade that did not make it into the before photos.

After taping off the light socket and the power cord, we scuffed up the surface with a Scotch-Brite pad (Mr. Mechanic’s favourite way to prep just about everything for spray paint). The paint can said that no primer was necessary, but this was a quick step to make sure we got the best coverage.

Even on this!

(As I write this I realize that I can find something very similar on my parents’ bed frame . . .)

Several coats of spray paint and a $15 drum shade from Walmart later (home decor options were limited up North!), we had a new-to-us lamp, ready for the freshly painted Living Room.

I would like to add some sort of decorative trim to the shade in the future.

Replacing the flooring in the Living Room is not in the budget this year so it will look like this for a while.

A few of you have asked for photos, so here’s a trio to show you the amazing power of paint.

Living Room Before WM

The Living Room, Kitchen and Entryway are all painted this grey. Prior to painting the final colour, everything was covered with two coats of barrier paint to block the smoke smell and stains. This room has paneling on the walls with fairly shallow grooves. Two missing pieces were replaced.

Big difference, right?

If I had a camera like Mr. Mechanic Senior that could capture the whole room in one shot I would be able to show you how the Living Room looked when we left on Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, I don’t and the lighting was poor when we left on Sunday morning. I have a lot of photo editing to do before I can share the after (for now) photos! I promise I’ll share them eventually.

Thanks for coming back to visit!

P.S. I love a quick makeover. You can find two more of my spray paint transformations here and here!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Front Porch Updates: Summer 2012

Yesterday, I teased you with this very subtle makeover.

Today, I’m back as promised with the details and a full front porch reveal.

If you didn’t figure it out, I used my Silhouette and some black vinyl to add a simple monogram to our mailbox. I could have used white vinyl, but I wanted it to camouflage with the mailbox when you look at our house from the street. Mission accomplished.

I designed my monogram in Silhouette Studio and then sent it to cut.

The letters C and M were created using the font Dillenia UPC and the ampersand is Arial.

The frame was created using this shape and the offset tool.

After it was cut, I peeled off the surrounding vinyl and covered it with transfer tape. I usually use other less expensive materials (like Glad Press ‘N Seal) to do this step, but I wanted to make sure the vinyl adhered on the first attempt.

Here’s the mailbox before I added the monogram (I wiped the dust off and dried it).

Our mailbox was actually one of my first experiences customizing decor with spray paint. After we had a new front door installed, we searched everywhere for a reasonably priced mailbox that would suit the style of our door and couldn’t find anything in the right colour. So, we bought one that was brown and then Mr. Mechanic used spray paint in a hammered finish to paint the body black and the top a gunmetal colour. We chose the two-toned look to go with our door hardware.

Sorry, back to the step-by-step.

Using a ruler, I tried my best to center the vinyl on the body of the mailbox. I purposely adhered it closer to the top.

The metallic finish of the mailbox means that the black vinyl blends right in the with rest of my front porch . . . until you’re almost to the door. Then, surprise! Welcome to the home of Claire and Mr. Mechanic (AKA, Matt).

As you’re walking up to the door, here’s what else you will see!

My beautiful planter that is overflowing with purple heart and calibrachoa.

A chippy rocking chair that once lived on my parents’ front porch.

Mr. Mechanic painted it black 4 years ago but winters outside without a protective sealant have left it looking a little weathered.

The chippy goodness is accented by an outdoor cushion from Walmart and my Dollarama chalkboard bucket filled with clearance annuals. I wanted to stretch my potting soil for both porch planters so I used the newspaper trick again.

And here’s the full Summer 2012 view.

Until last summer, we didn’t even know that decorative brickwork existed because it was hidden behind two almost dead bushes. More on the landscaping overhaul another time!

I love our front door, and I love it even more when I’m reminded of how it looked when we moved in.

This is the beaten up original wooden door (our house is about 60 years old) that had been painted many times in its life. It had a mail slot that would flap open on windy days and let in a huge draft during the winter.

When we first moved in, the only way to lock this door was from the outside. Sounds safe, right? We had to install a deadbolt to correct that, but we would never enter the house from the front door. The blur to the right of the door is where our house number hangs.

It took us a while to decide on the type of door to install, and this was one of the few home repairs that Mr. Mechanic did not take on himself. The decorative trim on both sides of the door posed a challenge so he left it to the professionals.

I don’t think I’m being conceited when I say that we have one of the nicest front doors on our street. I wish that I could show you the door that has a giant peacock on it made out of swirled metal . . .

And, for a walk down blog memory lane, here’s what the porch looked like in May when I planted pansies in my rain boots. Remember those? They are probably my most popular blog project so far!

This year is definitely my favourite year in our gardens. The grass may be brown and crunchy but the gardens are lush and in full bloom. I’ll show you the rest, soon!

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

P.S. Did you see our newest garden? It’s a bit too hot to sit out there today!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

My Garage Sale Vignette

Before I created my mantel for Canada Day, I had this fun vignette on display.

Since my mantel has proved to be a difficult spot to photograph, I brought it all outside and recreated it on a $5 table that I bought at a Garage Sale last summer. Its previous owner started to refinish it and then gave up. We’ll see what happens now that I’m responsible for its makeover!

I started with the two books and then the vignette grew from there.

I found A Manual of Style at a Used Book Sale on the March Break. I loved the colour and I thought that the title would be good for decorating (I think it’s actually about writing, not fashion/decor).

All About House Plants came from a Rummage Sale at the church up the street from me. Again, I loved the colour (turquoise and green are my go-to colours for decorating) and I knew that it would be useful for honing my green thumb.

The basket reminded me of chicken wire and was a 99 cent purchase from the impulse buy section near the checkout at HomeSense. I might paint it a different colour sometime down the road.

The neutral-coloured globe was from Michaels and I used a 50% off coupon when I bought it so it was $2.50 (I told you that you’d be seeing it again!).

So, if you’re keeping score, that’s well under $10 for this quartet, but it needed something more. [I’m a poet!]

Enter a $1 wooden planter that I bought from my neighbour’s Garage Sale at the beginning of June.

I like prices when I go to Garage Sales so I didn’t even try to negotiate, I just gave her my loonie. The planter even has a removable metal plate to line the bottom.

With a little bit of . . .

intentionally frayed burlap,

a stencil created and cut with my Silhouette,

black paint,

Heirloom White spray paint,

spray adhesive and

Walnut Stain distress ink . . .

the planter was transformed into this!

How’s that for a Cinderella makeover!?

But what about the plant?

I will admit, it cost about $10 but it is unlike any house plant I’ve ever seen!

We found it at Home Depot and it was with the succulents. I thought it was a bit expensive but I just couldn’t walk away from it.

(Last year, I had a similar love-at-first-sight experience with a succulent called Baby’s Toes. Sadly, it did not like the living conditions of my house . . .)

Mr. Mechanic caught on to my ‘subtle hint’ and put it in the cart. I’m a lucky lady!

Unfortunately, it was tagless, so I have no idea what kind of succulent it is, but the different shades of green on all of the stems are stunning!

It almost has an ombre quality to it.

The tips are a yellow-y green colour while further down they are darker.

Put it all together and we’re back to this fun little vignette.

I love, love, LOVE it!

It looks even better on my mantel with the Living Room paint colour (which I promise is lovely in person but blah on camera), a handful of painted bottles and my new HomeSense pot that is a mix of, you guessed it, turquoise and green!

Hmmm . . . maybe I should find a way to add my made over garage sale owl to the mix, too!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers!

P.S. Check out another painted Cinderella makeover here!

P.P.S. Did you enter my giveaway? What are you waiting for! (Closes midnight on July 5th)

P.P.P.S. In case you’re wondering, the 3 is for our September 3rd anniversary. I’m sneaky that way!

I link up at: Serenity Now, I {Heart} Naptime, Under The Table And Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things, Simply Klassic Home, Home Stories A to Z, Craftomaniac, Skip To My Lou, Not JUST A Housewife, A Bowl Full Of Lemons, Alderberry Hill, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, A Diamond In The Stuff, Creatively Living, The Winthrop Chronicles, Clean & Scentsible, Oopsey Daisy, Lil’ Luna, Someday Crafts, Live.Laugh.Rowe, The 36th Avenue, aka design, House of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Thrifty Decorating, Crafty Scrappy Happy, How To Nest For Less, Tatertots & Jello, The Grant Life, It’s Overflowing, Lolly Jane, Too Much Time, Six Sisters’ Stuff, Positively Splendid, My {Re}purposed Life, 413 Sparrow Lane, Dragonfly Designs, Just Us Four and The Crafted Sparrow

Thank you to all the hosts!