Tag: painting

Glidden Paint Review & A Giveaway

I write for Glidden^® over at My Colortopia and I’ve been using their paint for a few projects around the house recently, so today I’m sharing my experiences with it. I’m also hosting a giveaway for a $100 gift card to Home Depot — details are at the end of the post!

So. First impressions with the paint? You don’t get a lot of that classic strong paint smell, since it’s a no-VOC formula (most brands have moved toward a low or no-VOC option these days). The consistency is good, average compared to other brands (not too thick, but not too thin either). There’s a nice range of options in the color palette, but not so many that it gets overwhelming for the average person. Sometimes I find myself wishing that they offered more subtleties in color, but I think I’m in the minority there. I go in thinking ‘show me all 796 shades of icy blue with a hint of gray’ and other people want to see the best three or four options for light blue and go from there. If you get confused when there are way too many versions of red, or blue, or whatever, you’ll probably like the smaller palette — there are still hundred of colors to choose from.

I went with Crisp Linen White for Calvin’s nursery. I wanted the light and bright feeling that white gives a room with plenty of natural daylight (which the nursery has), but nothing too stark because of our home’s unpainted trim and woodwork.

We remodeled that part of the second floor to create the nursery, closing off openings, adding new ones, and moving the door. We also stripped wallpaper from the walls and cleaned up the residue, leaving clean, smooth walls that seemed to be in pretty good condition. Normally, if you’re painting a light color over another light color, you can get away without priming first. We did prime the new areas of drywall , but since we were painting over previously papered walls for the majority of the room, I thought it might be a good idea to use a primer everywhere else too. I picked up a gallon of Glidden^® Premium Collection Interior House Paint (a paint and primer in one) and we were able to skip another separate step.

The paint gave great coverage, went on well, and has held up just fine. One coat covered nicely with lighter colors, but I’d count on two for dark or really bold paint jobs. And the best part is that it’s super affordable, so you can pick up a gallon for about $25 instead of $50 or $60 (or even $100, if you like a certain fancy European brand)! Here’s another project done in Glidden^®, this time a deeper, darker color (Shaded Fern). The paint updated that old thrifted armoire perfectly.

Glidden^® has enabled ratings and reviews for all of their products, so you can read other peoples’ experiences with their paint. If you’ve used it yourself, you can rate and review it too. And if you haven’t used it yet, well… I’m giving away a $100 gift card to Home Depot! That’s plenty to cover a gallon or two of Glidden^®, plus any supplies you may need (and if you’re in need of tips and tricks, check out my posts for My Colortopia). Leave a comment on this post by midnight, August 25 to enter, and a winner will be randomly chosen. Open to US residents only. Good luck!

I have been sponsored by the Glidden^® brand paint for PPG to write this post but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

August 20, 2015
DIY Abstract Art Clock and Serving Tray
This is a sponsored post by NESTLE Coffee-mate.

All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are unbiased and based on my personal view.

I was able to chat with David Bromstad recently about his limited-edition labels for Coffee-mate’s French Vanilla and Hazelnut bottles. There are four designs — two for each flavor — and they will only be available at Target. I loved his approach to the designs, and being known for his painting skills and use of color, I was inspired by David and “the art of a fresh start” to do a little painting of my own. I customized a tray, and wanted to take on another project too. I suggested a clock last week and you were into the idea, so I went for it!

The tray was cute, but you guys. The clock? LOVE IT. Eleanor has already laid claim on it, so it’s going to be moving to her room, and August wants one too (in red). Here it is paired up for now though with it the tray that preceded it. I even snipped a few flowers from the yard for the table, remembering David’s fondness for his mom’s garden.

Want to make a clock or tray (or both) of your own? Here’s what you’ll need:
- a clock that can be taken apart
- art brushes
- a serving tray
- painter’s tape
- acrylic craft paints
  I used 24K gold, coral, shell, ladybug red, egg, deep sea, and robin’s egg
Painting a Serving Tray

I started by taping off the sides of the serving tray with painter’s tape so that they would stay white. I used small (4-6″) strips of tape because it’s easier to work with than long pieces, and I let them overlap a little each time for complete coverage.

I was aiming for an abstract look, concentrating on fields and splashes of color. (Eh? Inspired by David. Get it?) Magic animated gif painting process time!

I peeled the tape off carefully and let the tray sit overnight to be sure that the paint was completely dry.

The paint peeking out from the bottom of the tray is such a happy detail! Little things like that are always a nice grace note in the morning.

An Abstract Art Wall Clock

Painting the clock was similar, but with a few differences to note. I chose the paint the sides and the face, so there was no need to tape anything off. I also wanted to add a bit of gold this time. I had picked up a bottle of gold paint to use on the tray, but I changed my mind. The raised numbers on the clock presented themselves as the perfect spot for it!

I unscrewed the clock and took everything apart so I could paint the face. I let the colors mix together more here than I did with the tray. I also used a round brush instead of a wide filbert, so that changed the look too.

The first few layers don’t look terribly promising, but the magic comes as you keep going. I had a hard time deciding when to stop because I kept wanting to tweak it here and there, but I had to call it and walk away so I wouldn’t overwork it or muddy the colors.

I let the paint dry completely before coming back to paint those numbers gold. The metallic paint was semi-translucent, and I think it took about five coats for it to turn opaque. The numbers catch the light in the best way though, so taking the time to apply layer after layer of gold was worth it!

After the paint on the numbers dried, I reassembled the clock and hung it. Not a bad way to check the time, right? Eleanor’s a smart kid, stealing that clock for herself.
July 27, 2015
August’s Room, After Stripping the Wallpaper
Last time I mentioned August’s room, we were starting to strip the wallpaper. That was right before a crew came out to photograph the house, so we wanted to take the peeling wallpaper off and throw a coat of paint on the walls as quickly as possible! I hate rushing to make decisions, and the color I chose is a good example of why. Blech.

You’ve seen a couple of glimpses here and there, and today I have more to share.

The old wallpaper was cute, but August ensured its exit status by peeling a huge portion of it off. So the room is looking better now than it was, but it’s not looking great yet. More to do!

The rug is not staying. It looked good in the bedroom at our old house, but it doesn’t work with the wood here and I think it’s time to let it go. I mentioned before that I’m not in love with the green, and that’s still true. Once I bring in a new rug for the room, I’ll reevaluate the wall color and decide if it needs to be changed.

The toys are a mess! I picked up whatever and put it wherever so I could vacuum, and everything kind of ended up on the available horizontal surfaces. They could (and should) look a lot neater.

To do:
- paint the bed frame
- upholster the headboard
- no more bed rail
- new rug
- rearrange the furniture
- repaint (maybe)
- add shelves above the radiator
- more art
- organize (and pare down) the toys
- replace the light with a ceiling fan
That green looks even worse in these photos than it does in real life. Oof. I’m excited about pulling his room together though! I’m rolling up that gray rug today and getting it out of there.
July 8, 2015
DIY Striped Armoire Surprise

Sponsored by ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape.

I spotted an armoire on Jubilee Furniture’s blog not long after Calvin had been born. I’d been looking for something to replace the storage we lost when remodeling the second floor, and this one was the perfect size. I suspected the quality may be lacking because it was priced at just $35, but it was worth taking a look at.

Well, the drawers are wonky, two shelves have been replaced with plywood, and the left door is badly warped. It may not be in the greatest shape, but it does have great lines and it was decent enough to work with — especially since the price was right. That streaky faux-finish had to go though.

Much better! The doors are not perfectly smooth but the armoire has been moved to the hall where the light doesn’t hit it directly, and its imperfections are much less noticeable. I wanted something dark (but not black), so the color I chose was Shaded Fern by Glidden® and Brandon did the painting. But for the inside, I thought, why not have a bit of fun?

Whoa, that’s a whole lot of “fun.” Now you know why I’m calling this a Striped Armoire Surprise! Here’s how it was done. After priming the inside of the armoire, each compartment inside got a different hue. The colors used were Peach Daiquiri (pink), Extra Virgin Olive Oil (yellow), Crisp Linen White, Sea Spray (blue), Shaded Fern, French Stripe Red, and Safari Green — all Glidden® colors.

I used painter’s tape (ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape Delicate Surfaces with Advanced Edge-Lock™ Paint Line Protector 2080EL) along with a paper template to mark the diagonal lines on the doors. (The extra pieces you see are the ones I used for the spacing — obviously they were removed before the stripes were painted.) The drawers were painted white and then taped off horizontally with a thinner tape for variation.

I bought a pint of each color in a satin finish, and I have plenty of paint leftover.

After three coats of paint for each of the first half of the diagonal lines, I removed the tape and let the paint dry completely (at least 24 hours) before taping off for the new stripes the next day. It was easier to use the thinner tape this time, aligning one piece to the top of each stripe and another to the bottom, rather than trying to perfectly fit one piece of thick tape along the entire length.

The colors are so bright and cheery! It would be a little much for my taste to do this treatment to the outside, but I love it as a surprise when you open up the doors.

I am proud to be a 3M sponsored blogger, and, as part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to evaluate ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

Follow ScotchBlue™ on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.

January 8, 2015
The Hallway! She is Being Painted!
Right. So, we hired painters to come in and do it for us.

I actually really like painting — I find it relaxing! But this pregnancy has been somewhat difficult and with the baby due later this month, I just could not do it myself. Brandon and our brother-in-law, Enrique, primed just the new portion of the hall on Labor Day, but we hadn’t been able to get any further with the project. It was becoming pretty clear that we weren’t going to be able to finish the job in a timely manner.

The painters started on Friday, and they’re finishing up today, but it already looks pretty great after just the first coat. Behold our nearly smooth and straight walls and ceiling! (Yes, there’s some wonkiness. The house is old, yo.)

The hallway, front stairway, and entryway are all getting the same color on the walls as our bedroom (Sherwin-Williams’ Comfort Gray), and a shade lighter on the ceiling (Sea Salt). It’s a pretty gray/blue/green color that plays really nicely with the wood throughout the house.

Still to do:
- One more coat of paint each on the ceiling and on the walls.
- Strip the window and door frames. We are considering just painting them brown as a short-term solution and then stripping them sometime down the line with there isn’t a pregnant lady (or a newborn) to worry about in the house.
- Finish the floors. (I’m going to go into more details on the flooring in a post tomorrow — what we chose and why.)
- Replace the three hallway lights with new fixtures so that they all match.
- Replace the light switches with push-button switches. (I am inordinately excited about this change.)
- Put the doorbell cover and outlet coverplates back on.
- Maybe find new runners?
- Find a storage piece to go in the hall (there’s a spot for something tall and shallow just to the left of where I was standing to take the hallway photo).
- Hang some art? This isn’t exactly pressing. I’m kind of happy to admire our hallway as it is for a while. The window is visible down the hall again for the first time in decades! Natural light FTW!
- Skim coat the walls and ceiling along the back stairway. Eventually, I’d love to have nice, smooth walls there painted to match, but that’s a project for another time. We’ve left the textured walls along the back stairs white for now.
September 8, 2014
Would You Like a Sample?

I’ve been feeling a little better (finally, five months into this pregnancy), and so with increased energy and mobility comes more decorating gusto! I’ve been on a sample kick lately, getting test paints and wallpaper swatches.

I’ve been testing colors for the front parlor (the library), and was interested in Pink Ground by Farrow & Ball after seeing it in action here. I ordered two new paint swatch books because I like to have a backup for showing to clients (p.s. Working with clients again! Contact me if you’re interested.), and I received five in the mail. Eleanor and August were both interested, so I told them they could each have one. The next morning, they personalized them while I was getting breakfast ready.

August was especially proud. “See mommy? I made it nice for you!”

Well, they can tell their swatch books apart now.

I looked at samples from Farrow & Ball, Glidden, Behr, Benjamin Moore, and Sherwin-Williams, and with each color, I would think ‘I wish it were a little less lilac/more peach/more muted/less intense, etc.’ Pink Ground was that perfect color that none of the others quite were. The lone wallpaper sample up there is from Hygge & West and I love it, but I think paint is the way to go in that room. Let the dining room get some crazy wallpaper instead.

Benjamin Moore’s Queen Anne Pink was a close runner up — and so perfectly named for use in our Queen Anne — but it was slightly too peach. So now I either have to head over to the Merchandise Mart to pick up a gallon, or just order it online. I’m heading into the city for a haircut today, so maybe a quick detour before coming home is in order. Plus, you know, I might need a few more wallpaper samples…

June 4, 2014