Springtime sprucing up

 

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Our breezeway takes a beating over the winter.  It is too cold for me to care about cleaning it up, cats make it their home, we stack firewood out there, and it just becomes a mess. Sadly, it is also the entrance to our home and it never looks all that welcoming in the coldest months. 

The paint has needed touching up for a while, so I decided to tackle that small job first. Well, I thought it would be a small job....

First mistake? I used the wrong can of pale blue paint.  I had brighter blue freckles from one end of the room to the other.  Because, of course, I was efficient and finished the job quickly, and didn't realize the colors weren't a match till the paint dried and I was long done.

Second mistake?

I rarely use a drop cloth, because I'm pretty tidy and don't drip, unless it is a big job and I start to get tired and careless as it goes on.

And I didn't drip this time either. 

But I did leave the lid off the can while I went to the store to buy more paint.  And the cats checked the color out while I was away.

Third mistake?

I didn't save the name of the original paint, or any samples.

Which might have been helpful, even though the hardware store no longer had that brand of paint, I could have at least done a computer color match.

I pride myself on not only, not being a dripper, but on also having an excellent eye for remembering colors.  (uh, except for using the wrong can of paint, that doesn't count, does it? That was not paying attention).

So, I bought what looked like the right shade and once again repainted the freckled areas I'd created by using the brighter blue. This time, I painted entire boards, not just spots and I have to say, it was looking good.

Til it dried

Paint always dries darker.

Well, at that point, I wasn't giving up. I did NOT want to repaint the whole room, those boards are hard to get in and around, I couldn't use a roller and that sounded like a BIG job.  (although, as much time as I'd spent messing up and redoing, I probably could've repainted the whole shebang another color much quicker)

So, I started adding white to the color I'd purchased, since the shade was right, the tone was just too dark.

And it worked.  I don't think you can see the patches, and the room looked so fresh and clean that I touched up the doors and washed the curtains too.

A clean coat of paint on the door is so much more welcoming, isn't it?

The Christmas wreath on the door is perked up for springtime too.  I pulled off the winter trimmings and stuck some pink roses into the grapevine.  Then clipped a bird and eggs to the nest (there had been a big white dove, and some ornaments in the nest).  

None of them are glued down, and the stems seem to be staying in pretty good. 

This urn was stuck in front of the new gas line pipes. It doesn't completely hide them, but will help until the azalea gets bigger and does its job of obscuring the pipe.

And now, I'm ready for the next project.  There is a lot of spring spiffing up to be done around here. (like painting that wardrobe in the first photo. I bought it late fall and haven't tackled a redo on it yet)

I'm also Spring Cleaning in the Boutique, if you'd like to take advantage of my urge to purge the inventory, please use THIS link to access the shop.  All items will be 50% off including the tutorials and existing sale prices.

Comments

[gail]

Beautiful as usual! I love the cat prints!!

[gail]

and I wish I had a smidge of your energy!

[bobbie]

I love the paw prints! I hope you didn't clean them up ~

[Karla Nathan]

Nope, they are staying til they wear away, Bobbie.

[Karla Nathan]

Gail, my energy level sure isnt what it used to be. The wardrobe in the breezeway that I bought last fall hasnt been painted yet. Years ago, it wouldve had paint on it as soon as it got out of the truck!

[jeanie]

It looks great, Karla! Nice job and despite the added challenges, who would know! Sweet kitties -- I'm glad you saved the prints!

I find it always takes me lots longer to do things now than it used to. I get distracted by some bright, shiny object or something intriguing and boom! So, good for you for finishing!