A change of mind AND a cheap, easy, awesome accent wall idea.

I mentioned in my last post how much I love white walls and how I was all jazzed up about painting one in my house.  

Well, I still love white walls and I still will paint a white wall in my house...I have 2 gallons of white paint sitting on my counter to motivate me.  But for the project I just finished, I decided a slightly off white wall would work better.

The color on the wall is Realist Beige by Sherwin Williams.
{SW6078}

I know, I know.  Why would I want boring beige on my walls,  but trust me, this beige is cool and creamy and doesn't come off as drab at all.  It is a great accompaniment to the gray and white accents I already have in the space.

Anyway, enough about all that.

I have been wanting to do an accent wall in my front room for awhile, but I didn't want to just slap some paint on it and call it good.  I wanted to do something that was graphic and interesting and different.  After much thought and consideration I decided on this...

Umm, yes.  Those would be gold, dot stickers.  You probably think I'm crazy right about now, but just trust me.  I purchased this roll of 1000 dots for $10 on Amazon.com.

Here's what happened when I stuck {almost} all of them on the wall.

I actually really dig it.

I think it's interesting and eye-catching, without being obnoxious.  And it's gold.  Who doesn't love gold?  Not me, that's who.

When the light hits the dots, they make the wall sorta sparkle and come alive.

Gold is one of my favorite accent colors right now, so I am super thrilled about having a gold accent wall.  Did I mention how much I like gold?

I didn't really follow any plan or pattern except that I wanted to give the illusion of the dots floating away, so I started really condensed at the baseboard and then gradually spread the dots out as I moved up the wall.

Not bad for a roll of stickers, eh?  And I bet you didn't even remember the fact that my wall is {not} boring beige instead of white.

In other news, Studs and I leave for our vacay in a couple of days.  I will try to get another post in before I head out, but just in case I don't, I'll see you in a week.

And...more gold, but with polka dots this time.

I stumbled upon this uber cute, gold, polka dot dress and was smitten.  

There's just something about the playfulness of the polka dots and the sophistication of the gold on white that I love.

I decided that I needed some gold polka dots in my house...and what better {and easier} way to add color and pattern than with accent pillows.  So, I took a cue from myself and picked up some $3 pillow covers from Ikea.

I love these pillow covers.  First, they are premade, so no sewing.  Second, they have zipper closures making it easy to change them out.  Third, they are really cheap so you are barely out anything...except for a few minutes of your time.

I used DecoArt brand, metallic craft paint and a paint brush...

which I applied to an apple juice lid, cause that's how we roll in these parts.  Just grab whatever crap is lying around and make it work for you.

I used the lid to stamp gold dots all over one side of the pillow cover.

Don't worry if the circles don't come out perfect.  It will look great once you're totally done.

But, before you start stamping dots, make sure you line the inside of the pillow cover with paper towels or napkins to prevent bleeding onto the other side.

Here's the completed pillow. 

 The rule of thumb when stamping is to stamp in a triangle...so, if you were to isolate any three dots that are next to each other, they would form a triangle.   Try to keep them spaced evenly.

What do you think?  Worth the $3 price tag.

{and I just realized I never took the wrapping off of Stud's lamp shade...Threshold by Target in case you can't see the label :)}

I think so!

Gold is Good- Part Deux...an inexpensive upcycle

I bought some of these dainty, little vases at Ikea a while back.  

I didn't mind them.  They were cute {and perfectly priced at $3 a piece.  But, they were just a little to Ikea-y...if you know what I mean}.  I thought that giving them a customized make-over would be the perfect little project...cheap and easy.

Gold has been my go to color as of late.  I still love wood, and white and turquoise...but throw in a hint of gold and well, you're golden.  Gold is great for adding warmth, richness and visual interest to a space.

I knew with a little gold spray paint I could turn these simple vases into jewels.

I started by taping off what I didn't want painted.

Then I went to town with gold spray paint.

I really like Rust-oleum's metallic spray paint. 

It dries really shiny, really smooth, and really even.  And it gives really good coverage.

After I removed the tape, I noticed some very unsightly bleed through {don't you just hate that?}. 

 So, I devised a way to get a nice, clean edge.

The secret, a thick rubber band...readily found in any junk drawer.  

The rubber band stays nice and snug against the item being painted and can accomodate any variations {bumps or dents} in the surface.

I taped right up the edge of the painted line, then put the rubber band on so that it just overlapped the tape.  Then I tried painting again.

See how much nicer the edge turned out this time?

And here they all are together.  Aren't they cute?  The have so much more personality now.

I'm still shuffling them around, trying to find their new home.  But I don't really think it matters.  These little gems will look great anywhere.

On a side table...

 or on a coffee table...

So, if you have any items lying around the house in need of a little personality, why not grab a can of gold spray paint and see what happens.  Just try to use a little restraint.  You don't wanna turn your house into the Taj Mahal.

Gold is Good

This is just my humble opinion, but metallic accents in home decor are totally cool {or warm, depending on what kind of metal you prefer}!

While my love for raw, natural wood is endless and eternal, I do hold a special place in my heart for shiny things.  All girls love glamorous, shiny things to some degree.  I think it comes built into our DNA.

While I was sitting in my living room the other day, I thought to myself, " this room could really use some bling".

My attention quickly turned to this tree stump table I had purchased a little while back.  It was nestled in between to chairs... barely noticeable.  I had found the canvas for my next project.

 

I wanted to do something that would add "stand alone" character to the table, but would still be neutral enough to compliment a wide variety of colors/styles/patterns.   I decided to employ one of my very most, favorite products...DecoArt metallic craft paint.  I love how bright and shiny this paint dries.  It was $1.99.  Usually, I opt for cooler finishes like silver, but I decided to go outside my comfort zone and went with gold this time.

 

I think she turned out great, but you be the judge.
 

I really dig the juxtaposition of the metal and the wood.  Isn't blingy wood great?  My tree stump brings all the girls to the yard.  Does yours?

 

In this picture, the brush strokes are more noticeable than if you were to look at it in person...probably due to the flash.  But, it really isn't that noticeable in regular light.  Besides, I don't really mind the imperfect-ness of the paint.

Before, this little accent table was lost like a man in a foreign country.  But now, it totally stands out.  The gold adds both an element of warmth and interest against all of the neutral colors and natural materials in the space.

Whomever coined the phrase "diamonds are a girls best friend" obviously didn't have a totally rad, gold, chevron striped accent table/stool.

If you have a piece of furniture {or space at home} that seem a tad boring, why not consider adding some sparkle, interest and richness to them by incorporating metallic finishes.  You'll be surprised at the difference this little change can make.