Furniture face lift!

My husband and I spent our Canada day doing various chores around the house (sounds like fun right?). We had been putting off these chores for some time, with a new baby and busy work schedules we just did not have the time. One of the day's tasks was the empty the garage and find our patio set. Find it we did and boy it looked tired! We still set it up in the rear yard but it truly looked pathetic. Truth be told it was a hand me down from someone who purchased newer and nicer patio furniture for themselves - so it was already pretty used but we took it and have not really used it - maybe because it looked so awful.

We discussed buying a new set with all the sales on now but did not see anything that we really liked, so why spend the money. As a short term solution we decided to spray paint our current set, use it for the summer and if we wanted to, maybe purchase something new next spring.

We were not sure how the set would turn out but it had to be slightly better than how it looked currently. We went to the Home Improvement store and purchased our cans of Rust-Oleum spray paint. They had a ton of colours and finishes (textured, smooth etc...) check out their website http://www.rustoleum.com/ for ideas and see all the things you can do at your home with a little bit of spray paint. Check out Inspiration page for ideas and do it yourself resources for tips and tricks.

Our set looks brand new and spectacular. We were able to choose colours that worked with some other item we had in the yard and we even decided to paint the wicker chairs too! It did not take long and it was a fun project to do together at home.

It is amazing what a face lift can do!

Bold statement

Want to make a bold statement in any room?

We have all seen the design shows where the snotty designer dressed in all black leaves a room screaming because of the dreaded ceiling fan. But the ceiling fan has come a long way, there are many styles but they can get expensive. From an eco-friendly perspective ceiling fans can also drastically reduce the energy consumption in a household. A punch of colour upgrades a ceiling fan from merely functional to a bold focal point (and a conversation piece).

Here's a great DIY idea to use an existing and practical ceiling fan and make it pop!!

1 -- Remove the ceiling fan and medallion from the ceiling.

2 -- Use a screwdriver to take of the blades and open the motor casing.

3 -- Lightly sand all surfaces to be painted (it looks best when the entire piece is painted)

4 -- Cover ventilation holes in motor casing from the inside with painter's tape.

5 -- With a damp cloth wipe the ceiling fan clean

6 -- Evenly spray all fan parts and medallion with Rust-Oleum paint (comes in all colours - brights and neutrals even metallic), which is the only one to use as it can withstand the heat from the motor.

7 -- Once the paint is completely dry, re-install and voila!

Be an individual and make your ceiling fan one too!