Wahoo! Time for another Makeover Monday! Sometimes it's kinda major (I can't wait to share next weeks makeover!!!) and sometimes, well...it's just the little things. This week, it's small and super simple. Can we all say a buck? Uno denero? Chump change? Maybe even free? Ahhh yeah!
A couple weeks ago I was at the Habitat for Humanities Restore in SLC. I bought two long cabinet doors, one square, a bunch of kitchen door fronts (sounds strange, but oh the projects swimming in my head!) and...a switch plate. Actually, it was $5 for all the cabinet doors and the guy added the switch plate at the end for free! Woot!
But, trust me folks, it was not in pretty shape. The design was simple and had a vaguely art deco feel to it, but it was originally cream and had definitely yellowed over the years. Plus it was really dirty. Ick. Not to worry! A little elbow grease got the dirt right off, and a little Krylon spray paint made it look FABulous!
Before:
After:
Amazing, right? I freakin' love spray paint. Here's the play by play...
First, obviously, I cleaned off the switch plate. Secondly, I set up a little high-tech station outside on my front walk.
Switch plate? Check. Spray paint? Check. Super high-tech cardboard painting station? Ummm...check. :)
Then, I thought to myself, "Self...how are we going to paint the new screws to match?" Well, obviously we're going to have to spray some of the paint into a jar or plate and use a brush to carefully dab the quick-drying paint on the tops of each screw, one by one, waiting until the first screw has dried before setting it down to paint the next screw to avoid smudging the freshly coated metal...
*
"Hmmm...", I thought. "Sounds like a lot of work. Maybe white screws on a frosted champagne colored plate won't look so bad..."
Then I had a "light bulb" moment (if you've seen Despicable Me, just imagine Gru saying, "Light bulb..." in his funky European drawl): I have screws. I have masking tape. Masking tape is sticky. Sticky stuff makes non-sticky stuff, um, stick! Maybe I could gently press the screws to the tape, spray paint the screws, and have a perfect spot for even coverage (without a brush - yay!) and a place to let them dry. Woot!
Please, no applause. Oh alright, go ahead. ;)
Isn't it lovely? A simple change, I know, but I really like the personal touch it gives my front room. Before, the previous white switch plate just blended into the paint - which was okay, but living in a rental for the past five years has just started to get to me. I finally decided that it was high time to stop playing like everything is temporary. I'm changing fixtures, furniture (no more "disposable" stuff from big chain stores), and learning to embrace the white walls that I cannot paint. What does that mean? A softer color palette, more natural textures and fabrics, and some more do-it-yourself furniture remakes and decor projects - lucky you!
Happy Crafting!
P.S. What do you guys think about colored switch plates? Pretty? Personal? Stylish? Distracting? Overdone?
P.P.S. Like my pink striped candy cane paper in the little frame near the door? It was leftover from Christmas but I figured since it was pink I was allowed to keep it up for Valentine's Day! And yes, that's still my holiday topiaries in the last photo. It's just a pine. That's okay, right? *sigh* Okay, okay. I'll take them down. *sniff*
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{top photo courtesy of trendir.com}