Playing with Paint!

I was in Chintz the other day, which is a high end furniture store in Vancouver.  I saw some amazing furniture that really inspired me.  I usually just paint my furniture one colour, but I saw some pieces with really neat designs, like checkers and stripes, and that got me thinking......I really need to try this!  So I bought an old dresser and the project began!

Here is the before picture.  Unfortunately, I was so eager to get started that I already took the handles off when I realized I should take a picture first.  So here it is without the handles and the top primed.

Before

Getting ready to be primed.  I always take the handles off, and cupboards
out before painting them.  I always prime first, with paint primer.  Doing
this will allow the paint to adhere better to the wood, and resists
chipping in the future.  You will also use less paint as the primer
creates a seal so the paint won't soak into the wood.   

This was definitely the hard part-measuring! I used painters tape to section
off the black and white stripes.  I used regular semi-gloss paint.  I pulled
out the cupboards and did them separately, so the top and sides of
the cupboards would be painted.  It took two coats of paint and I tried
 to use a small roller (3 inches) so that there wouldn't be
many brush stroke lines.  

Primed cupboards are in the dresser, and now I'm just trying to match
all the lines together!

I took the handles off to paint them separately, as
I like the look of the black against the white.
Sometimes I change out the handles if they are not
that nice, but I liked these,  so decided to just
paint them!

Finally Finished!  Measuring up the stripes was definitely more work than

any other piece I have done, but it turned out alright.

Next time I am definitely going to do more stripes,

but for the first time I wanted to keep it

relatively simple:)

My Love Affair with Chandeliers!

Ok, so I have a bit of an obsession with Chandeliers. I have several in my house, and LOVE them. They add so much drama to a room and give that extra detail.  Light fixtures are an important aspect of a room, dated light fixtures will date a room no matter how modern your furniture and accessories might be.  You don't have to spend a fortune on light fixtures.  Going into high end light fixture stores can be a bit overwhelming and is an easy way to blow your renovation budget.  Most of my chandeliers are from home hardware stores, like Home Depot or Rona.  I spray painted both of my Home Depot chandeliers, as they were a dark brown, rustic colour, and I wanted a more dramatic and classy look.  I spray painted one chandelier white and the other black before preforming the labour intensive job of putting the glass crytals on the chandeliers (this takes hours as they usually do not come assembled).  None of my chandeliers are crystal but they do have glass pendents, which still look classy.  I tried a plastic chandelier but it just looked too cheap. I like the glass pendents because they still look expensive.  

Kitchen Chandelier....

Spray painted Home Depot Chandelier, less than $200

Glass Crytals not real crystals look expensive but are
an more budget friendly option.

Kitchen Chandelier...need some writing on that
chalkboard painted wall though:)

Bathroom Chandelier....

Chandelier, a smaller size than the above kitchen chandelier but the
same style, spray painted white.

Bathroom Chandelier less than $100, Home Depot.

Dining Room Chandelier.....

This one is a bit more modern, it's made out of
plexi-glass,with black glass pendants.  It was a
Christmas gift from my parents.

Dining Room Chandelier

Finally, a chandelier in the bedroom.....

Rona Chandelier, less than $100.

Others that I love....and wish I had....

Classy and elegant, Pottery Barn, $449.00

Amazon, Crawford 4 Bulb Chandelier, $135.99

Amazon, Crystal Teardrop
Mini Chandelier, $106.20

WOW soooo dramatic!  Amazon, French Empire Crystal
Chandelier, $297.00

Light In the Box, Modern Candle Crystal Chandelier
$374.99

Wrought Iron Crystal Chandelier, Amazon $99.00