Granite Countertops- Faux real!

Before I say anything....this is what I started with.  I'll give you a second to retain your composure from the PINK countertops. 

Back?  Since we moved into this place, I had been trying to figure out how to cover up the ghastly pink countertops in the green walled kitchen...(ugh, rentals) when I decided to paint the countertops! 

Here's a supply list: 

Water based Primer that is Tintable- I used Zinnser Cover Stain
Acrylic paint in a variety of shades
Minwax Polycrylic Topcoat
a sea sponge
The cheap watercolor paintbrushes
Painters tape
Foam Roller-for primer

That's after two coats of primer.  TWO COATS.  That was some pink, I tell ya.  

On to the granite look.  I got acrylic paints from the craft section...I don't think they were more than 50 cents each! I got a few colors, browns, beiges, tans, blacks.

  I saw a few tutorials online and they used socks, crumpled up plastic bags, and other weird things, but I didn't want to take the chance and splurged for a 5$ bag of sea sponges. :)

I don't have any progression pictures because once I started, I couldn't stop.  The first layer I did was a black, and you have to basically cover the surface of the counter with a light bouncy tap in random spots, and try to do it in a circular or zig-zag "shape" because you don't want the spots to look too uniform. After I did the black, I did a tan to cover up all the beige primer and around the black that I did first.  Then I took a deeper tan and filled in more spots all over.  I might have went back in to add more black but then decided not to do so much of it.  You have to step back once in a while and see how it looks.  TIP: I used one sea sponge for each color and kept them on separate plates.

You want to do one color on all the surfaces at once and then go back and do the second layer on all the countertops at once.  Don't do all the layers on just one countertop, because you'll forget what you did and it'll make the countertops looks different.  The hard part is getting in the crevices where the counter and backsplash meet and any edges.  That's where you'll use the cheap watercolor paintbrushes. And you also want to work quickly before the paint gets too dry so you can achieve a more subtled layered look.

OH, when I was done with the different colors (and my hand looked like a claw), I flickered some glitter all over the countertops, cuz hey, you can never have too much ** sparkle ** :)

For the top coat, I knew I wanted something heavy duty that would withstand my deep cleaning antics.  And I wanted something that would be super shiny.  I used Minwax Polycrylic in Gloss, I got the smallest size can, I think it's a 1/2 pint? Not sure. But, I did 10 coats.  Yes, 10.  I don't know why that number was in my head, but it went by pretty quickly.  The hardest part was letting it all cure and not putting anything back on the counters for 5 days.  I usually don't do more than 3 days, but with the heavy microwave and mixers that would be staying on the counters, I didn't want to take any chances for indents or markings coming up.  And that's it!! Sounds pretty in depth, but in my opinion, anything is better than pink countertops.  And I don't think it cost me more than 25$.  

Here's a few shots of it all completed with the top coat on it.  

 and a Side by side comparison for good measure to end it out! 

Linked up at Tatertots & Jello

My first DIY up-do plus a How to paint furniture tutorial

Ever since I've started reading blogs and articles on updating furniture, I've been wanting to get my hands on a piece that I could make-over.  My cousin was gracious enough to give me some furniture and a dresser from that lot was the perfect contender! I didn't have space for it in my bedroom where it was intended to go, so I was planning on converting it into a dining room hutch.  Then my sister gave me the idea to put it in the kitchen where storage was lacking.  I knew I wanted to paint it white so it would make the space feel bigger and more open.

I, of course, didn't take any before pictures because I was in a hurry to get started! I found this picture on-line which was the exact piece that I had.

I've gotten a lot of questions on what steps I took to paint this, so I thought I'd write up a tutorial on what I did.

I just moved so I had no supplies and started with nothing, and still finished it in a weekend, with two toddlers toddling around, so if I can do it, you definitely can! This is a super duper long post because I'm very detail oriented and if there's any beginners out there, I want to help you as much as I can.

Let's start!

1. Prep your piece 

Wherever you're going to be painting your furniture, make sure you get a nice big drop cloth to cover all surrounding areas.

• make sure the piece is completely clean of any oils, spills, debris, etc.  I used a little Castile soap and water to get it all spic and span. 
• Remove all existing hardware, keep all the pieces in a ziplock bag. 
• Make sure you have a painting tray with removable liners for the primer and the paint.
• I always wear disposable gloves (the doctor/dentist kind) to save me the hassle of washing paint off my hands! So keep a few pairs...or in my case...a box handy.  
• A good wipe cloth to wipe away dust or debris after sanding.  

2. Sanding

Next, using a medium grit sandpaper, sand the whole piece and remove any glossy finish.  I focused on the top of the dresser where there were minor scratches and evened it all out. Since I was painting, I didn't need to sand it down to the bare wood, just sand it down to a dull, even surface.

If you're changing the knobs or pulls, now would be the time to fill the old holes with wood filler as well.  I didn't....more on that later! 

3. Priming 

If you want a good finish that will last for a long time, priming is key.  If you're distressing your piece, (which will show the dark finish underneath it) you don't need to prime.  I used a 2-3 inch small roller brush on the top and sides of the dresser and on the drawer fronts. To get into the small spaces around the drawers and at the bottom, I used a one inch brush. I did two light coats of the primer because the color of the original piece was very dark and there was some color bleeding through after the first coat dried.  I used half of a one quart paint can of primer.  A little bit goes a long way!

4. Painting

Once my primer was completely dry, I poured out my paint! I used Valspar Latex indoor/outdoor paint in a gloss finish.  The finish can be gloss or satin, it won't matter because the sealer will determine the final finish or sheen.

 

To sort of "extend the life of the paint", I added Floetrol, a paint conditioner to slow down the drying time of the paint, which in turn will minimize any roller or brush strokes. This is for latex paints only and will not alter the color of your paint.  

Before you start painting, use a fine grit sanding sponge to sand and smooth away any drips from the primer.  

I used a 6 inch roller brush to paint the top and sides of the dresser and a high quality 2 inch angled brush for the grooves.  You also want to go back and brush away the edge marks from the foam roller. This is also where the Floetrol comes in handy, it gives you time to go back and smooth away any marks from the roller or paint brush.  

Once the first coat was fully dry (4-6 hours), I sanded with a fine grit sanding sponge, wiped away any debris and then went to paint the second coat and let that dry for 24 hours.

I ended up using half of the quart of paint and about half of the Floetrol bottle.


5. Protectant

Unless you have the patience to let your paint fully cure for a whole month, you definitely need to seal all your hard work with a protectant.

After your second coat of paint has dried for 24 hours, apply a WATER based polyurethane to protect the surface.  I used one can of spray paint to do three coats, letting the coats dry in between for half an hour each.  Do not use oil based if you're using white or any light paint, it will yellow over time.  Oil based polyurethane is fine for a dark color.

Once it's dry, it's ready to use but it's best to handle it ever so lightly just for a day or two.

6. Final touches

If you're adding hardware by drilling new holes, you would do it before sealing the paint, just in case you had to go back and fix anything with paint.  I wasn't changing the hardware or drilling new holes so I screwed them back in at the end.  I cheaped out and didn't have the heart to pay $5 a handle for the ones I liked, especially since I would need 14 handles.  So I bought a white primer and paint spray bottle and blasted a super thick coat of paint on them.  This was at the end of my night and I just wanted to sleep!  In hindsight, I should've done two light coats, waiting for each one to dry.  But now these have the "distressed" look and I kinda like it!

Once it's all done, you are ready to assemble and admire!

I also lined the drawers with some contact paper I had leftover from the pantry.  :)

Good luck!

How I've been keeping busy

Ever since moving back to the states, I've been living at my sister's place.  She just moved into her house a year ago and with four kids and work, she hasn't had time to do much to the place...nor does she have any desire to.  Well, I have a bug in me that's always itching to do all things Pinteresty! Her house is the perfect place to do it cuz she gives me all the reins and lets me do whatever I want to do! Here's a few things that I've done in the last couple of weeks.  The pictures are pretty self-explanatory.   The mudroom baskets are from Walmart and the hooks are from Home Depot .  My sister already had the rack that we used to put storage totes for the winter accessories, it's this one: hat racK

Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr 2013 (Better late than never...oops)

Ok so I realize this is about 2 months too late, but I figure better late than never.  Just wanted to recap on my Ramadan 2013 and Eid 2013 decor.  

What started it all was making my own Ramadan countdown calendar with my niece while she was in town.  I had a lot of felt left over from previous projects and thought this would be a good time to use it.  Now, let me be clear...I SUCK at sewing.  I'm worse than a beginner.  If I can make it, anyone can! I just took strips of white and green fabric, put them on the blue fabric and sewed around and created pockets from the bottom up.  I then sewed the blue onto the large brown piece.  At one little spot, I sewed a ribbon in between the blue and brown layers that would reach all across the calendar.  When that was all done, I attached a small plastic crescent moon that I cut out of a clear plastic cutting board.  Haha.  

Once it was all sewn together, we used hot glued to write the numbers on and covered them in glitter, added some moons and stars, and a cute little Eid pocket.  

We also made a pillow with some fabric and paint on hand, using my favorite Eidway Stencils-Link here.

To tie all the blues and browns together, I added my peacock feathers in a vase and laid a beautiful, silver prayer rug that my friend brought back from Saudia Arabia.

The rest of the decor was just printables that I have put up available here: Ramadan series printables, Ramadan subway art.  

That's my niece, opening up her first fast! Every time she fasted, I put a little treat to go in the calendar pocket so she had something to look forward to.  

Eid Countdown printable in a glass vase.  I cut out a little chalkboard vinyl circle and stuck it on the frame and used a chalkboard marker to count down the days! 

The Eid decor was just a string a pom poms, white, light pink, and hot pink cascading down! And some Eid Creation decoration swirls (link here: Eid Creation Product page) with some more Eid printables.  

With a Eid mubarak pillow using my eidway stencil (link here)

I also happened to have a light pink and hot pink scarf that worked perfectly in this ensemble! 

The Ramadan and Eid materials used were all things I had already purchased and was trying to use them up! I think I only bought the black paint for stenciling the pillow.  And I got black so I could use it more than say a pink or a yellow.  

Sorry this was too late, but I hope it inspires you to create something! =) 

Eid Al Adha 2013

There's something about decorating for Eid that is so much fun.  I was getting lazy for a bit and was thinking "eh", I won't do it this time, but then I got inspired by all the fall colors that I'm seeing all over the internet.  I say internet because there is nothing "fall"ing in Dubai; no trees, no leaves, no crisp cool autumn breeze. :( But that doesn't mean I can't bring a little bit back into my home! 

The idea for these stencils was inspired by Nat at My Sister's Suitcase in this post.

I started off by using my Eidway stencils  on some candles.  I taped the stencils on, put a layer of Mod Podge and poured some glitter over it.  I peeled the stencil off rather quickly so I could fix anything if it went underneath but it was pretty clean so I didn't have to do much! I have to say, I love these stencils, I've used them for baking and decorating so much! I figured since it's Eid-Al-Adha, I would definitely use the sheep stencil and then I used the mosque and the crescent moon/star one.  (I already had the glitter, Mod podge, and stencils on hand and all three candles cost me $6).  

I made this really easy picture in Picmonkey, using a Eid Mubarak in arabic clip art with a chalkboard background.  I made it in a A3 paper size which is about 11x16.  I bought the frame from Daiso(!) so that was $2.  Once it was hung up, I felt it was kind of plain so I decided to embellish it with some felt flowers.  I've always wanted to make these and have SO MUCH felt leftover from a quiet book project. 

I used the Paper & Stitch blog for an easy how-to.  I used her "Rosette" tutorial to guide me for the first time.  Once I made one, I was on a rolllllll.   Once they were made and I placed them in a way that kinda made sense, I hot glued them onto the frame.  

Then I had hubby print me off some printables that I quickly made, again in PicMonkey! 

  I also used the branches that I used for my Spring decor (see link here). I knew I wanted to use yellows, reds and browns. and luckily I just happened to have a scarf with all these colors in it so I spread that over some candle holders for height underneath and laid everything out and it all kinda came together! The 'Eid Mubarak' pillow I made for Eid al Fitr 2013 (which I just realized I never posted about!) I'll have to do a later-post about that soon.  

All in all this whole tablescape cost me less than $10 cuz I tried to use whatever I had on hand! I'm glad I decided to go for it, it makes me feel all happy when I walk in the house! 

This post was linked up to Classy Clutter link party, Iheartnaptime, Posed Perfection
*I'm new to the whole link party thing so if I'm doing this wrong, forgive me!