Friday, December 30, 2011

A Painted Home

My daughter's room
We moved in to this house, our home, over 5 years ago.  It took some major work... tearing up old carpet, laying down new flooring, painting walls and ceilings... and that was just getting it to a liveable condition.

We continue to update, as we go... it's a never-ending process really... as any homeowner will tell you.

My husband handles the carpentry, plumbing, electrical tasks.  You know, the 'This Old House' sort of projects.  One thing I don't mind helping out with is painting.  It was my "job" to choose the color scheme for our home ~ two shades of yellow downstairs, and light tan for the bedrooms.

I've gradually added hand-painted details too... such as a blue diamond pattern above the kitchen cabinets, large white roses on a wall on either side of the kitchen sink, a red, textured back splash behind the oven, a brown patterned border in my daughter's room...

So, as I was organizing one of my kitchen cupboards, it occurred to me that the inside could look so much better with a little paint!  After removing our spices, the white liner was ripped out... there was a certain satisfaction in it, I must say!  Fortunately, I found it to be nice and clean... and unfinished underneath.

I gathered my acrylics, and chose brick red for the base color ~ mustard yellow for details.  The red was applied first and allowed to dry.  Next I painted a simple pattern resembling wheat for the trim.  After everything edible was removed from the area, I used a spray acrylic sealer to protect my work... although, I might try a different sealer next time.


This project was finished about a month ago, and it seems to be holding up.  Just wiped it down this morning, and didn't see any marks...  My plan is to finish the rest of the kitchen cabinets through the upcoming winter months.

It may seem like a lot of trouble to go through for such a little thing... my cabinets stay closed most of the time... but I can't tell you how many times I've smiled...


opening up that cupboard door... to see the mundane made pretty

looking up from washing dishes... to see a garden of white roses


or looking up with my daughter... to see flowers




In those moments all the trouble I've gone through is worth it.
I see much more painting in our home's future!




Thanks for stopping by!








6 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh that is a great creative idea. Id love to see more painted cupboards.

    - KAT -

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  2. oh this is lovely!

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  3. Oh Meghan this sooooo absolutely pretty!!!! Ilove it!!! I love decorating and it is always worth making something pretty even if no one else see it!! Those roses are beautiful!! I hope you share more of your renos and decorating!Happy New Year to you...

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  4. Megan, in a home the small details really do matter, and it is like unexpected splashes of sunshine, even if only to ourselves:)) That is reason enough, no?

    I think what you did is beautiful! Wow! thank-you for sharing. I hope you have a Happy New Year.
    Today we have the Christmas dinner with my family.
    70-something people.

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  5. Thank you Kat... and I agree!

    Laurie... thank you :)

    Lucy... thank you! I'm glad you agree that it's worthwhile to make something pretty, even if it's something only you see :) Thanks so much for the compliment on the roses... there are many more, that is just a close-up of some of my favorites :) I enjoy decorating so much, I'm sure there will be more posts like this... thank you so much for visiting, I enjoy reading all of your comments :)

    Janet... thank you! I'm definitely in to details! As I sit here, I'm reminded of something my mom once told me... our family lived out in the country when I was growing up, and we rarely had visitors. Yet, mom still decorated the house for every season... in great detail. Dad questioned why she went through all the 'trouble'... and she said it was for her and her family to enjoy, if no one else. So... I guess maybe all this is something I learned from mom... hmm... Hope your Christmas dinner went well! That's quite a family gathering :)

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