DH Giveaway Winners!
What a crazy week I had. So much work to do with clients, getting my home ready for the holidays, Christmas shopping. Is it like that for you? I hope these prizes will help dress your tree, or someone else’s. And I’m hoping the Paint Style book will inspire the winner to spruce up a room or two. If you need some help, just ask me!
The winner of the Lilly Pulitzer gift set is….
Shahida!
Congratulations! I’m giving Shahida the preppy name of Curly, after the woman who built our home, Curly Ledyard. She was the ultimate prepster. So, Curly! Your gift will be winging its way to your home on Monday.
The winner of the Paint Style book is….
Jeanne!
Jeanne is not in to pink and green. I’m sure she’ll find some excellent ideas to paint her home beautifully. Congratulations!
Next week, I’ll have two more giveaways. Stay tuned on Monday for the big reveal. Have a great weekend.
Last Day to Enter This Week’s Giveaways!
Have you entered to win the giveaways yet? Here are the details.
First up is this lovely set of Lilly Pulitzer photo frame Christmas ornaments. They’re from Grosse Pointe’s own Lilly shop, The Village Palm. To enter this giveaway, simple leave me a comment with your top-notch preppy name. Mine is Tucky. Feel free to borrow ir.
Next, is this fantastic book from Benjamin Moore. Paint Style is a real decorating book with lots of tips on how to paint and how to achieve different effects in your home. To enter, just leave a comment and let me know you wnat Paint Style. Or, let me know your name is Buffy and the Help will be needing that book. I’ll enter you in both!
The winner will be drawn at random tomorrow. So you have until the end of Friday to enter. Everyone living in the US and Canada is eligible. Good luck!
DH Giveaway: Paint Style
Let’s try this again. My new giveaway for this week is Paint Style, a terrific How-To book from Benjamin Moore.
The book is filled with tips for creating your own finishes and a perfect paint job. If you know someone who’s planning to take the holiday between Christmas and New Years to spruce up the house, this would make a great gift. Maybe it’s you!
The contest runs all week and I’ll announce the winner, chosen at random, on Saturday. I ship to the US and Canada.
To enter, simply leave a comment under any of the Paint Style giveaway posts and give us your paint tip. Or, ask me a painting question and I’ll answer it.
Good luck!
I’m Quoted in Stir – Thanks Rachel!
My blog buddy and color expert, Rachel Perls, wrote an article for Sherwin Williams’ Stir Magazine, quoting yours truly. Thanks Rachel!
The subject was online decorating as a profession. I think you’ll find the article interesting. You can link to it here.
For those of you who know me, you know I like to run Design Dilemmas where I redecorate spaces completely from photos. I wish I could do more of them and plan to in the future. It’s a time consuming thing and right now my time is crunched! I would only do these as a freebie and always underscore the importance of checking color options in real life. The reason? Because, as you’ll read in Rachel’s article, computer monitors do not reflect real life. Never assume that colors will match in real life because they do in Internet Land.
That doesn’t mean we can’t run a business long distance. But it has to involve the US mail.
Would you hire an online designer? I’m really interested to know if you have ever considered it.
Two DIY Projects
I received a couple of emails from readers who have seen my portfolio over at Houzz asking me how I did a couple of things. I thought I’d answer them here and share the wealth.
How did you paint that armoire?
Ann wants to know what paint I used for this armoire. Originally, it was plain pine. Here are the steps to do this yourself.
- First, primed the furniture with a low VOC primer. Or, you can use Kilz. Have the paint shop tint the primer for you.
- Painted the furniture with Benjamin Moore’s Chili Pepper (#2004-20). You can use latex, but an oil-based paint will show fewer brush marks. Alternatively, you can use a sponge roller, but I can’t vouch for the results since I’ve never done it this way.
- Yet another idea is to ask an auto body shop if they can do it for you. I’ve had furniture painted there, but I used Bondo and car paint. I don’t know if they can set up latex.
- Expect to use 4 coats to cover; that’s typical with red paint. The warmer the red, the fewer the coats.
- Please remember that colors vary widely from monitor to monitor. The red you see might not be the exact red you want. Any deep-based red you like will work fine.
How did you make that metal wall?
I created this metal-clad, magnetic wall using perforated, galvanized steel from McNichols. I ordered the sheets online and had them cut for me. Here’s how to do it.
- First, choose the perforated style you like. If you want a magnetic wall, you must use galvanized steel. Stainless won’t work.To see the selection, follow this link.
- Make sure you choose a perf size with holes large enough for your mounting screws to fit through the holes.
- Measure your wall carefully to create a template. McNichols cut the sheets to fit my template. For example, I bought 3 sheets. Two were flat. The third was cut to fit over the wall and then over the door.
- Paint your wall the color of your choice.
- If you live in a humid climate, the steel might rust, so you’ll need to prep it by spraying it with a clear coat of Rustoleum.
- Mount your sheets you will need flat metal pieces I bought at the hardware store. I used those to frame out the edges of each sheet. Then, I used flat screws, up the middle, to attach the panels to the wall more securely.
Now, have fun buying all kinds of magnets. You can use hooks for hanging calendars and hats. I like this idea because your child (or you) can change out the decor easily. My son is not longer interested in space and ships. He’s 16, so what do you think he has on the wall now?
By the way, if you’re wondering why my portfolio isn’t on my site, it’s coming soon! I’m planning a redesign to launch in January.
Do you have a DIY project you’d like to share? Have you seen something somewhere and need ideas on how to make it yourself? Contact me and I’ll create a plan.
