The Stooch Life

I've Moved!

2011-09-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

I'm now blogging over a Flawed Yet Functional!

Hop on over!

Picture Frame Collage

2011-08-10T21:33:00.000-04:00

I've started collecting cheap frames to do a frame collage above the couch in our family room. I'm trying to narrow down my ideas.

I'm a pretty clean-cut kinda girl. So while I like looking at ones like this. I think its a little too messy for me.

Source: None via Emily on Pinterest

I'm really drawn to black and white. I like this one. I'd probably go with less frames and more sizes of frames.

Source: jordanguidedesign.com via Emily on Pinterest

In contrast, I really like white frames too. I also truly love Young House Love. I read them everyday. I admit it.

Source: younghouselove.com via Emily on Pinterest

This one speaks to me as well. It is courtesy of Pottery Barn. I'm thinking of how I could wrap a frame in burlap or maybe wrap a mat in burlap. I like the texture and variation is gives the collage.

Source: walldesignideas.net via Emily on Pinterest

Empty frame collages. They look lovely in the pictures. I love the colors, textures, and shapes that people put together. I'm not sold on the idea for my house. Like I said, I'm a clean lines kind of girl. I think this is just too ornate for me. If you can call painted, empty frames ornate.

Source: meribellechic.wordpress.com via Colleen on Pinterest

That's as far as my ideas have formed. Have you done a collage? What types of frames did you put together? How did you decide what to put in the frames?

The Word on Spray Painting Hardware

2011-08-09T20:50:00.002-04:00

I made a cryptic message at the end of the Front Door Reveal post about things not being as good as they seem. I'm here to inform you all that spray paint is not quite as awesome as you might think.

I've been contemplating spray painting hardware for some time. I asked my dad and husband their thoughts on the subject, and both advised against it. They both thought that spray painted items could not withstand daily use.

I continued to ruminate on the subject for several months, unconvinced.

Do you know how AWESOME it would be to paint all of the brassy-gold knobs in my house a lovely oil-rubbed bronze? Not only would it give my house an instant update, it would be super cheap. One can of my beloved spray paint is $7.28 at Home Depot. One interior door knob is $17.50. One set for our front door is a whopping $149.99. These are on the cheap side. This update gets expensive quick, fast, and in a hurry.

So you see why I was so enamored by the idea of spray paint?

I spent under $20 on the spray paint for the handles and hinges on those two doors, and I have plenty of paint left over for a few more.

I did read this post that said something silly about letting the paint cure for three days. Three days??? Who has that kind of time?

I didn't. So I put them on after 36 hours. Bad idea.

Time was not our only issue. We may have been able to pull it off had I tried to label which screws go with which hinges which go in which order on which door. :)

Let's just say I had only managed to separate the hardware by door: front vs. garage. I left my darling husband with six hinges, 24+ screws, and a sets of door knobs for each door and said, "Please put the doors back together, honey!"

Bad wife of the century.

We have one extra screw and two missing screws from two different hinges. The one screw left over does not fit into either said hole. Oops. Very bad wife.

Let's just say the doors didn't slide back on the hinges like you might think.

Dan is a beast though, and he did manage to get both doors back on (the second door took a little help from our wonderful neighbor, Ethan). It was a mighty hard, mighty sweaty job. No A/C, bum ankle, and a weakling wife who messed up all the screws. Sorry again, honey.

So the hinges got really scraped up. Yep, they look like death. I'm thinking of how I can fix those. I might give them a quick coat while still on the door. Just to gloss things over...

The dead bolt is the other issue. I didn't think about how much depth the paint was going to add. Now the paint is too thick so it scrapes every time you lock/unlock. Oops again.

Back to the drawing board.

For the time being, the doors are functional so lovely hardware will stay. We are debating what to do next.

I was very sad when I realized how bad this was turning out. However, it was an experiment in the first place. We (Dan included!) agreed to give the spray paint a go as a cheap fix before we purchase new hardware.

Hindsight says if I had labeled things better and let it cure for 3 days we might have been ok. Save the deadbolt, maybe not him.

From a distance, things look ok...

Front Door Reveal

2011-08-08T21:24:00.001-04:00

So remember my "during the day fix." I was pretty adamant it would be fixed by nightfall wouldn't you say?

I was so wrong.

Here's a glimpse at our front and garage doors. I felt like I was camping in my own house.

The noise from the outdoors was quite loud, and the fear of racoons invading our house was very real.

Note the boots beside the ottoman/coffee table. Remind anyone of our barricades against the tent door during family vacations? Ah, the memories... One time, I even tied the zipper pulls to side doors of the tent door together with an elastic hair tie. To keep the critters out, ya know?

Better safe than sorry, right?

On to the important stuff...the big reveal!

Here she is in all her glory!

Front Door:

Garage Door:

I used Behr Exterior Paint and Primer-in-one in Satin finish in Dragonfly tinted 50% darker. I really love the color. It so close to this picture, I could squeeze it!

To say I love, love, love it would be an understatement. Dan isn't sure it matches, but he said he's happy if I like it. I love that man!

Now for some before and afters. Bear with me, I do not have Photoshop nor do I know how to edit pictures. This is the best I could do in 5 minutes in Paint. :) I try to put my best foot forward here on this blog.

Doesn't it look great?

Garage Door:

Um...Yes...Love. Love. Love it!

Not all is as good as it seems, but that's another post for another day. Goodnight, all!