Is This The End of my Career?!

Was over at Jules' treasure trove of homes the other day,

and was "horrified" to find this (hehe)...

a spectacular spot with several unpainted walls!!!

What's worse, I actually sort of liked the patina here! ARGHH!

I've never lived with an unpainted wall, 

obviously that's always first on my list...

the spackle is barely dry and I'm in there with primer :)

Jules mentioned she has seen this popping up here and there, 

and I'm just hoping, lovelies, that no one on this side of the pond is getting any ideas :)

...because if you are I'm in trouble, LOL!

(ps - if you're not reading the Diversion Project,

you are seriously missing out!

Not sure how she does it,

but Jules presents one of the most delectable assortments of abodes I've ever seen -

ALL THE TIME!)

the right way to paint furniture

My love for painted furniture runs deep.

I have no qualms about transforming a worn old wood piece with a lick of color.

It's like painting a wall, 

my heart is bursting when that first bit goes on and it is PERFECT!

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One of my must-reads every day is Better After -

do you visit?

Lindsey features fantastic readers re-dos (say that five times fast!),

and her charismatic writing is not to be missed :)

source

That said, there are so many redo's out there people begin to think it's easy.

It's really not.

You can slap on a quick coat of paint, of course -

and it will look just that, slapped on.

To really bring a tired piece up to par it needs LOVE.

And by love I mean elbow grease.

Preparation is a must.

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This morning I read a fantastic primer at Effortless Style

detailing how to properly paint a piece of furniture.

I must say, I usually use the wood putty first, sand, then prime and sand,

but Camila is a painting star, and really goes the distance to ensure a proper finish.

Pop over and read her process..

it's rather full of great tips for reviving your latest thrift find.

Great color, yes?

Today I am picking up materials to get the blinds started..

hope to show them to you by weeks end!

Have a great day :)

Eye Spy a Trend: Color-Tipped Furniture

I don't usually re-post from another blog, 

but after seeing this on Poppytalk and Bijou and Boheme

this morning I was so inspired!

I have missed an issue during re-subscription madness, and hadn't seen this yet -

color-tipped furniture!

A bit like dip-dyed clothing, non?

What a fab way to freshen up a few pieces around the house,

 because shabby chic is looking a bit, well, shabby to me these days :)

Above, from House and Home, and the creative genius of Cameron McNeil.

Below, from the Etsy shop, Sparrow"s Nest, from Nichole of Parlour.

then I went exploring... how cool would these be with a little color dip enhancement?

I'm off to search the house for victims :)

Can This Paint Change Design?

Does anyone remember those hypercolor t-shirts that changed color with body heat?

Memories of kiosks in the mall heaped with garishly colored cottons

 and people huggingt-shirts to their chests gleefully experimenting..

This trip down memory lane was courtesy of

The Alsa Corperation - 

who are manufacturing a paint that is heat reactive.

It begins as a base coat of white,

with either black or blue eclipse on top.

As the paints heats, it will change from the black or blue color to white!

If you like, you can add a "candy coat" on top of the eclipse paint -

which will result in the black or white becoming the other color you have chosen.

There are also glitter options! (do not, under any circumstances, tell Coco!)

While this is a wee bit gimmicky, I wonder if it harkens to future possibilities..

imagine a room that can change color to repel or absorb the suns rays as we choose..

Energy efficient walls?

There are huge design considerations here as well,

imagine the ability to have different colors in a room dependent on the time of day.

Obviously the color options would have to be expanded hugely,

the current finishes look like something you would find on a bike frame, not a wall -

 but still..

 thoughts?

Oh, yes, and thought you may get a kick out of these options that are floating around..

I see dorm room possibilites..

synthetic snakeskin Please Touch Pillow..

You have all seen this one, I'm sure..

and Shi Yuan also made a fading calendar and interactive art..

Apartment Therapy found this Yala Sofa by Elliat Rich that I quite like -

some people at  Moving Color that are exploring ideas..

and there is a really lengthy article here about the technical side

 if you need to know how it works - I admit I did not read it well.. visual learner :)

Are we going to find tasteful way to use this technology to our advantage in interiors?

Or will it remain relegated to baby spoons and gimmicks?

til next time..