Create Your Decor Archives - Page 99 of 137

Over the Memorial Day Weekend, I had big plans of adapting this adorable All You magazine outdoor canopy tutorial for use over our completely unshaded backyard patio.

It has such an effortless and breezy charm about it, don’t you agree? The instructions were simple, the supplies relatively inexpensive, and I thought it could buy us some time while we save the money for a permanent structure and an extended patio. Because we live in a very windy area, I knew I’d have to use heavier stakes and we’d have to attach it to our house.

Well, to make a long story short, it was a huge DIY fail. Tom and I worked on it for almost two days before it all fell down on top of us – literally. We tried a few different variations and realized that this particular idea was just not going to work. I didn’t even bother to take any photos, because it was such a big fat fail.

This is the time when you have know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. Sometimes, it’s just better to BUY (or hire out) than DIY, and knowing that fine line is one of the most valuable skills a DIY’er can have. Big things that we know we will never do as weekend warriors is any electrical work past the breaker box, anything regarding our home’s foundation, garage door springs, and pretty much anything that requires a permit. We ended up spending the money to buy a semi-permanent shade solution for our backyard, and we wish we would have gone that route for the get go. Live and learn! {I’ll share photos once I finish the space.}

Have you ever tried to DIY and just ended up buying something or hiring out instead? Share your story!

After I tried my hand at glazing Miss Matched, I can’t get the technique off my mind. Glaze can be mixed in a wide range of colors, and it looks amazing applied to wooden cabinets and furniture.

But what about other surfaces, such as metal and plastic? Could non-wood pieces be glazed?

Last week, I decided to find out for myself. I had a black birdcage that I spray painted Valspar’s Mediterranean Blue, but it seemed a little flat. So, I broke out a cheap chip brush and my left over Ralph Lauren glaze (tinted to Black Silk). I applied the glaze to a small section, making sure I covered it well.

Then, I used a wet paper towel to wipe off the glaze – wiping off more in some areas than in others.

I glazed the whole cage section by section using that process. When I got to the base of the cage, I glazed the round section by spiraling my brush around the circle.

I wiped off the glaze with a wet paper towel following the same spiral pattern. I left the pieces outside to dry in the sun for about an hour.

The glaze really brought new life to what was once really boring. It has a lot of texture and depth now, and details are now pronounced that I didn’t even know existed previously – like the little claw feet.

Glazing metal worked so well, that I decided to try it on plastic. I sprayed a nondescript buffet lamp a shade of medium gray and applied the glaze to it using the same technique. Again, it gave this boring lamp a new life.

I’m starting to get worried that I’m going to glaze everything in my house now. I really love the look! What about you? Have you tried your hand at glazing yet? What do you already own that could you enhance with this technique?

P.S. My friend Sara is in the running to win a huge sewing room makeover from Bernina and Home Depot. She’s a great gal and military wife who sells on Etsy and donates her time making memorial/burial gowns for sweet babies who became angels too soon. I’d love if you could give her a vote to keep her in the top 10. 🙂 If you have a FB account, you can vote by clicking here. And I promise (maybe) that this will be the last time I ask for your votes for a while!

When DIY Becomes BUY

Glazing Metal and Plastic Surfaces