I go crazy for a good statement door, it’s essentially the first impression your home makes on your visitors. I’ve been wanting to give mine a makeover ever since I bought my home nearly five years ago, and like a lot of projects simply haven’t had the time to devote to it. So when Sherwin-Williams asked me to participate in National Painting Week I knew just what I was going to tackle with hardly any thought – the off-white entrance to my home that was drab and unappealing and just blah.
When I started pulling together some inspiration to try and zero in on a color I realized I have a serious addiction, I had loads of front doors that I’d been bookmarking all along and had a tough decision ahead of me. Did I want classic? Maybe something more modern?
This door has been on my desktop for months now, so I took the hint and went with it. I used Sherwin-William’s Chip It color-matching site to find the shade I wanted, something a bit brighter than these called Energetic Orange.
My project will be up next Wednesday along with a few tips I learned along the way. There will also be projects from 13 other design bloggers celebrating National Painting Week beginning next Monday, and each day NationalPaintingWeek.com will be sharing inspiration, ideas, and more to get your jazzed about your own painting projects. Get ready, it’s gonna be a colorful week of before and afters!
There are a few things in this world to which I have a difficult time committing. Paint is one of them. I’ve seen images of brightly painted door edges floating around for months now, and I love the look but couldn’t… you know. Then the other day it hit me, why not washi tape my office door’s edge instead?! This project is perfectly impermanent and takes approximately two minutes to execute, how’s that for instant gratification? All you need is your favorite roll of washi tape and an X-acto knife to trim around the hardware. I was happy with one strip right down the middle of the edge, but you could definitely cover the entire width with a few extra minutes and a little more tape. Now my door makes me smile every time I walk into my office space!
Last week I took a trip to the hardware store to pick up some spray paint to give new life to my filing cabinet and happened to walk down the fasteners aisle. Where inspiration smacked me in the forehead. So many shapes, weights, and options just waiting to be gussied up and turned into something beautiful. When I came home and sat down to start creating the other piece of the puzzle seemed to be waiting in my bathroom (stay with me here) – in the form of nail polish. I have bottle upon bottle of every color in the rainbow, have never finished one in my life, and love the lacquered finish. Here’s what I ended up with.
These Hex Nut Rings were the first piece I came up with. They’re chunky for sure, but quite the statement. I love the metal finish sans any sort of color, but decided to play around with some different combinations – just painting the edges a dark navy blue, painting half fuchsia half purple, etc. These would also be fantastic strung on a chain and worn around your neck!
These Washer Brooches may be my favorite piece, I plan on clustering several different sizes together to wear at one time. Some monotone and probably one patterned. Pro Tip: While painting such a broad flat surface is to dab the nail polish rather than brush it on. Don’t be afraid to load it up with paint either, it ends up leaving a great enameled finish.
I love these Washer Hoop Earrings! I painted them with a gold flecked black polish and can’t wait to wear them out. Pro Tip: Be sure to paint the edges and backs of these guys as well as the surface. I think with the next pair I’ll do a contrasting color on the backside. Don’t be intimidated, they’re surprisingly light to wear!
I couldn’t resist doing a small pair of Washer Stud Earrings as well.
Lastly I created a large Washer Pendant, though I’m not thrilled with the black cord. I’d rather have used something like a beaded silver chain and hope to find some to replace this with. But I really like the pendant itself, especially with the swoosh of purple on navy. You could also use a smaller washer here for something more delicate of course.
MATERIALS
• 3/4″ hex nuts (or whatever size best fits your finger)
• large washers
• small washers
• earring backings
• pins
• cord or chain
• Gorilla Glue (hot glue didn’t hold all that well)
• varied colors of nail polish
