Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Striped!

When we purchased our house the hallway was a gloomy green - it somehow sucked all the light out of what should have been a bright space.


I knew we would be painting it, and we quickly updated it from the dark green to a bright cream. I loved the crisp clean look it gave, but even I have to admit it looked a little plain Jane - even with the introduction of the cute Loch Ness Monster print (more on that HERE) and a little Welcome sign (more on that HERE).


The wall by the stairs, in particular, was crying out for something.  Anything!!


I came up with the idea of adding stripes along all of the walls, but with 5 doorways it would have been very start stop, so I decided on one wide stripe on the main wall. Now for the color - I must have bought about 50 different paint chips home. I wanted something neutral, but enough of a contrast that you would actually notice it. In the end I went for Dust Bunny (oh the irony!) by Valspar.
 
I masked out my line with painters tape. I read a great tip on Emily Clarks amazing blog for painting stripes: paint along the outside with an almost dry brush as this seals the edges and prevents bleeding under the tape.  (Please ignore the hideous smoke detector - it's on the list to be replaced!)

 
I couldn't wait to whip the tape off. Sure enough, the lines were nice and sharp.
 

I picked up 4 frames from our local dollar store and framed some of my own photos (side note: Walmart is having a half price sale on Poster Prints, less than $3 for an 11x14.  Run, don't walk!).
 
 
This pic was taken on a trip to Tampa.  Sadly this is as close as we got to that yacht!
 
 
The colour was just what I wanted, and I love any excuse to get my photos out of a box and onto the wall.
 

At only $3 for the tester of paint and $4 for the frames the whole project came in under $10. Perfect if you're a renter and don't want the hassle of repainting a whole wall when you move out, or if you want to inject a bit of color but don't want to commit to a whole wall.
 
Kate
xxx
 



 


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7 comments:

  1. I love the one wide stripe...and the pictures lined up along the stripe are a great look!! Thanks for sharing your $10 project!

    I love those samples, there is a lot more paint in them than you would think!!

    ~ Darlene

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    1. Thanks Darlene, there really is a lot, and for only $3 - can't beat it.

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  2. I LOVE this! What a great way to add some flair to a boring wall! Love it, pinning for sure!

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  3. Simple and striking,the stripe sets of your pictures perfectly.

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  4. I wasn't too sure about the wide stripe until I saw the finished look with your photographs added. It's beautiful

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  5. Love that look...simple , restful repeat pattern in the frames.
    Have a great day!
    Deb@LakeGirlPaints

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  6. Great job, I love the accent stripe. It really makes the wall pop! Found you from House of Hepworths link party.

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