{renovate} front door decorative window film

Thank you all for your comments about our front door update! Today, let's talk about the new window treatment.

I made the curtain for the door window in early 2010. It was time for a change. Actually, it's been time for a change for awhile, but I didn't know what to do. The curtain just didn't look right -- a little sloppy maybe? I researched fabric for awhile, but my heart just wasn't into it. So here's where I admit that I totally copied someone else's idea. Because, it was brilliant! And simple! The idea came from Seventh House on the Left I knew immediately that this is what my front door needed. I mean, come on. She made a window film out of plain ole simple contact paper. Sweet! Thank you Ashley!

And, we love it. It doesn't draw a lot of attention, but it's graphical and simple and does it's duty, namely giving us some privacy :). The shape is actually the shape of our new kitchen tiles and I love that it'll tie the living room and kitchen together in a subtle way. Ashley actually has a great tutorial and template, which you can check out here. But in case you'd like to do this at home, I do have one tip that Ashley doesn't cover.

You want the contact paper to lay flat, flat, flat. No bubbles. And, the best way to do this is with this handy tool: a bondo spreader. I actually picked this guy up at Haven, but they're available at any hardware store. The best method is to attach the sticky side of the contact paper with your hands and gently smooth with your fingers. Then, smooth out any bubbles or imperfections with the spreader. I actually smoothed out some pretty rigid wrinkles with this guy! 

This easy trick will leave you with a smooth professionally-applied looking finish.

And a view from the other side of the door. Love! My one concern was whether this would hold up against heat. We don't have AC and it get HOT in our house! But, we've had high 80's/low 90's all week and so far it's great. I'll let you know if that changes :)

Have you guys ever used contact paper in a creative and unique way? Who knew it could be used for more than lining drawers :).

{renovate} painted interior front door

Happy Monday friends! Did you all have a great holiday last week? I ended up taking most of the week off and was SO productive! Can't wait to show you what we accomplished :).  But today I have a fun update that is very non-kitchen related. YAH! I feel like life has been consumed by our kitchen remodel, so it was nice to tackle something else - just for fun.

Young House Love and Bower Power are hosting their quarterly Pinterest Challenge this week, so I decided to paint the interior of our front door! Some of you might remember a couple months ago, I wrote a post about potentially painting the interior front door (okay, in January. Sigh). We looked at a lot of beautiful inspiration photos. You all were so encouraging, but I was nervous and then there was a kitchen and .... yeah. I have no idea why I was so nervous, because the change is AMAZING.

I went with a deep, deep navy blue. Black Ink from Benjamin Moore, specifically. It's the same color as the two doors in our back porch. Friends, our living room is a completely disaster from the kitchen over-flowage, but even completely unstyled it make a HUGE difference and I already love it so much. 

So, how exactly did I go about painting this? 

1. Remove everything from the door -- curtain, curtain rod, handle and deadbolt. Everything. And then fill holes. Use a basic wood filler putty, fill the holes and let them dry. Easy. I filled the curtain rod holes, but not the handle and deadbolt because we were using the same ones ;).

1a. A close up of the removal. The yellow in some places is the hole filler working it's magic. I opted to keep the vintage door bell in place because I was worried I would somehow break it. I just applied some tape to the edges and called it good.

2. Sand. Especially if you used hole filler, sand to get all surfaces smooth. I didn't do a lot of sanding here - just a 60 grit on the hole filler and a 150 grit quick and lightly over the rest of the door. Clean. Make sure your door is spotless before you start painting. I used a little TSP and it worked really. Let the door dry before you start painting. 

3. With a paint brush, fill in the edges. I actually locked myself in doing this (don't ask! ;), so the random line down the right side is where I was worried a roller would be too close to the trim. If you leave the door open though, you don't have to worry about this. 

4. Fill in with a small roller. So easy! Let dry. Repeat. This door took two coats.

5. Also, I've previously posted tips and tricks about painting high gloss doors. It's worth a read if you're thinking of tackling this project.

A couple things. First, this project total took a couple hours. Such an easy weekend update project. Second, I've always hated that our door fixtures are brass. But, we've never taken the plunge in replacing them because all our doors have brass fixtures. $$$$. Against the navy blue though? I don't so much mind the brass. Hmmmm. And third, yes, I had some fun with the window "covering". You can read more how to create you own decorative window film here..

A little styled. Even though in reality that is the world's most awkward place for a table! :)

What do you all think? I'm so excited to put this room back together and see the door against the furniture and other decor!

If you'd like to see my previous Pinterest Challenge entries, they are: DIY ombre pillow, a mirror quote, a DIY capiz pendant, and a DIY twig pendant.

{inspired} the fourth of July

First, thank you all for your input about our kitchen floors! You all gave me so much to think about ... in a very good way :) 

 

Second, can someone please tell me how it's the 4th of July already?!?

 The Pioneer Woman

Third, I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a GREAT celebration tomorrow! :)

Have I ever shared that Chris and I actually MET on the 4th of July? Yep, 4th of July barbeque. The rest is history :). So how are we celebrating our FIVE years of knowing each other? By assembling kitchen cabinets. Wild and crazy friends, wild and crazy :)

I hope you enjoy your holiday!