Watching Paint Dry: Renovation Realities

The 'bland' before

OK, yes as I pen this we actually are watching paint dry. 

Life-sized me got the idea to paint beach chair stripes on her small entry hallway for a bit of pizzazz . . . and this is the weekend to do it. 

Mini Me suited herself up in a Ziploc baggie (the greatest invention ever!) and after the obligatory trip to Home Depot (HD) for supplies, we were all set.

Florida walls are never smooth, but textured with choice names like orange peel (I always think cellulite) and knock-down, such that we had to Google to find out how to paint straight lines when the painter's tape leaks on a textured wall.  Turns out the answer is simple - dab a layer of the base colour over the tape line to 'seal it' before painting on the stripe.  Somewhat simpler if you only are doing two colours, but life-sized me wanted three.


Mini Me supervising

Mini me was assigned supervision duties, whilst the technical detail of working out the stripes fell to hubby, the engineer.  Life sized me, was of course, doing artistic direction and photography.  The end result is what we wanted (although some might think us mad -- this is our beach home after all) and allowed us to begin to put our stamp on the place.

The green, blue and coral colours are paint from nearby rooms and mirror what we see out the window -- sea, sky and sunset.  A girl has to have some fun after all.

How are those renovations going you ask - well double everything (time, money, frustration) and you are getting close.  Our overdue countertop arrived Friday so the kitchen is starting to look like a kitchen.  Now for the electrics to be finished so we have light, and the sinks to be plumbed in so we have water.  We should be in sometime in August, so not long now.  Will be nice to stop living out of a suitcase and find out what is in that sea shipment and the US family goods put into storage decades ago.



Voila! Beach stripes in entry hall

And by 5:00pm on a Sunday, after a battle with the paint coming off the walls (and lots of patient repair by hubby), we have ....

Yup it is dusty - hence mini me's Ziploc baggie suit


PS.  No sea turtles seen hatching yet ...