DIY: Fabric Painting with Dye on Drop Cloths

<center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2IMG_2575copy.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda032/2IMG_2575copy.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I am excited to experiment with this technique more (I know there's a lot I need to still figure out), but I'm pretty happy with how the fabric painting/dyeing technique worked out with the drop clothes I used for <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2014/08/back-to-school-make-over-for-mudroom.html" target="_blank">our mudroom makeover</a>. I wanted this project to be as inexpensive as possible, but I didn't want to just use some fabric I had laying around. I wanted it to be kid-friendly and playful.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6071.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/IMG_6071.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><a name="more"></a><br /><br />I used a few bottles of liquid RIT I had laying around in Apple Green, Lemon Yellow, Denim and Rose Pink, and then diluted them down a bit with water. The main leaf color is Denim, which is sort of a purpley-black-indigo.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0776.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda032/IMG_0776.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But first, I cut out all the pieces I needed to make the three box cushions before I started (and I included generous seam allowances just in case the fabric shrunk after washing, which it did). To make sure all the patterns would match right and would wrap down the edges, I careful marked out all the center spots of the X pattern.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6085.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/IMG_6085.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I used different sizes of brushes to apply the patterns, which I wanted to all feel organic (leaves and insects in abstract patterns). I used a 1" foam brush to do the main pattern and I love it the most. I want to do a whole room of curtains in just this pattern!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0759.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda025/IMG_0759.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6110.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/IMG_6110.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />The girls wanted to help and I wanted more color in the pattern, so we kept going with colors and shapes. We added really loose versions of bees and dragonflies and just some circles for splashes of color.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0772.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda025/IMG_0772.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I love how the fabric looked at this point and part of me wishes we would have stopped here, but I didn't know what would happen to the dye if we didn't set it. I figured it would be disastrous if (when?) watered spilled on the fabric, so I threw it all in the washer on cold and delicate. I wish I would have hand washed them all, which I think would have left the background a little more cream and less blue and maybe would have left a little more color in the pattern.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6154.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/IMG_6154.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />The soft dreaminess is still nice though and I wasn't about to redo all my and the girls' hard work, se we just went with it. :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR11.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR11.jpg" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR7.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR7.jpg" /></div><br />I think the white piping helps brighten things up a little.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2IMG_2708.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda032/2IMG_2708.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Any tips on setting dye without washing it all out? I can't wait to try round two of fabric painting!</div>

DIY: Fabric Painting with Dye on Drop Cloths

I am excited to experiment with this technique more (I know there's a lot I need to still figure out), but I'm pretty happy with how...

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Back-to-School Make Over for the Mudroom!

<center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR5.jpg" /></div><br />I really wanted to finish up our mudroom space before school started this year, and we made it, just under the wire! I was really excited to get to team up with <a href="http://www.amana.com/" target="_blank">Amana</a> again on this project. You might remember that one of the first projects we tackled in our house after moving here was <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/08/diy-plank-walls-and-painted-mudroom.html" target="_blank">paneling in the mudroom</a>. We held off on paneling the closet walls, just because there was a lot of work to do there first.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_7914.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_7914.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This was my rough plan for each of the cubby nooks:<br /><a name="more"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5952.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_5952.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I really wanted the nooks to be flush on the sides and tops, and I wanted to add some benches. So last month, I hired my handyman to come in and prep the closet spaces and then Kate and I installed and painted the paneling, just like in <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/08/diy-plank-walls-and-painted-mudroom.html" target="_blank">this tutorial</a>. It's really not hard to do, it's just a little time-consuming.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5948.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_5948.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5959.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_5959.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The basic idea is we used inexpensive sheets of hardboard cut down at the hardware store to make shiplapping on the walls. The paint color is Benjamin Moore's Day's End in a flat finish.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6025.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_6025.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I wanted the girls to each have a nook space of their own, complete with a bench and a high shelf for paperwork storage.</span><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR8.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To help keep the floors in my house clean and to make it easier for the kids to get ready for school, we made separate nooks for jute shoe baskets. One is for casual shoes and the other is for dress shoes! It was a little tricky to find baskets that fit the nooks just right. These two were contenders from Homegoods, but the sizing was a little off and they were pricey (not to mention, I would have had to drive all around Phoenix to find six matching baskets).</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6029.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_6029.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6031.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_6031.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then I totally hit the jackpot at World Market with <a href="http://www.worldmarket.com/product/jessica-basket-espresso.do?from=Search&cx=0" target="_blank">these Jessica baskets</a>. They were 50% off, which made them only $12.50 each! They're made of really thick jute and so far they're holding up beautifully!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR9.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the bench tops, I made a bench cushion using upholstery foam that I cut to fit the nooks. I made the fabric with drop clothes and fabric dye before sewing them into box cushions. My girls helped me with parts of the fabric painting, which made them so proud! They love getting to display their work in each of their cubbies!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0772.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda025/IMG_0772.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR11.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR11.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The hooks ended up being a bit different from what I had initially envisioned (with a vertical row of hooks), but I'm so happy with these. I spray painted simple hooks from Target a bright acid yellow, which I think really pops against the navy paneling, and epoxied wooden craft balls to the ends to give each of the hooks a sort of Eames feel. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6034.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_6034.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6082.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda026/IMG_6082.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0792.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda025/IMG_0792.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0795.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda025/IMG_0795.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0804.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda025/IMG_0804.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think the more hooks in a utility space, the better! The original vertical hanging idea would have been awkward anyway - things would have been stacked on top of each other. We keep all sorts of things on these hooks, from the obvious, like backpacks and lunch bags, down to swim goggles and binoculars! :) These hooks are doing wonders for my sanity - it's so easy for the kids to hang up their stuff now.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR10.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR10.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR3.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the top shelf of each nook, I added labeled storage boxes that say either Artwork or School Work. My girls come home from school with adorable projects and work all year long and I love the idea of having an easily accessible place to store the most special of these keepsakes!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR15.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR15.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the back of each nook, we installed a magnetic chalkboard for tacking up notes and writing messages! I <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2014/03/diy-custom-chalkboard-paint.html" target="_blank">made my own white chalkboard paint</a> with latex paint and non-sanded grout and painted it on to a sheet of galvanized metal from the hardware store. We glued these sheets up to the drywall and paneled around them. It is wonderful for the girls to have a spot to leave each other and themselves messages every day! </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR14.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR14.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I dressed up super simple ceramic magnet circles and dollar store alphabet letter magnets by spray painting them all with gold spray paint! Making them all a uniform color makes them feel special and less cheesy. The little cupcakes are containers filled with chalk for the girls. We epoxied magnets to the cupcakes so they can stay up on the chalkboards.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR6.jpg" style="color: black; text-align: start;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Across from our cubby nooks, we made our after-school-snack pantry extra pretty by painting it a bright, poppy red. Inside we have snacks for my kids (and any of the neighborhood kids that stop by!), including fruit leather and granola bars, and snack-sized microwave popcorn (my girls favorite!). We actually keep our <a href="http://www.amana.com/cooking/microwaves/countertop/1_6_cu__ft__countertop_microwave_oven_umc5165as.pro?searchterm=UMC5165A&color=stainless_steel" target="_blank">Amana microwave</a> in this pantry, which makes popcorn an even easier snack!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I'm so happy with our (finally finished!) mudroom. It has made the back-to-school transition so easy and organized. I'd love to hear what things you're doing to help make back-to-school easier on you and your kids!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2MR7.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Mudroom/2MR7.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>This post was a collaboration with <a href="http://www.amana.com/" target="_blank">Amana</a>, a wonderful, eco-friendly company devoted to making life easier on families, one appliance at a time! :)</i></div>

Back-to-School Make Over for the Mudroom!

I really wanted to finish up our mudroom space before school started this year, and we made it, just under the wire! I was really excited to...

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DIY Plank Walls (and Painted Mudroom Floors!)

We are making some great progress on <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/06/valley-house-tour-mud-room.html" target="_blank">the mudroom</a> this week! Before we moved in and tackled the space, the room had <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/08/progress-in-mudroom.html" target="_blank">plant shelves aplenty</a> and highly textured walls.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><center></center></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0622.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%209/DSC_0622.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It's still a work in progress, but I love the direction we're going in here. The room is completely flooded with light all day long, so I decided to go dark and dramatic on the walls and the floors.</div><br /><img alt=" photo DSC_0679.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/DSC_0679.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Here's the full break down...</div><a name="more"></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">A couple days ago we headed over to Lowes to have the wood cut for the wall planks. We decided on 1/4" melamine boards because they're inexpensive, light and easy to hang. Lowes has a pretty generous lumber cutting policy. Usually they'll do all your cutting for free (even many multiple cuts like with these planks), but sometimes they'll charge 10-25 cents per cut. We cut my stack of five 8x4' melamine board ten times, so it wasn't that expensive to have the wood cut quickly and precisely. I had all the boards cut to be 6" wide and 4' long.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6080.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/IMG_6080.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The installation part is a breeze. You'll want a miter saw, a nail gun, a handful of nickels, a level, a hammer and maybe a nail set if you want to see no nail heads. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo aDSC_0434-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/aDSC_0434-1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">So to start, just use a level to hang your first plank up against the ceiling and then stagger the next plank underneath and maybe cut it down a little too so not every plank is the same length. You'll have lots of different lengths to choose from before long though as you hit corners and doors/windows. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6350-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/IMG_6350-1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I used a couple of nickels to space out my planks before I nailed them in. Worked like a charm to create a small, consistent sized gap between the planks. And to make my nail heads more flush with the planks, I just tapped the nails the rest of the way in with a hammer. I didn't set mine in yet though because I don't mind seeing the shadow of the nails in the planks. </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo ssDSC_0426-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/ssDSC_0426-1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">To fill in the plant shelf area above the closets, I sort of framed out the space with 1x2's and just nailed in the planks on the frame. I probably should have just drywalled in the space, but this worked too.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo sIMG_6371-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/sIMG_6371-1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">One of the great things about using melamine board is that it can be cut with a razor blade. If you score it over and over again, it actually cuts pretty easily. It was nice to not have to pull out my small Dremel saw or some other tool to cut around light switches and electrical outlets.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6353.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/IMG_6353.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6356.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/IMG_6356.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The room isn't finished yet. I'm still working on the built-ins part of the room, so the planking doesn't go all the way around the space yet. I got anxious though and decided to paint what I have done so far (the brown melamine was hurting my eyes). So I took off all the switch plates again and threw on a coat of paint.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0446a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/DSC_0446a.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I've been using Benjamin Moore's Onyx on our doors (you can see it here in action on the louvered doors below) and I decided to go a couple shades lighter on the walls in here. The color is called Day's End and it's a really pretty charcoal with blue undertones. It looks navy for part of the day, which I'm digging.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6381-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/IMG_6381-1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The brown side of the melamine board takes paint SO well. The white side sort of deflects paint in the same way most IKEA furniture does, so I'd stick with the brown side even if I was going with a light paint color. I just brushed the paint on so I could get into the cracks between the planks easily. </div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6376.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/IMG_6376.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On Monday night my kids had a sleepover with their cousins at my sister's house so I took advantage of their absence and painted the floors. I decided I wanted to try a sort of medallion pattern in here, but wanted it to be not as busy as <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/07/on-painting-floors.html" target="_blank">the laundry room floors</a>.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6407.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/IMG_6407.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I marked out my idea with painters tape and then painted most of the tiles the same color as I painted the kitchen floors (post coming there).</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_6416.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/IMG_6416.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And then I filled in the medallions with black paint.</div><br /><img alt=" photo aADSC_0456.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/aADSC_0456.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This whole area will get reworked when we do the big kitchen renovation in a year or two, so I'm fine with this temporary fix on both the walls and the floors. I spent only about $50 on wood and supplies and I love how it's looking.</div><br /><img alt=" photo aDSC_0466.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/aDSC_0466.jpg" /><br /><br /><img alt=" photo aDSC_0422.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/aDSC_0422.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Here are those freshly sprayed closet and cabinet doors. Man, I love that <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-best-and-easiest-to-use-spray-gun.html" target="_blank">Critter sprayer</a>!</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><center></center></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0679.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/DSC_0679.jpg" /><br /><br /><img alt=" photo aDSC_0436.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/aDSC_0436.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I also used the Critter to spray the chairs in here, which are all a similar style, but were thrift store finds on different days over the past couple weeks. </div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo sDSC_0669.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/sDSC_0669.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And actually, the bright orange-red chair was a garbage room find from when we lived at the loft. I should dig up some before photos - it cleaned up really well with that new coat of sprayed paint.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo aDSC_0644.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/aDSC_0644.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Remember that mirror from <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/01/powder-bath-updates.html" target="_blank">the powder bath</a> in the brownstone? It fits perfectly on this little wall. I always love having a mirror by an exit door so I can verify I don't look like a complete fool before leaving my house. This came in handy earlier today when I noticed a big smear of black paint on my forehead as I was leaving to pick up the kids. Daughter-embarrassment dodged!</div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 1DSC_0615copy.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2010/1DSC_0615copy.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Lots and lots to do in here still, but, you know, it's progress!</div></div>

DIY Plank Walls (and Painted Mudroom Floors!)

We are making some great progress on the mudroom this week! Before we moved in and tackled the space, the room had plant shelves aplenty a...

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