Restless in DYI

I saw the signs early. It started one Sunday morning on a faded hand me down sofa as I watched a marathon of design shows. First, I rearranged my furniture several times until I moved it back to its original setting. The next step I took on to my path of do-it-yourself chaos was a few hours on the laptop, picking out colors for the wall, window treatments and new furniture. I did this for a few months before I jumped into action. I was restless in DYI world.

Once decided on my color palette, I ventured out to the stores. It was a bit unnerving that everything I wanted was not only available right there, no backorders, no waiting, but also, it was all on sale or on clearance! I purchased a beautiful leather sofa, an oversized chair, and a lamp that tied it all together at a third off the regular price. I left the furniture store in a euphoria of shopping bliss.

The paint store on a Saturday afternoon was empty. No one in line, only three young men ready to aid me in my painting purchases. A half an hour later I was on my way. Excited to see the new (aged olive) paint on my wall, I painted a one square foot area to make sure I could live with the color. I could not. So, back to the PC to find another accent color.

A week later, I had a new color (Ralph Lauren’s Killim Red) window treatments that I wanted, again all on sale and two rolls of Scotch blue painter’s tape. I did everything right this time. I meticulously placed the painter’s tape on the woodwork, some ceiling area and along all borders. I repaired all the little nail holes with toothpaste because I forgot to buy putty. This works great, as long as it’s white toothpaste, just fill the hole, let it dry and sand. I purchased good quality brushes and rollers, which I strongly recommend. It made all of the difference and if you take the time to clean them up every day when you're done, they will get you through the whole project.