April DIY project: Getting my Paint On

I was asked by a friend to help her with a little painting project this month, and I couldn't have been more excited. I actually really like to paint, and don't often get the opportunity to do it! There is just something so rewarding about seeing a project come together and the difference a little paint can make!

You've heard the saying,

"A little caulk and a little paint will make a carpenter what he 'aint."

Yup, pretty much true. :) I'm not carpenter or painter, but we managed to get 'er done and it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!

Here are a few pictures of the process:

The house is a split-level, and the area we were tackling was the entry just as you walk in the front door. If you've been in a split-level, you may be able to picture this area with its high, high walls!! Good thing I am not afraid of heights! I started by taking off the existing border and prepping the walls for painting. I used this miracle gel to get the border off:

Even with this stuff, it was no easy process, let me tell ya. That border was going nowhere! But we managed to get it all off after a while.

We used this spackle in a tube to fill some holes and cracks:

That stuff was great. It was quick drying, we could have painted over it in 15 minutes. And it was very easy to use!

Here is the paint color she picked...

Not too much different from what was already there, but enough to give it a serious facelift!

Before we could paint the walls, we I had to paint the trim boards all the way around. They had been painted the same color as the wall previously, but we wanted to change that to a sharp looking white. Even just that step made a HUGE difference!

There are those high, high walls!

Next, cutting in. Can I just say that is my least favorite part of the process?

Finally...covering the entire wall with that beautiful new paint!

But that wasn't the end of the newness. Did you notice this light and its awkward position on the wall?

It is hard to tell from this angle, but the light was off centered. We think it is so you can reach it from the stairs to change the bulb? Who knows. Anyway, it clearly needed and upgrade, and my friend had just the thing!

The picture is a little dark, but we obviously couldn't have the power on while we were installing a light, now could we? Oh, and just for the record, I had the difficult job of holding a flashlight for this part of the job. Aren't I a hard worker?

There was one more detail to add, and that was in the form of a vinyl wall art! I had actually bought this for my friends birthday, but shes been waiting for this painting project to be complete before hanging it. She is smart, isn't she? I just love how it turned out in the space! The blurred part is just the first names of each member of their family. (For those interested, I had it custom made from here and got a coupon code from here {but don't tell my friend I'm cheap like that ;) })

Here is the light and art together:

I think it all came out superb!

Since I took these pictures, they have added new flooring, baseboards, and some other details to the area, plus there are more to come! I'll be sure to snag a "its completely finished" pict for you when the entire area is done.

It was a fun project, and now we're hard at work revamping the kitchen! It is fun to work hard and get dirty like this, especially with such amazing results!

What DIY projects have YOU been up to recently?