I Painted Mine Yellow!

Pretty often when I want to do something, I just do it.  But, I admit it...sometimes it takes me FOREVER to make a decision.  Especially when I try to involve my husband in the decision-making process.  Take, for example, our front door.  It really needed to be refreshed with some paint. It was basic builder's white.  Well, actually, a dirty-looking shade of off-white which I realized later as I began to paint our trim a nice, crisp white. But, I digress...

You see, last year, we decided it was time to paint our front door.  And we couldn't make a decision on a color, so we left it.  FOR A WHOLE YEAR!!! So recently, I decided it was time to finally JUST DO IT already.  Our house is a steely blue-gray and our shutters are a dark, dark blue.  Well, I didn't want the door to match the shutters because I thought it would be too dark.  

But that's what EVERYONE DOES!  

Walk around our neighborhood and everyone's door matches their shutters, unless they have replaced their builder's basic door with a fancy wooden one.  If you live in the suburbs like I do, take a walk around your neighborhood and I bet it's true there too. Am I right?

I searched online for information and images on painted front doors.  I learned that it really is okay not to have a plain white door or one that matches your shutters.  I learned that it's okay to have a different accent color on your front door.  It's OKAY if it stands out, or "pops".  In fact, it's even a very good thing.  Really.  (But try to explain that to your conservative husband, and, well....just realize that you two are both very different and then go with your gut!)

So I considered several shades of red, which is a classic front door color. Nope, not for me.  I considered a lighter shade of blue, a darker shade of blue, and I considered gray, brown, black, and even white again.  I used this awesome online tool by Sherwin Williams called the paint color visualizer which allows you to upload your own photo and then change the paint colors of your selected areas.  

I also grabbed a bunch of paint chips that I thought might work.  Then I cut them down into little door-shaped rectangles (and even drew a doorknob on several of them, just for effect).  Then - and this part will really intrigue your nosy neighbors! - I stood on the curb facing my house and held up the little paint chip rectangle until it was directly in front of my actual door.  If you squint just right, it will look like this little paint chip is your actual door.  It works, really!  See, most people will tell you to buy several little sample bottles of your possible colors and paint them on the surface your considering and then make your decision.  Not me.  That's not how I roll...

The problem was, none of the "popular" front door colors appealed to me.

See, I LOVE yellow, but, you can't paint a door yellow, right?  Everybody knows that.   So like any normal, creative, DIY-er, I strolled around blogland until I found these pictures of people who weren't afraid of a yellow door and I knew I had to do it!  

From My Notting Hill

From Your Nest Design

From Simplified Bee

Photo credit:  HGTV.com

So I DID IT!  I painted our front door yellow!!!  And I LOVE IT!!!

The BEFORE - with the plain white door.  Okay, but just not me...
Obviously, this is an old photo - the shrubs have grown up quite a bit!

And the AFTER!

My new yellow front door.  So happy.  So cheerful.  It's totally ME!

This color is "Shoreline" from Valspar.  

The yellow is so cheerful and happy.  And quite the contrast to the subdued gray-blue of the house.  I love walking up to our front door now.  And my husband?  Well, let's just say that he doesn't totally hate it...

What do you think?    

Freezer Paper Stencil T-Shirts

A rainy day.  Three boys.  Three plain t-shirts, freezer paper, and paint.  That's all it takes to create a one-of-a-kind shirt.   Well..I guess you really don't need the boys....  But without them, it's just not quite as much fun!

The purple shirt isn't one of my own creations.  My littlest guy loved his shirt so much that he had to wear it immediately and got it dirty before I could snap the photo!  You'll be happy to know, however, that it has been washed several times and the paint is holding up quite nicely.  

If you found this post, you've probably already searched for freezer paper stencils and know how to do it.  But just in case you're not familiar with the how-to's, I'll explain it. You'll need the following things:

• Freezer Paper
• Image for your stencil
• Exacto knife (or small scissors)
• Iron
• T-shirt (pre-washed, without using fabric softener)
• Paint (I use plain ol' acrylic craft paints.  You can also use fabric paint which is more expensive - your choice!  You can also add "Fabric Painting Medium" - sold where craft paints are sold - but I find it unnecessary.)

1. Freezer paper can be found near the plastic wrap and foil at the grocery store or Wal-Mart.  One side is just like paper, while the other side is shiny, like waxed paper.  Once you have your freezer paper, all you need is some inspiration for your shirt design.  Ask your kids what they want on their shirt - you might be surprised by what they pick.  My boys picked:  skateboarding, biking, and "all sports".  You can search for stencil images online or in kid's coloring books.   Or you can do what I did and use a photo of your child as inspiration.  My oldest son wanted "skateboarding" and, being 9 years old, knows what he wants and what he doesn't.  So after looking at a ba-jillion "skateboarding" images that just weren't right, I suggested that we use his silhouette on his shirt.  WINNER!!!!  So I found an action shot of him skateboarding, enlarged it to the ideal size, and traced the outside edges.  Instant silhouette!  
2. After you have your image, you need to make a stencil using the freezer paper.  Cut the freezer paper down to a few inches larger than your image and then, on the paper side, trace your image.  (Some people have printed their image directly onto the paper side of their freezer paper with good results.  I haven't tried this, though.)  You might want to start with a simple pattern first.  Then take an exacto knife and cut out the image, keeping any inside pieces like eyes or the inside of an "O" which you'll use in the next step.  
3. After you have cut out your stencil, it is time to iron it onto your shirt.  Place it on your shirt shiny, waxed side down.   Then, place a piece of cardboard or parchment paper inside the shirt to prevent any paint from leaking to the back (part of an old cereal box works great).  I fold and tape my shirt snugly so that it doesn't shift while I'm painting.  Iron over it using the appropriate setting and it will magically stick to the shirt- but only temporarily!  Be sure that there are no gaps where paint can seep under. Remember to add your little cutout pieces!  I iron on the main part first, then add the little extra pieces one at a time - it's just easier that way!
4. Paint!  If you've never stenciled before, it's important to use a lightly loaded paintbrush and apply it starting at the edges of the stencil  and work your way inside.  I usually do two coats of paint to ensure an even application.  It's so easy, even a 5 year old can do it with fantastic results!



I love this look of concentration!  Really, it's super easy!



Don't worry, it won't look this terrible for long!  And if you happen to get a little blue where your orange should go, don't worry, just blend it all together and it'll look like you were trying to create depth and shadows in your design!

5. Once you have finished painting, let it dry lightly and then...THE FUN PART!  Remove your freezer paper stencil and say "Oooohhhhhh!" and "Aaaaaahhhhh!

Here is the "All Sports" shirt for my middle son.  This shirt requires stencil overlays - first we painted the background colors of the balls and after that dried, we added the second stencil for the details.  

Shaun White fans will recognize this symbol:  the red "M" is actually the logo found on the Shaun White clothing collection from Target!  I merely turned the "W" upside down to create an "M", which is my son's initial! And the silhouette is from a photo of my son skateboarding...He wears this shirt as often (perhaps even more often) than his Shaun White shirts!  I always say he is like a walking billboard for Shaun White!