Painting Tools {Wagner Smart Roller Review}

Hi there!  The living room update process really revolved around giving the room a new paint color. We started out with off-white and then I added an accent wall in Concord Ivory during my Tudors-watching phase {see this post for an explanation}.

I decided to paint it the same color as our dining room and kitchen {the perfect greige, Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore}. One night I saw a commercial on HGTV for Wagner's new Smart Rollers and thought, heck, I have a gigantic room to paint, why not give 'em a try?

And the lovely folks at Wagner were nice enough to send me some products to try out!

Let's start with the SMART Edge Roller.

I started out by cutting in along the ceiling. The SMART Edge Roller is designed to cut in along trim and even ceilings. However, my ceilings have that awful popcorn texture and I thought they'd be too bumpy, so I still did the cutting in by hand. I also painted the inside corners and a a few little random details by hand which is no biggie.

 Ok, time for the trim. The SMART Edge Roller only has a few parts and was a breeze to assemble.

Once it was together, all I had to do was suck paint up into the plunger, switch the nozzle for the roller assembly, and get going. No tray needed.

When first loading the roller, you give the pump a few squeezes until the paint comes through. From there on out, you just give a quick squeeze and keep on going.

The roller assembly is really brilliant. The yellow piece shields your woodwork and in painting this entire room, I didn't have any paint leak through. 

The yellow guard piece also has little brushes that you can rotate to face the wall. They help smooth the line and I have to say that I got MUCH better results than when I freehand around trim. I know, I know, some people swear by tape, but it's way too much of a hassle for me.  

The verdict on the SMART Edge Roller? Saved me time AND did a great job. That's a win-win in my book!


Ok, so once I got some experience with the simple SMART Edge Roller, it was time to move on to the big kahuna, Wagner's SMART Flow Roller. Our living room is a big room, so this was a great tool to try out.

The SMART Flow Roller is a bit more involved and I'll admit, I got a little intimidated when I saw all the parts and assembly. 

But it wasn't as tough as I imagined. This little Quick Start guide broke it down nicely.

 

What you end up working with looks more like this:

 

So once I had it all put together, it was time to load up with paint. This part took the most tinkering and troubleshooting. The set comes with a cover for your paint can that you insert the tube into. What ended up working for me was to skip the cover and angle the roller way down near the floor and then the power suction worked fine.

 

Once you have the tube loaded with paint, you set the controls to Power, and push the button whenever you need more paint. 

The first tube's worth of paint didn't cover very much wall, but that was just because the roller needed to be fully loaded with paint. Once that first tube was done, I was able to get MUCH more coverage. 

I'd say I probably had to reload (and occasionally tinker with the suction) about 6-8 times for the entire room. That is FAR less than the number of times you have to run your roller through a paint tray! I also think the SMART Flow Roller was able to provide more even coverage than you get with a regular roller.

Verdict on the SMART Flow Roller? I don't think it saved me time. Between tinkering and a longer cleanup time than I'm used to, I'd say the total time was about the same. However, the results are BEAUTIFUL. 

I can easily say that I will use Wagner's SMART Rollers again! Both products were easy to use and mess-free. {Now I've got my eye on their paint sprayers too.} Thanks Wagner!
P.S. The materials were supplied to me but the opinions expressed here are my own.

Living Room Update {New Couch}

All right, get ready for a few living room posts. I've been thinking about giving our living room a little facelift for a while now {see this post} and even started selling off our furniture {see this post}. 
The plan was to switch out the leather couch and chaise lounge for more comfortable seating, paint the room a neutral color and then work with art and accessories I already had in the house.

I had come to realize that our small leather couch and chaise lounge made it so Freckle Man and I couldn't actually sit together while hanging out. Plus, they weren't all that comfortable. I was able to quickly sell the couch and the chaise moved up to Freckle Boy's room {he's a big fan of reading and lounging}. Basically, I was a big ol' copy cat when it came to replacing our living room couch.The folks over at Young House Love had already done tons of research and lived with this Ikea Karlstad sofa for two years so I felt comfortable just going for it.

And here's what it looks like in our house!  After selling some furniture, we only paid $500 out of pocket, which I think is pretty reasonable.

I even followed their advice on spray painting the light birch legs. If someone's already figured it out, why reinvent the wheel, right?

After having a spray painting snafu last summer, I was a bit hesitant to try my hand at it again. But I figured 8 little couch legs was a small enough project. Plus, I used the tried and true, slightly more expensive, Rust-Oleum Metallic in oil-rubbed bronze.

Let me tell ya, the extra $1 or so over the other brands was sooo worth it. The trigger is super easy to use and I got nice smooth coverage.They look pretty awesome huh? So much better than the light birch!

And here's another view of the whole shebang. We love that both of us can stretch out together!

Next up, I'll be sharing the new paint and the big accessories shuffle to give this room new decor without spending any dinero. Stay tuned!

Living Room Sneak Peek

It's coming together! Full reveal next week so stay tuned. Have a great weekend!

Master Bathroom Finishing Touches {Storage & Shade}

Hi all. Like I mentioned earlier in the week, I've got a ton of projects up in the air lately. I'm realizing that I take on a lot when I'm stressed out. The projects don't necessarily relieve my stress, but they do help distract me. Plus, I get a sense of accomplishment and feel a teeny bit more in control of my life.

So one project I've finally taken care of is the finishing touches in the master bathroom. The room is pretty modern and stark, so I thought it could use a little natural texture.

Some baskets seemed in order to give us a little extra storage. I bought three baskets at Lowe's for $10 each and hung them with brushed nickel hooks. They hold extra hand towels, toilet paper, and tissues.

I got the idea from one of my favorite blogs, Our Fifth House, and am so proud of myself when I actually get off my arse and try out a project I've admired.

Next up was a natural shade. Our bathroom is pretty small but has a huge window. We definitely needed some window covering since the room faces the road and neighbors...you catch my drift? I started out by covering the window with a privacy film. I loved how the light could still come through but missed being able to peek at the greenery outside.

I got this matchstick shade from Lowe's for about $20. It doesn't block the light but still gives us privacy.

And, we can still enjoy the view! So there you have it. Some natural-looking yet functional accessories to lighten up this bathroom. For less than $70!

More to come on the living room project soon so stay tuned!

Yay or No Way? {Coastal Decorating}

Hi y'all. I've had a bit of design ADHD lately. I've got a whole bunch of random projects going on. Some small, some huge, none ready to share.

So, in the meantime, I thought I'd pose another decorating Yay or No Way? for ya. What do you think of beach-inspired decorating?

Think crisp whites, fresh blues, and nautical knick-knacks.

via

White plank walls, ceilings and floors. Light woods. You can almost imagine the sea breeze making this bedroom great for sleeping.

via

And the decor...lots of little beach finds, antiques, pieces with a story and charm.

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I think of rustic tables with low-key settings and plenty of candles.

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So what's your take? Yay or No Way?

Weekend Happenings {and the living room overhaul begins}

Hi! How was your long weekend? We headed to the lake and the weather was less-than-stellar. We spent quite a bit of time with our shoes drying out next to the heater {aren't those mini Chuck's the cutest?}.

And since it was too yucky outside to cook s'mores by a fire, my mom helped the kids make a s'mores pie! Trust me, it tasted a heckuva lot better than it looks.

We ended up coming home a bit early. Which actually worked well for me...just enough time to do THIS to my living room:

I've been getting antsy to update this room {see this post} and even sold my couch {see this one}. I think with paint, a new couch {my one big purchase for this room}, and rearranging artwork and furniture we already have in the house, I can make this room feel brandy new. I'm all for working with what ya got.

So yeah, I had enough energy to get the room prepped {with Freckle Man's help} and now I've got to just bite the bullet and get 'er done. Stay tuned!

Fav Find {New York Public Library Digital Gallery}

Remember how I shared my love for simple and inexpensive printed art as an easy way to decorate a space? Well, I just stumbled upon the coolest resource for finding free images: The New York Public Library's Digital Gallery

Seriously, check it out. And prepare to lose at least an hour of your day I was drawn to the Nature & Science section (no surprise there).

 Here's just a teeny tiny sampling of the goodies I found:

I haven't even scratched the surface of the other categories yet but I highly recommend you go see what you can find. And then come back to tell me. Have fun!