Hi guys! I’m Kala and I blog over at
My Breezy Room. I’ll be
entertaining you today while Julie is off relaxing on a beach somewhere with
her husband!
On my blog I share a bunch of thrifted
furniture that I’ve worked on and painted to make new. Today I’m going to let
you in on my top 5 reasons I love painting furniture.
1. First and foremost, painting gives you a great excuse to
look like crap ALL the time.
I mean, why put on makeup and nice
clothes when you’re just going to get covered in dust and paint within an hour
anyways? And you definitely don’t have to worry about the perfect messy bun.
Just throw that hair up as fast as you can to get it out of the way and get to
painting. (See nasty slicked back hair in picture.) I’m sure when you go out in
public like this it’s socially acceptable because everyone can tell by the
paint on your right arm and left leg and that little bit on your forehead that
you’ve been painting, right? Or if just looks like you haven’t showered for
a few days….whatever. You know you’ve been hard at work!
2. People give you presents all year long.
Seriously. It’s like your birthday
everyday. Ever since I made it known to all my friends and family that I have a
booth and redo furniture, I get tons of calls all the time from friends and
family that have this or that old piece of furniture they need to get rid of,
or know of a garage sale here or there. Sometimes I’m not good at telling them
a piece a won’t work, so then I just end up taking it to the thrift store after
I get it. BUT, people are always willing to help. And most of the time, they
won’t even let me pay them for the things they give me. Score!
3. You get to practice your haggling skills.
What’s more exhilarating than
getting a great deal on a piece of furniture and knowing it’s because you
successfully talked someone down. Now I love this feeling when it happens, but
more often than not my conversation goes like this:
(I’m looking at a globe at a flea
market)
Man selling globe (sees me looking): That’s priced at $25 but I’ll give it to you for $20
Me: Oh…I dunno if I can pay that much. How about $15.
Man selling globe: Nope. $20.
Me (.5 seconds later): Ok, I’ll take it.
(Then I go home and tell everyone I talked him down from $25 to $20)
Man selling globe (sees me looking): That’s priced at $25 but I’ll give it to you for $20
Me: Oh…I dunno if I can pay that much. How about $15.
Man selling globe: Nope. $20.
Me (.5 seconds later): Ok, I’ll take it.
(Then I go home and tell everyone I talked him down from $25 to $20)
Maybe I need to work on my haggling
skills a bit more…ha.
4. Everyone starts thinking of you as creative and artsy.
I’ve always been jealous of the
image that “artsy” people have. They usually have some sort of unique style and
can see things from a different point of view. I mean, hey, I don’t know how
much creativity and artistic talent it takes to slap a coat of paint on a piece
of furniture, but I’m not going to deny the title. I have a unique style that
works for me, too. See number 1. I guess I identify most with a grunge
look…?
5. You get to have beautiful, colorful and changing
furniture all over your home.
So far in my apartment I’ve painted
two dressers, two nightstands, a TV stand, and 3 side tables. I can’t make up
my mind on which side table works best, so I just paint something new, put it
in place for a while, then sell it if I don’t like it and find another piece to
paint. The hardest part is finding a balance between interesting colors and
neutrals so that your home doesn’t look like a circus. You’re always about that
bright funky color until it’s sitting in your living room, then you’re
like….”Uh, no, that’s not going to work.” But it’s worth it when you find the
right piece and you love it every time you walk into a room.
Well there you have it. I’d love if
you’d come over to My Breezy Room
for a bit and check out some of the furniture makeovers I’ve been up to lately.
Thanks again, Julie, for letting me take over your blog for a day!http://www.mybreezyroom.com/