Faux Painting - a Leap of Faith

I am not handy, and I am not creative. We bought our first home seven years ago, and I was too chicken back then to do anything with the white walls. Growing up in the military, being in the military and finally marrying into the military, you get used to seeing white walls in your quarters or wherever you happen to be living at the time. I decided at this last duty station, things were going to be different.

Within days of buying our house, I already had a plan of how, what and when I was going to paint. My husband just shrugged his shoulders and said he had a TDY trip coming up. Well, I got tons of books on the subject at my local library. I took numerous trips to Lowes and Home Depot and shuttled countless paint samples back and forth. The people there knew me by name.

I finally decided what color was going to be my dominant color throughout the house, and yes, I picked a neutral color as recommended by every real estate agent and person interested in resale value. I thought I would do something different in the dining room, a nice cranberry color, and our master bedroom, which I wanted to have a nice rustic Italian villa look.

I have NEVER painted before..other than stick figures on posterboard as a child. I kid you not. I won't bore you with the details that it took me over two weeks to paint my house, not including the bedroom. I also won't bore you with the six coats plus primer it took to paint that cranberry red, and why did no one tell me that this is the case with certain darker colors?

After reading and watching a few faux painting tutorials online, I realized I didn't have the guts to dab newspaper or rags or anything else for that matter. I wanted it instant and I wanted it as simple as I could get it. At this point, I had paint in my hair, under my fingernails, somehow in my one armpit and had cleaned countless drips, pans and brushes. The master bedroom would be the "piece de resistance" for me. So....I cheated. I bought a Wall Magic Designer Series Kit. It even came with a video and tons of yea-sayers, saying it works. That did it for me.

I had a few days break waiting for it to arrive... a much needed break...the house was a mess, and I didn't want my husband to come back to a pigsty...so I ended up unpacking the rest of the boxes and getting most things put away...or at least made it look like they were put away.

After the box arrived, I watched the video. Wow, made it look easy. I already had my paint picked out and the guy at Lowe's assured me the colors would blend in well together. I really do not have an eye for color...when I held the samples up to the light..I kept getting this "that's not it" feeling...but in the end, I trusted him, as I didn't have any better solutions and brought the paint home. Do remember, if you're military and you're shopping at Lowe's or Home Depot, be sure to ask for the military discount.

Since I already had the area prepped, it was no trouble pouring the paints in the tray. That was the easy part. I hesitated...but only for a few minutes. I figured if it turned out badly, I could always use my leftover cans of the neutral color...no one would know I had failed at this. Well, I was nicely surprised. The kit actually worked...here is a photo of the proof.

What am I trying to say with all this? Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and try it, whatever it is....try something new. It's a good "pick me up" and a great confidence builder when you do succeed. Even though I am not an artist, I consider this a monumental work of art...for me. I'm just comparing myself with me and not with someone like Picasso, anyone on the Home & Garden Network or anything like that.

Have you been thinking of trying something new but are just afraid to give it a try? Just try it....nudge yourself. You may just surprise even yourself. And if it doesn't work out, you've learned a valuable lesson in the process and know thyself just a little bit better. So, give it a try, and let me know how it goes!