Here is a quick and easy way to paint an old chandelier.

* Disclaimer* this is NOT a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Links may be affiliated links. This does NOT affect your price. Disclaimer

I made some new friends from HomeRight at the Haven conference this year. They sent me their finish max super paint sprayer and spray shelter to give it a try.  I have never used a paint sprayer before. I never tried painting a light fixture either. This was going to be a first all the way around. When I first got it in the mail I thought it looked like it was going to be hard to figure out. But I looked over the directions and read a blog post. After that, it was very easy to use.

Click for the sprayer

So let’s start at the beginning. I bought this on clearance over 10 years ago. I get it two-tone so it would match whatever I was doing at the time.

My husband took it down for me. So while I sat on the floor with it while I watched tv. I cleaned it off. Took off all the globes. Gave it a light sanding and cleaned it off again.

Then I taped off the socket so the paint would not get in. I tore it little sections so it would curve around.

Next, I got the pant sprayer ready. I added 1/4 cup of water with the white Bear paint I got at Home Depot. Put the mix into the sprayers bowl. I made sure the tip on the gun was the one I needed. The break down is in the directions. I sprayed the grass a little until I got spray right.

The tent pops up. Easy, done. The hook is the one for plants I had in the front yard.

It took 2 coats. I used the drying time on the paint can. That was a 45 min wait.  I had a heavy hand so there were a few runs in the paint. I just sanded over that before the 2ed coat.

The hard part was getting my husband back up. LOL

I hope you enjoyed this easy update!

If you stayed this long you get the fun pictures!!

my son saying he helped!!

I’m going to sneeze. LOL!

my husband telling me “work it girl” I look like

Hope you had a good laugh! Have a great day!!

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Hey! I wanted to share this easy update to a Walmart bookcase. I have had this bookcase for years but, it is still sold at the store. I will also add links for what you will need. The current price is $27.84 on their website. Really this is a no-brainer to make an affordable bookcase beautiful.

 So let me start by telling you a little about the bookcase. Its only painted on the sides you will see. So the under part of the middle shelf and the top wasn’t painted on mine. The middle shelf is part of the frame. It does not move. The back is the thin cardboard stuff. If you can put the paper on before nailing the back on. It’s a little harder if you do it later. I had to work around the middle shelf.

step 1 – follow the directions to put the bookcase together. Lay out the back and wipe it off. Make sure there is nothing that would leave bumps in the paper.

step 2 – roll out the paper. The paper is not wide enough to cover the whole back. Then peel off a corner of the paper’s backing. This is so you can move the paper until it is straight. Try to get it as straight as you can. (it don’t have to be perfect) Once you have that one stuck down, you can start the second strip. I overlapped to make a seamless look. Match it up the best you can. Just peel and stick. I did run over it with a plastic wallcovering smoothing tool. To cut the paper I used a utility knife. You can use scissors or a razor blade.  Whatever works for you!   One word of caution. Put the cardboard from the box under the paper when you cut it. this will protect the flooring from your blade.

step 3 – finish following the directions and tack the back on your bookcase. Then style with your treasures!!

want to save on your power bill?? click here

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Did you know their is cheap and easy ways to save on the power bill?

* Disclaimer* this is NOT a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Links may be affiliated links. This does NOT affect your price. Disclaimer

There are some basic you can do to save. Let’s start with the free things and work our way to the bigger things. A lot of my tips go back to the hot water heater or cooking. Anything that has to warm up uses a lot of power. So think about it the oven, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, and space heaters. Anyways you can cut back on using it. Or help it run easier will be worthwhile.

• set the thermostat to 68 in the winter and 78 in the summer
• turn down the temperature on the hot water heater to 120 or less. This is a big one. Your hot water heater is running all the time. Making it run less makes a big difference.
• wash clothes in cold water.
• turn the heat dry setting off on the dishwasher.
• Check for leaks on the A/C ducts. I found one A/C duct on my house had come loose. I had been wasting all the air from that vent going under the house. And I will tell you fixing that one vent made a big difference in the temperature of the whole house!
• make sure refrigerator and freezer are set at the right temperature. If you don’t know. Look up the make and model online. That information should be inside the door.
• keep the lint trap clean on the dryer. It will work easier that way. And run the dryer at night in the summer. This way it won’t heat up the house during the heat of the day. Making the A/C work harder.
• Don’t use space heaters if you have other options. If you can use a fireplace or a wood stove to heat a room.
• Like the dryer, try not to use the oven during the day. It takes a lot to get the oven up to temperature. So if you must use it put your food in early. Cut back on cooking time the best you can.

moving on to the suggestions that require some investment

• Get a hot water heater blanket!! It can save up to 25% alone. I have got one for every house I’ve moved to. It’s not too expensive and very worth it.
• Check around exterior doors. If you can see light through a closed door. Then you have a weatherstripping problem. Easy fix. There are different kinds. The main one pulls out of the door frame. Or you can get the peal and sick. I use this to add around the main weatherstripping or on interior doors if needed.
• Replace any lights you can with solar lights.
• Replace your 5 most used light bulbs with LED lights bulbs. BIG ONE!! This helped me out a lot.
• Insulate windows. With a kit or even hang a blanket over the window in the winter.
• add insulation in the attic. Anyplace you can increase insulation is a good idea.
• check around in water lines coming into the foundation of the house. Any holes that air or bugs can get through fill with Great stuff. It’s just a spay that expands to fill the space. Real easy to use.
• the last one, remember to change the filters on the A/C unit every 3 months. (check the size you need on the in-house part of the A/C unit)

        thank you for your time. I hope you find this as useful as I have.

If you like this please check out some other posts.

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