Big Painting Project

We needed to paint several rooms, but there was no money for paint. We were trying to get our house ready to put on the market and paint helps so much to freshen things. What to do?............... Well, God provided 2 cans of gray paint....for FREE!!!  Someone was just getting rid of it - you see it sometimes on Craigslist.

   At the time, it wasn't my first choice, but free is free and God had provided it, so I was going to use it.............somehow!

After some thought and since there were 2 gallons of the same color,  I decided to use it for the hallway, entryway. garage entry and 2 stairways (we live in a split level with 3 half size stairways) and planned to put white trim to contrast...........

We LOVED it! What a blessing. :)  If we had been able to afford to go and buy the paint, we never would have picked out the gray, but it was a perfect color for us.......it contrasted so nicely with the white woodwork and the oak flooring..... ....and it was calm, yet crisp and cheery.

After doing all of the gray areas, we still had paint left (I am quite frugal and am pretty good at stretching the paint!), we still needed to paint the living room, dining room and kitchen. There wasn't enough gray paint to do all of them and we really didn't want everything to be the same color, so I experimented................

We painted the living room gray and then I ragged on some blue - I had just a bit of it left in the bottom of a can from years before.......

 We liked it..........it gave the room a blue color, but wasn't strong blue......and it flowed very nicely from the entryway which was just the gray with white trim.

Next, the kitchen.....hmmm......didn't want gray in there at all......I looked and found 1/2 can of a light herb green(another freebie!) that we decided to try......

Since the kitchen isn't large, and cupboards and such take up a lot of the wall space, the half can was plenty with a bit left over, so I had another idea.....................

  We painted the dining room gray also, although I was really concerned that I could stretch the paint far enough to finish the room. Like I said, I am very good at stretching the paint, but this was iffy..........   By the end, I felt it was like the woman and her son in the Bible with the oil that was so plentiful!!!!  There was enough to finish.....and a little.....not much at all.....left for touch up.  Wow....that was amazing......those 2 cans of gray paint did a lot!

Then I ragged on the green paint from the kitchen over the gray......and again changed the look of the gray and we really liked it.

 The green over the gray is reminiscent of wallpaper, yet it is understated and not overpowering. It is a nice backdrop for the room. The green rag paint over the gray is on the top part of the room........below the white chair rail, I left it plain gray.

 One thing I LOVE about this project is that it doesn't all look the same.......and yet it flows so wonderfully.  All of the colors are combined in different ways and they work so well together. It was a fresh look and it all started with 2 free cans of gray paint.  :) 







Remember that bit of gray paint I had left? Well, I decided to do some more experimenting.....The basement was a tan so I ragged the white wall of the stairwell to the basement with the tan and the gray and created another different look there also, and still had a little gray for touch up.

All in all, this project was a success.......and I think it was even better for having to make the free paint work for us..... and also needing to use creativity.  The only thing I had to buy for this whole project was the white paint for the woodwork.........and I had part of a can already, so only needed to buy one gallon.

Please don't think I am bragging on this......no, I am marveling at God's provision and His blessing us with creativity and contentment. If I had fussed and demanded that we buy the paint I wanted, my husband would have tried to figure out a way to do it.........and what a blessing we would have missed. We find that we aren't just "settling" for the freebie.........but after it is all done, we can't imagine liking it nearly as well with other colors. God's provision for us is pretty amazing.

I also find it amazing that 2 gallons of free gray paint, stretched to cover: the hallway by the bedrooms, 2 stairwells, front entryway, garage entry, living room and dining room. I would never have started the project expecting it to go that far and I really think God stretched it for us.  I am good at making the paint stretch, but I don't think I am THAT good at it. :)

I have had other projects where I used what I had or what God provided for free - and they turned out to be blessings. I have learned to trust Him to provide and not demand what I want, but to pray about it and wait to see how He provides....it's not always free, but He is still the One who provides for us....sometimes He provides through what we already have....and I tend to "shop" in my own home before looking elsewhere.

Thank you for joining me today.....I hope you have a wonderful day and see God's provisions for you also.

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Cooking and Crafting with j and j