Sunday, March 23, 2014

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.


Shared on................. 

24 comments:

  1. Had you not stopped by Being Woven tonight, I would have missed this wonderful blessing. You really were able to use God's gifts to the max! How fun and fine!
    Caring through Christ, ~ linda
    p.s. how come we always fix things up just before we are getting rid of them rather than enjoy them while we are living in the house or using the car or....
    I will pray for God's right person to by your house and in the right timing for you and your family.

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    1. Thank you... so nice of you. I agree... it is a shame that we fix things up to sell them... and I am trying to change that. :) Thank you for visiting...and I am so sorry to be so late in responding.

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  2. Oh my.. I would never have chosen gray either and it looks so amazing! I really love the green ragged over the gray. Thank you for sharing!
    ~Have a blessed week, Stacy @ Huddlenet.com

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    1. I'm sorry this is so late... thank you so much for visiting... We sure do enjoy the paint job... and to think that it wasn't a planned one is wonderful. :)

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  3. New subscriber from Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy. Your project turned out amazingly! When we moved into our house, it was all white. DH wanted some color, so we did the living room in a kind of sea foam/olive color and it looks really nice. Of course, now I'm looking at the ceiling...:O)

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    1. I am so sorry this is a late response to your wonderful comment. Painting the ceiling was NOT on my list... BUT I am SO glad we did it... it sure finished the room off nicely. :) Your living room color sounds really nice.. and I hope you really enjoy it... I love having freshly painted walls. :)

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  4. Love this! Everything looks beautiful! :-)

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    1. Thank you... I am so sorry to have missed replying before now.

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  5. Wow!! This was an awesome blessing. God never fails. Thanks for sharing this and glorifying God.

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    1. No, He doesn't... thank you for visiting... I am so sorry to be so late in responding.

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  6. Whoah. This is totally amazing! Not bad even though it is free! I think I’m in love with grey and planning to change the color of my bathroom. The color is surely attractive, and it totally fit in any stuff that you have in your room! Classy!

    Sebastian of
    Granny Flat Super Store

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    1. I am so sorry to be so late in responding to your wonderful comment. Thank you for visiting... we sure do enjoy the gray now... I am glad I was "pushed" into using it. :)

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  7. Wow, what an absolute blessing. I LOVE your creativity, it all looks so nice. I love the wallpaper look and the way it all fit together so well. Amazing!
    Thanks for stopping by and sharing with Throwback Thursday Blog-Style. I can't wait to see what you share this week.

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    1. Thank you... I like the wallpaper look also... WITHOUT the wallpaper mess! :)

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  8. Hello, I'm visiting from Roses of Inspiration. Always love stories about God providing in such ways as He did in yours.
    Wonderful !! I love how your painting make-over turned out. It looks great !.

    God bless !
    Wilma. shabbyroyale.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you... it has been such a pleasure to see how God worked this all out. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  9. Simply lovely, my friend! I love the green and gray look - very unique and pretty! Also, I just love your corner cabinet! I know this post isn't about that piece of furniture, but it really caught my eye :)

    You are a sweetheart for sharing your wonderful posts with Roses of Inspiration - thank you!

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    1. I was surprised how much I liked the gray and green combo... it has a nice look to it that blends well with our furnishing... I really like that corner cabinet also... it needs to be painted again and that is on my list (somewhere down the list!!!), but I am so thankful to have it. :)

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  10. I really like the ragged look you did, especially the green. What a blessing to be able to do all this and for God to provide so abundantly for you. Thank you for sharing your blessings with us at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

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    1. Thank you.... I like the green the best also... love the combination. :) He sure does provide abundantly... and in such fun ways also. :)

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  11. What an amazing paint job that you did from the provision of grey paint. A creative gift from the original creator.
    Kathleen
    Fridays Blog Booster Party

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    1. He is such a good provider... and I have really enjoyed that paint and color.... and especially realizing how far it stretched.... since it seems God stretched it for us. :) Thank you for visiting.

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