As I wash the paint off my brushes once again, I wanted to share my adventure.
Our neighbors, who live directly across from us, came to visit. I didn't know that along with the coffee cake they brought, they had also baked a hidden agenda. By living close, we both leave our garage doors open and visit each other. They have seen me often working on one project or another, and were over many times during my "wall surgery" and loved the outcome. They are dear fans of mine (bless their hearts) and always seem to have encouraging words and kind compliments.
On this particular visit, while drinking my coffee, they asked if I would paint a mural on their house. Now I wish I could say at this point that my "spitting up" days ended as a child, but the shock was too much and out came my coffee (I apologize again dear neighbors). It was pure shock, I admit. "You want me to do WHAT!?!", I asked as my hand shook trying to put down the cup.
"We want you to paint a mural on our house," they reconfirmed.
"Yep," I thought, "I heard right." It took them 3 days to talk me into this. Although I love creating with my hands, the results usually remain in my own house. I never hesitate to put paint on my own walls, but a house? And the OUTSIDE of a house, at that! And the outside of SOMEONE ELSE'S house, at that!
After 3 days of assuring me that they had all the confidence in the world in my talent (their words and bless their hearts again) and that they had "extra" exterior paint (I had to know I could cover up if I goofed!), I gathered up my supplies (and courage). I really wish you could have seen me that first day. Although the space between our houses was a stone's throw, to me it felt more like I was walking "the green mile!" I just couldn't believe I had agreed to do this. "What was I thinking?", I asked myself over and over.
I dug down deep and found that GO FOR IT button and wanted to share the results. The motto of this story is that it's good to go outside your "comfort zone." Even if your hands shake and you have wobbly knees, GO FOR IT!
So, for all the women out there, the next time your husband or significant other complains about having to paint the house, smile and say, "Honey, I'll do it for you!" Grab some brushes and do your thing! We are woman. We are strong. In numbers too big to ignore!
P.S. They loved the mural and asked me to do shutters. They attached real hinges to them. Aw-w-w - love thy neighbors!
By Mary from Palm Coast, FL
Editor's Note: Here is Mary's first essay about painting her laundry room walls.
Do you have a frugal story to share with the ThriftyFun community? Submit your essay here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_myfrugallife.ldml
I struggled for years to put myself through college. When at last I was employed, and besieged by credit card offers, I was not very wise. I had lived so lean for so long that the temptation was too strong; and I went under. I had to contact a debt settlement company and retrench.
The most difficult thing about returning to a no-credit-card, watch-every-penny life was my mindset. Two problems beset me. One was boredom: when I am bored, I either shop or eat. But I learned that thrifty people are ACTIVE people. They don't sit staring at the wall where the television used to be. They are rummaging through closets to find materials to make a tablecloth, or figuring out what kind of casserole they can make out of ramen, a hotdog, and some wild carrots they found by the highway. They're always cleaning, cooking, creating, or organizing something. There is no time for boredom.
So I devoted myself to making sure my apartment was as clean and organized as I could get it. This serves three purposes. One, it keeps me busy. I'm not out spending money; I'm discovering how much lint can accumulate behind the oven. Two, it reminds me of what I have. Most thrifty folk know exactly what they have in the house. They don't go buy an extension cord only to discover a box of extension cords in the linen closet later. Three, it gives me a fresh look at the things I'm not currently using. This can spark your creative juices.
For instance, I sorted my leftover paint and two colors I had plenty of were white and dark blue. I decided to paint a mural on my kitchen wall! Now, I'd never painted a mural in my life but I had little to lose, since I could always cover it up again. So I took out my paint and thought: "What is white and blue, simple, but very beautiful?" Mykonos, that's what! Picture those cubist white churches against the dazzling blue ocean and sky! I found a photo on the internet that looked simple enough and started mixing my white and blue to make various shades. And I did it!
This reminds me to point out that another element of being thrifty is courage. You cannot be afraid to mix strange ingredients, or to paint something yourself, or trim your own bangs in the bathroom. Just take off one-half inch and STOP. If in three days you want to trim again, go for it, but not till after you've washed and dried them at least twice.
My other mental hurdle to overcome was a tendency to look at my disposable income as a lump sum at the beginning of the month and think "Oh, I can afford this rug, after all, I have $XXX in checking." Sure, but $XXX had to last another 3 weeks. The next thing I knew, I had 10 days left and no money. Again.
Now I do what I call "Beverly Hills on $30 a Day." (I'm literally 100 paces from BH.) On payday, I pay the bills, and send as much as I possibly can toward my last credit card bill. The remaining money is what I have to live on, and I divide it by how many days it has to last. I start each month with $30 a day. This is for bus, groceries, laundry, shopping, everything. I write down everything I spend in a notebook and keep a running tab, every single day, of how much I have left. If I splurge $70, I come back home, subtract it, and recalculate. Okay, now I only have $26 days. I tell myself, "You can either go to $26 days, OR you cannot spend a penny tomorrow. Then that will bring you back up to $28 days." If I can refrain from spending until I work my way back up to $30 days, great. That's the goal. I don't always make it, and sometimes those last four days are $11 days. But at least I am not flat broke.
My goal is to be debt-free. If I am very careful for one more year, I will be. I've come a long way, and have developed a better mindset about money. I hope something in this essay can be helpful to someone else out there.
By Bethanie from West Hollywood, CA
Do you have a frugal story to share with the ThriftyFun community? Submit your essay here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_myfrugallife.ldml
I had taken a small snowball and placed it on a big ol' hill and before I knew it, that snowball began to roll. I look back in amazement at how that little ball picked up speed and started to grow. I never would have thought that an idea in a laundry room could result in meeting my neighbors in a whole new way. It's like that teeny, tiny secret when you were in grade school. The one that only "you" knew but somehow, someway, someone else eventually found out? I guess for me, that "someone" was my mural neighbors. I believe it went something like this.
One day while taking his morning walk, Mr. Tibbons strolled by the mural house and Mrs. Mural just happened to be working in her flower garden. Mr. Tibbons bid Mrs. Mural a good morning and the conversation was officially started. "My, my", Mr. Tibbons exclaimed. "What a beautiful (thank you Mr. Tibbons) mural, but that wasn't there the last time I came this way." Ten minutes later, Mrs. Mural had filled in Mr. Tibbons with the "mural scoop".
Upon arriving home, Mr. Tibbons told Mrs. Tibbons all about the mural and when Mrs. Tibbons went out for her stroll that evening with her neighbor, they chose the route that would take them by the mural house. So, we can now compare this to that little secret we had in school. By talking to Mr. Tibbons for only a short time, Mrs. Mural lit up the neighborhood hot line.
The next day, there was a knock on my door and I was about to meet my neighbors. There stood Mr. and Mrs. Tibbons, coffee cake in hand (I can't help but wonder if Mrs. Mural suggested they bake one) and I just knew in my heart that my paintbrush would be calling me. Over coffee and cake (it really was delicious Mrs. Tibbons), I got to know my neighbors some. I learned that they were soon to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary and owned this home for over 30 years. They live on social security and a pension and learned how to be thrifty. They told me that they had stared at the same walls and floors for so many years but just couldn't afford to change any of it. They just wanted a brighter look and needless to say, this gal understood perfectly!
Mr. Tibbons request: He hated how the plain cement floors on both his porches looked and said they depressed him. "Any ideas?", he asked. CHECK!
Mrs. Tibbons loves her herb garden and wondered if I could somehow do something above her plate rail on the wall. "Any ideas?", she asked. CHECK!
As I clean my brushes, once again, another new chapter is written in my journal that I thought I'd share with you and I'm happy to report that my knees no longer shake! Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Tibbons. Stop by for coffee anytime!
Note: My tip from my own learning process. Paint is by far, one of the best band-aids. As far as changing a look and coverage, it is rather inexpensive. Hiring a professional can be very costly and many of us live on a budget, requiring us to be thrifty with any expenses. Some choices we make are rather permanent and there isn't much room for error. But paint is very forgiving and allows one to "recover" a boo-boo that one might make when trying to cover the original boo-boo. So don't hesitate. Grab a brush and just do it!
Remember - you can always paint over it if you don't like it!
By Mary from Palm Coast, FL
Editor's Note: Here is Mary's first essay about painting her laundry room walls:
And about the first set of neighbors to come calling:
Do you have a frugal story to share with the ThriftyFun community? Submit your essay here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_myfrugallife.ldml
By creativediane from Woodinville, WA
This is a mural I painted on my garage door. I used just patio paints, freehand. The flowers are painted in Donna Dewberries "one stroke" technique.
I put this mural in my kitchen and it absolutely changed the entire look! My mural is Tatouage which is a rub on type transfer which when completed, looks and feels just like a painted mural. This for only $60!
By Allison from Georgetown, IN
Buy a inexpensive projector from Michaels ($75 dollars) and project their favorite picture on the wall. Trace the outline of the picture, detailing everything that you want to paint. You don't have to be experienced painter either, it's like color by number. After you traced the image on the wall, paint with acrylic paints. Simple and original.
We have Star Wars, Thomas the Train, Barnyard animals and Spongebob Squarepants. Great details can be done in one day. You'll have the most original bedroom in the neighborhood!
By Kerry from Flat Rock, MI
What kind of paint is best for painting a mural on a brick wall?
By D. Reese
By frugalsunnie
02/10/2012
Any paint labelled as satisfactory for use on masonry or cement should work on brick. Make sure you use a good quality primer also labelled for use on masonry because the material is usually porous even if it's been exposed to weather. Not always, but why take the chance of your mural not looking right because of uneven paint absorption?
Read the labels and follow the directions to ensure your finished project is everything you want it to be-use the right paint for the conditions the mural will be under after the painting is done. There is a primer and paint for interior OR exterior masonry and using the wrong ones will ruin your project.
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