Everyday Items into Easy Christmas Decor!

Posted on December 27, 2016August 6, 2019

Yet another guest post from our Super-Hero Decorator Friend, the Purple Stiletto!

I’m dreaming of a white…and cheap….Christmas. The Purple Stiletto has been spending a good deal of time in the Craft Cave (with Christmas music blasting), trying to find the most inexpensive ways to decorate for Christmas. Now, being that this is the Purple Stiletto’s favorite time of year, it is important to have the feeling of Christmas in EVERY room. And that can get quite expensive! That is where common household items and a little bit of creative juice (and
eggnog!) come in handy.

Now, I will say, there had been ideas spinning in my head like ballerinas in tutus for quite a while. I started by gathering the items I already owned.

Large bowl? Easy!
Pitcher? Yup!
Hand towels? Ho ho ho!
Mason Jars? Thank goodness I made dinner at home last week!
Colander? Yes……..but it’s rather big……..and bright silver…… and if I use that, how am I going to make pasta? I can’t go without pasta until after Christmas! Option #2……… Red Ranger to the rescue! He suggested a trip to the thrift store to look for a colander and any other items that may dress up my ordinary household items. These are the reasons I need him!

With a song in our hearts (or at least in my heart!), we arrived at the first thrift store. If we were lucky, it would be our ONLY thrift store stop. We entered the store with much anticipation and were met with the MOTHERLODE! There was Christmas stuff everywhere! We walked from table to table, looking at all of the different knick-knacks and do-dads. Red Ranger found a bag of fake snow for $1 and some reindeer antlers.

And then I spotted it……shiny and copper……the perfect little colander! And a steal at just $5. We paid for our treasures and returned to the Craft Cave.

I started by folding the hand towels so that only the bottom, decorative portion was showing. I had seen something on Pinterest (a favorite Purple Stiletto website for inspiration) that showed toilet paper with greens coming out of the tube. There is just something about putting toilet paper on display in the bathroom that just doesn’t settle well with me. So my solution was to use hand towels, folded, and then rolled into a tube. The Red Ranger cut sprigs of pine that I put in the top of the towel roll. My bathroom was ready for Christmas. How simple could it be?!

Next, I tackled my large wood bowl. Now, my intent was to fill the bowl with ornaments in varying shades of blue, white and silver. The colors were not a problem but the enormity of the bowl was! I had quite a few ornaments but not enough for such a large bowl. The Purple Stiletto does not let such pesky problems stand in the way! The solution was simple: place a layer of packing peanuts in the bottom and cover with a fabric napkin. I chose silver because it was more likely to blend in, should it be seen in the space between ornaments. Simple, inexpensive and literally minutes to put together. I was on a roll!

I did the same thing with my shiny new colander, except I added battery powered, LED micro lights. I picked them up at a home improvement store a while back for about $7. I put the end of the lights up through the holes in the bottom of the colander so the battery box was hidden under it. I added vintage Christmas ornaments that my grandma had given me and Voile! A fabulous kitchen decoration!

Last, Red Ranger and I tackled the mason jars and pitcher that holds beautiful flowers in the spring and summer. Red Ranger filled the mason jars with the fake snow and then cut tiny sprigs of pine. He also cut larger pine boughs to fill the pitcher. He added the tiny sprigs on top of the fake snow and I added tiny blue and silver ornaments for color. I added blue and green ornaments to the pines in the pitcher and a giant green bow. Our work for the day was done. Time to take a page from Santa’s book and have some milk and cookies!

That night, I sat with a good book by the fireplace and admired my new decorations. They were my everyday items that were suddenly filled with the magic of Christmas. The Purple Stiletto had done it again—turned something boring into something spectacular! The only thing missing is a festive drink!

Easy Mantel Decor or Table Centerpiece (You Decide!)

Posted on December 27, 2016August 6, 2019

Another post from our Super-Hero Decorator guest writer, The Purple Stiletto!

Now, the most obvious basic item was the leftover branches from the bottom of my Christmas tree. They were going to add color and texture to the top of the mantel. I also collected together tea lights, small red and silver Christmas bulbs, unused wine glasses, an empty vase, ribbon, a rhinestone buckle and some sparkly red balls.

I started by laying the branches from my Christmas tree on the mantel. I let them drape over the edge just slightly. Next, I ﬁlled the vase with red balls, wrapped black ribbon around the middle and secured with a rhinestone buckle. I placed the vase in the center of the greens, then grabbed the wine glasses. I ﬁlled the glasses with red and silver Christmas bulbs and then turned upside down. I arranged the glasses among the branches on either side of the vase. I set tea lights on the bases of the wine glasses and stepped back to admire my handiwork. Fabulous! Now THAT was a mantel worthy of my new stocking!

OK, so I know most people would have stopped there, but I still had ideas that were begging to be used. The Purple Stiletto dreams in glitter and color all the time! So what to do with the remaining mantel idea…

I know! The Red Ranger needs a little holiday cheer! Yes, he has a tree (an artiﬁcial one with a pine scented car freshener to make it “smell real”) and lights and some Christmas tidbits here and there but he could really use an amazing mantel too!

I loaded some supplies in my car and dashed through the thickening snow. Under the cover of night, while Red Ranger slept with visions of sugar plums and glitter dancing in his head, I snuck in and worked my magic on his exceptionally dull ﬁreplace.

I, again, began with branches from my Christmas tree. I put a beautiful pillar tree candle in the middle of the branches and began working my way along the mantel. I added large wine glasses with pale blue and silver ornaments, ﬂipped them over on either side of the center candle and added tea lights to the base of the glasses. I followed this with medium, white pillar candles along the length of the mantel, alternated with small glass votives. I scattered the remaining blue and silver ornaments among the greens and candles for a little sparkle. I lit the candles and the effect was breathtaking! It was beautiful! Now, the Red Ranger’s house was dressed for the holidays.

I snuck out, grinning to myself and wondering what the Red Ranger was going to think when he woke up…

As the Purple Stiletto settled into her armchair next to the ﬁre with a glass of wine (in a Christmas glass, of course!), she reﬂected on how amazing it was that such simple objects could completely transform a mantel. The same items could also be used down the center of a table or buffet, but that was for another day. It was time for the Purple Stiletto to kick off her shoes, put her feet up and relax as the scents and scenes of the season washed over her. How was she ever going to make it better next year…

Turn an Old Pair of Ice Skates or Boots into Beautiful Christmas Decorations!

Posted on December 6, 2016March 20, 2020

Christmas the Purple Stilleto Way

The First Appearance of Red Ranger!

Thanks to guest blogger, the Purple Stilleto for this post! She lives a comic book life of adventuring and creating. And occasionally blogging!

’Tis the season to be jolly . . . and creative! The Purple Stiletto’s favorite time of year is right around the corner and that means dragging out boxes and boxes . . . and still more boxes of Christmas decorations while listening to Christmas music (of course!). The funny thing is, I can NEVER find just the perfect combination of decorations. This year, to alleviate the anxiety of coming up with something great, I thought I would try going back to basics and use some of the most simple, everyday objects in a new way.

This idea came to me while going through boxes of winter sports equipment. I reached the “ice skate” part of the box which told the story of my childhood in pairs of ice skates. You see, for a while, my feet grew at such a rapid rate, I had to get a new pair of ice skates every year. Thank goodness I was not wearing stilettos at that time. That would have been VERY expensive!

Anyway, I remembered seeing a picture in a catalog once of some ice skates with pine boughs. Because I no longer had the catalog, I figured I could improvise.

I called my best friend, Red Ranger, to see if he was up for adventure. A silly questions, I know! We met up to search for the perfect green boughs for to fill my skates. We drove around . . . and around . . . and around . . . and there they were in a trash heap of brush—the perfect greens!

Now, I must admit, I traded in the purple stilettos for very stylish tennis shoes for this adventure. Apparently I had forgotten to tell Red Ranger exactly WHAT we were doing because he was wearing his brand new dress shoes. And there seemed to be an exceptional amount of mud surrounding my perfect pine boughs…..

With somewhat muddy feet and plenty of green, we made our way back to the Craft Cave.

There I gathered together my old ice skates, pine boughs, ribbon, tiny ornaments and pinecones. With Christmas carols playing, I tied the laces of the ice skates together while Red Ranger cut small sprigs of pine that I then stuffed in the top of the ice skates. I wired some tiny pinecones and ornaments that I tucked in amongst the greens to add color a texture. The finishing touch was a small white and silver bow with streamers. I hung the ice skates on an old rocking chair and stood back to admire the effect. For something so simple, it made quite a statement!

Later, as I was breaking in my newest pair of purple stilettos, I happened across a pair of boots that I had forgotten I had. The poor things looked so sad collecting dust in my closet! I decided to give them a Christmas facelift like my ice skates.

I grabbed the boots and made my way back to the Craft Cave. I stuffed pine boughs in the top and added a few stems of thistle that Red Ranger shed a fair amount of blood to procure.

Apparently he was unaware how prickly they are when he volunteered to jump from a slow moving vehicle to get them. I added a plaid bow with a single pine cone near the top of each boot and Voile! A-MA-ZING!!!!

That night, Christmas carols accompanied my dreams of beautiful, dusty boots and old rusty ice skates, swirling among giant sparkling snowflakes. The Purple Stiletto (with much sweat and copious amounts of blood from the Red Ranger) is well on the way to making this another spectacular Christmas!

Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets in 6 Steps!

Posted on June 9, 2016April 7, 2020

Did you know that the average cost of remodeling your kitchen is right around $20,000? Yes, $20,000. That’s a significant amount of money. So significant, in fact, that it means I won’t be doing any kitchen remodeling anytime soon. Sure, I’d like new cabinets or a new backsplash or a new floor, but we’re just too attached to having things like groceries and running water. And I don’t think we’re alone. A lot of people like groceries and running water. And yet, many of those same people also wish they had a better kitchen.

And that brings me to the good news: there are many things you can do that will help you update your kitchen without forcing you to give up those little luxuries we all like to have. Like food in the refrigerator. And one of those projects is painting your kitchen cupboards. If the doors and drawers are structurally sound, why rip them out and replace them? With a little elbow grease, some time, and the right products (I’m looking at you RepcoLite and Benjamin Moore), you can brighten them up and, in so doing, completely change the look and feel of your kitchen. And all for very little money!

If you think this project could be perfect for your kitchen, here’s what you need to do:

STEP ONE: Remove the hardware and hinges and label the doors with their location. Removing the hardware and taking the doors down requires no explanation. However, let me stress the importance of labeling the pieces. You definitely want to make sure you do this! Find a system that will work for you and make sure to mark each door and drawer as well as the place they go in the cabinet. Safe-release (Delicate Surface) painter’s tape works well. Just make 2 tags with a “1” and put one on the back of the door, and the other on the frame of the cabinet where the door goes. It’s a simple step, but will help you when it comes time to put things back together!

STEP TWO: Closely examine the surface of the cabinets and drawers and be sure to remove any peeling paint by sanding and scraping. Whatever paint remains on the surface of your cabinets must be sound! New paint brushed over a peeling surface won’t make that old layer stick. The old layer will continue to fail and will take the new one with it. So make sure that whatever paint you leave on the doors is adhering well. Also, if you have to scrape or sand off some of the paint, make sure that you spend some time feathering the bare spots into the spots where the paint remains.

STEP THREE: Clean the surfaces thoroughly. After taking care of loose, flaking, or peeling paint, you need to clean the surfaces with a mixture of 1 part TSP to 4 parts water. Kitchens are sources of many different surface contaminants and you need to make sure that the surface you’re painting is clean and free of grease, dirt, and so on. Use a Scotchbrite (“scrubby”) pad with the TSP to thoroughly clean the surfaces. And if you have some really stubborn dirt or grease, use the degreaser Spray Nine.

STEP FOUR: Scuff-sand the surfaces you’re going to paint. You can use an orbital sander for this, or you can do the sanding by hand. Either way, use either 180 – 220 grit sandpaper. The goal isn’t to sand through the current finish, it’s just to lightly scuff it. And when you’re done, remove all the dust from the cabinets. You can blow them off with an air compressor, vacuum the dust off, or wipe it off with a solvent like Denatured Alcohol or Xylene. However you remove the dust make sure that it’s all removed before moving on to the priming step!

STEP FIVE: Prime the cabinets with a good bonding primer. We recommend STIX Waterborne Primer. It will bond to the previous coating on your cabinets and will provide an excellent base for your topcoat! Let the primer completely dry and then assess the cabinets for any bleed-through of stain or tannins. This can happen if you’ve cut through the original coating while scuff sanding. If you do see some bleed through, spot prime those areas with an oil based primer or a white pigmented shellac like BIN.

STEP SIX: Topcoat with a good finish paint in either a satin sheen or a semi-gloss (for washability). If you’re brushing, we recommend giving Benjamin Moore’s Advance a try. It’s a waterborne alkyd which means you’ll get the performance of an oil-based product without the drawbacks. It will flow out remarkably well, providing you with a smooth finish even when you brush or roll the paint on. And, best of all, it cleans up with soap and water and doesn’t have the smell of an oil. Another great option is RepcoLite’s own Hallmark Ceramic. It rolls and brushes well and or can be sprayed. There are also a few other options we may recommend in the store, depending on your situation.

And that’s basically what you need to know. Yes, there is some work involved. Yes, it will take some time. You’ll have to do the sanding and the cleaning, the priming and the painting. But, when you’re done, you’ll be amazed at the difference in your home. And all for as little as $200 – $300 (or less!)

If you’re interested in this project, please email us with your questions or type your questions in the comment boxes on this post!

How to Paint and Distress Crown Royal Bottles

Posted on June 8, 2016August 6, 2019

So, what does The Purple Stiletto do with things that most people would throw away? Get creative, of course!

I was presented with some clear glass bottles, the contents having long since been enjoyed. The texture was exactly what I was looking for! This made things interesting and, in some way, made my job easier.

I started by gathering the supplies that I would need for a day of creativity….and waiting for paint to dry.

Empty bottles … check!
X-I-M primer (because it sticks to glass) … check!
Metallic spray (bronze because I’m currently on a dark metallic kick) … check!
Latex paint for topcoat (way more than I needed but it was a mistint gallon I changed to suit my mood) … check!
Denatured alcohol & rags for distressing … also check!

With my supplies gathered together, I was ready to prime my glass. Now, I should mention that all adhesive residue and grease had been cleaned from the bottles before I started this project. Also, I realized that the lids may not screw back on correctly if the threads had been painted over, so I decided to tape the opening of the bottles to be on the safe side.

While I waited for the primer on the glass to dry, I painted the caps with a very small artist brush and practiced walking around in my stilettos.

After letting the primer COMPLETELY dry on both the bottles and lids (and with aching feet!), I sprayed a couple basecoats of the bronze metallic according to the can instructions. This one specifically said to spray multiple light coats in a one hour window. And, being that it was quite humid when I did this project, it took all of my patience to let the paint dry all the way before moving on to the topcoat.

After some lunch and a short walk with the dog (not in stilettos), my paint was FINALLY dry! I decided to try rolling the latex topcoat. I have done other projects that I brushed out and was not really happy with the brush strokes. This is nothing but a game of trial and error. As I found out, I did not like the rolling any better. Next time, I think I will try spraying.

Two coats of latex (and more waiting) later, it was finally time to see what I could create!

Now, I will say I was going to just use a rag to wipe on the denatured alcohol but too much dry time gives one plenty of time to think of other ways to distress.

In the end, I began with a gray scuff pad lightly dipped in the alcohol. I did not want to put too much on, for fear it would eat away more paint in certain areas than I would like. I alternated between the scuff pad and rags, taking off paint only on the raised areas.

When I was happy with the raised areas, I moved on to the center of the bottle. For this, I tried a couple different techniques. The one I liked the best was cutting through certain areas with a piece of sandpaper. Just as I was getting to the metallic layer, I switched to denatured alcohol and a rag. From there, I was able to “buff out” the rough edges made by the sandpaper and reveal just the right amount of bronze. I could plan the “wear spots.”

The other technique I tried was just continuously wiping the whole center section with alcohol until the bronze wore through. I did not like this as well because I felt it looked a little splotchy when it was done. I much prefer the “planned aging” look!

I left one bottle center plain. I think it could be used for a monogram or initial. The jury is still out on what to use the blank space for. Perhaps the Purple Stiletto symbol (which I have yet to create)? These are the two completed bottles. Just another day’s work. The Purple Stiletto crafts again!

Deck Staining Tools: What’s Better, What’s Best?

Posted on May 12, 2016May 7, 2020

When it comes to applying stain or sealer to your deck, there are a wide variety of tools and applicators available. But which tools work the best? Which ones do the job quicker than anything else?

Success on a deck project–as well as your overall experience–depends largely on the tools you use to apply the stain. Using the wrong tools can make the job more grueling than it needs to be. They can slow you down and prevent you from getting the stain on quickly and evenly. This can affect not just your experience, but also the quality and durability of the finished job. So, finding the right tools is important.

Well, last year, we filmed a review video where we tested out most of the various application tools and techniques that we’ve ever heard discussed at RepcoLite. Some of these were recommended by employees and others are the “favorite” methods of some of our customers. Either way, we put all of these methods to the test and discovered very quickly that some of them are much better than others.

Here are our top 3 recommendations:

METHOD 1: Roller and Brush

In our tests, we found that the fastest way to apply the stain evenly and quickly was to roll it on with a standard, 9″ roller with a 3/8″ nap and then back-brush it using a Wooster Bravo Stain Brush. If you’re going to use this application method (and it’s the best!), make sure you pick up 1 or 2 extension poles. You can attach the roller to the pole and apply your stain to the deck without leaving your feet. And, that’s why we recommend that particular Wooster stain brush–you can unscrew the handle and instead thread the brush onto the end of an extension pole. So you’ll be able to back-brush your deck from a standing position as well. Which is, (though I don’t have to say it), awesome.

Now, when we tested this method, we found it to be the fastest and easiest way to apply a smooth, even coat of stain to your deck. There are other faster ways (but they’re not as easy). And there are other easier ways (but they’re not as fast.) This method provides, in our opinion, the best balance between ease and speed. However, it’s important to note that the back-brushing step is of paramount importance! And typically will require a second person (helpers are always helpful!). The reason it’s important is because the roller alone will apply the product too heavily which can lead to all sorts of problems. Back-brushing spreads the stain evenly, helps you get it into the gaps between the boards, and works into deep into the fibers of the wood. It’s a critical step to producing a beautiful deck. So don’t skip it! (And don’t, for your own sake, buy any brush other than the Wooster Bravo–you’ll thank us later. We promise!)

METHOD 2: Padco Paint and Stain Pad

Alright, in our testing, there was a second method that we really liked as well: a Padco paint and stain pad. You can see it in the picture here, but just to clarify, it’s a six-inch pad with a handle that can be threaded onto an extension pole. The pad itself is a sponge with a bristled face.

We found this tool to work very quickly and because the face of the sponge is bristled, it does not require back-brushing. It was as fast or faster than the roller and back-brushing method, but, there are two reasons we rated it second. First, it is not nearly as easy to stain the gaps between the deck boards when using this pad. It works and can be done by turning the pad on it’s side, but it’s much easier to do so with the brush. Second, and more importantly in our consideration, the pad works best when the deck boards are in very good condition. If you have boards that are splintered, uneven, or rough, the pad doesn’t perform as well. It’s too rigid to conform to boards that have cupped over time (and you end up with spots that get no stain). It’s also a sponge pad that can be easily snagged and torn apart by boards with splintered edges.

If you’re staining a new deck or a deck that’s in great shape, this is a very fast tool that you won’t be sorry you purchased. If the boards are less than ideal, definitely opt for the roller and brush combo we mentioned above!

METHOD 3: Garden Sprayer and Brush

A third method we tested (and really liked) was the garden sprayer/brush combination. Basically, we took a conventional garden pump-up sprayer and used that to apply our stain to the deck. Now, a couple of clarifications. First, this only works for transparent or translucent stains–sprayers like this are not designed to spray stains with too much pigment. Second, this method can be… will be… messy! So, watch out for overspray on your siding, on your house, on your feet, and so on!

However, if you can take care of all of those issues, then this is a tremendously fast method for applying stain to your deck. Just remember that as was the case with the roller, the stain still needs to be backbrushed to work it into the wood.

And there you go! RepcoLite’s top 3 methods for applying stain to your deck. And if you’d like to check out our full review (and first video–so be kind to the dopes on camera), we’ve conveniently placed it just below this sentence!