Changing Store Bought Stuff to Fit Your Style

A few months ago I found the prefect addition to my kids' bathroom.  I really, really wanted to do a Beach themed bathroom for them to enjoy and share, so a California Beach reminder seemed perfect for my two sweet peas and the little dude.  I painted, then found the perfect striped shower curtain, then I found this surf board coat rack at Hobby Lobby one weekend!  It was perfect.  Well, it was almost perfect.  I didn't like the colors at all, and it clashed with the shower curtain I was already settled on keeping.  So what's a girl to do?  This girl decided to start over! And this is the result!  LOVE!

 See how well the blues and greys mix with the creamy white picket fence?  It goes so well with the largest fabric piece (shower curtain) and they play off of one another so well.  Take a look at what the surf board rack used to look like.

 The original colors are great, but they don't match with the blue/grey color scheme I was working with.  Plus my kids are a little older and this was a bit on the little kiddie side.  The polka dots and and knob hanger color was the first to be changed.

 The next step was to sand down and take the colors off as much as possible.  I used my orbital sander for the easy to reach places, but had to sand by hand for those hard to reach places.

A coat of primer was a must.  This wasn't real wood, just plywood/scrap/ pressed bits of wood otherwise known as the cheap stuff.  Primer is a must for this kind of project.

Once the primer dried, I spray painted an off white color called Heirloom White by Rust Oleum.

Then I just penciled lines for the surf designs. Nothing special...just free hand for this entire project!

 I bought some acrylic paints from Wal Mart and mixed some of the blues and greys.

 I painted this at 2a.m. so bear with me on these dark pictures.  Sometimes, you just want to get something done and when everyone else is asleep, you realize it's the best time to do it! 

 I didn't have any special designs or design tips to give you.  I use tape to make straight lines and a pencil eraser to make circles.  I'm not an artist by any means, so I need as much help as possible!

 Little by little it was coming together.

And each board was made with one of my kids in mind.

 I love the results and I think it looks perfect with my DIY Beach sign above it!  LOVE!

So once more.... BEFORE

And AFTER!

So if you find something at the store you like, but it's just not the right color, think about changing it to make it your own.  Hope you found some inspiration here today.

Blessings,

Lisa