Ombre Bench

Just finished this ombre bench:

It originally looked like this:

Kit surprised me and picked it up on craigslist for $40. 

I was inspired a while back by this bench I pinned on Pinterest:

Source: anthropologie.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

Here's my go-to steps for painting wood furniture:

1. sand

2. prime w/Kilz

3. paint

4. varnish (if there's going to be any wear-n-tear risk)

At first I painted the top portion yellow:

The middle color is actually a combination of the yellow and the espresso color on the bottom. I like to call it "puke green." I actually LOVE "puke green." But, I hated the bright yellow up top. It looked way different on paper. As much as Kit and I want to go back in time and live in 1970s Hawaii, I just couldn't keep these colors. Too "in-your-face" 70s. 

So, I turned to my trusty Benjamin Moore Hollingsworth Green, which I've used on my Kids Vintage Rocking Chair and my Upcycled Shutter, and painted over the yellow.

I used painters tape to mark off where I was going to switch colors. It wasn't the best tactic, because I did it right after I primed. I should have done it after I had a good coat of the puke green, then done the light green afterward.

Look at cute Godiva lounging in the background. :)

With some careful strokes and tiny brushes, I got up close and personal with the section where there was painters tape, and did my best to make it flow nicely.

I love it, but don't know where to put it! Kit wants it outside by our BBQ. I did put a clear varnish on it, but don't really want it exposed to sun, wind, Kihei dirt, etc. I want it on one side of our dining table. We will see. At some point I'm going to have to start selling some of this stuff I'm painting! Our 700 sq ft cottage can only fit so much!

Thanks for checking out my bench! Also, we've got a link party happening here till Wednesday night. Would love to have you link up!

Aloha, Rebecca

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These are a few of my favorite things... the UO edition

Living in Hawaii, it's hard to find cool things in our limited supply of stores. There's a lot more selection on Maui than Kauai, though, so lucky me. :) I love to shop at Urbanoutfitters.com. I first went to one of their NYC stores in 2006, and after that I was hooked. Here are some of my favorite finds.

I got this in August 2010 at the UO San Diego shop. i LOVE IT.

I just got 2 of these orange placemats. They're plastic and adorable and easy to clean. So new, the folds haven't evened out yet. 

I also own 4 of them in blue. Cailin got them for me a few Christmases ago. I love them.

Technically I don't have this rug yet... but it's on back order. I bought it for Cailin's b-day cause I know she loves Owls and it's been sitting in my online UO shopping cart for way too many of her b-day's and holidays.

This adorable mat was in our tub for quite a while. It got dirty kinda quick, but I still love it. 

This rug was one of my top pins on Pinterest. It went viral in minutes. I love it. It was on sale for $9.99! It's in our bedroom.

The rug beneath the sink is sooo fun. The perfect shade of sage with polka dots and lacey/doily-like edges. It was like $14 or something ridiculous like that. 

The jewelry hanger on the right is awesome. It's white. I almost got the turquoise, but I'm glad I got white because it goes with more. 

This yellow key hanger is so fun. I love 60's-70's style yellow and green accents, so this fits perfectly with me. The clock above it was my grandma's. It hung on her wall for as long as I can remember. It seems like the battery died about 6 years ago, haha, so when I got it last Summer the first thing I did was put a fresh battery in it!

These curtain pull backs were like $3 a piece or something ridiculous, and I got 4 for Ivy's room in the Summer of 2010. I want some for our room now!

Cailin bought me 4 of these plates at the same time she got me the placemats. What's weird is she got them for me right when we were staging Swan Lake at work!

I got these green ones (love the retro green pattern!) when we had our business on Kauai: Green Light Creative Arts Center. 

Okay... I think that's all for now. How many times can I say. "I LOVE IT"? 

Next week is Kit's bday and I got him something from UO, but I can't show it yet! 

First time buying something from the guys' section. :)

Aloha, Becca

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