Paint is one of my favorite things. It’s magical because it breathes new life into tired surroundings. It turns trash into treasures. Slap a coat of paint on a dated sidetable and you’ve added fresh excitement and a stunning place to display prized dishes. Or time warp a brand new dresser with paint and a piece of sand paper and you’ve created a shabby chic heirloom. My favorite example of ‘paint magic’ has been transforming a little girls’ basement bedroom. Despite it being a perfectly fine (albeit plain) white bedroom, the girls were scared to stay down there if they weren’t in the room together. Some dry brushed light blue paint and well-placed stenciled snowflakes were all it took to start the transition to an ‘Ice Princess’ theme and their protests at going downstairs alone vanished. In place of the protests were wild jumping and screaming and they haven’t been scared since. Now THAT’S magic.
Magic has no boundaries so as I look at paint…and its hefty price tag….I know the magic can continue. Want to know where to find it? Check the mis-tint section of your local home improvement store and check it regularly. I can’t tell you the last time I bought full price paint because I can usually find what I need – or pretty darn close to it – in this unassuming little area. $40 cans of premium label, primer-and-paint-in-one turn into $9 cans. Smaller quart sized cans turn into only a few dollars. And *POOF*, those little samples turn into 50 cents! Even more magic happens when the manufacturer runs rebate periods. Yes, those mis-tints can count! (Always check with the store first. I’m an avid Lowes shopper and they honor that incentive with their mis-tints). ‘Buy one can of brand X and get another at half price’ can quickly become a massive savings. Savings to be spent another day, on another project!