Before & After

I could look at Before & After photos ALL…DAY…LONG!  The subject matter is irrelevant.  So long as the difference is dramatic, I’m all over it.  That’s probably why I love painting so much.  Because even going from one paint color to another, you could look at the very same thing in a whole different light.  When something, like an old piece of furniture, has been neglected for a while…and it gets a fresh coat of paint…it’s even more gratifying.  It’s almost like I could see the clouds parting and hear the angels singing the sweet sounds of redemption!  I’m not even exaggerating.  That’s how I feel.  So I encourage you to take Before & After pictures of any projects you take on, so that satisfying feeling can last as long as you hold on to those photos. That said, I thought I would share some of my favorite Before & After photos of projects I’ve done.

Some of these projects are a bit quirky, like this paper maché carousel horse I painted for a friend who was going to use it as a party decoration.  The explosion of raffia..the silver hooves..the added glitter….  All I can say is, I know the 80’s. The 80’s were my friend. And this, Sir, had all the markings of the 80’s!  Needless to say, I was up for the challenge, even though my dog didn’t want this thing in the house, as evidenced by her growling.  Ahhh, but just look at the difference!

Then there was this high gloss rocking horse.  No way could I sit back and let a sweet little girl who is all sugar & spice rock on something so brown and black and googley-eyed!  (In fact, removing that googley eye was the first order of business because I didn’t want it looking back at me as I coated it with paint remover.)

The Before & After pics of this kitchen are also among my favorites.  I remember the home owner being particularly indecisive about the color choices, going back & forth & back again.  But in the end, I was glad she did because I absolutely love how it turned out.  I call this the “Old World” faux finish because I add cracks with a fine brush to make it look like it aged over time.

This was a garage sale find that was going into a little girl’s room, when it was brought over to me.  It wasn’t too beat up before, but it had rings on the top, which I used to remind my daughter why we should use coasters.   Now, Tea Time is all the time.

Hope you enjoyed these Before & After photos as much as I enjoyed revisiting them.  I would love nothing more than for you to share some of your pictures with me.