You ever feel like a week feels like two, three, a month even? I don't know why, but this one felt long. I have some ideas as to why, but then I feel like I'd be blaming other things for my actions. It's ok to want to understand where our feelings come from, but I'm learning not to lean on the why's but figure out how to cope with them.
This week of the One Room Challenge was all about paint and patience. Finishing up the living room walls were haunting me. Only being able to work on one wall at a time...when I had the time that is. From the climbing and the squatting to the squatting and the climbing, I wound up hurting my hip. Does that make me feel old? Yes. Do I know that it's from an old Taekwondo injury? Yes. Does that make me feel better about it? Ehhhh. Being stuck in the house and not knowing where to go with the project after the painting is done was exacerbated by not being able to work out, and seeing the landlord and workers outside my closed blinds and windows. I need light to thrive, so my answer was to spend as much time outside as possible walking the dog with Vienna and running errands.
When you walk away from a project to give yourself time to breathe and think it helps get back on track and step back in with a fresh set of eyes. It also helps with feeling closed in until the sun goes down.
Now, back to paint. Any DIYer knows that painting takes up a lot of your time, but having the right materials make all the difference. Thankfully, this time around, the right tools minimized my impatience and my injury.
Whether it’s taping corners, using a paint stick to stir your paint; a snap cup to hold and cut in your wall with an angled brush, a ladder instead of a chair (like I use often) to reach the ceiling, a brush to make sure the grooves of the paneling are painted before rolling, a handy hanging bucket for the ladder so you don’t drop your paint or a paint tray with a magnetic brush holder and plastic cover in case you need to step away from the project.
When you don’t have the right tools, it’s more difficult to get the job done. But, when you do, it makes life a whole lot easier 😉.
That’s why I am really excited to partner with Handy Products for the Fall 2023 One Room Challenge. Often times, I use what I have on hand, and the project usually takes longer than expected or unexpected mistakes occur. Handy Products really helped me speed up the process of painting our living room, especially since I only have the time during Vienna’s nap time or after she goes to bed.
I find painting prep to be the most time consuming out of all the projects I do. I’ve gotten better at painting walls without having to cover the floors or tape the ceiling (ceilings of course are a different beast altogether). Using the Handy Products I was #gifted with really helped me with my impatient behavior. Using the tray liners made it a breeze to clean up and the plastic covers helped me save my tools and paint when I had to step away from the project for a day or two.
The products I used were:
-The Handy Paint Tray and Liners. This had a magnetic brush holder for my angled brush which was great for when I needed to cut in and then use my roller.
-The Handy Paint Pro Go Bucket with Magnetic Brush holder and liners that attached to my ladder. This was a real game changer for me instead of possibly dropping a tray off the top of the ladder.
-I also used the Handy Paint Snap Cup to hold while I was cutting in around the moldings and ceiling. This was small and compact and folds inside itself easy to wash out and store away.
I was really impressed with Handy Products and their family owned business. Shipping was quick and the products were sturdy and ready to get the job done. And frankly, I was impressed with myself too.
Getting the job done with family responsibilities, raising my baby girl, pushing through and taking care of injuries and my mental health...I felt a sense of pride. Did I have a few breakdowns and cry along the way? Sure, but getting back up when you fall down is the most important do it yourself project of all.
Love,
Jacqueline