Hi? there friends, so this is the big week of the Ronald McDonald showhouse! I am both excited and admittedly a little nervous, OK maybe a lot nervous. Praying my space comes out as beautiful as it is in my mind and on paper (thanks to the gorgeous rendering from PVE). I am thinking positive and trusting it will all work out.

Many of you have asked about this is so for anyone? in the Long Island, NY area….click here for more info.? It is such worthwhile cause to come out and support. You can attend the Ronald McDonald gala Thurs night or come Fri-Sunday to view the spaces, where every single item in each space will be for sale.

As every single item for the showhouse is a donation and stays there to be sold, one relies heavily on donated items. I was incredibly lucky to have had the generous support of many, and I will be doing a follow up on the finished room along with the wonderful donations and companies that made it happen.

The fabulous renderings of my space by PVE-

One of the things I needed for my room was 6-8 antique gold brackets to hold ginger jars. I priced them out and they were $180 and up for nice quality brackets. I didn’t have any inexpensive resources for them so put my thinking cap on. I decided (obviously on a day I was in a handy mood) to buy unfinished resin brackets and take it on to finish them myself. This is coming from me, a non DIY’er.

So after returning from the hardware store equipped with a few different colored spray paints and an old beach towel,? I went to town and what I ended up with lets just say is not exactly what I had in mind-

I referred to this as Trump gold. One of my readers took offense to this name, I can tell you in all honesty this was never meant to offend and in fact one look at his apartment, and I can tell you even “the Donald” would be proud that this gold bears his name:)

This one was better but too flat and too subdued. Didn’t think it would pop on the mossy green walls. Needed more depth

Return to the hardware store. Read comments on my blog and get advice from “those in the know”. Go back to hardware store. Again, got Design Master’s Gold Medal this time….

Design Master Gold medal works great if you are using a gold rub over it or if you prefer a subdued gold

This glaze was great…Minwax Dark walnut (color 2716)

This time I bravely took a whole new approach. Armed with a new paint can and a? dark brown glaze, I? slathered on the glaze rather generously. Let it dry. Held my breath. THEN added the gold spray paint. Aha….we are getting somewhere.

Then I realized I needed a bit of highlighting to create depth on the areas that were more prominent. I bought a few gold/gilding waxes and a little tube of the famed Rub n Buff? started playing. Finally with a bit of this and a little of that, got the result….this is the stuff dreams are made of.

I finally achieved the effect I was after and had in my mind but up until now was having a hard time making materialize. These are the “helpers” I really liked these two in the pot as they gave me the desired effect…..

Gold Rush by Decorart is the top one and the one I used the most, second one was another Decorart color and finally Rub n Buff was the last one, much more potent

I love all of them but my purely novice take is that the Decoart metallic lustre in gold rush was easier to work with, slightly less potent and didn’t try as fast. Rub n’ Buff is great but super potent and dries lightening fast which for a novice like me is not necessarily the best thing…I know Rub n’ Buff has a cult following so please don’t be upset with me:)

I finally got it exactly as I had hoped…of course not without a few pair of spattered shoes, stained hands that make me look like a cement layer, a few mad, frantic darts running outside to save my drying brackets when it suddenly started to downpour, and certainly not without some worry that I might have bitten off more than I can chew.

But I don’t give up easily and the OCD in me makes me keep on going, I become obsessed when I want to do something and will it to happen:)? So I am? thrilled with this result, I have completed the six brackets but who knows, I might just keep on going:)

Then with a newfound “DIY swag”,? I decided that I can brave taking on not one but two small console tables. They were the perfect size for the small space but wrong color. I wanted an antique gold as that would really pop against the green walls.

So first I painted the consoles one light base color, in this case Annapolis Gray because I happened to have a near empty can of it in my garage. I soon realized this little project was a little trickier and about halfway through I was in near tears fearing I had ruined what I started and gotten too confident too fast.

However once I added the brown glaze then the spray paint, I started to see these little tables were the little tables that could…..

Added some of the glazed wax and lo and behold….I was achieving the effect I was after

I took a very tiny amount of the glaze when all was said and done along with a damp paintbrush and gently “brushed over” everything to create a more antiqued look with a little depth

Then as the paint Gods would have it…the table actually started looking good. Really good. Exactly as I had hoped good. A lot of experimentation later, with the blackened fingernails and stained hands to prove it, at last I got the desired effect on my tables!

Gratifying…heck yea. But let me remind you there is no “secret formula” and that it was just learning as I went, trusting my instincts (sometimes), taking deep breaths and making sure my steely determination did not waiver.

And added this gorgeous Annapolis gray (Benjamin Moore)? to create a stone-ish looking top

And voila played with a few blue and whites just to see how it looks and by golly, I am thrilled!

The lighting in my garage is fluorescent so disregard the green cast here, will be much prettier against these mossy green walls!

This might have opened up a can of worms…..I am kind of liking this. Now I get what the fuss is about…it was therapeutic I will not lie, playing, experimenting while crossing my fingers about how it might come out. There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction that comes with knowing you created something completely by your own two hands.

To recap on what I did-

Used a primer (any white primer will d0) I happened to have the gray/white paint in? my garage so used that

A few sponges and 2 paintbrushes

An inexpensive painters tray or large plastic/aluminum container

A dark brown glaze and a dish of water, plenty of paper towels

Design Master spray paint in a gold of your choosing

A? gold wax, either the ones I used or something comparable (Decorart or Rub n Buff)

A few pair of those thin plastic gloves you can buy just about anywhere

Invest $3.00 in a big plastic drop cloth….TRUST ME!

And a whole lot of patience, confidence and perseverance!

And that my friends,? is the story of my first official DIY! Thank you for stopping by, wishing you a wonderful Monday afternoon and start to your week. As it will be a busy one, I may not post again until Thurs. or Friday. Will be sure to share progress via my Instagram:) Wish me luck, until next time….

P.S. Down to the end of the blue and white going going gone promo (ends tomorrow), some things are sold out but I have 1’s and 2’s left of several more. Click here for the details-

P.P.S. If you missed my Seven on Sunday, click here (it’s a good one)!