Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I love you Mr. Rustoleum Man!

Have I mentioned my love affair with spray paint? I'm sure I have since spray painting is one chapter behind  decoupage in the Makeover for Dummies manual.

Yep. I love a spray paint makeover, and one of my favorite products is the ever popular Oil Rubbed Bronze. I've tried various brands, but I'm just a Rustoleum fan. It seems to me that their spray goes on smoother and the can lasts longer than the competitors.

Until recently.

Recently, our Lowes decided to replace all the regular old aerosols with the Universal stuff. You know, the one with the funky looking nozzle. It's supposed to be better angled or some such thing.



 Bah humbug.

I do not like them. Maybe the south Georgia autumn is just too humid for a topless nozzle or something, but over the past few months, I have had to toss three of them out with plenty left in the can because the nozzle wouldn't budge. 

Finally, I called Mr. Rustoleum Man to complain.

And you know how they say you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?
Well, call me Honey. It must have been a good hormone day or something because I managed to have the entire conversation with sweet cream butter melting in my mouth.

Guess what Mr. Rustoleum Man did
in response to my honey dipped complaint.

He sent me this.


A case of ORB in the regular old cans. I told him that I would give him a shout out on my blog. I could tell he was really excited about that.

I feel like a kid at Christmas.

So yesterday, I finally tackled a project that I should be too ashamed to yak about, the porch lights flanking   my front door.

Gulp

In case you can't tell, they were once antique brass. I knew I needed to change them, but apparently it was easier just to apologize for them every time someone came to the front door.

Which isn't really that often.
Which is probably why I neglected it so long.

Thanks to Mr. Rustoleum Man, I now have a new,free set of porch lights.

I just pulled them off the wall and removed this little knobs on the bottom. 



That let me remove the glass plates.  Then, I washed the glass and the whole ugly thing with some white vinegar. Then, I primed it and painted it.

There ya go. A new light fixture.  By the way, did I mention it was free? 

 I think it looks pretty good.   



Fortunately, reattaching a light fixture isn't rocket science. You just twist white wires to white and black wires to black and then cap them. You can't possibly mess up unless you're color blind.  The hardest part is figuring out which breaker to throw so you don't have an electrifying experience.


The oil rubbed bronze looked so nice that I pulled my brass door knocker off  The 101 List on my sideboard and gave it a makeover too. I don't have a before shot. Just picture this all shiny brass with some icky spots and and a name you could no longer read.



 But then, 
I realized that the bronzed light and knocker
 made the brass door knob look really, well... brassy.

I took it off and painted that too.

Put it back on the door and uh oh...


I  realized how very badly
my front door needed to be repainted.


Off they came again. 

So that's what I'm doing this morning. I bought a shade slightly different than the current one. I think it will look better against all that oil rubbed bronze.

As I painted this morning, I started thinking.  I'm always thinking...

Maybe it's time for a bold new color for the front door. Maybe I'll do it after Christmas.  Of course, a new door color would probably make me think the shutters look a little  lame...

And then a change in the shutters would probably make me want to change the house color...

Am I the only old blogger who swallows the fly?

41 comments:

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Yay for Mr Rustoleum Man! He was so nice...I am sure you use a lot with all your beautiful work. Change the color of your house:) Not sure if I swallowed any flies but I am old!

saltbox
treasures
said...

Hi Debbie,
You've been a busy painter :).
That is so great you got a box of paint!
Always love a red door.
~ Julie

Barbara F. said...

That is very nice that they sent you a carton of cans with the old nozzles! Maybe they might reconsider. You are very handy, Debbie. xo

Denise at Forest Manor said...

Debbie, this is a cute post! :) You did well to use honey instead of vinegar; I'm afraid today was kind of a vinegar day with me. I had a veterinarian appt. for our dog, and there was some miscommunication, and no one was prepared but me. I was a little aggravated.

Your "new" light fixture, door knocker, and doorknob look great! I may have to do something like that with ours eventually. And congrats. on your free box of Rustoleum! Have a great week.

Hugs,

Denise

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

Good for you, Debbie. Getting something free these days is something to brag about. Your light fixture looks great. Do you make house calls?

Ruby Jean said...

Oh...How exciting..I Love when companies still have that old school mentality... of keeping the customer HAPPY!!! And all your Lovely projects reflect One HAPPY lady... :)

Renée said...

Hey Honey, ya done good! It all looks absolutely fabulous...and I'm anxious to see how that paint wears. Keep up the good work, resting in between projects, please.

At The Picket Fence said...

YAY!! Score on the spray paint! Everything looks beautiful and so updated and fresh. Wish I could come a-knockin' on that front door and pay you a visit! :-)
Vanessa
P.S. Thanks for putting up the party button!

Shanee said...

Oh girl....I do believe we are clones! I have the same love affair with Mr. Rustoleum man. I do believe I have sent his children to college:) I did the same project last spring, redid the lights on my front porch, bet I stood around 3 days on the porch talking to myself about what a great (almost free) improvement. Then I started thinking too (it is a sickness, isn't it) and Wonder Hubby shoved me inside before I could paint anything else out there..so while he wasn't paying attention, I just started painting fixtures inside:) Great job, I so enjoy reading about your adventures.

Christine said...

It's that old circle game, never ending!
Nicely done, getting Free Paint!
Now when I go to the store, you bet I'm going to buy from Mr. Rustoleum Man.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Obviously it paid big time to complain in your case.

Kudos to you and what you've done with it is just transformin'! Fantastic!!!

God bless and have a marvelous time usin' up all that pain!!!

FrouFrouBritches said...

Your new free light fixture looks amazing!!!! You prime before you spray paint? Really? I've never primed before I spray paint. I'm lazy like that. Oh well.

I use that honey and sour grapes and/or vinegar saying all the time around here! I think my kids are sick of hearing it. I am sure the Mr. Rustoleum man was THRILLED to be the topic of conversation on your blog. He was probably just trying to keep his cool in front of you. I'm sure he rushed home to tell Mrs. Rustoleum Man so she could log on to read about him. Don't ya think?

Can't wait to see your new door color when you get around to it. Love the red though.

Sue said...

Your projects are like my projects. If you give a mouse a cookie...pretty soon you'll be painting the whole house:-)

Lynn said...

Congrats on the paint, glad you got the product you like! Everything looks great, and yep, seems one project leads right into another one:@)

Chatty Crone said...

I am completely in agreement with you - you get more bees with honey then lemons. And some times - just calling back and talking to another person will get you a better answer. sandie

Anonymous said...

Debbie,
You hit the nail on the head...again! I think spray paint is fabulous too. What fun!
And your free cans - fantastic!
The door and lights look terrific!
....I wish you were my neighbor IRL...

Joan Hall said...

Can I have just a little bit of your energy????

By the way, I've sure been enjoying your Sunday posts, but since you have the comments turned off, I haven't been able to acknowledge.

Blessings,
Joan

Anonymous said...

Ah, my funny friend, free stuff and make-overs are always something to blog about - you do it to perfection. Great job on all your rustolem re-fits! As to the new door color - is red the old or new color? It's pretty bold - and you're looking for something more?

Glad I've got a kindred in love of all things Plimoth Plantation. I have done tons of school programs featuring primary sources documents and the Christian emphasis of the day - since it was largely all about the providence of God. Especially when you read the personal accounts of the people who were actually there, thank you. The only way to study history. I'm crying inside as I see how they're teaching Thanksgiving at the public school where I work - they are telling the kids it is all about "friendship" and "sharing". Really? Try having them memorize the Mayflower Compact - I'll have that posted as part of the series.
See you round the turkey table!
Joy!
Kathy

Mevely317 said...

These look fantastic! If'n you get bored, won't you come visit with Rustoleum? :)

Crickit said...

Isn't that how it usually goes? You try to improve something and you see what else needs to be done! I love the improvements that you have made with your handy spray paint can. :)

Tanna said...

LOL! Debbie, that is EXACTLY how my mind gets going from one thing to the next and on and on and on! LOL! Tires a person out!

You did a beautiful job on the lights, knocker and hardware!! Just beautiful. And, nice job with Mr. Rustoleum. Maybe they will consider going back to the better way. We can hope.

BTW, I thought the very same thing about saying Thanks... grateful hearts... and how God probably feels the same way. ;) (great minds or warped minds... they are alot alike. hee hee) blessings ~ tanna

Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio said...

Sweeeet Sugah and look what you got !
and look what you did !
Fabyoulous (())

Unknown said...

It's got to be that sweet southern accent ya'll don't think you have!!! Igasped out loud when I saw the photo of the box.
Wait. You know how to take off a door handle and put it back on AND do rocket science with the wires????? Because, believe me, I would be the dufus that would cross the wires....I'm super impressed.
xoxo
lynn

Amy Kinser said...

Yay for you! How fun to get a box of free paint.

Love the newly painted light fixtures and love what a can of paint can do for things.

Mom's next appt. tomorrow. She is doing very well except for some pretty big blistering on different parts of her body. Taking meds for that now.

Praying for your family.

Denise said...

WOW! I knew about those free paint cans but the transformation is fabulous. I know a certain niece of yours that would love a quick spray of your paint on her old laundry room fixture. (hint hint)

The first thing that came to my mind was, "If you give a mouse a cookie". You fix one thing and something else just seems to scream at you. Fix me next. I simply MUST stop by to see all of your beautiful projects. I guess that 101 list is driving you into overtime? I hope you're resting while the paint dries. Just sayin'...

Mrs. Kelley Dibble said...

Snazz-tastic! Wonders!

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Late as always getting here...oh my! I love this post because this is exactly what I did at my 96 year old mother-in-laws house when we went for the 50th Anniversary. It restored her outdoor light to new! She keeps calling just loving all the little things we did to help put her house back in order.

Yes that can has now become my "newest" best friend and I think your projects are just great...I hope you are enjoying the fruit of your labor...go paint girl. Now I think my front door knobs are calling me...see you later.

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Hi Debbie, I kinda lost track of you after Dayle stopped the Simple Pleasures posts. But then I was posting a comment to someone's blog and saw that little wheelbarrow and said, I know who that is, so here I am. I can see that you have been a busy beaver with so many makeover projects. I usually go from one thing to the next, too, but then never actually complete anything. Nice to see that you are getting things done over there. They look great. Hope your week is wonderful. Tammy

Kathleen said...

It's like they always say, one thing leads to another. You've done a good job on your light fitting and door knocker, they look like new. And what a nice man that Mr Rustoleum Man is!

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Girl, you could talk about a blade of grass and make it funny and interesting. I always read every word, I wish you were my neighbor! I have never thought of talking to the manufacturer! Score big! I won one of those house number signs the blogs were all giving away, I ended up painting my mail box, getting a new front table, reupholstering the front porch chairs, buying new flower pots...Then flowers to go in the pots.....and on it goes

Carol

corners of my life said...

I love a company that will stnad behind their products. Well done.

Unknown said...

Nice job!

Michelle DeRusha said...

Everything looks awesome, Debbie. And this is exactly how I fly -- one project leading seamlessly into another...my husband just rolls his eyes!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Well, I'm impressed. I can't even spray paint well, much less remove all of this hardware and put it back on - not to mention the wiring for a light fixture! I am so impressed. All of it looks phenominal. I can't wait to see what color you painted the door. Can you come to my house next? laurie

Kelli said...

Great afters!! ORB is a favorite around here too! Love that you expressed displeasure and received a great gift! Speaks pretty highly of Rustoleum. I think your entryway is fabulously welcoming...not to mention that you await behind that lovely door!

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

Well, I am really impressed that you can do all that mechanical stuff!! Looks great! My dh did our brass on the doors a couple years ago. We did black (on the pale yellow door.) It looks so much better. Yep, one thing leads to another!

Good for you for getting that whole case of paint!

Katherine

no spring chicken said...

I'm going back to bed and pulling the covers over my head! You made me tired... but your right, what a make-over... and the price was right!!

Blessings, Debbie

Anonymous said...

Oh gosh, Debbie, we must be on the same wave. I painted all our front doorway fixtures with Rustoleum last week. They were a bronze tone and I changed everything, including a stand-up light post, in black to look more like wrought iron. Love good ol' Rustoleum too. You did good, girl.
Thanks for stopping by.
Much love!

Sharon said...

Sorry I'm a little late to the Rustoleum party. However, it's no less fun coming late!!

I had no idea that there was an Oil Rubbed Bronze paint! This has got me thinking about some of that "schtuff" that I've relegated to the "give-away" pile in the garage. Maybe some of it can be "rustoleumed" into new life. (The husband is going to be thrilled to hear about that!)

I'm also quite impressed that you can do electrical work. The only electrical work that I can do is to turn on lights...

Keep up the great re-vamp work.

GG

Kathleen said...

Good for you! A good company listens to the customers.

We got a new fiberglass front door and I wanted it red. It is a nightmare to paint. Two coats down, needs more. It is oil paint and takes forever to dry! And baby it is cold inside with the door staying open for it to dry.

You did a good job on your lights and hardware. I must be the only one left who likes solid brass. :(. I just got mine.

Have a great weekend, and if we don't yack before then a blessed Thanksgiving!

Miss Char said...

I'm with ya on the new cans too Debbie, plus they cost more. Glad it worked out with you getting a windfall on this one. Now...its not snowing here today how about coming up an renewing my tired looking outdoor lighting?

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