Playing with paint

Last week, the hubs and I had to stop at our local building supply for some parts and supplies as we begin some minor fixes for our home and yard. While we were there, I saw that they were closing out one line of paint, and it was 40% off! I've had a bee in my bonnet to paint stripes in my laundry room, and this was the incentive I needed. Who can pass up a quart of Behr paint for $5?  I chose a lovely aqua blue because of this fun print:

I've had this laundry label for a long time. It came from a fabric bag that once held laundry detergent, that was repurposed to bundle quilting fabric, that I've saved for my laundry room "someday".  So, with label finally framed as inspiration, I started the tedious part of painting...the preparation.

I decided vertical stripes would be best to make our laundry room feel bigger. I chose to paint the long wall behind the washer that still needs upper cabinets/shelves (long story)...and then felt the wall behind the bench needed stripes too.  I used my cheapo laser level to keep the stripes straight (a must!) and then decided to vary the distance between the striped for fun.  So, the paint stripes are 6" wide, and vary between 8" and 12" apart.  I put little scraps of tape in the "don't paint" zones to be careful.  I also added some glaze to the paint so that it wasn't super opaque or too thick compared to the rest of the wall.  (The original paint is a lovely ivory/light-light yellow called "light shaft".)

Here's the bench area in progress:

Results for now:

The big wall...and two of my favorite things, my LG washer and my big laundry sink.

The bench area...with coats back up.  The cubbies underneath house shoes.  Behind the bench is the hamper.

My next project for this room would be to make a cushion for the bench.  I don't know when I'll get to that.  It's on my someday list.  If I can find a good price, I'd like to use Heather Bailey's Pop Garden ZigZag in Blue.  For now, I LOVE the color in this room.  It makes the room feel bigger, and I smile every time I walk in.  That's a good thing when your facing a pile of dirty jeans!