I recently did a huge home makeover. My kitchen, living room, dining room and hallway all got completely made over!Here's what these rooms looked like before.
And, after all the work, here it is now.
I know, right?! Looks like a different house. And, I am loving it! So,
on to the specifics of what I did. Bear with me because these companies
definitely deserve to be applauded and when it's all said and done,
they are going to hook you up!I
painted the cabinets red with paint from Mythic Paints. Come back here
at the beginning of November when I'll be featuring them! The amazing, gorgeous marble counter tops are a result of Giani Granite. I had heard about how you can paint formica counter tops
to look like marble but, was definitely wary of how it would look.
Giani sent me the kit for black counters. One of the great things about
the Giani kits is that you can control the shade of color. I wanted mine
dark but, could easily have made them much lighter or even darker. All
their color kits give you this kind of flexibility. I'm so happy with
the counters that I'm probably going to be getting more of the kits to
do the bathroom counters. I was really shocked at how easy it was to
paint them. Everything you need is in the kit (which is nice considering
how many times I had to go to the store for other things I needed
during this project). You roll on the primer and let it dry for 8 hours.
Then, you use the easily labeled paints to sponge on your colors. This
is the point where you can control the shade. After that dries for four
hours, you roll on your top coat. You can do up to three applications of
the top coat. I did two on my kitchen counters and three on the bar
because I knew it would get more hardcore stuff thrown on it. Some stuff
I learned from their website: The blend that Giani uses in their paint locks out moisture, goes on so many different types of counter tops, is actually water-based which makes it low-odor and
the topcoat is automotive grade. I can absolutely attest to the low
odor. I was shocked that there was virtually no scent when painting the
counters. I am absolutely in love with Giani Granite.
Their customer service is amazing and their product is phenomenal. Want
to know the best part? It's 1/4 of the price of this type of product
that I've seen at major hardware stores! Everyone that has seen my
counters wants to know where I got it and when I tell them that a $49.95
kit covers 16 running feet of counters, they are flabbergasted. I'm
never in favor of spending a ton of money for anything. To me, there is
no reason to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on counter tops
when the paint from Giani Granite is so affordable and the results are absolutely to die for!
My white walls are courtesy of another amazing company called Ecos Paints. The first thing to note about Ecos Paints is that they are all absolutely 100% non-toxic paints. Completely. Everything in the paint is safe for people and for the environment. There is so much amazing information on the Ecos site HERE but,
one key point I want to make sure you know is that this paint is not
like the "no-solvent" paint you'll find at the local hardware store. This paint is NO solvent.
That means, no scent, no harmful chemicals, no harmful anything. I can
absolutely tell you that there is zero scent with this paint. When
you're painting as large of an area as I did, that is a huge plus. I
remember painting my daughter's room with regular paint from the big
chain home improvement store. We had to have the door shut and windows
open for days in order to get the smell out. Using Ecos Paints was
nothing like that. Aside from the lack of odor, the other thing I love
about Ecos Paints
is the texture. Seriously, painting with this paint was like painting
with silk. I completely love it! I wanted stark white for my walls so
that everything else would pop. The phenomenal customer service at Ecos
Paints helped me figure out what type of paint I wanted and it was
absolutely the best choice. I chose the Soft Sheen and I love that there
truly is a soft sheen. Not shiny but, not totally flat. It's perfect!But, after the walls were done, the bar was finished and the countertops were gorgeous, the entire place needed a window treatment pick-me-up. So, I turned to one of my favorite sites. Plow and Hearth.
I adore browsing their site. It makes me feel all warm and cozy and
definitely wish I lived somewhere colder. Oh how I want to curl up in
front of a fireplace adorned with stuff from Plow and Hearth! I found
the Black Matchstick Roll-Up Shades
and thought that was just what I needed for something different for my
windows. We live in the country (kinda) so, I didn't really want a ton
of coverage for my windows. The bamboo shades allow the sun to come in
even when they are down but, keep out the glare and I think they look
fab. I thickened the sheer curtains on the front windows by putting
heavier drapes behind them but, left them sheer over the Plow and Hearth
shades on the back windows. I'm all for natural sunlight in the house
and love that these shades can be a major decor item without hindering
the sunlight. Really, whether you want shades, other window treatments,
mantle decor or so many other decor items, Plow and Hearth is just
awesome and their prices are definitely affordable. I have to add that
these shades were so very much easier to install than any mini-blinds or other shades I've ever seen. I installed them all by myself! Also, these shades are on sale over at Plow and Hearth right now so, hurry up and snag some! 
For
the finishing touch in any room, decor is the word. I already had tons
of decor. Because I'm cheap (um, frugal?), I really didn't buy much as
far as new decor. I redid what I already had. The barstools were a major
find and I got them from my husband's aunt for so much cheaper than I
would have paid in the store. I painted them black and they were good to
go. Lots of other things, lamps and light fixture, bowls and vases,
picture frames and mirrors, all got painted and they are good as new and
now match. But, even with all the decor makeovers, there was one thing I really wanted to get for the kitchen that I knew would just top it off with the perfect touch. I turned to Decal Delight and they sent me the Chandelier Decal.
I cannot think of another thing that could have completed the look I
was going for in the kitchen. I absolutely love it. I really like that
the black has a slight shine to it so it matches my black painted trim. I
also love that such a large decal sells for such a great price. I've seen the chandelier decals before and I've always wanted one. So thrilled with this one! Decal Delight has both an online shopping site and an Etsy shop.
The look of a decal can be achieved with a stencil but, I am absolutely
certain that I would get frustrated with a stencil. I always end up
with smeared paint and it's just such a hassle. Decals are so much fun and I love how they've transformed the look in the rooms I've used them.
Their site says that Decal Delight uses top quality vinyl that is
certified to last for 5-7 years outdoors and usually much longer
indoors. Something else I learned from their site is that a vinyl decal is eco-friendly
both because it can be recycled and because 57% of vinyl is made from
common salt. A really good tip I can give you is that if you aren't
absolutely certain where you want the decal, apply it to the glass of a
cool frame and then you can move it around all you want!
Now you want to know about the giveaway, don't you?! One winner is going to receive:- A full counter top kit from Giani Granite- up to $250 worth of paint from Ecos Paint for your room makeover**- a $50 gift certificate to Plow and Hearth- any decal up to $50 from the Decal Delight Etsy shopHow cool is that?! Makeover your kitchen, bathroom or whatever needs it! In addition, Ecos Paints would like you to know that the first 25 people
to email them and tell them what I think painting with their paint is
like (what did I compare it to?) will get 1 or 2 of their Matchpots for FREE along
with their brochure and color chart info! Test their paint for yourself
for free before you join me on the side of fanatically convinced they
are awesome! When you email them, put Lolidots Giveaway in the subject
line. Send your email to: enquiries@ecospaints.netEcos
Paints would also like you to know that after you use their paint,
email them pics of your finished product! They love to use customer
pictures on their site and love to see happy customers!This contest is open to the continental US only. The contest will end at midnight on October 27th. That's three weeks to get entered, rack up the extra entries and cross all your fingers! **ECOS
Paints will ship the giveaway free to most east coast locations –
others to be determined (Prize may carry a shipping fee depending on the
size of shipment and location)I
want to hear what you think! Love me some
comments! But, please keep general comments on the duplicate of this post located on the Main Page of the blog HERE.
All giveaway entries should go on this post! Please make sure you leave a valid email address in any comment and leave a separate comment for each entry!
Mandatory to Enter the Giveaway: Leave a comment telling me what you like the most about the companies sponsoring the giveaway. Be sure to leave your email address!
Extra Entries:
1 entry for each of the following:
- Tell me which shade you would choose from Giani Granite
- Tell me what paint you would choose from Ecos Paints (color or type)
- Tell me something you love from Plow and Hearth
- Tell me which decal you would choose from Decal Delight
- Like Decal Delight on Facebook
- Like Plow and Hearth on Facebook
2 entries for each of the following:
- Follow Lolidots publicly on Google Friend Connect (left sidebar)
- Follow Lolidots on Twitter
- Tweet this giveaway and use the hashtag #giveaways and include @lolidots in the tweet (You can do this twice per day but, not back to back)
- Follow Lolidots on Networked Blogs (left sidebar)
- Like Lolidots on Facebook
- Enter the other current giveaways here
4 entries for each of the following:
- Put Lolidots on your blog roll
- Put the Lolidots button on your sidebar (Code is on the left sidebar. If you have the old one and change to this new one that counts!)
5 entries:
- Blog about why you want/need to win this giveaway. Include pics of your room that needs a makeover if you want! Make sure you mention Lolidots and link to this post.
- Be one of the first 25 to email Ecos
Just a note: Sometimes comments seem to disappear. No worries. This is the Disqus Spam going into auto-pilot. The comments are emailed to me whether they are marked as spam or not and I approve all spam comments daily.
If you have questions or problems, please email me robin@lolidots.com or tweet me @lolidots
*I was given all of these products for review purposes. Receiving the products for free did not in any way affect my opinion. I was not paid for a favorable review and my opinion remains my own.
*Some of the basic information about the companies comes from their individual websites.
