Something Old, Something New... and Something Blue

Sometimes the very thing you're looking for is right under your nose. Take this ladder, for example.

I've had it leaning against my family room wall, draped with quilts, for ages. But, it looked like this...

It was a little bit country (like Marie Osmond) and too dark for my newly-painted and lightened up family room. So, it was banished to the basement where all of my jewel-toned and dated furnishings have gone to live out their retirement.

Well, recently I've felt as if the wall in my family room needed something to jazz it up. It's a narrow wall between the window and an opening to the sunroom.  Hmmm... what would work in that spot? Duh! How about the ladder that used to be there. But this time I'd ditch the quilts and give the ladder a new look.

So I broke out a can of chalk paint in "louis blue," and painted it.

It's rather electric blue when it's first painted, but with some clear and dark wax, the color is toned down.

Voila! My wall is no longer empty, my ladder gets to come out of retirement, and the project didn't cost me a dime as I had all the materials on hand.

What treasures are hiding in your basement, attic or closet? The perfect piece may be living right under your nose. Or, at least, under your roof :)