Easy Mantel Decor or Table Centerpiece (You Decide!)

Posted on December 27, 2016August 6, 2019

Another post from our Super-Hero Decorator guest writer, The Purple Stiletto!

Now, the most obvious basic item was the leftover branches from the bottom of my Christmas tree. They were going to add color and texture to the top of the mantel. I also collected together tea lights, small red and silver Christmas bulbs, unused wine glasses, an empty vase, ribbon, a rhinestone buckle and some sparkly red balls.

I started by laying the branches from my Christmas tree on the mantel. I let them drape over the edge just slightly. Next, I ﬁlled the vase with red balls, wrapped black ribbon around the middle and secured with a rhinestone buckle. I placed the vase in the center of the greens, then grabbed the wine glasses. I ﬁlled the glasses with red and silver Christmas bulbs and then turned upside down. I arranged the glasses among the branches on either side of the vase. I set tea lights on the bases of the wine glasses and stepped back to admire my handiwork. Fabulous! Now THAT was a mantel worthy of my new stocking!

OK, so I know most people would have stopped there, but I still had ideas that were begging to be used. The Purple Stiletto dreams in glitter and color all the time! So what to do with the remaining mantel idea…

I know! The Red Ranger needs a little holiday cheer! Yes, he has a tree (an artiﬁcial one with a pine scented car freshener to make it “smell real”) and lights and some Christmas tidbits here and there but he could really use an amazing mantel too!

I loaded some supplies in my car and dashed through the thickening snow. Under the cover of night, while Red Ranger slept with visions of sugar plums and glitter dancing in his head, I snuck in and worked my magic on his exceptionally dull ﬁreplace.

I, again, began with branches from my Christmas tree. I put a beautiful pillar tree candle in the middle of the branches and began working my way along the mantel. I added large wine glasses with pale blue and silver ornaments, ﬂipped them over on either side of the center candle and added tea lights to the base of the glasses. I followed this with medium, white pillar candles along the length of the mantel, alternated with small glass votives. I scattered the remaining blue and silver ornaments among the greens and candles for a little sparkle. I lit the candles and the effect was breathtaking! It was beautiful! Now, the Red Ranger’s house was dressed for the holidays.

I snuck out, grinning to myself and wondering what the Red Ranger was going to think when he woke up…

As the Purple Stiletto settled into her armchair next to the ﬁre with a glass of wine (in a Christmas glass, of course!), she reﬂected on how amazing it was that such simple objects could completely transform a mantel. The same items could also be used down the center of a table or buffet, but that was for another day. It was time for the Purple Stiletto to kick off her shoes, put her feet up and relax as the scents and scenes of the season washed over her. How was she ever going to make it better next year…

Turn an Old Pair of Ice Skates or Boots into Beautiful Christmas Decorations!

Posted on December 6, 2016March 20, 2020

Christmas the Purple Stilleto Way

The First Appearance of Red Ranger!

Thanks to guest blogger, the Purple Stilleto for this post! She lives a comic book life of adventuring and creating. And occasionally blogging!

’Tis the season to be jolly . . . and creative! The Purple Stiletto’s favorite time of year is right around the corner and that means dragging out boxes and boxes . . . and still more boxes of Christmas decorations while listening to Christmas music (of course!). The funny thing is, I can NEVER find just the perfect combination of decorations. This year, to alleviate the anxiety of coming up with something great, I thought I would try going back to basics and use some of the most simple, everyday objects in a new way.

This idea came to me while going through boxes of winter sports equipment. I reached the “ice skate” part of the box which told the story of my childhood in pairs of ice skates. You see, for a while, my feet grew at such a rapid rate, I had to get a new pair of ice skates every year. Thank goodness I was not wearing stilettos at that time. That would have been VERY expensive!

Anyway, I remembered seeing a picture in a catalog once of some ice skates with pine boughs. Because I no longer had the catalog, I figured I could improvise.

I called my best friend, Red Ranger, to see if he was up for adventure. A silly questions, I know! We met up to search for the perfect green boughs for to fill my skates. We drove around . . . and around . . . and around . . . and there they were in a trash heap of brush—the perfect greens!

Now, I must admit, I traded in the purple stilettos for very stylish tennis shoes for this adventure. Apparently I had forgotten to tell Red Ranger exactly WHAT we were doing because he was wearing his brand new dress shoes. And there seemed to be an exceptional amount of mud surrounding my perfect pine boughs…..

With somewhat muddy feet and plenty of green, we made our way back to the Craft Cave.

There I gathered together my old ice skates, pine boughs, ribbon, tiny ornaments and pinecones. With Christmas carols playing, I tied the laces of the ice skates together while Red Ranger cut small sprigs of pine that I then stuffed in the top of the ice skates. I wired some tiny pinecones and ornaments that I tucked in amongst the greens to add color a texture. The finishing touch was a small white and silver bow with streamers. I hung the ice skates on an old rocking chair and stood back to admire the effect. For something so simple, it made quite a statement!

Later, as I was breaking in my newest pair of purple stilettos, I happened across a pair of boots that I had forgotten I had. The poor things looked so sad collecting dust in my closet! I decided to give them a Christmas facelift like my ice skates.

I grabbed the boots and made my way back to the Craft Cave. I stuffed pine boughs in the top and added a few stems of thistle that Red Ranger shed a fair amount of blood to procure.

Apparently he was unaware how prickly they are when he volunteered to jump from a slow moving vehicle to get them. I added a plaid bow with a single pine cone near the top of each boot and Voile! A-MA-ZING!!!!

That night, Christmas carols accompanied my dreams of beautiful, dusty boots and old rusty ice skates, swirling among giant sparkling snowflakes. The Purple Stiletto (with much sweat and copious amounts of blood from the Red Ranger) is well on the way to making this another spectacular Christmas!

Color Me Home Episode 16: Scary Bathroom? Simple Advice!

Posted on September 8, 2016August 6, 2019

Sometimes spending time in our bathrooms can almost feel like we’re on the set of a horror movie. Mold and mildew growing in the corners, on the ceilings, and some bizarre, horrible oily stuff oozing out of the walls. These things are real and they’re very common. But the good news is that they’re very easy to fix! In today’s episode, Betsy and Dan talk about how you can fix the problems and, better yet, avoid them in the future!

Episode Outline

Surfactant Leaching (0:27)
How Do You Fix Surfactant Leaching? (5:33)
Mold & Mildew Problems (8:31)
How Do You Fix Mold & Mildew Problems? (11:23)
Avoiding These Common Problems Entirely! (16:34)
- Ventilate with the Right Bathroom Fan (17:31)
- Use the Right Paint! Aura Bath & Spa (23:30)
- Let the Paint Dry! (26:16)

Killing Mold and Mildew

Killing mold and mildew isn’t complicated. It just requires a little care! (We don’t want you to wreck your clothes, burn your skin, or blind yourself.) So, wear old clothes. Probably some gloves. And don’t forget safety glasses. (No, you probably won’t look terribly cool, but being able to still see when you’re done is worth the concession.)

Once you’ve got all your safety gear, just mix 1 part bleach to 3 or 4 parts water depending on how bad the situation is. Then wipe the affected areas down. Or, you could put the solution into a spray bottle and spray the mold. Either way, let it sit for about 10 minutes or so and then rinse the areas with clean water.

At that point, in most cases, the mold and/or mildew will be gone and the surface will look as good as new. If not, and you decide you need to repaint, then you’ll want to prime those spots with either B-I-N Primer or RepcoLite’s own ProFlo Alkyd Primer.

For a more thorough discussion of all of that, just click here!

Finding the Right Bathroom Fan

As we mentioned in the episode, a bathroom fan is critical to dealing with (or even avoiding) many paint problems that can occur in there. However, it’s important that you find the right fan. Bathroom fans are rated by Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM’s). Usually, this works out to about one CFM per square foot of bathroom area. Below is a chart to help you determine which fan is right for you, taken from The Home Ventilating Institute (and, judging by their name, they should know!)

BATHROOM SIZE	MINIMUM VENTILATION (CFM) REQUIRED
Less than 50 sq. feet	50 CFM
50 - 100 sq. feet	1 CFM per sq. foot of floor space
More than 100 sq. feet	Add the CFM requirement for each fixture: Toilet 50 CFM Shower 50 CFM Bathtub 50 CFM Jetted tub 100 CFM

Aura Bath and Spa: The Perfect Bathroom Paint

Whether you’ve had scary paint issues in your bathroom or not, Aura Bath and Spa is the paint you’ll want to use the next time you paint. In fact, it’s hands-down the first paint we suggest when recommending a bathroom paint. It’s a problem solver and a problem “preventer!” It’s mold and mildew resistant and it will resistant surfactant leaching better than any other product out there! Here’s some more features:

Optimized for humid environments
Extreme hide for fewer coats
Color Lock Technology means no color rub-off
Zero VOC, low odor
Stains wash off easily
Excellent touch up
Self priming
Easy application and clean up
Provides a mildew resistant coating

One note: While Aura Bath & Spa has excellent resistance to surfactant leaching when applied to new substrates, surfactant leaching stains on existing coatings can telegraph through Aura Bath & Spa if they are not removed prior to painting. So make sure you wash the walls well before you paint!

We recorded an interview with our Benjamin Moore Sales Rep, Kevin Hermann regarding Aura Bath & Spa that is worth listening to if you’d like more info. It can be found here!

Click here for more info on Aura Bath & Spa

LadderTalk Podcast 3: Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa Interview with Kevin Hermann

Posted on August 30, 2016August 6, 2019

In this episode of LadderTalk, Betsy and Dan talk with Kevin Hermann from Benjamin Moore Paints about Aura Bath and Spa–the best paint bathroom paint you’ll ever use. We’ll talk about what it does, why it works, and how it will save you money every single time!!

Episode Outline

Introductions (0:38)
What is Aura Bath & Spa and What Does It Do? (2:24)
What Makes it Different? (4:24)
What’s Your Experience With Bath & Spa Since It Was Released? (6:19)
It’s the Best Product for Bathrooms! (5:35)
How Soon Can the Bathroom be Put Back into Operation? (6:00)
From a Contractor’s Point of View, Why Should They Be Using Bath & Spa? (7:30)
What’s the Benefit of Aura Bath & Spa’s Matte Finish? (8:23)

LadderTalk Podcast 2: RepcoLite–The Stories Behind the Name

Posted on August 22, 2016August 6, 2019

In this special episode of Color Me Home, Betsy and Dan interview Dave and Dan Altena, the 2nd and 3rd generation of presidents at RepcoLite Paints. With 2016 being RepcoLite’s 70th Anniversary, they thought it was the perfect time to sit down and talk about how the business started, how much the paint industry has changed in 70 years, and even how the name “RepcoLite” came about in the first place! It’s a great opportunity to listen in to the stories and realize the commitment required to build a successful business from the ground up!