Wednesday, April 17, 2013

An easy (and free) update.

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When you live in a house with no air conditioning, you appreciate any help. We don't have central air but we do have a swamp cooler. Still, it's not enough. So when my MIL offered her ceiling fan last year, we agreed with no hesitation. We immediately installed it in our master bedroom and enjoyed it ever since.

But one thing that bothered me was all this dated brass:

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I really really don't like brass. So after looking at it for a year, I decided it was time for a change. We disassembled the whole thing and washed it pretty well first. After it all dried up, I sprayed it with primer first and then used one of my favorite spray paints - oil-rubbed bronze metallic paint ( remember my lamps :). I apologize that some of the pictures are a little dark but it was getting dim as I was working on it):

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But I thought that just white blades would be boring. I first primed and spray-painted them bright white, and then I used a stencil. I already had it but originally it came from Hobby Lobby (by far, my favorite craft store, by the way!). This stencil was a lot cheaper than online places. It was originally $16.99 but I used a coupon and paid only about $10:

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I used a small stain roller and some leftover dark-brown (well, almost black) paint. I then sealed it all with some spray sealer, and here's another closer picture of the result:

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Aww, so much better than brass! And the best thing - it was free because I already had all the materials on hand.

And one more April project - check!! :)

I shared this post with these awesome parties:

My Turn (for us) 
The Shabby Nest 
Joyful Homemaking 
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating 
Six Sisters' Stuff 
I should be mopping the floor 
Monday Funday 
Homemaker on a Dime 
Today's Creative Blog 
Not Just a Housewife 
Ginger Snap Crafts
Clean and Scentsible
House of Hepworths 
Tatertots and Jello 
Thrifty Decor Chick 
By Stephanie Lynn 

38 comments:

  1. My husband is going to make me stop reading your blog because of all the ideas I find here for our house! Love the updated fan!

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    1. I hope not :) Thank you for stopping by and I'm glad you can find some inspiration here :)

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  2. OH HOLY CATS!!! You are like the crafty queen. Seriously, it looks amazing.

    I had to read the line "We disassembled the whole thing and washed it pretty well first." like 8 times. I was like "she took apart the ceiling fan. The actual ceiling fan!" I have like 4 light bulbs around here that I have been too lazy to change for a couple months. You are amazing.

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    1. You are sweet :) It's actually pretty easy to take it apart, as long as you know some very basic things. My husband actually helped a little bit with the electrical part of it :)

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  3. Good Idea, but I am having trouble because I only want brass and I can't get it any more because it is out! But so is my house. It is done in early attic!

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    1. I bet you can find brassy things on classifieds and thrift stores (it's cheaper too :). And then there is always brass spray-paint too :)

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  4. Wow Lena! What a great idea! I also have ceiling fans, and mine certainly could use some updating!! I never thought to stencil on them~ Thanks for sharing this great idea! Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines

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    1. Thank you Lynn! I just thought that it would make it a lot more fun with some stenciling (is there even a word for it?? :)

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  5. Me and W were JUST talking about how we need to replace all of our dated brass also. Didn't even think of our dining room fan. Great idea!

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  6. Very nice and looks so stylish.
    We have a fan in our bedroom for the occational hot summer days/nights
    Carolx

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  7. It's your attention to detail that makes your house so nice. I would have never thought about painting my ceiling fan (maybe because I don't mind brass). BTW, I agree. Ceiling fans are great. When we lived in steamy New Orleans, we had one in every room.

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    1. Well, thank you :) Brass just doesn't match anything in our house! We have ceiling fans in two bedrooms, both installed last year. I don't know how I survived without them before!

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  8. This is so cute! We have fans in every room in our house and it has been so nice. I am trying not to use our air conditioning - it has been up in the 80s here.

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    1. Oh, I wish we had 80s here...We get about 40-50F right now with lots of rain :( I'm ready for some spring!

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  9. Wow, that definitely looks a LOT better! Great job. Love the design.

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  10. You are so creative! I have a ceiling fan almost exactly like that - hmmm.... :-)

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    1. Thank you :) It's amazing how much difference a little paint can make!

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  11. Great idea. You did a fantastic job.

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  12. This looks great! So cool that you made over something we tend to overlook. Now the fan definitely stands out! I love that you added the pattern to it. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Thank you Cami! And thanks for the invite :)

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  14. This is such a great idea! I love how it gives a little texture and pattern to the room without committing to stenciling a whole wall! We'll be featuring this over at Someday Crafts tomorrow, so stop by if you have some time! :)

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  15. I am always so impressed with your DIY.

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  16. That is really cool! I would never think to do that to a fan!

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  17. I love it!!! So inspired to stencil the blades of my bedroom fan!

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  18. LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! We're currently building a house, and I'm not excited about the standard fans that will be in it, but don't have a fortune to upgrade all 8 fans. This idea is perfect! I agree - I'm not a 'fan' of brass (hahaha - sorry, couldn't resist that pun). Thanks so much for sharing!

    Be sure to check out my co-hosting 'Like Me' on Facebook live today at http://www.busymomshelper.com/2013/04/like-me-on-facebook-wednesday-with_23.html

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  19. This is genius! Simply can not wait to update my own ceiling fans. Thanks for the idea.

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  20. oh....imagine the possibilities! I had an idea to cover my ceiling medallion with fabric to try and change the look of our simple white fan in the kid's playroom. I never thought of actually changing the fan blades to get that change it needs! .....my poor hubby! Wait till he hears this NEW idea! LOL

    btw....I'm a 1st time visitor, and I'm so excited to have stumbled here!

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  21. This is a fabulous idea! Thank you so much for sharing the "how to". Blessings to you, Patti

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  22. Hi Lena - visiting from Under the Table ........and this caught my eye!
    What a BRILLIANT idea - I'm loving it!!!!!
    Definitely your newest follower -
    Big hugs from Montreal,
    Suzan

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