Procrastination and painting tips!

Good morning!  It is amazing how putting little things off, procrastinating, can cause such anguish.  That’s a harsh word, so is misery, maybe burden or ‘weight on my shoulders’ is better.  I know for sure it makes me frown.

It was cold when I started writing this post, and I was wearing a black t-shirt and burgundy sweater to town.  As I picked out jewelry, I felt sad because I can’t wear the necklace and earrings I made with my mother-in-law’s pendant and pearls.  I had lost one of the earrings last year and haven’t made a new one.  I decided to remake it when I got home.

I had put off making the earring for a year, and then started this post about procrastination in February, now it is May and the earring is still not done!  That is so silly.  I am working on another unfinished project today; which reminded me of the unfinished earring project.  How silly.  Now, I feel sooo much better; I finished the painting project, and finished the earring.  The middle kid timed me, it took 24 minutes to find the supplies and finish the earring.  I didn’t hurry or rush, and it was fun!

I can’t believe that something that took me 24 minutes has bothered me for over a year!  Someday, I will learn to not procrastinate.

I should have already learned this.  Probably many times over.

We have an outside bench that needed repainting for 3 years, at least.  Finally, 2 summers ago, our youngest helped me stain it-and it only took 2 afternoons!  Not even whole afternoons!  Again, something that bothered me every time I saw it was so easily fixed.  It was so easy; I even stained the matching table and the deck.

I am trying hard to not just ‘look’ at unfinished projects.  I say that as I am staining the deck gate.  Years ago, my father-in-law built a gate to match the deck so the babies wouldn’t escape.  Now, I have a grandbaby that we shouldn’t let escape either.  Unfortunately the gate has not been used lately and is a different color from the deck.  I thought to myself ‘I’ll paint it soon.’  The grandbaby visited this weekend and guess what?  The gate was not painted, not up and the weather was so nice, I would have liked to been out on the deck.

Today, I am painting the gate; I imagine like the bench, it will take very little time.

So, once again, I am trying to not procrastinate.  I suppose it is a discipline to push myself and just do something.  It is definitely better for my mood and my spirit to get things done.  I won’t frown every time I see the gate not finished.  Like most things, even cooking and sewing, once I start, I enjoy the work and the finished project.  Maybe I am like Newton’s Law- an object at rest, stays at rest, and I like to ‘rest’ on the couch!

As I work on not procrastinating, I am going to remind myself to not rush and make it more enjoyable.  I am painting outside, so I have moved into the shade and am listening to the birds sing.  What a nice way to spend an afternoon, and I will accomplish something!

Since I am painting, I have 3 easy frugal painting tips to share: 

1. Wrap the brush  I painted the outside of the house last summer, like all summer.  Since I dislike washing brushes (or throwing them away, not frugal at all, but don’t tempt me), at the end of the day, I place one used brush in one grocery bag, one color for one bag, don’t mix them.  Then, I press and fold the bag around the brush to get out all the air.  The brush goes into the refrigerator or maybe the freezer, if I won’t be painting for a few days.  I have even used them after a few weeks, ok maybe a month; I’m still working on the procrastination thing.   This also works with a paint roller; just twist the bag around the roller while still on the handle.  It works well, though I have not frozen these.

I thought everyone did this with paint brushes, but when I was painting with a friend at church, she asked me what I was doing with the grocery bag.  She had never seen that painting tip, but sure liked it.  She showed me the second tip, and I like it also.

2. Plastic not only on the brush, but in the tray too.  To keep the tray clean, she pressed in a ‘press and seal’ plastic wrap, like the kind you use in the kitchen.  I have never bought it, but it worked so nice.  After the paint dried, she just peeled the whole thing off and the tray was clean.  No washing or mess at all.  I wonder if regular plastic wrap or a grocery bag would also work, but maybe it would be too loose and move around.  I might have to try it the next time I paint.
3. Be Observant This last painting ‘tip’ is less of a tip and more of a cautionary plea to please, please be observant.  Being observant is important for safety, so you don’t accidentally back off the scaffolding (I didn’t) , drop paint on someone under you (still didn’t) or turn away from a propped ½ painted door, that the wind catches and knocks you on the head with (yeah, that one hurt).

   

Being observant is also important when you go to the store to purchase paint.  It would be horrible if an unnamed person spent a few days scrubbing a deck, waiting for it to dry, and then spent a few long, fall days painting same deck and 36 spindles.  The very next spring, unnamed person would wonder why the deck is peeling horribly.  The roofers had been careful, putting down plywood and tarps; the unnamed person had been careful not to slide the scaffolding when painting the house, but the deck still looked horrible.

Finally, unnamed person, fighting procrastinating ways, gets out can of paint/stain to redo the deck, just to hear the husband say ‘Did you use this on the deck?’

‘Of course.’  Silly question, did not stain the house.

‘You realize it is siding stain right?  It says, not for use on decks on the can, in big letters‘

Oh   my    gersh.

So, please follow my advice and be observant.  It is important for safety, for being frugal and for saving time.  Who would want to waste $35 and many days to paint a deck with siding stain?

Well, I am finishing up writing this post and painting the gate.  I have enjoyed the afternoon, took my time and accomplished 2 things.  I even moved a chair over to the shade with me, no need to stand for a few hours.   The chair reminds me of my father-in-law; he helped paint the house 15 years ago.  He was a retired carpenter and would often sit on a stool to work, take his time with projects and not rush or complain.  He did appreciate a cup of coffee while working though.

There is one last thing that has helped me enjoy the afternoon: supper is in the crock pot.  I am not thinking ‘what’s for supper, what’s for supper’.  The husband requested crock pot beef for supper this week, and I actually started supper at lunch time.  Maybe I am learning!

Now, if I could only get one of the kids to bring me a cup of coffee!

Please share with us your favorite painting tips or ways you stop procrastination.

Happy Camping (or finally painting!)

Frugal Campasaurus