Paint swap programs

It can happen to any unsuspecting paint buyer. It could happen to you.

You go to Home Depot or Lowe's and come home with too much (non-returnable) paint for that one 10' x 12' accent wall. Or maybe you just happen to have a half-full -or even better - completely UNUSED can of paint/primer, etc., laying around.

There are probably a few private paint/waste disposal companies in your city, but the best thing to do is look for your city or county's household hazardous waste program events or facility that will collect that paint, and possibly let you swap it for another color or shop for some other items that were dropped off at the facility.

Here's a list of some major cities and their local HHW programs:

City
Albuquerque, N.M.
Arlington, Tex.
Atlanta, Ga.
Austin, Tex.
Baltimore, Md.
Boston, Mass.
Charlotte, N.C.
Chicago, Ill.
Cleveland, Ohio
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas, Tex.
Denver, Colo.
Detroit, Mich.
El Paso, Tex.
Fort Worth, Tex.
Fresno, Calif.
Gilbert, Ariz.
Houston, Tex.
Indianapolis, Ind.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Kansas City, Mo.
Las Vegas, Nev.
Long Beach, Calif.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Louisville, Ky.
Memphis, Tenn.
Mesa, Ariz.
Miami, Fla.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Nashville, Tenn.
New York, N.Y.
Oakland, Calif.
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Omaha, Nebr.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Portland, Ore.
Raleigh, N.C.
Sacramento, Calif.
San Antonio, Tex.
San Diego, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
San Jose, Calif.
Seattle, Wash.
Tucson, Ariz.
Tulsa, Okla.
Virginia Beach, Va.

Generally, the people who run the facilities ask that you leave the paint or other product in their original containers (no garbage bags, etc.)

Tip: If your city isn't listed above, try searching online for "paint swap program" or "household hazardous waste" in your city.

Grown up bed

We finally got the bed moved and set up with our new "grown up" bedding this weekend:

We were so happy (and relieved) to see how well the walls and accents matched. Now we can start adding wall decor and looking for window treatments. I wasn't a huge fan of the curtains that match this set from Bed Bath & Beyond, so we're looking for any great ideas!

Bedroom accent wall

We're now in the process of painting the accent wall in our bedroom. Yesterday we tackled the first coat. Boyfriend put me on his shoulders (and thankfully didn't die) to tape and paint the ceiling. We recommend you get a step stool or ladder instead!

We unscrewed and removed the plates for the electric plugs and painted around them with a small roller:

It's a good idea to put your painter's tape to extra good use and tape the screws to the plates so you don't lose them:

We laid a clear plastic drop cloth to cover the carpet, taped off the ceiling, walls we wanted to protect and the baseboards:

 











Then we rolled on our first coat...

And were so excited to do our second coat:

Tuscany style bedding

We visited BED BATH & BEYOND yesterday and picked out our bedding:

Then we hopped over to THE HOME DEPOT to pick our bedroom accent-wall paint. Here's the choices our apartment complex gave us and the one what we came up with:

Beachy living room

Love these nautical colors and patterns as seen in last week's AZ Today tablet magazine:

Welcome home!

My boyfriend and I are moving into our first apartment together and I've decided to make it a project (hence "Project Apartment"). I hope you're ready for a wild (and possibly scary/dangerous) ride. I've enlisted some friends to help me along the way. I'm excited to get started. 

Here's a Pinterest board with lots of ideas.

Here's the blank canvas we'll be working with: 

Lots of white (we plan to paint) and carpets (not my fave) but we have some classy crown molding to start! One bedroom, big bathroom with a walk-in closet, big living space with fun cut outs in the kitchen and a large patio. If you have ideas for a project or mini project for our Project Apartment, please don't hesitate to send them our way (projectaptblog@gmail.com)! 

Best,
J.J. 

P.S. Follow us on Twitter @projectapt!