When we first moved into our house, a couple things about it irked me.  One was the white tile kitchen countertops with a stripe of smaller dark jade and taupe tiles around the backsplash.  Jade and taupe just weren’t working for me.  My other pet peeve was the plastic switchplates and outlet covers.  Plastic light switch covers scream “bargain bin” to me and I’ve swapped them out in every house I’ve had.

But after moving and having to buy furnishings for a larger house, I just couldn’t justify spending money on new counters or even outlet covers.  Besides, this house has square outlets, round outlets, rockers, dimmers, quads and plain Jane switches – how would I ever find ones I liked that came in all those styles?

I decided the best option was just to work with what I already had.  (Isn’t that almost always the best solution?)  Since switchplates and tiles have a slick surface, I bought Glossies paint, meant for glass.  (Found at DickBlick.com for $3.45!)  I used metallic gold on the taupe tiles and metallic copper on the dark jade.  The tiles took two coats each.

The outlet and switch covers were all done in a mix of the gold and copper, just smooshed on together any which way, then sealed with a coat of shiny varnish for better protection.  If you do this, don’t forget to paint the tops of the screws, too.  If you push the screws into a piece of styrofoam first, it will hold the them while you paint and let them dry safely.

After nearly six years, my less than $10 worth of crafting has held up very well.  I’m still loving the light switches, but hopeful that someday I’ll have pretty new countertops!  (And yes, I have a bumpy purple wall in my house.)