There's no Point in Crying over Spilled Paint

Ready to paint, everything set out, the paint brush on hand, a brand new can of paint. I picked it up and started to shake. It would need a lot, it had been sitting for quite some time. An then it struck - the lid popped open - mid shake.

Thankfully, the lid didn't come off the can

I am getting close to finishing my multi-purpose room, the painting and repairing. There are still things on the list, but it is now a much more functional room. Mostly what I am doing now is putting things back and reclaiming the other parts of my house where things are stored. I have 3 paddles that I want to hand on the wall and my first idea didn't work. Time to implement my next idea. Create a floating shelf to rest the paddles on. This involves painting some wood the same colour of the walls.

I was shocked and a little stunned. I didn't question why, I just accepted that I would have to clean it up. I didn't panic, that would just make things worse, I just took off my sweatshirt and track pants and calmy ran then under cold water to get the paint off them. That paint would dry the fastest and I didn't want any more paint splattered clothes.

Then I just looked. I felt a bit defeated. Most of the can, which started out full, was on the table (maybe 1/4 to /13 was left in the can). Thankfully, not much was on the floor, and that was mostly splatters. There were drops clear across the room on my washer, there was paint dripping off the table, there were little dots of paint everywhere but the majority of the paint was contained to the table.

Those little dots were first. They would dry first and could be walked through and tracked. I used paper towel and water, wipe it up with the damp paper towel, then rinse everything just to make sure it was all up. I am pretty sure there are a few spots where there is a slight overlay of the yellow, a pale reminder of what happened.

I decided to at least paint the wood while the paint was all over it, and at the same time, started scoping up the paint back into the can.

May as well use the paint

Since I only had a 1 inch brush, I went out and got a 3 inch brush and in the end, got back about half a can of paint. It was a tedious process but since paint was not running off the table, and there was a good layer of paper down, it was pretty successful.

I saved what I could

It looked like a disaster but it could have been a whole lot worse. When the lid first popped off, it flashed through my mind - paint splattered all over me and the room. It was actually a relief to see such a contained mess.

I had time to think while I was carefully scooping up the paint and I think I started to paint a few days before, shook the can, started to take the lid off and was distracted by something shiny - actually, it was probably the coffee pot - but whatever it was, I just forgot.

The floor wasn't too hard to clean up

I tend to be pretty easy on myself when things go wrong, resigned that I will have to fix whatever I did, because anything else does not fix the problem, or make it any easier. Beating myself up for this was not going to make the job any better. I tend to go with the philosophical "Oh, well" and take the next step. I also tend to make sure I learn from my mistakes.

I also recognize that I have too much on my mind, and sit down and get myself organized, do my research, and plan. OK, lets be honest, I make lists. Eventually, I figure out what it is that is causing me to be so distracted,

There wasn't much on the actual table

The mistake this time was trying to do too many things at once, and squeezing a quick paint job in between a couple of other things. It's spring and things are moving quickly, and there is a lot to get done outside ready for planting and my mind is spinning with all the things I need and want to do. I really want to get the paddles on the wall and out of my way, but at the same time, as a first time gardener, I just don't have a handle on what needs to be done when, and it was all spinning around in my brain.

I also just love when something becomes memorable and I will certainly remember more about this multi-functional room project having spilled half a can of paint. The bumps in the road often stay with you better than smooth sailing. I find myself smiling as I think about the paint all over the table abut for now, I need to pause the completion of the room and get my garden ready for all the herbs, vegetables, and flowers I have growing indoors.

Check out my video of the paint disaster.

My second attempt to hand the paddles on the wall goes sideways before I could even start