This isn’t some deep, life-altering post about something I’ve had to do all by myself to overcome some adversity. Surely, my life can’t be that dramatic all the time, can it?

This is about a project I decided to undertake, a bit of a makeover, if I may. There’s this rather unremarkable area on the porch at the back of the house that I have tried to spruce up several times. From buying some fancy metal butterflies to adorn the wall to putting some plants in the area to make it a bit interesting, it’s all been in vain.

Over here, I was actually taking a picture of my orchids but you can see the wall on the left hand side. That’s the one I’m talking about.

Last month, I bought a litre of paint from the hardware store to try and spruce up this area. I’ve been too busy with other things to do it right away, but this weekend being a long holiday weekend before Diwali, I thought I’d do something to spruce up the wall. Out came the paint, the brush, some old newspapers and off I went on my newest project.

Thinking this won’t take me long because it’s such a small area, I started off with great gusto. I was also howling along with my favourite retro Bollywood songs so the endorphins were all over the place and I was feeling great.

Since my right arm has suffered an injury, and one that keeps recurring, I started feeling the strain and was eventually helped out. By now, I’m feeling quite good about the way it’s looking and I’m photographing the various stages of progress. Because the wall has an uneven surface, the painting is taking a bit long to do.

Eventually, it’s done and I’m as pleased as Punch. The orange has brightened up the area and it looks good with the plants in that area now.

I decided to go a step further and put up a painting I had been gifted. It’s a gorgeous piece of art and it’s made on metal. The colours on the artwork would look perfect against this backdrop, I feel.

I was not wrong. Here’s how it finally looks. I’m so proud of myself!

This do-it-yourself makeover cost me around Kshs 600/-. Not only does it look brighter, it also helped me get my thoughts in order.

I used Crown Paints vinyl matt luxury emulsion in Glowing Amber. It’s very easily available at your local hardware store/ paint stockist. Because it’s water based, I didn’t need to do any dramas of thinning the paint or having to buy any extras to make this happen.

The makeover has been a huge success as the kids have approved of the area as a good one to do their Instagram photos…