Miracle Transformations with Spray Paint

Isn’t spray paint the best thing invented since sliced bread?  I mean seriously?  Whoever thought of putting paint in an aerosol can was a genius.  I know I don’t talk much about personal matters here so I’ll just say a couple of things now.  I’ve been not feeling well for quite awhile lately.  I finally went to the doctor and it turns out the problem was my gall bladder.  Well, I had the surgery last week to remove said gall bladder.  I took off from work for a full week to recover too.  While I was off work I did a few of the daunting projects I have stacked up in my storage room just waiting for me to get off my butt and get to them.  These are all fairly small projects but just the right amount for my limited energy level while I recouped from the surgery.  All of the projects below are thrift store finds (with the exception of the side tables for the front porch and I got them at Ikea).  I transformed all of them using one thing…spray paint!  Behold the magic of spray paint:

Before:

A simple side table from Ikea, cost of $19.99

After:

Now it matches my front door décor!  Check it out with it’s partner and the swing between them:

Next up…

Before:

A plastic magazine rack I got at Goodwill for $2.00

After:

A coat of Rustoleum’s Oil Rubbed Bronze Paint and voila…now it matches my bathroom.  Check it out installed with magazines just ready to read…

Also for the bathroom…

Before:

A brassy towel rack I got at a garage sale.  I can’t even say I paid a $1.00 for it though because I got it and everything else that would fit inside a paper bag for a total of a dollar!  So, really total price on this baby was about 10 cents!

After:

Again using the Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze paint to match the rest of the décor in my bathroom.  Here it is in place and being used now:

Next up…

Before:

A metal box I got at Goodwill.  I’m not really sure what it’s supposed to be used for but I’m going to use it for recipes.  I think originally it was used to hold 8mm movies.  Cost was $2.00

After:

I painted this with primer first and then painted her with Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Heirloom White (my favorite paint by FAR!)  I taped off the handle and clasp.  I’m going to decorate her up a little before she’s done completely.  I need to give her some bling and some fun color too.

Next up:

Before:

Another DIY 2 tiered stand made from thrift store plates and candle sticks.  I got these at Savers for 99 cents each (so total price is about $4.00).  I glued it all together using E6000 glue.

After:

After painting with bright white Krylon paint.  I just used what I had in my stash of paint so it’s a satin finish plain white. 

Next up:

Before:

A cheapo plastic frame I got at Savers.  The middle part does not come out though but I’ve decided I’m going to use it to my advantage.  This is going on my gallery wall in the entry and I’m going to decoupage a picture of my sweet grand baby in the center.

After:

I primed it with primer and then painted her with the same Heirloom White.  Isn’t she lovely now? 

Last one for the day!

Before:

A large green glass goblet I got at an Estate Sale for 50 cents.  I love the design on it but the green just didn’t do anything for me.  Luckily I’ve learned to always look past the color something is and look for the design and the look of the piece.  Check out this little beauty now!

After:

I primed with primer and then painted her this lovely shade of blue.  It is Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Aqua.  What a difference a little paint made right?

So, there are all my projects I’ve done while sitting down..a BUNCH…between coats of paint.  I have one more project to share that I did while off too but it deserves its very own post so stay tuned for that one coming soon.  It is my new door wreath I made for my front door.

How about you?  Have you done any spray painting recently?  Isn’t it just amazing what a little paint can do? 

Entry Room Re-Do, Part 3

Well, the entry room is really coming along. I’ve lost almost a month of project time because I’ve just had so much going on and we’ve been enjoying the summer. Well, for the next 2 weekends I will be home so I really hope to accomplish quite a bit in the next 2 weeks. I got a head start on it last week though. We have an annual 4th of July bash at our house every year so I did a few things and finished up a couple of things to make my entry more inviting for the guests. It is still not complete but it’s getting better!

So, the next project I want to share with you is a lamp re-do. I started this with a lamp I bought at Goodwill for $3.50. I really thought I took a picture of it when I bought it but apparently I didn’t. Dang it! I swear from now on I will take tons of before pictures. But this time once again you will have to use a little imagination. The lamp was painted in an Indian Southwest design with a pueblo and an Indian woman on it. Definitely not my style at all. But I really loved the shape of it so I got it with plans to change it with paint.

The first step was to tape off the light fixture and the cord. Then I spray painted the entire thing with Primer

I let that dry completely (overnight). Next I painted the base of the lamp with the color I wanted it to end up…Heirloom White from Rustoleum Painter’s Touch. By far my favorite paint lately.

My plan is to have the bottom be a contrasting color from the rest of the lamp. After I let the white dry, I taped off the bottom of the lamp using painters tape. Turns out I don’t think I let the white dry long enough. When I peeled off the tape later, some of the brown wood color was showing through where the paint came off with the tape. I actually like how it looks though so I’m not going to fix it.

So, after taping off the bottom I painted the rest of the lamp with the color I wanted…

A HOT Turquoise blue! This is the accent color I’m putting in the entry. It looks amazing with the gold, burgundy, and white. I painted the lamp with 2 coats of the turquoise paint and then let it dry. In retrospect I should have removed the tape from the bottom immediately after painting if I wanted to keep it pristine. Oh well, I still like the outcome…

Tada! It is done and I love it. I used the shade that I bought at Ikea last year. I’ve been struggling with this stupid shade since last year because it just wouldn’t work for any known lamp! I have no idea what this shade was supposed to be used for but I had to do some creative engineering to make it work. Oh well, work it did! So, the lamp is finished!

While I was doing the lamp I did another project as well. I made my own display stacking trays. I started with this: 2 glass plates and 2 glass candle sticks bought at the Thrift store for 50 cents each.

The first step I did was to glue it all together. I used E6000 glue and just eyed it for “centerness”. I glued one candle stick to the bottom of each plate. I put them upside down and set a paint of can on each to weigh it down. Then I let them dry.

Next, I put the 2 pieces together by glueing the bottom of the candle stick on the smaller plate to the top of the center of the larger plate. I weighed it down again with the paint can and let it dry.

Now, it’s time to paint. Although, you could just call it done at this point. My husband actually preferred it when it was just the glass but I wanted it a color to coordinate with the entry. So, step one for painting glass is to first spray it with frosted glass spray. This will create a textured surface so the paint has something to cling to.

I had the frosted glass spray in my stash of tools so I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to buy it. I have no idea how old this stuff was but it worked perfectly!

I allowed the frosted glass spray to dry and then painted the entire thing with primer first. I’ve finally learned after 49 years that it’s just best to go ahead and prime things before you paint them. I may be a slow learner…but I can be taught!

Once the primer dried, I painted the entire thing once again with the Heirloom White. I painted it right side up first, let it dry for awhile, then flipped it upside down and painted it again from that direction. This allowed me to get to all the hard to reach places.

The final outcome…

So, with both projects now done I started to play with the arrangement. Both items are going on an antique table I have sitting in my entry between 2 chairs. It is actually a drop leaf table but the drops don’t really work all that well so I just use the table as a side table really. I started with adding some balls to the display trays.

Um…ok…it looks alright but just not quite right. Next I experimented with putting something else on the top tray but leaving the balls on the bottom.

Ah, yes…I like this much better. Now to put it all together!

I used a small frame I got at the Salvation Army to “even” things out. Actually it’s really “odding” things out. You know that design rule right, things should be done in odd numbers because they are more pleasing to the eye. So, my table is complete and I’m digging it. Here is a sneak preview of the entire gallery wall now with the table and chairs in front of it. I know, I know…the chairs are just horrible, but they are a future project I promise! I want to get them recovered or to actually try my hand at re-upholstery. But, that will come later. In the meantime, I’m really liking how it’s coming along. Oh, you also are getting a sneak preview of the china cabinet which is currently undergoing a makeover too. (I hope to finish it this weekend so I’ll hopefully have a full post dedicated to it next week)

Now to break down the costs. The cost of the lamp was $3.50. The cost of the plates and candle sticks was $2.00. The cost of the mini frame was $2.00 (kinda pricey actually for a used frame but it was from Pier One and it looks brand new and it matches the décor in the room!). The cost of the primer and paint was about $9.00 (1 can of primer, 1 can of Heirloom White, 1 can of turquoise). The cost of the frosted glass spray was free! (if I needed to buy it though it still had the price tag from Hobby Lobby on it and it was $4.99). I already had the flower arrangement, vase, and cross. So total cost of the table redo was $16.50 and I love it!

What do you think? My sister wasn’t so jazzed about the turquoise color in the room but I actually love the unexpected splash of a different color. I think it just gives the room the added pop it needed.

There is so much more to come…I’m not nearly done with the gallery wall, not by a long shot!