Spray Paint Cures

By Kate Riley May 16, 2011

I love a celebratory party in honor of spray paint!  Thanks Sarah for kicking off the Home May’d parties with a topic devoted to one of my favorite transformative substances: da spray paint.  It rocks. 

I’ve often said, I’ll spray paint anything that stands still, cause so often I fall in love with the shape of something, but not the color or finish, and my mind instantly thinks, “Nothing a little spray paint can’t fix!”   I’m like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding who was convinced Windex was the cure for every ailment.  For me, it be spray paint. 

kate windex photoshop

 

Exhibit A: I found this tin container in my garage, I don’t recall where I picked it up.  A craft store?  Yard sale?  No matter, it was the perfect candidate for an indoor planter.

before tin planter

I pounded a few holes in the bottom with a nail, spray painted the front green and let it dry.  I placed some chipboard letters on top, then spray painted it again with RustOleum’s ‘Heirloom White’ which left green font underneath.  So cute!  

My indoor herb garden is back baby, back!  Complete with my five culinary favorites: sage, thyme, basil, cilantro, and parsley. 

herb planter after

I like to grow even more basil outside in the summertime, but the petite plants do make a pretty scene in our kitchen window.

smiley_thumb6

Exhibit B:  Here’s another ‘Heirloom White’ quick fix.  For the longest time, I’ve been sooooo completely over the the light fixtures in my family room and adjacent dining room, they were dark brown with amber fluted shades, not my style anymore. 

Purchasing five new sconces and a new chandelier to replace them all was a figure that added up way too fast and was waaaay more than I wanted to spend.  I thought and thought, and then realized if I could rework the sconces, and make them a little fresher with new glass shades and paint, that would justify a reasonably priced new chandy in the dining space. 

I bought 5 clear glass shades for $5 each and raided my spray paint cabinet for some frosted spray paint.  (I couldn’t leave them clear because you can see the standard bulb socket underneath and it isn’t pretty).  The sconces got a fresh coat of ‘Heirloom White’ and the clear glass shades got a coat of frosted spray paint on the inside of the glass. 

sconce step by step

 

My five dolla (new glass shade + spray paint) fix for my family room wall sconces.

new sconces on wall

 

Since I saved some cash on reworking the sconces, I ordered this Mariestad chandy from Ballard for the dining space.  Classic shape and a neutral gray finish = perfect !

maristad chancy ballard

 

Out with the old . . .

old chandy and sconces

 

. . . in with the new fixture and “new” sconces:

kates dining room

Simple + elegant, and suspended much lower than before for added drama.

For those of you considering this fixture, buyer beware.  While the fixture itself is a nice taupe/gray color, the electrical cord that comes with it is black (huh?) and not so pretty (Ballard fix that please) so I had to stitch up a fabric slipcover to hide it.  Just thought all you potential buyers should know.  Despite the dark electrical cord, I still think it looks very pretty in this space, and complements the style of our home. 

Thank you ‘Heirloom White’ for the sweet herb planter and “new” sconces.  Are you a spray paint newbie?  Take a peek at this past article on spray paint FAQs

Linking up to Sarah’s Spray Paint Party!

Spring_Summer_Link_Party

The ‘Outdoor Ideas’ Party is on Thursday, right here, so bring your posts, new and old, on anything related to outdoor sprucing!   I’ve got a little something planned too. 

 

 

.

42 comments

  1. Haha – the windex thing still has me laughing :) Love your transformations and your new chandy is gorgeous!

  2. Love the herb garden and new sconces, Kate. I am a spray paint newbie so I’m off to read your spray paint FAQ. I am seeing so many wonderful transformations with spray paint that I must give it a go. Hope you are feeling better!

  3. Wow, Kate…love all the changes you’ve made! Fab redo on those sconces and your new chandy is the bomb! Love the simplicity of it…so pretty!

  4. Hee hee, great first pic!! What classy and beautiful colours you have used. Love the sconces and the herb container!! Great post, thank you for sharing..

  5. Just so ya know, you were my inspiration to try spray painting last summer…and I haven’t stopped since! Love all of your ideas and re-do’s!

  6. what a difference a bit of spray paint makes! your “new” sconces look so great! loving that new chandy too :)

  7. I love how you painted ‘herbs’ on the planter. What a great idea! I’m a long time spray painter, but that’s a new one for me. Thanks for sharing!

  8. I love the change in the sconces. Very nice. I just know you’re going to inspire me one day to tackle one of these types of projects. I’m so afraid I’m going to ruin something that I just “think” about it. I am working on refinishing a side table – my first time to ever do something like this.

    Your herb container has such a clean look, too. Nice job.

  9. You know how to work a makeover, girl! (And I’m talking about that fab jacket on you too) ;) Love the look of the new chandy, and the herb planter is perfection! :)

  10. Hi Kate,

    May I ask where you purchased the skirted covers for your dining room chairs? They are adorable and I’ve been in search for something similar. :)

  11. First – Wonderful transformations on those projects. I never think to use spray paint, since I am not much of a DIY’er. Second – The photoshopped Windex guy, hilarious! I haven’t watched that movie in forever. :)

  12. O Queen of Spray Paint,

    Do you just toss spray paint cans in the trash? Recycling bin? My county has a great recycling center but they have no idea what I should do with my cans. It’s Rustoleum. (They are empty.)

    Thanks!

  13. Hey Farhana, the pleated slipcovers are also from Ballard, bought them many years ago, they are perfection. Ecru velvet works for all seasons, light enough in summer and warm enough in winter.

    Beth, I dispose of all of my spray paint cans at our local toxic waste disposal site across town, look for one in yours!

    Kate

  14. So, question of the day: Does Ballard know that the cord in their chandy photo is clear/silvery?LOL
    Love your quick fix for that Kate!;)

    Oh, and if it weren’t for you, I n-e-v-e-r would have touched a can of spray paint. Thank you so much (not enough words here, so sending a hug) for all of the tutorials you provide. You are helping me to turn our ‘old stuff’ into lovliness for our home. Please-please-please keep em comin! Luv ya!

    (P.S. I need to send you a pic of my last year’s outdoor-porch-light-turned-indoor-entry-sconce. Used the frosted glass paint – so easy! Constantly get compliments on it!)

  15. What a great update. Changes the look of the entire dining room.

    I love spray paint. Instant update. Not much mess. Not much cleanup.

    – Joy

  16. Love this! I have a basil plant and parsley inside, and i’ve been looking for a rectangle pot to put them in! This is so cute and love the ‘herbs’ on it!

  17. Love the dining table picture! Where did you get the end chairs? I am looking for those exact slipcovers. Haven’t gotten brave enough to make them yet!

  18. Perhaps Ballard is hoping people who buy the chandelier will drop another $30 for one of their cord covers. Good for you for making your own! Your new lighting looks so pretty!

  19. I love the planter and I forget sometimes how a few letters in the right font can completely make a project.

  20. “You can spray paint anything” has kind of become my mantra lately. I even spraypainted a lampshade to give a new look! Does your old chandy have a new home?

  21. LOVE the changes. i have to share with you that when I moved into my 100 year old house there were 5 electric wall sconces in shiny brass and tulip glass shades. Fugly! I decided to spray paint the sconces black and purchase new glass. I would have had no idea how to remove the sconces so I made a cardboard template and places it against the wall and spray painted them right in place!!!!!

  22. Love this post! It has me now hunting around my house looking for things to spray paint! I think my fireplace screen is going to get a “paint-lift”!
    thanks for sharing and if you get a chance check out my blog and become a follower! I am new to this but am having a ball!

    -Lisa

  23. I definitely love spray paint…and even wrote a post about it myself last week! I think that the warm weather just makes me ache to get outside with a fresh can!

  24. Aghhh! I have the SAME chandeliers and sconces in my house. I was thinking about spraying them, but wasn’t sure how they would look. Sooooo, you did it first. Thanks! Now I know. And my husband can be all kinds of angry if he wants. Lol
    Looks great!

Leave a comment!

Keep the conversation going! Your email address will not be published.*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Lately on Instagram (@centsationalstyle)