Here's to Imperfection!!

AAAAACK!! I was SO excited about this idea...partly because I thought it would be a brilliant way to re-use a commonly found item, and partly because I thought it would be a simple and easy little project...I WAS SO WRONG!!!!

This project was like tripping uphill!!! EVERYTHING went wrong, but let me show you...



I thought I would take these little trays, paint them up real cute-like, make a few magnets, and have an adorable way to put up notes, pictures, cards, etc. It could work as a frame or a grocery store list holder, whatever you needed...versatile and SO cute!!



Here are a few more larger trays that I was also going to transform...

The first thing to go wrong, was that I spray paint outside, and in this breezy autumn weather, the spray paint attracted EVERY tiny piece of leaf or twig within 30 yards...and that happened with EVERY coat of paint (and I had to apply several to cover the color on the trays)...so the finish wasn't nearly as ice-smooth as I wanted...

Next, I tried to stamp the trays with cute little images, *sigh*...I do stamping so rarely, that I kindof forget all the little tricks to doing it...like don't load the stamp with too much paint, and it's hard to stamp on slick surfaces...so stamping didn't go well at all...

Then I thought I better seal the trays so that the magnets wouldn't scrape the paint...great - except that the polyurethane attracted even more STUFF than the paint...ARGH!!!

At this point I wanted to rip my hair out...but my hair is my best feature, and seeing as how I am getting older, (and therefore have wrinkling, stretch marks, and age spots) I can't afford to just go mangling the one good thing I have still going for me...;-)))

SO...this lifelong, twelve-step dropout, dedicated perfectionist took a deep breath, revised my standards for this project, and persevered.

Here are the final results:





I used plate hangers that adhere to the back, but the plate hangers that clamp around the plate would work too. (another snafu - after I snapped this picture, the hanger came off the back...apparently the adhesive wasn't meant for metal...of course it wasn't...:-))...so I just super-glued it back on!!)



The magnets were supposed to be easy, too...I just used some cute little buttons that I had...



Of course the ones I chose had wire through the middle...of course they did...:-))







SO after all of that...I still like the idea of this project, I just need to figure out less time-consuming way to execute!!! And I am just going to chalk these up to *it's the first time I did this so of course they aren't perfect*!!!!

They are, however, a LOT cuter holding a picture of my J-Bro and his wife!!! :-)))

Here's to Adorable Little Boys!!

Get ready to amp up the cuteness in here!! :-)) I was so pleased with the results of this little makeover...and it was really very simple! I started with two pictures that had been given to me by sis HBAPJ (she gives me the best stuff :-))...



They had a dated look, and the frames really screamed 70's!! (They actually look much better in this picture than they did in real life!!) But their adorable little faces kept drawing me in...I just couldn't put them in the give-away pile!!





So after living with them for awhile, I decided that they needed a little revamping...spray paint, here we come!!

I took the pictures out of the frames, and sprayed the frames with an almond color that I thought would compliment the colors in the pictures better than straight white...then I distressed the frames (meaning I didn't spray paint them perfectly and when they were dry, I sanded them a bit - easy peasy!!).



Delightful, but I had one more charming idea!! I took a *smidge* of Mod Podge,thinned with a drop of water, and painted it on a few highlights in each picture, then added just a skosh of glitter...





OH SO PRECIOUS!!! (And very subtle in real life!!) I just love the hint of sparkle that catches the light, and the frames now compliment the soft colors of the boys instead of overpowering them!! What charming art for my own towhead's room!! :-))

Here's to Just Going For It!!!

Today's project is a lesson in what CAN work!!!

I picked this footstool out of a neighbor's trash pile...(words I swear to you I never thought I would say...I am becoming one of THOSE people...;-)))



It was a little rough...but the shape drew me in, and it was really solidly constructed with a cute little lid and storage!!



I SO love multifunctional furniture!!!

My initial thought was to just clean this up and spray paint the heck out of it...then I started thinking twice...I worried about the wicker not holding up, the paint not going on well then flaking off right away, and the seat cushion getting messed up in the cleaning process...



BLAH...

...so this sat in my garage for a few months...until the spurt of cold weather (and the growing pile of *projects* in my garage, this being one of the easier ones) convinced me that I needed to do something with this little guy...

I put it in the Goodwill pile, sadly certain that I really couldn't fix this one...

Then after not getting to Goodwill for a week, I decided that if I tried to paint it and it didn't work, it wouldn't really be in any worse shape for Goodwill, right?? (Ummm, logic anyone?!)

So I did it...I got out my handy dandy black spray paint and tarp and went to town...



WOW, WOW, and WOW!!! I couldn't have been more surprised at how well it went!! The paint went on easily, covered well, and looked great!!



So in one of the easiest 15 minutes of spray painting ever, I got a great new-looking little footstool!! Now, I don't even use expensive paint...oh no, I use the cheapest 99-cent spray paint I can find...

(Kindof reminds me of the classic, "Waiter, this wine is old...bring us a bottle of your FRESHEST wine..." :-))) Love me some Steve Martin!!

So anyway...IT WORKED!! GREAT!! I love my cheap spray paint!! And just to give this guy a little more protection, I put on a quick coat of sealer. :-)) Done!!

Here's to Spray Paint!!

Oh how I love you, black spray paint!!

This little project is so easy to do, and I know similar things have been done tons of times in blogland, but since I'm a newbie I'm using it...:-))

It all started with a need for storage on the shelving in my newly redecorated bathroom...which I will talk more about later...

So I went to the local dollar store to see what I could find, and came home with these babies...



I was really not loving the aqua/pink color combo...



For some reason it made me think of Miami Vice??? I know, I know...that was totally out of left field for me too...



...especially since I wasn't allowed to watch the show because I was BARELY BORN...:-)) And, FYI, I didn't touch the colors on this promo pic...

So, how about that Don...I mean...what was I talking about?? :-))

BASKETS, yes, the baskets, (focus, focus)...

I decided to cover up all that Florida goodness with a cleansing coat of black spray paint. I did have to do several coats to cover up the bright colors, and the curing time is important between applications otherwise the paint won't dry correctly. Also, I had to spray from all angles to get even coverage over the woven basket. But overall it was easy, relatively quick, and perfect for the black and white color scheme in the newish bathroom!!



With a few brightly wrapped soap bars for the photo op...