spray-painting obsession

Obsession. Such a strong word. Maybe I shouldn't use that. But ever since I picked up my first couple cans of spray paint about 4 months ago, I tend to look at things (everything) with a new perspective: To spray-paint or not to spray-paint? That is the question.

So yeah, it does feel like it's been a bit of an obsession. But now that I've painted a dozen things, my creative spirit has been fed. So I can move on in a non-obsessed way. We've been slowly adding more (happy, fun, lively) color into our home since the first part of 2009. And with that color, WHITE has been the new favorite neutral around here. Not off-white or cream or "Arizona White". Crisp, clean, bright white.

And so today, I want to share this "painting kick" with you in case it might inspire you to paint something too. Not everything, but something. Think of something you have in your house that needs a fresh update. Something that could use a splash of color.

This is what you can pick up at your local hardware store. Rust-Oleum. We even got a few cans on amazon.com because there were a few more color options there.



Gather what you want to paint. You can work with just about any surface. And of course figure out what the perfect color(s) will be for your object(s).





Find a place outside to work on your project. I'll emphasize that you need to do this OUTSIDE. Spray-paint goes everywhere, in it's microscopic ways, no matter how small the item that you're painting. Use a tarp, painting canvas sheet, newspaper, whatever.



Just as you need to prep before painting on other things (like the walls in your home), you need to prep certain pieces. For this piece, the lid didn't need to be prepped (other than using a damp cloth to clean off any dust), but the main jar piece did. I used packaging tape and paper towels to ensure that the glass wouldn't get paint on it.



And then ... you shake that can of spray-paint and go to town. Allow for drying time before you bring it back inside the house. And when you bring it in, oooh-la-la. You have yourself a new, fun piece for your home! (Or in this case, something I painted for my friend's home.)



I had a couple of these fun, thick, textured frames that were brown. Love the frames, but the brown had to go. We just had too much brown and it was time for a crisp white.



As for those 2 frames, I put some scrapbook paper in them instead of photos (we have plenty of photos around here) ... and they hang in our guest room.



Some other things that I attacked in the past few months ... this shelf & the star were both darker, grungy colors.



This wire basket used to be brown.



This mirror used to be burgundy (reddish) and gold.



You saw this mirror at the top of this post. Used to be brown.



If the spray-paint leaves your piece looking a little "flat" you can always distress it or something. This is something you can pick up at the craft store, too. It's with the gold-leafing stuff.



You can dip your finger in the little container or use a stencil brush.



For this frame I did just the right half with the gold distressing. You can see how it just emphasizes the texture and adds a little interest. I've only done this on a few pieces, not everything. Just something to think about.



Here's another frame that I hit with a little bit of the same stuff, but the Pewter color.



Okay, now that you've made it through the longest blog post I've probably ever done (well, the most pictures, anyway) ... I hope you're inspired to paint something. Just one thing. Here is my TOP 5 REASONS TO SPRAY-PAINT SOMETHING:

5. It's quick. Shake a can, point it at your object, and spray. Pretty simple stuff.

4. It's fun. Seriously. Just try it and you'll see what I mean.

3. It's cheap. At about $4 a can, you can splash color into your home on a serious budget.

2. It's resourceful. You can totally take something you already have and bring it to life again (instead of buying something new).

1. It's creative. The simple task of spray-painting is going to make you feel like an artist. It's a total "I-can-do-this" feeling, which means your kids may want to join in the fun, too.

Now go on. Look around your house. What could use a shiny new layer of color and shine? Hmm? And who do you want to share this with? Think of that friend, that neighbor, that sister-in-law, that teenager ... somebody who could use a little pick-me-up with a simple, fun activity like this. Go on and tell them about it.