Archive for March, 2010

A few weeks ago I blogged about finding a bunch of random stuff at Goodwill. One of the items I found was this plant container:

I loved the shape of it and I really liked the texture design on the front but I was not loving the color and I definitely was not feeling the little colored rocks glued to it.

(Do you like my cloche in the background?)

I guessed that with a good coating of spray paint this plant holder would look pretty good. If not, well it was only a buck or so anyway!

I washed it up and scrubbed it really good with a toothbrush to get it ready for painting.

First I spray painted it really well with flat black spray paint. Then I added a light layer of ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze) spray paint on the top.

I like to paint it first with either flat or gloss black because I think it does a better coat than the ORB and also the ORB is expensive while the plain ol’ black is fairly cheap.

If I paint it really well with the plain black first then I can get away with a very light dusting of the ORB to give it that sparkly shimmery look.

The ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze) spray paint really just adds that extra little oomph that takes an item from nice looking to “Wow!”

When the plant holder was dry I found a place to hang it and just hung it up with a plain ol’ big nail.

Sometimes those nails and screws show through and they are UGLY! Easiest thing to do is take a sharpie and just color the end of it.

Ah, much better…

Now for the finishing touches. Anyone remember those IKEA plants I love so much? Ya know, the ones I’m totally obsessed with?!

As luck would have it, the IKEA plant fits perfectly inside this Goodwill plant holder.

I’m in lurve… with the plant AND my new (to me) plant container.

I’m telling you, a little spray paint goes a long way!

If I haven’t convinced you yet, do I need to remind you about the gumball machine you see in the picture?

Nuf’ said.

Go to goodwill (or the neighbors trash can. Oops.), find something that looks like trash, and spray paint it. People will think you have such expensive taste when they see all the awesome stuff in your house. (Unless of course they see you digging through their garbage can. , and then they’ll just be totally jealous that their trash now looks fab and is in your house).

I know I blab on and on about this, but these projects really are very easy. Most of my projects consist of taking someone else’s trash (either from Goodwill or the dumpster) and adding some spray paint.

Done.

Oh, and if you tackle any projects, especially from ideas you got off House of Hepworths, send me an email and show me the pics!! I love seeing them – and I may even post them on my site.

Caio! Aidos! Dasvidanya! Toodles!

So the other day I made this jute ball out of a basketball and a floor mat. Remember?

So I have a HUGE amount of jute floor mat material left over…

…and I’m trying to figure out what the heck to do with it all (besides make another large jute ball for a future giveaway – check back frequently for deets!).

Okay, so anyway, I’m trying to figure out what else I can hot glue this stuff too and the closest thing within reach was a just-washed can from beans or something. So natch’ I grab the can and start gluing. Wound you expect any different?

You know what? I actually really like it! A lot.

There are so many uses for it, but I knew right away exactly where I wanted it.

It’s absolutely perfect for my kids’ art pencils.

My daughter LUVs it! And the best thing is, it is so so so so durable!

Next on the agenda… a few more to match for markers and pencils. I even have a few smaller cans (from tuna) that will be perfect for their little eraser collections.

YOU can do this! Trust me! Just try it.

*WARNING* I use a Pampered Chef can opener that removes the entire lid instead of cutting it off so there are NO sharp edges. MAKE SURE you have a can opener that does NOT leave sharp edges!!!

So, is there any way I can make this look better?

You betcha! Check this out!!

(Look familiar? Yup, I’m on a vinyl tangent at the moment. Check out the knife block post for more deets on vinyl.)

Yes, I know, I know. It’s totally awesome. Don’t hate!

I’m gonna show you how you can make your own. YOU CAN DO IT. This project is EASY.

~*~*~*~*~*~

First: Wash the bottle out really well (I pored the soap into a little dish while I was prepping this craft). Also, use some Goo-Gone to remove all the stickers.

Second: Find something for them to sit on while you spray paint. Liquid Children’s Tylenol and a bottle of Pepto-Bismol pills works great but isn’t mandatory.

Third: Spray paint using paint for PLASTIC stuff.

Is my paint setup looking familier? Yes, this project dates back to my When Bad Ideas Happen to Good People post. Oops.

So I wasn’t lovin’ the solid black look so once they were painted with the plastic paint I added a coat of regular ORB (not made specifically for plastic). I had tape around the top so if you look closely you can see the difference that ORB makes. The top is NOT with ORB, the bottom part IS. Kapish?!

Also, I wasn’t feelin’ the solid blackish ORB look either so I used a brownish metallic for the top pump part. It’s hard to tell but the pump and the base are two slightly different colors. It gives just enough contrast.

And now, another tutorial on how to apply vinyl letters.

From L to R: Remove staples. Trim off about a 1/4″ of the backing. Position your letter exactly where you want it. It should stick at the bottom where you removed a section of the backing (I do this with bumper stickers too. It helps to get it placed perfectly w/o bubbles).

From L to R: Get the vinyl positioned exactly where you want it. Slowly roll the backing off the sticker as you smooth the sticker onto your surface. Once it’s applied smooth it out really well with a scraper. Now Slowly peel off the top sticker layer revealing only the vinyl.

It is that easy!

Not sure how water-proof she is, but whatevs! It’s totally cute anyway.

Now go and craft something great and show me your results!!

Do you recognize that little glass jar with the jelly beans? It’s from my Keepin’ Myself Busy post. A little dishwasher action and now it’s an adorable little candy jar… that is until I think of some cool craft for it.

And just for fun, I <3 vinyl!

Click the button to purchase your very own vinyl.

Update to this post:
THE SOAP PUMP REVISITED 11/22/2010