Spray paint fascination

I read a good friend's blog in which she is a DIY queen who can basically make ANYTHING look pretty.  She is really talented and super creative and I just am so insanely jealous of how she can turn everyday items into something that looks like art.  (Don't believe me?  Just check her out.... Designingmainstreet) So a while back, she started going crazy with the spray paint.  And I mean crazy.  This woman was spray painting everything gold, from little bird statues to pinecones!!!  And guess what???  They all looked amazing in the end.  She apparently was on to something. 

So for my daughter's first birthday, I wanted a photo booth of sorts. (more on this amazing birthday party coming soon!)  I imagined some big ornate picture frame making everything look perfect.  So I started the Thrift shop hunt but came up empty handed.  Everything was too plain or too small.  One day at the craft store, though, I found a wooden "frame" of sorts that was flimsy and an ugly light wood but a very pretty design.  How could I fix it???  I pulled a little inspiration from my old pal Ellen, Miss Designing Main St herself.  Yup.  I bought a can of spray paint.  Gold.  That's right.  And guess what??  That frame turned out pretty amazing!! (here is my oldest cheesin' it up for the camera!)

So a couple of weeks ago was my birthday and a friend bought me a bouquet of flowers.  I grabbed one of my vases down from the cabinet and put the flowers in it.  It was a vase I got from the flower shop, no doubt it was from when one of my babies were born.  A generic glass vase that has an hourglass shape.  Plain, see through, blah.  But it works to hold flowers, even though its not pretty.  It does its job.  A week later when it was time to toss the flowers, I emptied the vase, washed it and thought to myself "What an ugly, plain vase.  I wonder if I can make it cute?"  Immediately I thought of Ellen.  And the leftover spray paint that was in the mudroom, just waiting to make its appearance again.  Within seconds I was running for the painters tape.  I quickly wrapped the vase, using two different sizes of plain blue painters tape.  I tried to get it as level as possible, but honestly, I was so excited to have a creative thought in my mind, that I hurried through the process.  In about two seconds flat, I had it taped, outside, and sprayed. 

 

I sprayed it from about 8" away, with light sprays.  Get too close and the paint will clump and drip.  Get too far and you won't get good coverage.  I turned it a few inches each time, to make sure I got each part sprayed thoroughly.  It took a good two coats to make sure it was completely covered.  I let it dry for about 4 hours before bringing it in and peeling the tape.  (You probably should let it dry for longer, but I was ANTSY!) It came out cute, and to celebrate, my daughter and I picked out more flowers so we could display our "new" vase. 

 

You can do the stripes horizontally, vertically, diagonal, in a chevron design, etc, or even use your kids favorite stickers to decorate a vase for their room.  Stars, hearts, their favorite character, even letter stickers to make a name vase.  How cute would it be to present a new-mommy friend with flowers in a vase that says her baby's name and birthdate?  Or newlyweds with their last name and wedding date!   Honestly, the possibilities are endless.  And so are the colors!  I'll be looking at old vases at yardsales in a whole new light this summer.  And I'll definitely be stocking up on more SPRAY PAINT!!!