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Friday, October 21, 2011

DI(fr)Yday: luxe home accessories

Looking over my DIY board on Pinterest today, I realized just how many plans I have and have had for a while, with very few of them ever actually getting executed. So, I decided that, to help motivate myself, I will try to share a DIY adventure with you every Friday. I'm going to call the feature DI(fr)Yday.

I may not be able to make the deadline every single week at first (after all, I have a busy life outside this blog), but that's the goal. It's good to have goals.

First up: luxe home accessories

I've been really excited about this idea since seeing it on one of my favorite fashion blogs, P.S. - I Made This . . .

Basically, Erica, who is always thinking up brilliant ways to make chic things from cheap materials, realized that a coat of metallic spray paint could turn kids toys into luxe home accessories.

Here are how she did it . . .

As I am currently on a kick of daydream night and day about ways to decorate and personalize the new apartment Ryan and I are planning and hoping to move into soon, I was immediately drawn to the idea.

I love things that are a bit whimsical, opulent, and eccentric, and this idea definitely fits the bill.

So, I've been scouring thrift shops for a few days, and yesterday I painted all my finds.

What you'll need:
1. A collection of of things to paint (or a menagerie of animals in my case). I found that plastic toys and pottery knick-knacks both work well.
2. Spray paint in desired metallic shades (I experimented with gold, silver, and bronze)
3. Newspaper you've already read or don't plan on reading (I used the free neighborhood one that comes every day and never gets read.)

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To avoid messes and being locked up with fumes, I suggest painting outside. However, it's been raining here for ages, so I had to do it in my garage.

Follow the directions on the spray paint. My involved shaking for a solid two minutes before using. I know that's not the fun part, but you really have to do it.

After spraying you'll have to wait at least two hours before you can turn them over and spray their undersides. But all this shaking and waiting is so worth it. In the end, it's a pretty easy project with very cute results, no?

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My new metallic animal friends don't exactly have permanent homes yet, so, for now, they're just huddled in and around some of my things . . .

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2 comments:

  1. I really love the colors you chose for each item. Very cool!!

    ReplyDelete