spray paint changed my life
i often obsess over my home, believing what i have just simply won’t do. with a shoestring budget & limited options, i search high & low at thrift shops, flea markets & antique malls for that perfect thing that will settle my nesting soul. that is, until spray paint came into my life. one can & four bucks later, i have pretty orange kitchen table chairs. spray paint, you have blown my diy mind.
a good friend found these two lonely chairs on the side of the road & sold them to me for dirt cheap at her yard sale just a few months ago. they sat at my kitchen table for far too long until last weekend when it was absolutely freezing cold & i decided it was the perfect time to complete an outside diy project.
i purchased a can of spray paint in “cinnamon” orange & started spraying. i sprayed until i couldn’t feel my fingers from the frigid wind. two coats later, these babies were stylin’.
now let me just tell you, i have a lot of friends who spray paint furniture, but i just wasn’t a believer. it left drippy marks on the sides & looked uneven when i tried to spray paint anything. i finally googled this & figured out that i was spraying too close to the piece & in too thick of a layer. this time i sanded my piece just a bit & took it slow, spraying two thin layers instead of a thick, uneven layer like before. perfection. i’m a spray paint addict.
but of course, i wonder what life would look like if i didn’t have a constant list of diy home projects. i hung that chalkboard because that blank wall was driving me nuts. my eyes started to get twitchy as i imagined all of the possibilities. then it hit me.
paper bag flowers. a brilliant idea by martha & executed so perfectly by ashley. for just $1.50, i’d say this is the perfect decor for the baby shower i am hosting next month & maybe forever. i’m craving spring & these paper flowers make me smile.
now onto the next project… thanks for reading, friends!
love,
natalie
summerlily | 20th Feb 13
Your chairs came out beautiful! Love the color. I spray painted my 1970's dining room chairs a pretty teal color 🙂
crystal | 20th Feb 13
Your chairs look great 🙂 I'm a big fan of the spray paint 🙂
Love the chalkboard saying 🙂
have a haPPy day 🙂
Erin Kloosterman | 20th Feb 13
Did you have any problems with the spray paint freezing or cracking? I spray painted some frames in November, and the painted cracked. The only thing I could think of was that it was too cold outside! Did you find that at all while working on the chairs?
I love the projects and your blog! What a great space!
Heather | 20th Feb 13
They look amazing!! I have an old frame in my livingroom that was revived with spray paint. It was gaudy 1960s gold and then I sprayed it mint green and….love it!
Your home is so beautiful! So warm and inviting!
Chelsea | 20th Feb 13
ooo, you get such great light along that little hall! the yellow, the gold, the flowers — they all add their own bit of sunshine, too. +Chelsea
Cary | 20th Feb 13
These look great! I can't believe it was easy. I have several painting projects sitting here. Maybe I should try it. What kind of spray paint?
mandi | 20th Feb 13
I love your home! It radiates warmth and happiness!
anoushkasofia | 21st Feb 13
This colour is really rich & uplifting. I can't believe how spray painting looks neat & good quality.
I wish I had a bigger home (mine is rather a cottage) to fill it with lost of thrifted furniture.
Anyway, you're inspirational as usual!
Thanks (I'm going to rummage through my stuff & see if there's anything to try spray paint on!)
Linn | 21st Feb 13
Your home looks personal and cozy! I like it.
Thanks for the tips on spray paint, I've painted a lot of furniture in my days, but all of them with a brush. No matter how much I love the result, I still h*te the process… Spray paint sounds like the thing for me!
And that quote… So sweet!
Jen | 21st Feb 13
The chairs look wonderful! I spray-painted metal chairs this summer and an old milk can. The chairs were a pretty canary blue and the milk can was hammered copper – very cool! I really like your pillows – were they thrifted, too? And the flowers! I made some of those years ago for my daughters' birthdays and we still hang them all for each birthday. Except we call them "birthday stars". Fun!
Kaylan | 22nd Feb 13
Your blog is toooo beautiful! love your home. I have the same style but haven't been able to thrift and DIY as much now that I have an 8mo old babe. I'll be reading! 🙂
Anne Hill | 22nd Feb 13
Love the way the chair turned out!
Unknown | 25th Feb 13
Yay for bright colors, yard sales and spraying till your fingers freeze! They look gorgeous. 🙂
Sara | 25th Feb 13
I laughed out loud about painting in cold weather. My yellow frame with the Love verse in it happened the same way. I was finished the final coats as the the snow was flying. Brrrrrrr! I hate waiting! Your chairs are a.maz.ing. xo
Unknown | 12th Mar 13
Hi Natalie,
Chairs look brilliant, I love the steel caps on the legs. Did you make those yourself too, or happen to find some that fit?
I've been experimenting with Plasti-Kote spray on my dining table. Are you based in the US? We're harnessed by Plasti-Kote here, we can't get the brands that you can on that side of the pond, we're pretty much stuck with what UK Tool Centre sell 🙁
Unknown | 31st Oct 13
I just found your blog and, wow, are you creative! Since you are as young as my daughters, I'll give you some advice. Enjoy this time of limited resources. Some day you'll have more funds, but trust me, you'll look back wistfully at the wonderful homes you've created at this time of your life. My favorite bloggers are all different ages and have all different styles, but there are commonalities. Not one has vast resources (or at least chooses not to spend them on decorating). They thrift and craft and see handmade and vintage as special. Like you, they have created homes that are uniquely special. Oh, and I love the cinnamon chairs!
NataOlso | 14th Oct 14
I am slowly switching over to loving spray paint. I have done a few projects recently and it is SO MUCH FASTER! I even bought spray poly/acrylic to seal a chair I recently rescued from a curb!