$5 Makeovers

Spring semester of school is in full swing for sure.

(alliteration not intentional)

In my last post, I mentioned a trip to some thrift stores. While I was there, I was able to purchase an awesome lamp for $4.00 (well, $3.98 not including tax, to be precise). It coordinated really well with a lamp that I already had (originally somewhere around $8.00), so I decided to get it and make it something new. A friend tried out a metallic silver spraypaint a while back and it turned out great. That's what I decided to do with my lamp friends!

(By the way, not to reveal what generation I am a part of or anything, I named my lamps Lumiere and Cogsworth. You'll see why. And if you don't know what movie those names are from, we probably can't be friends.)

I also had picked up a mid-sized chalkboard at a garage sale last summer for $1.00. It had an unfinished wood frame and the actual chalkboard was green. Ick. At the time, I didn't know whether or not I was able to change the color of a chalkboard without ruining it, but for a dollar, I wouldn't lose much if it didn't work. I have always planned on making it black and red.

I'll be lucky if my whole house doesn't end up those colors.

Monday was crafty day with my wonderful mother-in-law.

I am SO glad that we get along so well!

Meet Lumiere and Cogsworth...

:)

First, I taped up the hardware to protect it from the spraypaint. Second, I sanded the wooden lamp (Lumiere). Then I went to town. It took a few coats to get the look I wanted with everything covered (nooks and crannies were somewhat stubborn). Midway, they looked like this:

They already look so fabulous!! I was so excited throughout the entire process and afterward.

Eventually, they turned out like this:

Yaaaaayyyyy! Lumiere and Cogsworth look so handsome in their fresh coats of paint!

(Okay, okay. I know I sound like a looney, naming my lamps and all. But you can't help it when nastalgia and inspiration combine.)

The next project was the chalkboard. This was a bit more time consuming. And let me start with saying that I probably needed to do this in the reverse order. Oh well.

First I covered the chalkboard.

Then I spraypainted an undercoat of black. I wasn't sure if I would want to distress it now or later on, but it is there if I ever feel the urge. And I used my m-i-l's paint so it cost nothing extra.

THEN the Colonial Red. Mmmm it is just fabulous, isn't it?! This color took several coats, of course.

Then it started raining. It was pretty chilly outside, so luckily I had taken it inside the heated garden room to dry more quickly. But by the time it was dry and the rain was over, it was dark. So blame the weather for the blurry phone picture. :)

Covered the newly painted edge to expose the chalkboard.

Because it was so dark, I didn't get a "finished product" picture. But here it is on the wall, in all of its newfound glory!

And by the way, I purchased the spraypaint with a Hobby Lobby giftcard. So the first project cost me $4.00 and the second cost me $1.00. I still have yet to purchase amazing shades for my lovely lamp friends, but it will happen one day. But $5.00 for two projects?! Not shabby in the the least. :)

(P.S. - I want the shades to be drum shades and a pretty purple color. In my head, they look something like this, just not hanging and a bit more like lampshades...)

Over and out!