A little paint goes a long way...

I haven't posted in a while. Don't gt me wrong, I wanted to, I've just been a little busy, having a birthday, going to the beach, etc...

But, this weekend was time to get back on the DIYing. Isn't it amazing how far a little paint goes?

We have an old lamp that someone gave Chris, but it needed a little updating, so a can of spray paint and a new shade later...well, you can see for yourself!

Old lamp... 

 

I got hammered spray paint. I chose brown but there was silver, black, lots of colors.  

We bought a new shade at Lowe's (for those interested, they were much cheaper than Target). So, for only about $20, we got a new lamp!

Here's a little before and after... (I almost always forget to take before shots, so I was pretty proud of myself for getting this one!)

And after...

The next project I chose was to update some bar stools with a little spray paint. 

I wanted to add a little bit of brightness to these bar stools but not too much. I once painted a table and chairs blue in college and let's just say, it was a bit much. So, I knew I didn't want it to look like that fiasco, but I wanted to add a little color. And, of course, as if I hadn't gotten enough blue in college, I decided on a dark turquoise...well, what I thought was a dark turquoise. Here's what I got...

Whoa, right? I felt right back in the middle of my Centennial Valley apartment with Allie and Leslie. So, what to do? When I start a project, I want to get it done, so luckily, I had also bought some Catalina Mist spray paint at Hobby Lobby before I was sure what I wanted these bar stools to look like. I sprayed a second coat of that and breathed a sigh of relief...

 Now, I still wasn't in love with them. Outside, they were still looking a little crazy for the kitchen, but I was out of spray paint, so once they dried, I brought them inside. And, I learned an important lesson - Always try something out in its place before deciding how you feel about it. 

Once they were inside at the bar, they began to grow on me and by the end of the night, I really liked them. The next step will be some cushions, but one thing at a time, I'm going to have to learn to sew first...

So, it's been a productive weekend. Whenever you need a little pick-me-up, try spray painting something...it always makes me feel better!

Stay tuned for my next blog featuring one of my favorite DIYers...you'll just have to wait and see who it is!