Sunday, January 15, 2012

January Sanctuary - Day Fifteen

I'm guilty. I like to buy new things. I'm an over-consumer, even if I do aspire to a minimalist approach. So it's been nice to shift toward re-purposing and re-using during this month's projects.

Instead of new lamps, I repaired the ones I had and painted them white. And, I transformed some vases, a mail sorter, and some dogwood branches from my mom's garden from red to white.

The lamp before:


I forgot to take a before picture, but the vases and branches were a deep red prior to the primer. After one coat of primer:

See the red topiary. 
Apparently red roses don't like to be turned white. 
I gave up on the topiary after a few coats. 

 After first coat of white glossy paint:


Red dogwood branches from Elgin, Illinois re-imagined in white:


Lessons learned:
1. Primer is essential, as are having friends that recommend primer (Thanks Em & Shannon!)
2. Lightly apply each coat and expect to apply many coats of both primer and color.
3. Glossy looks best on the vases.
4. Walking over to the nearby park was worth the trouble - it was a beautiful day to paint in the park.
5. When in doubt, apply another coat.
6. Seriously, apply another coat. 
7. I love living in Seal Beach. Thankful that Main Street Hardware Store is just a two minute walk from my house.