Open a Can of Genius

My mom taught me a thrifty trick when I used to compete in talent shows.  Instead of buying expensive silver tap shoes, she took my crappy old tan ones and applied a coat or two of $2 silver spray paint! Voila…instant twinkle toes!  Since then I have spray painted more shoes, belts, earrings and a myriad of other items.  But my favorite new application for spray paint is interior design.  Let me give you a couple of examples, which I will conclude with my favorite spray paint project to date.

Last summer my husband and I decided we needed solar lawn lights.  In perusing Lowe’s and Wal-Mart I found several styles that I liked, all that were either copper or brushed silver.  However, they were always a good $2 to $4 more per lamp than the plain black plastic lights.  So, remembering my mom’s wisdom, I bought 8 black plastic lawn lamps for less than $10 and applied a $2 can of brushed silver spray paint.  The result is inexpensive lawn lamps that look like they were $10 each.  My husband thought I was crazy at first, but most geniuses have their naysayers.  After he saw the finished product he realized as usual, I am always right!

After the success of the lawn lamps, I decided that I didn’t like the shiny brass hardware on the bathroom cabinets.  With some spray paint still left, I unscrewed the handles, sprayed, dried and screwed them back into the doors.  Super easy!  Then I went a little crazy and ended up spray painting more door knobs, handles and even our chain link fence.  It really needed a coat of shimmer!  The paint dude at Wal-Mart probably thought I had taken up huffing.  But the only thing I was high on was how much money I had saved and how savvy I was becoming with spray paint.

And now, as I promised, the piece de resistance.  Do you remember Domino Magazine!?  I LOVED that freaking magazine and almost cried when I found out it was folding.  The point is I got a lot of great ideas from that magazine but most of it was way out of my price point.  One of my favorite trends was the use of game antlers as wall decor.  They were used as coat racks, key storage and just for their shock value.  Most of them were in the $250 range.  Then magic happened.  I was at a garage sale and I saw a small set of deer antler attached to a wood plaque.  The piece was very real and rustic looking, but I had to have it!  My home décor style is a bit more modern so, I applied several coats of a very shiny white spray paint and created a masterpiece.  It is extremely effective when hung on the dark brown wall in the living room.  And during Halloween and Christmas I can hang ornaments on it.  Total cost = $6!

So, let me leave you with this thought…some people say “if you can’t duct it, f%#k it” meaning if it can’t be fixed by duct tape then leave it alone.  Others say “if you can’t tone it, tan it.”  Well I say “If you can’t spend it, spray it!”