Subtle White Ombré Barstools

We have moved four times in four years. That's a lot of opportunities to clean out and take furniture inventory! Every space has been so different from the next, so we have loyally stuck to Craigslist, thrift stores, and flea markets for our furniture. While renting our apartment, I find myself not wanting to spend a whole lot on furniture, knowing that one day, when we are home owners, the space might call for something completely different. Of course our bed, our couch, and a few vintage pieces from my Grandmother are going to be perfect in any home we end up in. But the odds and ends--like barstools--I opt to go cheap and DIY. 

We've never had a high counter until moving to Denver. Its so great to have a large tall space! This counter serves as a multi purpose area, housing messy painting projects, candlelit dinners, and a catch all for the daily movement through our little home. I found these rather plain barstools on Craigslist for $10 when we first moved in. I had been putting off painting them for a year, literally, because I demised the fact that I would have to sand them down and strip the coating. One of those projects I always put on the end of my to-do list...

From the Archives: DIY Retro Fan

Last summer we gave dusty Hawaiian Breeze (the fan formally know as...) a makeover. For a mere $6 this fan got the spray painting it needed to be an item I actually like having in my home. Don't get me wrong though, a dusty fan is still a saving grace on a sticky hot day--but how much more pleasant a retro looking fan is sitting on a shelf ;) You can visit this archived post HERE for the full run down on how to do-this-yourself just in time for hotter days.

How to DIY a Retro Fan.

The summer heat brought on a new want for a fancy fan. A vintage fan to be exact. I posted on the topic of fans, spinning right round, back in July, remember? After browsing and ogling over photos on Etsy and other sites, I determined that a pretty fan was not something that fell into the "splurge" category of life. So all summer long we continued to use our "Hawaiian Breeze" fan, which was really more like a dusty white thing that I had a love hate relationship with. Love when it was cooling me down. Hate when it stood motionless always catching grey clumpy dust. Hawaiian Breeze and I finally came to a breaking point. It was time for a makeover. A colorful retro-like makeover. During a trip to Home Depot, and browsing spray paint colors as one often does, I decided that this was the perfect solution to my doughty fan. I purchased two cans of spray paint and the rest was history. For a total of $7.50, I was able to get my fancy fan.

Prep the fan for painting 1. Use a dry dusting rag and/or a shop vac to clean the fan. Make sure all dust is removed, or else the paint will not have the right finish. Elbow grease recommended 2. Disassemble the fan parts. Create an array of bits and pieces. Unscrew every last bit. This way your hardware and plastic parts are separated out, giving you the option to paint what you want how you want it (I left my screws and hardware in their metallic state, forgoing their first considered spray painted fate) 3. Using electrical tape and a plastic bag, cover the fan motor (to protect it!). Tape and cover the cord. Also be sure to cover any piece that is threaded (..the parts that turn in place to keep the fan together. If paint gets on them, it could effect how they screw together in the end). 



Spray Painting the Fan 1. Lay the pieces out on your drop cloth 2. Apply the first coat of spray paint. For  a smooth application, hold the can of spray paint equal distance from the piece you are painting and move in a left to right, right to left fashion TIP: Be sure that the coat on the fan blade is not too too heavy. This is the piece that actually needs to be in motion, so the lighter the better. (I was clever and bought a metallic paint that needed to be thicker than the normal gloss to achieve the rose copper look I wanted. Smart move. Hopefully it works out and my fan blade doesn't come to a hault!) 3. Allow the coat to dry for a few hours or over night 4. Rotate / Flip over the fan pieces and repeat the spray painting process on the opposite sides 5.  Allow the time to dry and check once more for touch up painting 6. Take plastic bags and tape off protected pieces once everything is dry. TIP: To keep your paint cans from getting clogged and dried in the spraying tip in between paint applications, hold your can upside down and press the nozzle. Be sure to hold aiming away from you as paint will spew out. Keep holding down the nozzle until nothing more comes out. This will take care of any clogs and keep your spray paint nice, neat, and ready to go for next time.



Putting the fan back together   If you were the one who took it apart, reassembling the fan shouldn't be too tricky. Simply use the same screw drivers and think of it like a puzzle. And get ready for your newly made over beauty! I was just so giddy at this point in the process that I had Matt help with the reassembly while I excitedly got ready to plug her in and test her out. No longer a dusty Hawaiian Breeze, my new fancy fan is stunning! I know summer is over, but there has to be a few more hot days in store, right? Even when not in motion, this fan brings color pop and style to any room in our house. I'm going to keep a look out for another fan on sale or cheap at a thrift store. I would love to make a bright yellow fan that I can use for next summer!

Metal stand: Spray paint fixer upper.

Anyone can work a can of spray paint. This is no secret DIY fix by any means, but the transformation that a $3.97 can of paint can make is just too good to not share (and to remind you that you can do this to those furniture items or nick nacks in your home that just need a little color to make them like new again!). I have been in the market for metal fold up shelves and rack or coat hanger like pieces. These pieces will serve as my display furniture while I do trunk shows and house parties in Denver and surrounding Colorado areas for MidiQueen Handbags. In my opinion, these shabby chic and garden/bakers shelves are very over priced, even in a store like Tuesday Morning (I saw one for $59.99.... not cheap!) Are these in high demand, because not only are they priced higher than what I believe they are worth, but very hard to find?
Cue in Goodwill. And Craigslist. Still ever so so so faithful to me. Providing me with things I need when I least expect it for the fraction of a cost. While I was searching for a little retail escape last week, I stumbled upon a flower pot stand (or at least, that's what I think it is). It was $20, which is still more than I would have wanted to pay, but know that a percent of that money goes towards helping people in the community with work and life opportunities made it all worth it. At first glance, the gold combined with forest green screamed at me, but I saw past that because the structure and design was all that mattered when a can of spray paint would come to the rescue. And when I was walking around the store holding the rack, woman were eyeing me and even said "oooooo good find." (That always makes your heart sing a little.)
On to painting. I decided to go with aqua satin. It is a vibrant choice, but the rack is dainty and thin. Kristina, the designer of MidiQueen Handbags, is based out of Ventura, California. She has a very vintage feel combined with beachy boho chic. This aqua blue not only fits the be achy aspect but it reminds me of colors from a vintage home. I have another shelf I am going to paint ivory satin, to compliment the overall feel of her collection, and that will be my neutral element.

This is the BEFORE. Hard to see with my camera phone (the DSLR died on me just as the project was going to get started, so bear with me...)

Scuffed the metal up a bit so that the primer would stick.

Cleaned off the dust and sanded paint.

Ready to be primed.

Priming. Only took 20 minutes to dry before painting (and did not care as much about the evenness of the primer because it just needs to make the paint stick, not look pretty). When spray painting, hold the can upright at about 10-12 inches away from your to be painted object. Move the can in  back and forth horizontally, evenly overlapping your paint application. It is better to spray multiple thin coats for an even look without puddling or dripping. (It isn't pictured, but a mask and protective eyewear is important too).

Painted, and dry, and ready for a photo shoot!

Bag shown: The Weekender, MidiQueen Handbags

Pretty blue stand ready for handbags to be displayed. Is it not just adorable? If I had a daughter, this would no doubt double as a dress up rack, adorned with costumes, scarves, sparkles, and anything that hangs.