Golden Mirror!

Thrifty UpCycle

I've shared my love of "junkin" as I call it...visiting thrift stores, antique stores, Habitat Humanity ReStores.  I'm always looking for a few things but they must be fairly inexpensive..that means once I buy it and fix it up it should be cheaper than anything I can buy already done or just better period.  That's the THRILL for me...making an item into something fabulous on the CHEAP.  

We call that a "thrifty upcycle"...so you are basically recycling and renewing an item..and saving money...and helping Mother Earth.

I got this beauty for $10 at a junk store in Purcellville while visiting my buddy Marti last week.

I love the size and the ironwork in the frame of this mirror.  I knew it would be even more

beautiful with some metallics added...really make it SHINE!

So I taped off the mirror well and set it up in my Spray Box...a UPS box split open on one side.

Its rustic but it works well...don't knock it ;)

This mirror only took 3 coats of the Rust-o-leum Aged Bronze Spray.

I didn't go with Gold because it just was TOO...TOO much know what I mean?

Too gold and shiny for where I wanted to put it anywho.

And this is that mirror now...beautifully metallic in Aged Bronze and fits in with all my other accessories!

This is my foyer table area and I've been looking for something to hang here for the longest time.

I used to have a floral picture but I got sick of it and gave it away...I don't have a pic of that sorry.

But my demilune table from Ethan Allen has bronzed/gold paint in it and I picked that up with my lamp, picture frame, urn and Metallic Pumpkins (that I made HERE).

I didn't want anything overpowering for this space, something pretty and that reflected the beautiful

light we get in the front of the house.  This mirror was perfect!

And for a total of $14 ($10 mirror + $4 spray paint) I think I got a good deal!!

Just to compare look at these similar mirrors for much, much more...makes me even happier with mine:

$199 at Lamps Plus

$129 at FleaPop

$50 at Etsy

Have you transformed a thrifty buy lately?


I'm entering this into the following linky parties:

The Hankful House (get your diy on)
Domestic Superhero 
Transformation Thursday

Funky Junky Interiors - Party Junk

Metallic Fall Accents!

I love the colors of Fall...gorgeous rusts, reds, oranges, and golds...beautiful!

And I like to add some sparkle, bling and metallics into my decorating as well.

So I needed some metallic pumpkins for my foyer table.

I looked around and the ones I saw were either too big or not the right metallic.

So what do you do?  You make your own.

CONVERSATION IN MY HOUSE:

This is my daughter looking at something in a magazine or store: "Mom, I love these...aren't they pretty?"

Mom (me) answers "Yup, but I can make it cheaper and better!"

Daughter:  {rolls her eyes}

BUT ITS TRUE...you can usually make it cheaper and better and perfect for your space or taste.

And I have a bunch of projects coming to prove it ;)

So I got some pumpkins...$2 for these 5 mini pumpkins.

Now if you find mini plastic pumpkins, those would work too...I couldn't find any

so I went with the real thing.  I taped off the stems because I wanted those to look real.

But you could paint them as well...that's up to you!

(if you go real, clean them off & dry well before painting)

Linking this to Stone Gable's Tutorials & Tips Linky Party

And I bought two cans of Metallic Rust-o-leum Spray Paint

in "Aged Bronze" and "Hammered Copper" at Lowes.

Above shows the hammered copper...it dries to a textured finish which I like.

Total of $11 for both cans of paint and I used maybe a 1/4 of each can.

(so lots left for other fun projects)

I had to spray them a few times to coat...use thin coats each time so you don't get yucky drips.

This is my foyer area...more on that in the next post and some other things I made.

My demilune table is from Ethan Allen...its one of my fave pieces of furniture..we've had it for about 10 years.

I went with a gold, copper and aged bronze mix...warm colors that mix and match well.

The frame ($4) and copper urn ($8) are from HomeGoods.

Aren't they purty?  I love the pretty shine and warm colors...much less harsh than

the usual pumpkin orange.  I love that they match the gems in my frame too.

Shiny, Pretty, Metallic...yup I love 'em!

Easy to do...and in ANY COLOR your lil' heart chooses too!

I'm painting up some white ones with a special treatment for my dining room...more on those soon!

So remember you don't have to have pumpkin orange, purple and black as your Halloween and Fall colors..mix it up and try something new.

Paint is cheap and makes a HUGE IMPACT even on something small like these pumpkins.

Its as simple as a spray paint in your fave color.  And they come in ALL kinds of colors now.

Some brands even offer a primer built in.  Lowes has a huge selection of pretty colors!

I can't even tell you how many projects are almost complete or finished that I have coming that take a simple can of spray paint.  I'm an ADDICT :)

This project got featured on:

Have You Spray Painted Anything Lately?
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I'm entering this into the following linky parties:

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Home Stories A to Z

Give Me The Goods Monday

Making the World Cuter

Savvy Southern Style

Create It Thursday

Thrifty Decor Chick

DIY Dreamer- From Dream to Reality

Inspire Me Please Weekend

Making Home Base

Practically Functional

Strut Your Stuff - Six Sisters Stuff

The Hankful House - Get Your DIY On

Coral Me Happy!

I like pretty things.  I like coordination and symmetry.  I like flowers and summer and sun and fun. And as much as I love decorating INSIDE my house, I love decorating the OUTSIDE just as much!  So when Spring arrives and nice weather with it...you will find me outside most days doing some kind of project on my patio or in my gardens.  I have quite a few OUTSIDE projects coming your way but today I will just share ONE...don't want to overwhelm anyone ;)

We have a lovely patio table that we've had for years.  And although our backyard gets afternoon shade we do get full sun for the first part of the day.  That means our table needs the umbrella over it during those times when the sun is beating down.  So we have an umbrella pole sticking out of the center of the table...we keep it in all the time so we can easily pop on the umbrella when needed.  But it creates issues for me as I cannot center ANYTHING on the table...not planters, candles, NOTHING...arghhhh drives me crazy.  Because I like symmetry & balance...period...I'm anal that way LOL!

Yup there is that darn pole in the middle of the table that tries to drive me nuts.

But NOT anymore...ha ha ha!

I'd seen this project somewhere on Pinterest months ago and was so excited I literally squealed in my chair!  And I could NOT wait to execute my own version.  They had used a plastic bundt pan that they got from a garage sale on the cheap.  Well I visited Walmart and got a heavier metal pan for $5.  Some newpaper and Valspar Outdoor Spray Paint (good on plastic, wood & metals) from Lowes and I was all set to go.

On a nice sunny day I spray painted the bundt pan with 3 coats of white spray paint letting each coat dry for about an hour each coat.  I did one side and then the inside of the pan.  I chose white so that no matter what color scheme I decide to go with on my patio it will always match.  But the spray paint comes in so many colors that you can go to color-town if you'd like! :)

My new patio tableware is a new purchase from Target.  I have an obsession with tableware as stated in other posts on this blog.  I buy some new "stuffs" every year....or so.  In fact my husband was literally GROANING out loud as I pondered the various goodies Target had to offer for the patio this spring.  Should I do yellow, or blue or coral?  Hey, that's a BIG decision for me!  I chose this coral pattern that has sage greens and butter yellows in it because it goes with my patio pillows and cushions.  I bought the plates, salad plates, some bowls, a serving platter, glasses and a divided serving plate.  It all just makes me soooo happy...pretty colors, pretty dishes...just makes me SMILE!

I set the table as though I were having some friends over for a dessert garden party to take these pictures.  The neighbor's landscapers were watching me set up and take pictures and I'm pretty sure they thought I was TOTALLY NUTTERS when I cleaned it all up with no guests ever having arrived...ahahahaha!  

I filled my planter with some organic potting soil and then petunias and geraniums in a pretty coral color.  I got all these flowers plus a few more for only $6!!  I love the way this looks and if I want different color flowers (I'm thinking red & white for the 4th of July)...it is super easy to pull these out and plant in another pot and add new ones!

I will share more pics of our outside patio area real soon!  I finally got some good pictures with everything in bloom that I cannot wait to share...so stay tuned for that.


LINK UPS:

Southern Lovely

Savvy Southern Style

No Minimalist Here 

I'm entering this into A Bowl Full of Lemons Linky Party

I Heart Organizing

What outdoor projects are you planning on this summer?

PS.....if you see this now

when you hover over a picture...don't panic! 
Its just an easy way to pin pictures/links from my site to Pinterest if you wish!