Chic on a Shoestring Decorating: 31 Days of Decorating on a Shoestring Budget, Day 6


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31 Days of Decorating on a Shoestring Budget, Day 6

Hi there, thanks for stopping by my 31 day series.  If you've missed the first 5 days you can find them here:


Day 6:  Paint New Stuff (if the price is right)

I remember when I discovered blogs a little over 2 years ago and I thought "what is the deal with everyone spray painting every thing?!"  At that point, I hadn't spray painted anything besides some rusty old patio furniture.  If I had something sitting around that was old and out of style I would just donate it.

Now I know better.

You can give something a completely new life with some paint.  If you've been reading blogs for awhile you probably already know this so you might be saying "duh, Kate... this is old news".

But, have you ever bought something new and painted it?

This is where you're thinking "Kate, why would I pay good money for something brand new if I have to paint it?  I don't have the time or money for that."  

Of course, and neither do I.  BUT, if I find something new that is cheap enough I don't have any qualms about painting it.

You've got to change your mindset when you're shopping.

I found a pair of brown lamps at a local furniture store.  They came with big white shades that looked horrible with the brown base.  They were $178 a piece.

gourd lamp

I think they actually look better in this picture than in real life.  Normally, I don't mind brown but these were a very ugly brown, which I lovingly refer to as "doo-doo brown".

I could barely appreciate the beautiful gourd style bases on these things through their doo-doo brown paint.  

Luckily I did see those pretty bases because they were on clearance for $10 bucks a piece.   

This is quite a deal for any lamp... especially when you compare them to these other pretty gourd lamps.


gourd lamp
Picture via Visual Comfort & Co.  

The above lamp by Visual Comfort & Co. is on sale for $314.90, originally $629.  

What a deal! (said in my most sarcastic voice ever)

Gourd Table Lamp
Image via West Elm

These pretty lamps from West Elm go for a more, ahem, reasonable price of $149.

I hit the doo-doo brown lamps with some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen plus a natural colored linen-like shade from Wal-Mart that I already had.

annie sloan chalk paint French Linen

I think it's quite an improvement.  Although I might distress it a little to bring out the ridges.  Not sure yet.  At least doo-doo brown is gone for good!

This was definitely a situation where I felt it was OK to paint something brand new, the price was so low it was worth the extra effort.  If these would've been full price I wouldn't have even considered it.  

When you're out shopping and you come across a great deal that isn't quite right, consider if a little paint would go a long way in making it right and think twice before you pass it up.

Have you ever bought something new and painted it?

10 comments :

  1. I love it painted...Yes, I have. I love to paint things. Check out my mason jar redo

    http://hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/trash-to-treasure.html

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  2. I love your lamps! Yes I most definitely have... in fact just recently I found a framed picture that was on clearance. I loved the shape/details of the frame but they were lost in the bad antiquing job. So I ripped out the picture, spray painted the mat & frame, and it now holds black & white copies of some pictures that our son took.

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  3. i spray painted a small table o,nxce, in silver colored paint.But it became ugly very fast : i couldn't touch it without leaving damage... So now i wonder : how do you do that without harming it ? I had to redo it with a brush...

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  4. I can't say that I have. That is sort of like buying a pair of jeans & then I have to go home & hem them cuz they R too long & they won't hem them. But, spray painting something new, after paying that much money for it, I might have looked further & spray painted. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Hello I am visiting via the Nester's 31 days series. Your series is so inspirational and full of great tips!
    I too am participating in the series. My topic is "Decor To Adore~ finding your style". I would like to invite you to stop by anytime.

    Have a beautiful day and a wonderful fall season.

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  6. Great point well made! What a huge improvement on the 'doo-doo-brown'!! Feeling the inspiration already to look for the right shapes and just slap some paint on it.

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  7. I don't know!! I forget the recent past. Oh yes!! My bathroom garbage can, expensive to me and beautiful, weighed a ton. Last week my hubby and I went to DollarTree as a big outing for me but we found a featherweight plastic one with a metal rim. Rustoleum to the rescue and our new wastebasket looks great even though I left a couple small drips. I can always fix them later. For now, it looks great and well that bit of metal trim on top did give it a finished look!

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  8. Love to spray paint, but sometimes I forget to do it! For example: in reply to Gwen, I just saw dollar store garbage cans with a metal rim, and didn't buy because they were cheap looking... why didn't I think to paint them??? I have probably 30 cans of spray paint in my basement!

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  9. I didn't realize how expensive lamps can be. I would never want to make any artistic changes to lamps that expensive.

    -Zane of ontario honey

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  10. Yes! I wanted antique white metal hooks to hang wedding pictures on. The only pattern I could find was black. Add a can of granite spray paint and 20 minutes worth of spraying (2 coats to front and back) and I had exactly the ones I wanted for around $16 for 3. The ones I'd found online were $18 each!

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