apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

As the proud owner of a seven-foot tall wicker giraffe purchased off craigslist for $5 and now sprayed a pretty butter cream yellow, I wholeheartedly agree!

Yesss....I now walk around second hand stores with both eyes open for items that can be revamped! Just last weekend I found a cute wicker basket for my side of the bed. Cole Hardware was having a sale on spray paints ($1.99) AND now I have a styling basket full of personality.

GREAT ideas! I never really think about spray painting objects (just designs on walls, furniture, etc.) so now I can fill the walls in my apartment! YES!

ooh, great post. when spraypainting large pieces of furniture though (for example, credenzas) is it indeed better to sand first?

and where is that first image from? gorgeous.

I have an old chest of drawers that aching for a few coats of black or white glossy paint, but I don't have an outdoor space to accomplish this.

Are there any non-spray can options that give the same effect?

Thanks!

oh man that ampersand in the first photo is amazing! and i thought i was cool for the foot tall "R" i found my freshman year of college.

yay to sarah! not only is she from kc, but her posts have been great!! A :) keep it up, girl. good luck!

Fantastic idea! I have a whole new outlook on things.

Sarahrae here! Thanks guys for the wonderful comments, it's awesome to see the great feedback.

rhiana- I might actually die if I found a wicker giraffe like the one you discovered! That's such a great discovery.

danze- Spray paint goes on sale all the time during the summer and at some places can be a loss leader and have rebates paired with the price. So check the ads carefully and you can find real deals! My favorite spray paint to date is made by Kilz. It goes down smooth and with little hassle!

ohnoitskristin- One of my favorite things to do... and I am so sorry I forgot to take a picture of it, is to find random frames, big small, thick, thin, plain, ornate.... disassemble them and paint all the frames the same color. Then you can mix and match your artwork inside! No matter what it always looks fantastic.

selena- For larger pieces of furniture it is advised to sand it first. However it doesn't have to be a long laborious process, just sand down any snags and wipe up all the dust from sanding! I would suggest using a spray paint that allows the can to be turned upside down. Although it's something you don't HAVE to have... it does make the job easier. As does a cheap mask to keep the fumes out of your snout!

And the first image is from my home and is the look out of my guest bedroom down to my office. It makes me smile!

leeeah- You can use a high gloss interior paint with fantastic results, if you will be painting inside, I would suggest looking for something that is a low fume. I painted my kitchen table lacquer yellow a few weeks ago and used some Olympic paint to do so and the fumes were hardly noticeable. Watch for clearance paint in small sizes, it happens alot to rotate their base stock and you can find some real deals.

bathysphere- An "R" would be just as cool! We found it in an alley from a store that went out of business. Congrats on your "R"!!

animalhouze - Thanks so much, the competition is heavy I appreciate the support!

InTheDetails - It is a great new outlook... I drug home a box of things that by all standards should have gone in the trash before they ever hit the door... and they are now prized posessions!

Hi! I'm in the KC area, so it's fun to read your posts.

I've seriously never thought about painting stuff like this. What a great idea! I'm gonna head back to the flea market up town tomorrow and find some crap to paint. ;) I've been dying to add some lime green or teal to my house.

love the magazine rack

That green library/classroom bookholder is making me green with envy.

I have some of those composer statues and I now will be spray painting them and perhaps even taking credit for the funky idea. Sorry. Inside I'll always know that you are cooler than me.

Spray paint is love.

Great post, and I envy your &.

I also want to give out a hollar for Sarahrae's posts.
Certainly the most creative we've seen on AT.

And she doesn't use that annoying 'we' voice! Instead - she tells a story. She writes like it's her business.

And the topics are awesome. I for one appreciate posts about afforable decorating and design. Not everyone could or would even consider spending $3000 for a fan or an end table!
Whoo hoo Sarahrae!

Are some spray paints better for the environment than others? Does anyone know?

Your posts make ME smile!! You have such fresh, afforable ideas and a keen eye. I love that you "reuse" unwanted items and give them a new life. Keep up the great work! I look forward to seeing more!!

BambiJo- The flea market uptown is a fantastic place to pick up "junk" for projects like this! You can also haggle with them for a few pieces that look a bit dustier than others (aka they have been sitting there awhile) and usually they will combine the price and bring it down for you! So be brave!

LaDonnaNichole - Thanks! It was a gift from my husband's parents, it came out of a school in Western Nebraska, it helps me keep my magazine clutter to a minimum... if it doesn't fit in the rack, it does in the trash or gets filed away!

paperdollsforboys - I am jealous that you have more composer statues! I have been looking for more ever since we found those two orginally!

Cassis- Spray paint is love! Thanks for your kind words!

clickchick - Thanks for the support! I am up against some wonderful bloggers, so I really appreciate it.
And you're right, although $3,000 coffee tables have their place, they don't always have a place in our pocketbooks!

betsbillabong- You can always rent a paint sprayer or borrow a friends (unless you happen to own one) and use an environmentally friendly latex paint with excellent results. If you want to order online you can find low VOC spray paints: http://secure.data-comm.com/GL/Detail.bok?no=35183
But the Krylon H20 Spray paint is a low VOC paint and can be found anywhere spray paint is found!
http://marketplace.hgtvpro.com/Product.aspx?Lid=2755-HGP706054

Popi- Giving things a new life gives one a great sense of accomplishment and allows you to save money for things you are willing to pay a higher dollar for! Thanks for your wonderful words.

i JUST started spray painting this past weekend and I think it could become an addiction.

There are so many beautiful colors available nowadays...

One word of warning, if a spray can starts dripping as soon as you begin using it, stop! The dripping may occur when you get to the bottom of the can and that's a normal indication that you're at the end of a can. However, if it happens from the get go, you may have a defective spray bottle/nozzle. See if you can return it to where you bought it.

Nicoledee- You can always remove the spray cap and soak it in hot water for a bit, that usually loosens up any gunk that might have become lodged in the opening! Returning spray paint can be tricky since they don't have any way of telling if you have used any of it before attempting to return it!

awesome! you have inspired me to keep my eyes open at thrift stores and garage sales for some weird items to spray paint!

not from the area, but great post on a project i love taking on... so easy! and i agree with the poster who commends sarah for not using that annoying "we" voice for a single person! yeesh!

I love the magazine rack, and the red heads! Lovely colours once again. And I love the idea of spray painting something so bright to add some fun colour to your place! Great post as always Sarah.

I am absolutely in LOVE with the birds! Now I can stop looking for perfect ones, or colors that "match" the room I'm shopping for. Wonderful post and incredible photos!

I need to train my eye better. I'm sure that I'd see a lot of this in it's original state and think that it's crap instead of seeing it for its potential. For some reason my favorite thing here is the pocket knife painting, I have to have one!

Fantastic post! I can't wait to go look for "junk" to transform. Great idea with the picture frames!

PS-Your Boston is cute!

Sarah, will you come decorate my house for me? Does spray paint work on mismatched toddler toys? (Just kidding, people! No hate mail!)

Fantastic Post! I like to see more DIY project ideas. :)
Your Boston is adorable!

It's always fun to add the unexpected to your decorating, and lacquer red busts of composers take the cake! Thanks for your ideas!

I respectfully and most humbly disagree Oh Great One! Never sand! Sanding can raise grain and prevent you from getting a super smooth finish. Especially if using gloss paint. Every flaw will show thru. Use a liquid deglosser and allow to dry thoroughly. Then spray first with a shellac-based primer like Zisser B.I.N.

quiltmaster- Sanding does raise the grain if done improperly. If you are going to sand instead of using a deglosser (which works great for this project, or things with thin veneer), then you will need to sand, then wipe clean with a cloth and lower your grade of sand paper.... until your finish is ultra smooth!

yardenx- Spray paint does work on old kids toys... as long as they aren't going back in their mouths. You can spray them up and put them in a circle and make a clock, or have a shelf that is all the same color things if you happen to find something from your youth, or tack them all up on a board and hang them in your hallway for all to see. What sounds horribly tacky, might not come out so bad once it's all one color!

jasonh- The knife print is from Jordan Crane over at reddingk.com although it isn't one that can currently be found on his website. I do HIGHLY suggest his new pink pearl eraser prints, they rock my socks right off!

Totally brilliant, and totally right. A little environmentally unsound, maybe, but better than buying a lot of new chachkas mass-produced somewhere. Monochrome and tone-on-tone are foolproof design choices. PS Sarah's my favourite blogger on AT - and I agree with an earlier poster - "I" is so much better than the annoying "we" first-person-plural voice in blogland.

Using a cardboard box to contain your overspray in a confined space helps with spraypaint conversions.