5.25.2009

Who's Afraid of a Little Spray Paint?

A few weeks ago my neighborhood had it's annual community garage sale.  Brent and I loaded up the kids and spent the morning driving around.  (I have to say how much I love that my husband does this stuff with me.  I hunt for house stuff, he hunts for bike stuff or camping stuff, and we are both happy.  I love a man who humors his wife!)  

We drove past a house with two of these urns for sale.  I have been hunting for a pair of these for months!

It was actually a friend of  mine who was selling them.  I asked her why, and she said they were from her old house and didn't match the new house colors.  I said to her, "Amanda!  Spray paint!"  But my friend Amanda, by her own admission, is not a crafty kind of girl.  Her loss is my gain!

I wanted an aged kind of look, so I started with spray painting a reddish-brown on the urns.  Then I went over it with black.  The effect is kind of hard to see in the photos, but I think it looks weathered, with some brown peeking through the black, which is just what I wanted!

Now, as usual, my biggest challenge is going to be keeping these plants alive all summer!

Gotta love what a little spray paint can do!  Amanda is coming to my house this week for our book club...wonder if she'll want these back now?



75 comments:

Caro said...

Yup, I tell everyone that spray paint should be everyone`s best friend!!
looks great!!

Shilo said...

Oooooooo...NICE work!

julie & joe said...

They look great! Spray paint is a wonderful thing.

Jessica said...

Very good idea! I would have never thought of spray paint either! I really am going to have to become more innovative and crafty.

Anonymous said...

wow! those turned out great. the purple plants really pop too! way to go!

Stacey said...

Nice job! She'll be kicking herself I'm sure!

DESJ and Company said...

what plants are in there?
I love the arrangement-and the urns!

Shell in your Pocket said...

I could put a "urn" in every room of my house~
sandy toe

Unknown said...

Oh, she'll want them back, alright! They look fabulous.

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Ooooh, Carrie, those are great! I'd be all over them too. Too bad she's not crafty like you, but her loss is YOUR gain. Great deals, thanks for playing.

Vanessa Greenway said...

They look great!! I've been "hunting" for one of those too. They're gorgeous! Great job!

Twice as Nice said...

I bought 2 almost identical to yours at Dollar General and spray painted them too and then put ferns in them. They were $10.00 each. Yours look great.

southerninspiration said...

Oh, So, so pretty!!!!

Suzanne

Ally's Corner said...

Oh yes she will want them back. They look great.

Nancy @ Live love laugh said...

OOOh! They look wonderful! She could have listened to you!
~Nancy

Ms. Tee said...

they look great! Hope you have good luck with your plants! :)

Anonymous said...

What a nice surprise color. They are perfect. I am planning to do the spray paint this week too. I am so angry at the birds. All over my patio and swing and most of my nice flower pots. Poo, poo, poo.
QMM

★Carol★ said...

Love that urn. I actually have a black one that I want to spray paint white! The flowers look great too!

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

I am sure she will be sorry she let them go as soon as she sees them!! What a great redo....you are the seond person I have seen do this.....the other got hers for free....someone threw them out....can you imagine?

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Lisa

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

Oh you lucky girl to have found those amazing urns. And I'm so impressed with your technique of the dark red paint first. They turned out gorgeous!!!

Kelli said...

Very nice. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that the plants stay alive. I have the same issue. I'm working on it.

Mary said...

Spray paint is the best! I love the urns, just make sure you have holes drilled in the bottom so the water drains. That will help your plants stay healthy.

The Tattered Cottage said...

Great urns and they look fantastic. Spray paint is the best way to refresh any piece needing an update :)
Toni

Jboo said...

Wow -- those look fabulous!! Good job!


Janet

B.jane said...

I just did a post on spray piant too! Everything in my house goes through he spray paint test before it gets tossd. "what would it look like in a different color"?
Anyway...love it!!
We have a lot in common...check out my blog www.bjanebrewing.blogspot.com

sara@augustfields said...

super cute girl! those turned out fabulous! :)

Thrifty Decor Chick said...

So easy and what a difference! Love the transformation.

Beth@The Stories of A to Z said...

Beautiful! I'm guessing that Amanda won't ask for them back but she'll be feeling a little bit of regret when she sees how fantastic they look. Nicely done.

Angie said...

We crafty bloggers have to be kind and educate the rest of the world about the wonders of spray paint! The urns looks great!

Amber said...

I wonder if Amanda will recognize her urns? I love them dark!

I would be afraid of spray painting on your cardboard on my driveway! You must be a LOT neater than me, girl. I just know I would overspray or have an accident and pain my driveway. And I would then have an extremely unhappy hubby! ;)

Mandi Shandi said...

Oh yeah, she'll want them back for sure! They look great. I did some very similar a couple weeks ago. Love it!

Mrs. Gray's Class said...

Great job - she's so gonna want those back!

Carry Grace said...

Spray paint is such a wonderful thing. Your friend will probably be sad that she didn't ask you for help before casting them away.

Wendy said...

They look fabulous! Gotta love spray paint!

Kristen said...

LOVE those urns! It's funny that since I've started blogging I look at everything differently now when I go to yard sales - it's amazing what a little spray paint can do - great job!

Desiree said...

Wow, those planters look great! Usually those things cost a fortune. Nice job!

-Desiree

Happiness Is... said...

Those look amazing - good job! I would want them back if I were your friend.

Heidi Boos said...

What a find! My husband will often go to garage sales with me (when I'm not begging him to take the kids so I can go on my own!). I bet your friend will definitely be a tad bit jealous of the new look. ;) I probably would have thought...now, why didn't I think of that!?

Christina said...

Great urns. What a fabulous find. Love how you painted them to work for you.

Lisa & Gerald said...

Love it...

Juice said...

I am so in awe of you! Maybe I'll make spray paint a new years resolution...

Aleta said...

Oh man - if I saw those I'd want them back! You did a GREAT job!

Courtney said...

Love the urns. I must admit I am like your friend Amanda. I have limited creative bones in my body. I pay good money to people like you to come up with this creative stuf!!!

Lindsay said...

They do look really great, Care! She probably will want them back now.....oh well!

Blissfully Enamored said...

i have those same planters that i stole from my mom because she wasn't using them! i think i spray painted mine the same color!!! isn't it nice what a little paint can do to something?! way to go!

Mimi Sue said...

Don't let her have them back! They turned out so very cute. I love spray paint! Mimi

A Joyful Chaos said...

It looks really great! I'm sure your flowers will thrive.

Mandi @ Sweetly Home said...

Whoody hoo!! Lucky you!! What gorgeous urns.

Miss E said...

Love it! Awesome work!

Ruby Red Slippers said...

I am a firm believer in spray paint. It should be taught in high school...;)along with glue gun training!
(I am glad to know I am not the only one who kills plants...)

Jules from "The Roost" said...

Way to go! Looks great!

Sara's Sweet Surprise said...

I have a set of cement urns that flank my front porch. I've been tempted to spray them too, but they're sooo heavy the urge shortly disappears when I think of what it would entail. Seeing your before and after really looks great. I've only been able to grow mums successfully. The sun beats down directly on the urns, so keeping them watered is like keeping a desert watered.

Sweet wishes,
Sara

Unknown said...

I needed to re-pot some herbs and flowers but I didn't want to spend much(any) money as we are moving this summer. After reading your blog, I decided to look on craigslist for something cheap.

The very next day, in my neighbor's trash pile were two pots very similar to yours. Beaten up for sure and slightly cracked. I puttied the cracks, spray painted them brown and used a texture stone-like spray paint on top. Now I don't want to leave them behind when I move. Thanks for the inspiration.

Jennie Bender said...

Spray paint is a decorator's best friend! Love it!

Your urns turned out beautiful!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

They look wonderful Carrie!

{Bellamere Cottage} said...

Is there anything better than spray paint? Instant gratification! Your urns are delish.

Blessings,
Spencer

Southern Fried Gal said...

I bet she will be sick that she let them go. They look great and you did a nice job with the plant choices, too!

April said...

Hi Carrie,
Just popping over to say congrats on being the "Favorite Blog" over at Sandy Toes' place...you deserve it!

Astrid in Bristling Acres said...

You know...I really need to find some urns! Yours are inspiring and beautiful!

Unknown said...

You scored! NIce!
♥ Jen

Kate said...

Good for you! This looks great!

Melissa Stover said...

that looks great. i've been wanting a pair for my front porch.

Tami (Pixeltrash) said...

LOVE spray paint! Those urns look awesome!

Unknown said...

She is definitely going to want them back Carrie : ). Spray paint is my favorite thing on the planet. I could just use it all day long : ). Fun, fun, fun! What book are you reading? I just finished the BEST book called Water for Elephants. I can't say enough good things about it. If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend : ). I hope you got even more steals this weekend!

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

Popping in a 2nd time to let you know about my 100th celebration Giveaway. You were one of the firsts to go on my blog list, so I didn't want you to miss out. : )

B.jane said...

OMG..it's a miracle! how did you leave a comment on my site??? I thought i have officially broken the comments!! Nobody can leave comments. did you see or do anything different on this post? sorry to bother you through comments. Do u have an email? mine is buffyrobison@yahoo.com
I would sooo appreciate you getting back to me.

Anonymous said...

Just stumbled across your blog and loved it. Great job with the plant holder. Looks good!

SoBella Creations said...

What a great makeover!! Her loss your gain. I can't wait to hear what the seller thinks of the transformation.

Danielle (Life with the Hewitt Family) said...

That looks amazing! I think you have just inspired me to hit some garage sales to see what I can find!

Tausha said...

girl-you are after my own heart. the only thing that I would need in the pic was a diet coke! :)
Love the aged. I am such a fan of red under black. I have quite a few pieces of furniture with that treatment. People ask me about it all the time!!
The flowers-I am with you. A trick that helps me-miracle gro. If you are lazy like me-just get the kind that you hook to the hose! Miracles I tell ya-guess that is why they named it that! :) Yea-I am that lame!!

Steph @ AnnoyinglyDomestic said...

Those are gorgeous! I have yet to pick up some spray paint, but am trying to work up to it. LOL I have a passion for those kind of urns, but they just don't work with our house. Or maybe I have a mental block.

Kimmy said...

I was inspired by your blog... created a planter with your "artichoke inspiration" post -- love the idea... thanks!

Jo said...

Loving them! What a "gain" you got!

Enjoy!
Jo

abeachcottage said...

I'm looking for one just like it, even better that you spray painted it, great inspiration as usual

Sarah

Maple Memories said...

These are fantastic!! I've been wanting some urns myself...now I just need to find the right garage sale!! ;)