musings, mutterings, and creative muddle. . .





Friday, July 12, 2013

Upcycling, Recycling, & Buttoning Up a Spray Painting Project

I LOVE re-purposing found objects to make them not only useful - but beautiful and fun! And I *love*  containers with personality - it's a 'puzzle' to me to figure out how to fit 'stuff' into these interesting containers in unusual (and utilitarian) ways, then decorate with them.




Take this vintage metal set of camp dishes.  A total of 6 pieces - five 'bowls' and a lid - that are held together with a swinging handle that hooks into the top handle for carrying. Now. . . I don't camp, so why did I come home with this?


Because it's gonna be great (wait for it. . . ) button storage!!!


Buttons! Buttons! And more buttons! A couple thousand (or more) stashed here and there in this and that in the ksyardbird Studio. . . This nifty container

will keep them gathered all in one place. . . But, though very cool, plain ol' vintage silvery color just wasn't cutting it for me. . . It just didn't look 'cool' enough to be hanging out in the ksyardbird Studio. Enter spray paint in super cool colors (just to my liking) along with chalkboard paint!!



First things first, though. . . After washing, and letting dry completely, each dish, I taped off the areas I didn't want to be painted - the rims 


and the bottoms. 


These edges just would get rubbed off being stacked and unstacked. . .  I opted, at least for now, not to paint the bottom and top pans with the attached handles just for ease of painting, and knowing how the paint would be rubbed off and unattractive with use. . . I may change my mind, but, for now, I'm only planning on painting the four 'dishes' of this set. I still may paint the bottom pan that pretty blue. . . We'll see:-)

Now to find a good place for spraying. . . such as my trusty old picnic table that has helped with more projects over the years than most trusty old picnic tables!


I stacked each dish I was planning on painting onto a clay flower pot (Of which I have an abundance, thanks to garage sales and auctions - and just wait til you see the added bonus. Hint. . . see that painted one in front?) and stuffed the dishes with newspaper to keep the inside free from paint.


First things first. . . priming that shiny service to a flat one ready to 'grab' and hold on to the pretty paint colors


A bit of light sanding, then rubbing with newspaper to remove the dust and onward with the first coat of color!


Then the second & third and some time to dry -


To keep all of my paint cans, tape, newspaper, camera and what-not together, I used one of my enamelware pans from my collection. . .  


Did I mention I love collecting treasures that aren't only fun to look at but useful too? One of these days I'll have to show you my collection of black and white enamelware:-)

Okay. . .  After a full day of 'curing', dishes are dry and shiny! 


But I want them to be more of a matte finish. 

Since I couldn't find the colors I wanted in matte, I found a clear matte spray paint.  So exciting!!! The project is almost complete and looking great. 

If you're wondering where the black dish went. As it was a 'chalkboard' paint, it was already matte, so I set it aside in a safe place while I continued on with the other pans.


Two full hours of dry time (which seemed like daaaaaays). . . Then some time pulling tape from the edges and - TA DA!!!!!!


Super cool, right?  And, as if all that painting wasn't enough. . . Once I got the cool stack in the Studio, I felt compelled to add some rub-on embellishments on the lid


And an apple green flocked 'rick rack' border around the bottom pan


Still contemplating painting that bottom one. . . but, for right now, I'm pretty happy with how it all came out. Going to line the inside bottoms with felt to help cushion the glass and mother of pearl buttons and then. . . (drum roll please) it'll be time to Fill Them Up With Buttons!!

Glass buttons. . . 


White mother of pearl buttons. . . 


Plastic buttons, metal buttons, and buttons with rhinestones. . . 


Tinted mother of pearl buttons. . . 


More mother of pearl buttons and treasures. . . 



Told ya I had a lot of buttons. . . Ever see my wire wrapped button rings? And read more about them here.  Or how about my Bon Bon Button Barrettes and Brooches?  Definitely be sure to stay tuned for other great button treasures - hint. hint;-)

But what about that 'extra bonus' I told you about when using clay pots during such spray painting projects? You tell me ;-)


SWEET!!!!! times two!

Have an Upcycled kind of day -

Robin Z

No comments:

Post a Comment