My Obsession

I currently have a love affair with black spray paint. Shhh... Don't tell Brad. Actually, if Brad hasn't been able to tell that by looking around our home, he's even 10 times less observant than research says men are. (Love ya, honey! You know I think you're completely awesome.)

You know why I love black spray paint? 'Cause you can take something old and give it a makeover to make it look completely updated (well, in a worn and shabby kind of way) within a few minutes. Plus, it dries fast. And that's a really good thing 'cause I'm not patient enough to wait for regular paint to dry.

Hmmm... Let me think of all the things I've painted black.

There was this shelf (original color was green):

I distressed it, as I do most of the things I paint black, to give it that old, worn look. See? I know, it's kind of blurry.Then there was this toaster cover my darling made for me. He gave it to me naked and I dressed it up in a little black and distressed it:

I also painted this little thing I have sitting on my hallway bathroom vanity top. It was an ugly color of some sort with ugly little painted flowers on it. I found it at Goodwill for $1.00. Nothing a little black paint and distressing can't beautify.

I also painted the ugly yellow, artificial oak trim around my mirror in the bathroom. Again, I distressed that also. I couldn't get a whole mirror shot 'cause the mirror was too big. Plus, I'm currently not in a state that I would want you all to see me.

Oh, and here are two pieces of enamelware that I own (I know this has nothing to do with black paint, but I was reminded of this little collection while I was in the bathroom taking the pics.) The first one (soap dish) is a reproduction that I bought at my friend Lori's garage sale. Her mom was selling it for $5.00 and I swiped that thing as fast as I could off the table. The second piece I just found in an antique store in North Carolina while we were on vacation. It is a real piece.

Then I moved on to this rocking chair. My parents bought this 28 years ago when I was born to put in my nursery. It was a very dark, 70's-looking stain with some gold detailing on it. I put it in my bedroom like that, and it really annoyed me. So, I called my mom and asked her if she would mind if I painted it black 'cause then I'd like it a whole lot more and would actually want to keep it in my room. She didn't care, so here it is...

Then my project today was our bedside stands. I had painted the above rocking chair and the mirror you'll see in the following picture, and the oak colored stands just weren't fitting in anymore. Here's a before:

And here's the after...
Ya know how I said that I was impatient when it came to drying paint (well, that and slow computers)? Well, that whole project took me about 45 minutes. That includes drying time. Plus, I even sprayed it with a protective enamel. See how fast that is?

The only thing I don't like about black spray paint are the black, sticky hands you have afterwards. Plus, I have black paint in my cuticles for a week afterward. I need to go downstairs and try some Lava soap on these hands. I always was a messy painter!

Well, stay tuned for my next project as I attempt to turn our master bedroom into a cozy little retreat. That project includes this:

...and was inspired by my friend Holly.

See ya next time!

Amber