DIY Gold Vase

I've had this DIY up my sleeve for a little while now, but have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to share it. That opportunity came in the form of the pretty bouquet of flowers that I picked up at the Local Love market last weekend. After all, a vase (even a gold one), isn't as nice to look at when it's not filled up with flowers. 

Before getting the midas touch, this vase was actually a pasta sauce jar. When I had finished using the jar, I thought it was too pretty to get rid of it. So now we have this easy DIY.

You'll need a jar, metallic gold spray paint, frog tape, newspaper, and Goo Gone. If there is a label on your jar, you can remove it by soaking the jar in warm water and then using the Goo Gone to remove any extra glue residue. Make sure the jar is completely dry before moving on to the next step.

Wrap  frog tape around your jar wherever you don't want paint. I just did one thick stripe towards the top of the vase.

You want to make sure that no spray paint will get inside of your vase, so use frog tape to cover the inside edges  and then stuff the jar with newspaper. Spray the jar with 2 coats of spray paint, allowing time to dry between each coat.

When the paint is completely dry (follow drying instructions on spray paint can) remove the newspaper and frog tape from the jar. Your glass jar is now an adorable gold vase!

I'm going to be keeping my new vase at work since I spend most of my time here and want to actually be able to see my flowers. My pretty valentine flowers have been brightening up my desk this week, and with spring right around the corner I'm hoping to keep this vase filled!

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DIY Pinecone Mobile

Happy Wednesday friends! This week, my blogger pal Amanda of Prim and Propah is hosting a series of guest posts and giveaways on her blog. Last year I did a guest post on a DIY infinity scarf, so when Amanda asked me to participate again this year, I was happy to! Like you guys, Amanda's readers love a good DIY, so I created one just for the occasion. But, since I didn't want any of you to miss out on it, I'm posting it here too. Make sure you head over to Prim and Propah to enter her amazing giveaways this week (today's involves some gorgeous sunnies!) and check out all the other guest posts! 

This DIY involves my favorite thing: gold spray paint. Seriously, once I purchase a can of gold spray paint, nothing in my house is safe. This time, pine cones were on the receiving end of my obsession. I wanted to make a holiday decoration that was a little out of the ordinary, so along with the gold spray paint and pine cones, I used twine, white spray point, frog tape, and a branch to make a pinecone mobile. 

Instead of hunting down 5 perfect pinecones, I opted to buy the scented ones from Michael's instead. The branch, however, came right from my backyard. Woo nature! So first things first: spray paint everything white. This is going to take a little bit of time since the pinecones have a lot of nooks and crannies, and you'll need to apply a few coats of paint to make sure they're all covered. 

Once the white spray paint is completely dried, use frog tape to cover the areas of your pinecones and branch that you'll want to be gold. I chose to keep the tops of the small pinecones white, and make the tops of the bigger pinecones gold.

Now, apply a couple of coats of gold spray paint (I used Krylon metallic gold). Your pinecones should be looking pretty fancy now!

  

When everything is completely dry, tie the pine cones to your branch using twine. Then tie a piece of twine to the branch so that you can hang it up. And now you're done! Doesn't everything look better with a little bit of gold?

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DIY Folding Chair & Bench Reupholster Makeover

I'm so pumped I can finally share this fun furniture reupholster DIY with all of you! The final products have been sprucing up my room for weeks and I just can't keep them to myself anymore. This is actually a 2 part DIY, so you may be inspired by one or the other, or both. For me, the first part was inspired by a chair DIY that I spotted on Pinterest that I immediately knew I wanted to try myself. The second part just seemed like an obvious choice for a followup project.

I've had these old chairs taking up space on my front porch since the day I moved into my apartment. They've never been used, as they look far from inviting. Considering the chairs were over 10 years old (one of them still had its Ames price sticker on it) I'm not surprised that they were a bit beat up. 

I ended up only reupholstering one of the chairs because the screws on the other were stripped beyond repair. But that was ok with me because it paved the way for part 2 of the project. Before beginning the makeover process, I made sure to clean the chair from head to toe. I removed the seat from the frame first to make it easier to clean. My chair also had a back cushion, but because it wasn't attached by screws I just had to rip it off. Then, I gave the frame a new look by spraying it with a couple of coats of Krylon - Catalina Mist spray paint and left it to dry.

While the frame was drying, I got to work on the reupholstering. The seat cushion wasn't really in the worst shape, so I decided to keep it. I removed the old fabric from the seat and replaced it with new fabric. To do this, just stretch the new fabric over the cushion and fold it under itself along the edges for a clean look. Using a staple gun, staple the fabric to the bottom of the seat. Start stapling at the center of each side and work your way out to the corners.

I thought it might be tricky to attach the fabric with the staple gun to the back cushion because of the shape, but it ended up being just as easy as the straight edged seat. After the paint had dried on the chair frame, it was time to put the cushions back in place. I attached the back cushion to the chair using E600 industrial strength glue and let it set for 48 hours.

The seat cushion was easy to put back in place, as it just required a couple of screws. At this point I was bummed that I wasn't going to be able to have a matching chair set since I wasn't able to makeover my second chair. I decided that I needed to give this chair a matching piece of some sort so I moved along to Part 2...

I've had this little bench for years and years. I love it because it appears simple, but if you look closely, all 4 of it's legs are different. I feel like that unique flair is just my style! It used to be my piano bench way back when, but has since just been a place to stack books and papers. It clearly needed a makeover as well.

First things first, since the bench was black I had to prime it before spray painting it. After it was primed, I finished it with the same mint color I had used for the chair.

Since this bench never had a cushion before, I went out and bought cushion foam for it from Joann Fabrics. I stapled the edges of the foam to the top of the bench so that it would stay in place once I attached the fabric on top. The fabric was stapled the same way as it was on the seat - starting in the center and working my way out to the corners.

I decided to get rid of my bulky office furniture and replace it with these new pieces, and I'm loving my work space so much more now! It's way more fun doing work when you're surrounded by funky colors and patterns!

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DIY Chalkboard Garden Markers

I am so glad that summer is officially here! Are you growing a summer vegetable garden this year? I've always wanted to, but have never quite gotten around to doing so. Plus, I've always found it to be a little intimidating, especially after a few failed attempts at spring flower gardening. My mother, however, has recently planted a veggie garden in her yard, and it's growing! I wanted to offer some help in the garden, but since I'm lacking a green thumb, I turned to what I know best; a DIY project.

These chalkboard markers are a great way to spice up any garden, and they're easy to make. All you need are some 2 inch wide wood pieces (I got these at Michaels), chalkboard spray paint, white paint, and clear polyurethane wood finish spray paint. Start by spraying a coat of chalkboard spray paint on each of the wood pieces. Once dry, flip them over and spray the other side. Then, repeat this process with a second coat of spray paint.

Rather than using actual chalk to write the names of the vegetables on the markers, use white paint so that it won't wash off when you water your garden or when it rains. Once the paint dries, apply a coat of the clear polyurethane wood finish spray paint to protect the markers from the outdoor elements.

I decided to make a little sign for my mother's garden as well, using lyrics from a favorite childhood song. I took a small painting that I had gotten from a yard sale, sprayed chalkboard paint over the painting, then screwed a blank marker to the back. I applied a coat of the clear spray paint to the final product.

My mother's garden is looking better than ever with her new garden markers, and I can't wait to see how it will look once all the veggies grow!

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Paint Nite Boston + A Discount For You

So, Paint Nite is all the rage in Boston right now, and after months of wanting to give it a try, I was finally able to do so on Monday night! Have you ever been to one? It's so much fun! There are tons of Paint Nite events hosted at different bars and restaurants all around Boston, where an artist will teach you how to paint a specific painting while you sip on wine.

I attended the event held at 49 Social in Downtown Boston, and brought along my friend Melanie of I Love Love. When we first entered 49 Social, we were met with rows of canvases, easels, and paintbrushes ready to be put to use. Our paint instructor Sara, was teaching us all how to paint a champagne bottle being popped on a colorful background. The class was made up of people with varying skill levels, but everyone was able to follow along and create their own masterpiece. It was interesting to see so many variations of the same painting.

Melanie and I had so much fun painting, chatting, and listening to the awesome music that Sara played throughout the evening. I can't wait to sign up for another class in the future. I think it's a great event for after work as well as a fun weekend activity to do with a group of friends. And, as a bonus, you end up with a with a brand new piece of artwork to decorate your home!

Photo courtesy of Melanie of I Love Love Blog

I was pumped to hang my painting up the second I got home from the event, and I was really happy with how it turned out. Make sure you also take a look at how well everyone else did on the Paint Nite facebook page! And, head over to Melanie's blog to see more of our evening at Paint Nite!

Hopefully by now I've convinced you that it's totally worth giving this a whirl, but just in case, the awesome people at Paint Nite are offering Creative Soul Spectrum readers a special discount off your next event purchase! Use the code "creativesoulspaint" any time between now and the end of June and you will receive 15% off your ticket purchase. The class you choose can take place after June, but you just have to buy the ticket by then. So take a look at the event calendar and pick a good one!

Disclosure: While I was compensated with complimentary tickets to Paint Nite for this post, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. 
My thoughts and opinions are that Paint Nite is the bomb!

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DIY Wedding Dress Hanger

As you probably know, my sister and her fiance are getting married this summer! It's been so much fun helping her make plans, and I can't wait for the big day! This Christmas I wanted to give her something unique for her wedding so I made her a custom hanger for her wedding dress. Now that it's in the hands of the bride, I want to pass the DIY along to you!

Start by drilling a small hole in each end of the hanger. 

Cover the hook part of your hanger with frog tape or something similar then spray the hanger white. Once completely dry, spray on a second coat of white.

While the hanger is drying you can work on the wire part. The floral wire is extremely bendable and can be easily shaped to spell out the future name of the bride. Be sure to leave a "tail" of about 6 inches of wire at both ends of the wire name. 

It may take a few tries to get the name to look just how you want it. I bought two rolls of floral wire so that I had plenty to practice with. Make sure you plan out the size of the name. You want it to fill the space between the ends of the hanger without being too big or too small.

Once your wire is ready and the hanger is completely dry (wait a couple of hours), insert the tails of the wire into the holes that you drilled into the hanger. Fold the wire over the hanger and if you have enough of a tail left, wrap it around the wire directly under the hanger a couple of times and then snip off any excess with wire cutters.

Now you can add any embellishments you may have. I chose to use a medium sized fabric flower and attached it to the hanger with a glue gun.

Now you have a special place for the bride to hang her wedding dress!

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