My Spray Paint (Still) Brings All the Boys (err, Men) to the Yard

I can't believe that it's been almost four years since I published one of my favorite blog posts: My Spray Paint Brings All the Boys to the Yard. Back then, I was living in that lovely attic apartment down the street from favorite bars and hangouts in my college town. That day, a couple guys were drawn to how "I be killin' it with that paint." One even said that my "antiquing got swag." Still one of my favorite compliments to this day.

Upcoming DIY Inspiration: Old Door Desks

See this tall, skinny, old door? It's 80 inches tall and 24 inches wide. It's covered in a layer of dust and dirty. And it's totally destined for greatness. 

I've had this project on my mind for a while. Since I'll be working from home in our new house starting next week, I need a really good desk space. My current setup involves a little turquoise writing desk that's as uncomfortable as it is adorable. I can't sit there and work for eight hours a day. So... this project popped back onto my radar.

To paint or not to paint (my mid-century modern dresser)?

What do you think of this dresser from West Elm? I love the clean lines and the combination of natural wood tones against crisp white. I'm not so much a fan of the hardware and drawer pulls - something metallic or eclectic would be more my style. But I'm contemplating making over my own mid-century modern dresser to look like this West Elm beauty.

I Downsized My Desk. Here's Why:

Usually when it comes to furniture, it's all about up-sizing. Bigger bed. Bigger dresser. Bigger desk. I got a bigger desk while I lived at my last place. It was an Ikea Mikael desk I scored for cheap on Craigslist, revamped with a gorgeous couple coats of charcoal-hued paint, and squeezed into my bedroom closet for a closet office. It was the perfect size -- with just a couple inches to spare.

DIY How-To: Paint Ikea Furniture | Mikael Desk Makeover

So I was going through my blog posts drafts and came upon this do-it-yourself gem that somehow managed to escape being published. You've probably caught glimpses of my closet-turned-office in my apartment tour, but I never got around to sharing the process of painting a piece of Ikea furniture. Well, the wait is over.

My Hallway Before & After | My Apartment

About a month ago, I told you about a fabulous little typewriter stand I scored at Goodwill for $2 - and my plan to use it in creating a stylish landing spot in my hallway. Here's the decor board I created for inspiration:

$1 Mini-Makeover | Fridge and Bar Cart Turned Cocktail Corner

Before: Bar cart next to a fridge... nothing spectacular and pretty bland.

I recently rearranged my living room (yes, again). And in the midst of it, my bar cart ended up next to my fridge. It was the most functional spot for it, but not the most beautiful. 

$2 Vintage Typewriter Stand + Geometric Wallpaper = One stylish hallway coming along!

There's just one space in my apartment that looks a little sad: the hallway. It's a long, beautiful hallway with hardwood floors, high ceilings, and original wood trim. However, it lacks the color, pattern, and personality that the rest of the apartment is brimming with.

A couple weekends ago, I enlisted the help of the boyfriend to help hang some more of Chasing Paper's renter-friendly, removable wallpaper. (It's the gray and white tri-angled pattern.) Then yesterday, I happened to stop by Goodwill on a whim. Whilst browsing the secondhand furniture section, a little grayish beige beauty caught my eye. I had to push a dresser and pull out a filing cabinet to get to it. Then lo and behold! It was a vintage typewriter stand. For just $4!

Vote! What color should I paint this desk?

I'm planning on tackling a desk project and I'd love YOUR input! I might be purchasing the above Ikea Mikael desk from a Craigslister. I'm going to check it out later today and if it's in good shape, it'll be going home with me. The birch isn't really my style, so I'm going to give the Mikael a makeover with some paint - and eventually a glass top. Problem is, I can't decide what color to paint it!

A Little Spray Paint Makeover Action

You know I love my spray paint. I spray paint whatever I can get my crafty little hands on. From fat little birdies to Grecian busts to leather boots (yes, really!)... nothing is safe or sacred. Like a good milkshake, spray paint can even bring boys to the yard. This time, I found myself in the yard with my favorite boy. I'd been itching for a nice day to spray paint a couple things, so on Saturday the bf and I went out into the backyard armed with Rustoleum red and Krylon sunshine. 

I used the Rustoleum red (my all-time favorite spray paint!) on the base of my bedside lamp. It's always been an antiqued sorta gold, but I heard it begging for a bold splash of color on multiple evenings. "The gold is getting old," the lamp communicated in Morse code flickers. Okay, not really. But I swear, the thing was begging for a makeover. And it turned out lovely:

The other item was a small white cart, which the bf spray painted Krylon's sunshiny yellow.  I was mainly inspired by Ikea's Raskog Kitchen Cart. And while my little cart has three baskets as opposed to three bucket-like tiers, I thought a brighter color would do it some good. I'm not totally sure if this little beauty belongs next to my desk or in my bathroom... but it'll be a cute caddy wherever I wheel it!

I have several more things to spray paint. (I never tire of it.) So stay tuned!

Have you spray painted anything lately? Post it to The Lovely Side Facebook page to show it off and it might just show up on this blog. ;)

My Spray Paint Brings All the Boys to the Yard

My spray paint brings all the boys to the yard.  And they like it's better than yours.

Damn right it's better than yours.  I can teach you but I'd have to charge. 

I know you want it.  The paint that sprays things.  What the guys go crazy for.

They lose their minds.  They way I D-I-Y.  I think it's time.

La-la-la-la-la.  Shake it up.  La-la-la-la-la.  The chairs are waiting.  

She be climbin' in yo windows...

With all the stress of moving, I've been in some dire need of spray painting.  It's just so magical!  To watch something transform before your eyes with just the push of a button.  I get such a natural high from making over objects with spray paint.  (Yes, I said natural.  Ain't no huffing going down here.)

DIY Magazine File Makeover

As I've confessed before, I'm a magazine hoarder collector.  So it's not a surprise that my room is overflowing with magazines.  I literally have some bags and boxes of magazines stored away and just keep my favorite ones out within reach.  At One Man's Junk, one of my favorite little shops to pick up vintage goodies, I spotted a metal vertical paper sorter.  Unfortunately, I'm really bad at taking before photos.  (I get so excited that I just start painting!)  But it looked something like this (at right.)  That grayish beigey color.  Quite boring.  But oh-so-functional.  I gave it couple coats of my favorite bright red Rustoleum spray paint.  Then, when I was trying to figure out where to put it in my room... I placed it on its side while gathering up some magazines.  Turns out, I loved the way it looked turned on its side and placed on my window sill behind my chair.  So now it houses my favorite issues of HGTV magazine, Cottage Style, Do It Yourself, and (of course!) Domino. 

$1 DIY Chair Mini-Makeover | Before + After

As I mentioned in my room tour, my space is a perpetual work in progress.  I always have a diy project up my sleeve and a list of changes to make.  One of those things I've been itching to cross off of my to-do list?  A bedroom chair.  I've been longing for a sweet little vintage chair for a certain corner of my bedroom (between my nightstand and closet).  So I've been searching high and low.  Seriously.  This girl has been on a mission to thrift.  

Friday morning, I hit up One Man's Junk, my favorite vintage/antique store in town.  And I spotted this little charmer in the back room.  He's so handsome.  Big enough to be comfy, small enough to not take up valuable floor space.  Lightweight.  Retro.  The green color of the upholstery is a match made in heaven with the green in my bed quilt.  And I'm a sucker for caning.  

I gave this $20 baby a mini-makeover for just $1. That one little dollar purchased a bottle of Americana acrylic paint in "True Red."  With a foam brush, I applied three coats of the red paint... letting it dry between layers.  Here's the chair after its mini-makeover:

 I think the chair makes a great improvement to that corner of my room, which once looked like this:

Kinda disorganized.  The bucket of shoes sitting on top of two storage ottomans.  Just all thrown together.

Now, it's a perfect spot to sit down with a magazine.  And the bucket tucks nicely underneath.  Big improvement.  :)

One Futon, Five Ways | Studio Style

 It's the piece of furniture we love to hate: the futon.  But since we college students are often short on space and low on money, this bed-slash-couch monster is often a necessary evil... especially in studios and efficiencies.  Lately, there are some handsome futon options appearing on the market.  It's more likely that your futon resembles the one above.  These pieces cause many a decor woe, but stylishly integrating a futon into your apartment is not a lost cause.  Don't give up!  Just check out these five futon makeovers for inspiration:

Wallpaper Your Headboard

Damask & Dentelle

Okay, so I said that these would be coming tomorrow... but I got too excited.  If you can't wallpaper an entire wall (as shown in yesterday's inspiring post) there are plenty of other options to get that great wallpaper look in your space.  Makeover your headboard with some wallpaper!  Coat your headboard in Mod Podge.  Carefully apply wallpaper.  Smooth out bubbles/wrinkles/etc with a school id or bank card. Trim the edges. Coat in more Mod Podge. Spray with a clear-coat spraypaint. And voila! Now let's eat up some of this eye candy:

Ideas Magazine

Pink and white are fresh and pretty against rich charcoal.

Better Homes & Gardens

Lovely little birds lend charm to this cozy bed. 

Better Homes & Gardens

Cut out pieces of wallpaper. (Flower shapes, for example.)  Mod Podge the pieces to your headboard and tape/command-strip a remaining few up on the wall so it looks like the pattern grew off your headboard and onto the wall.  So magical.

Elle Decor

Cover a wooden piece of MDF (medium density fiberboard)

with wallpaper and frame it up with wooden trim.

Young House Love

Go for high contrast and wild pattern for a big impact. 

Decorology

Ooh la la--faded damask pasted onto a vintage head-

and foot-board adds instant French Country charm.

This is Love Forever

Get your retro on.  This headboard was covered in vintage floral wallpaper.  Then little flowers (cut out of scrapbook paper) were glued on top of the vintage wallpaper to add extra color.

decor8

No glue?  Attach a rail or dowel across your bed using

command adhesive strips and drape your wallpaper over it.

The Marion House Book

Think outside the rectangle.  Have MDF cut in a

big circular shape and then cover in wallpaper.

Wallpaper works serious magic, no?  You can turn any drab headboard into something fun and unique. Besides wallpaper, you could use scrapbooking paper, high quality wrapping paper, and even fabric.

Extra tip: Don't wallpaper your headboard if the school owns it! As tempting as it is. ;)