Monday, March 8

Spray paint to the rescue

Thrift store shopping is always fun. I haven't had much luck finding furniture at the thrift stores around here, but I try to keep my eyes open for little pieces that would enhance my home. Recently I was excited to find a beautiful silverplated pitcher that I knew would make a lovely vase for flowers. It was covered in tarnish, but I was sure that a little Wright's silver cream would fix that in a matter of minutes. And for $1, I figured I couldn't go wrong.

Uh-oh. My Wright's silver cream worked like a charm, but this is what was hiding underneath the tarnish:


My darling pitcher was actually brass coated with a very thin plating of silver. Most of the tarnish came off with polishing--but so did most of the silverplate. Darn.

Then I remembered how well metal takes spray paint. So I grabbed a handy can of Rustoleum's Heirloom White (I always keep this on hand; doesn't everyone?) and went to town.

After I coated the pitcher thoroughly, I used some extra-fine grit sandpaper to distress the pitcher just a little:



And I ended up with a beautiful pitcher-vase:



Doesn't she look graceful? Right now she's holding some grocery-store lilies, but I'm really looking forward to stuffing her with my blue hydrangeas in the summertime.

If you have any old metal pieces that are beyond polishing or just don't appeal to you any more, try spray-painting them. Works like a charm!

--Linked to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land

26 comments:

  1. It's GORGEOUS! I love this idea. I have an old, inexpensive set I'm going to try this out on. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  2. It looks wonderful. I love it. I have a silver one like it. I really need to remember to put some flowers in it. Gorgeous. Hugs, Marty

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  3. Oh, that turned out beautiful!!

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  4. Love it!!!! Perfection, Richella. :) You took a lemon and made lemonade. That would make a great post as a "Solution" for the next Decorating Dilemmas party.

    I hope you'll link up to the "Show Me the Progress" party this week. It goes live Tuesday night and will be up all day Wednesday. :) Just about ANYTHING counts as progress, and it doesn't have to be about a Decorating Dilemma. ;)

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  5. Ohhhh, how very cute!!! I need to get me some fresh flowers. This is the time of year when I start CRAVING fresh flowers. The grocery store is a great place to start. :)

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  6. WOW! I love it in white. Accidental finds can turn into the most beautiful treasures!

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  7. Stopping by from SITS today! Love the pitcher. Makes me want to go thrifting. Have a blessed day!

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  8. Just lovely! I have some plate pieces that may, eventually, be too worn to leave silver and I'm not sure I would have thought to reach for the spray paint first thing. Filing the idea away :)

    Of course, in the future, the baking soda and hot water on a piece of foil will detarnish anything that might be of questionable silver-content.

    Stopping by from SITS...

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  9. Are you kidding me?? I didn't know...I'll be spraying away. Thanks for the tip!

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  10. That looks beautiful! The white paint was a good choice, because it looks so clean.

    ~Elizabeth
    Confessions From A Working Mom

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  11. Love it, it looks so pretty with the lilies :-)

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  12. Lovely pitcher transformation and lovely lilies inside. Love the idea of blue hydrangeas inside too.....but mine haven't bloomed up north here for several years. I need to call a nursery and find out what to do with them up here. Any suggestions? Do you cut them back in the fall? Blessings ~

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  13. Looks great! I am looking forward to getting out in the warm weather and doing some spray painting, myself! Stop by my blog... I am having a giveway for my 100th post!! Blessings!

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  14. Very pretty! I like how you distressed the finish too.

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  15. Adorable! Spray paint saves the day once again. :)

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  16. So pretty, Richella! I was just wondering what to do with a little silverplate tray I got thrifting. It's in good shape except for a little rust spot.

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  17. Oh, how I love spray paint! ☺

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  18. Well... that's interessting but frankly i have a hard time figuring it... wonder how others think about this..

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  19. I love the Heirloom white. Very pretty, indeed!

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  20. you know you are my go-to girl for spray paint! ever since you did those shoes! :)

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