Thrift Store find update

Happy Friday!  I am obsessing lately with gold and white, gold and blue, gold and black...ya know. Gold with anything!  Here is a little thrift store find I turned from mehh to yeah!

It's more than just a mug in my eyes :)

All it took to create this look was about 5 minutes and Rust-Oleum's Metallic spray paint!

I love finding creative ways to display flowers instead of a traditional vase.

Have a great weekend!!

Linked up:

[I Gotta Create] [Katherines Corner] [Sweet Bella Roos] [Posed Perfection] [A Handful of Everything] [Life on Lakeshore Drive] [Classy Clutter] [Nifty Thrifty Things] [Lou Lou Girls]
[Homestories A to Z] [Cozy Little House] [Naptime Creations] [Carolyns Homework] [Funky Polkadot Giraffe] [Tip Junkie] [Designs by Miss Mandee] [Savvy Southern Style] [We Are That Family] [Snap Creativity] [I Gotta Create] [Joybee Whats For Dinner] [Chic on a Shoestring Decorating] [A Delightsome Life] [Redoux Interiors] [I Heart Naptime]

Lamp love

Let me start by saying that I do not spend a lot of  money on furniture!  Having 3 boys and their friends' being boys as well...you can imagine the wear and tear on my furniture.  I have gone through 3 sets of couches.  Seriously 3 sets. The bigger my boys get, the heavier they get and the more force they use when they "plop down" on the couch!  (To be honest...my design taste changes so often that I look forward to having to replace them ;) )    The first set made it through the first years of our 3 babies.  I can't explain how much vomit soaked landed on them. I scrubbed them so much, the fabric looked like they had been sitting in the sun for years!  It's funny because it's where all three boys threw up.  Not the bathroom.  Not the floor.  Not a bucket. The couches. And on me, while sitting on the couch. On. The. Couch.  OK...too much information...sorry just keepin it real ;)

Speaking of the first set,  it came with a set of lamps, end tables and a cocktail table. The lamps are ceramic not wood.  I didn't like the color but loved the shape of them and since I'm loving a light and clean look, it's time to bring the love to my lamps!

Sorry for the bad quality of the pic :(

 I know they are not bad ugly but I'm just ready for a change.  And what better way for a change??  Yes, you know!  Rust-Oleum to the rescue and my love...the Comfort Grip :)

Now, I must say that I did clean the lamps with a cleaner and a rag.  They looked and felt clean and smooth.  Well... they weren't clean enough!  Paint doesn't love dust.  Say it with me!  Paint doesn't love dust!!  I should have cleaned with a toothbrush and used a lent free rag :(

You can see lent up close but I didn't see it when they were brown.

Thank goodness that I do not have friends that use a magnifying glass to inspect details... so I think I'm good for now.  But me knowing it's there is going to make me crazy!

They look so much better...even with the lent :)  

DIY Sunburst Mirror

I know I'm way late to the DIY Sunburst Mirror party, but hey better late than never. Right? Right.  I bought a sunburst mirror about 8 years ago when my local Bombay store was going out of business. I love the overall size of it and especially the size of the mirror. 

Recently, I've been looking to add one to my office, unfortunately they are a little pricey.  They range anywhere from $50-$200 and more. I'm not looking to spend near that much.  So when one is looking to do something cheaper than retail...what do we do?? We turn to blog land!  I found some awesome DIY Sunburst Mirrors!

Via Centsational Girl

Via The Frugal Homemaker

Via 9th and Mayne

I liked the color and style of the one from 9th and Mayne, so I bought the materials to replicate it.  As I'm laying out the floral rings and shims, I wasn't feeling the design and felt like I wanted something with more of a clean line.  So thinking about the way The Frugal Homemaker used a piece of scrap wood to secure the paint sticks and mirror, I decided to tweak her design and cut out a circle, in the plywood, the diameter of the shims and mirror.  I will explain as we go.

I bought a plastic framed mirror from the dollar store $1.79.  

I didn't sand, just primed.

For the record, when beginning a project, it may be helpful to sit down and make a list of supplies and actually have somewhat of a plan before diving in head first.  Of course, I didn't have a plan nor did I have what I needed to draw a circle of this size.  I laid out the mirror and shims to determine what the diameter should be.  At this point I haven't considered how I am going to draw the circle on the plywood.  So, I scrambled around my garage and decided to use leftover piping from my DIY project a few weeks ago as my protractor...not scientific and certainly not accurate! This is now a Shabby Chic DIY :)

Behold what I did!

After cutting out the circle, I glued down the mirror with Liquid Nails.  Then I laid the shims on the board with the thick part next to the mirror and I used a pencil to mark where I would need to cut off the excess at the thinner part.  This is where the accuracy of a perfect circle is important because I had to measure every shim and cut 37 of them individually.  Not the worst thing but I'm ready to get it done!  I lightly sanded the shims, eyeballed the placement and started gluing them using Liquid Nails. 

To stain, I used Minwax PolyShades in Espresso.

I didn't know if the stain would 'take' to the primed mirror frame, but that is what DIY is all about...the adventure!

1st Coat.  The stain on the mirror frame is looking good!

I applied 3 coats of stain, since I wanted a deeper look and the plywood was soaking it up.

All done and I love it!!   There are so many ways to DIY a sunburst mirror so not sure if anyone has done it like I did but I couldn't be happier with it :)  It looks so nice against my grey walls and the thrift store piece of furniture I restored (I will be posting it soon).

Linked up:

[Shabby Nest]