DIY Update a Light Fixture with Spray Paint

Are you one of those super duper lucky individuals who has an ugly outdated light fixture?  I was.  My house was blessed with alot of ceiling fans (BONUS)...but those ceiling fans were not blessed with style.  To be honest, when I moved in 6 years ago, that was one of the first things I set out to do...update!  I'm only the 2nd owner of the home, which was built in 2000.  So you'd think that fixtures and finishes would be more modern...but you'd be wrong.  Anyway, it was a work in progress, but I digress...

Final Product in all it's Satin Nickel glory.

Here's what I started with - ugly bronze.  Yuck.

Updating your light fixtures is actually not nearly as complicated as I would have thought it to be.  It's certainly cheaper than buying new!!  (Ceiling fans are expensive).  And what a difference it can make!!!  See above.

Since my ceiling fans are high and won't be touched, I chose to go the even easier route which cut out the sanding step.  Sanding helps remove the finish on the existing fixtures and allows the spray paint to adhere better.  I did a test on a spare fixture with the same ugly bronze finish and loved how it turned out--so I went for it!!

What you need:

• Tools.  You'll probably only need a screw driver though.
• Newspaper or something to layout your pieces
• Painters tape
• Spray Paint of choice: I used Krylon Satin Nickel
• Optional: Sand paper

What you do:

1. Flip your breaker!!!  EMPHASIZE---Electrical shock is no laughing matter.
2. Remove your fixtures.  If you're doing a ceiling fan, I recommend an extra set of hands.  (Thank you to my awesome fiance!!)  You might not need it for a simple light fixture though.  Note: this was the hardest part for us.  My ceiling fans were a bit complicated to get down.  Still worth it!
3. Optional Step: Lightly sand your pieces.
4. Layout your pieces leaving enough room around them to access all sides.
5. Tape any electrical components, motors, etc.  Paint on those guys = bad.
6. Spray!!!  Tip: it is 300% better to do many light coats than a few heavy coats.  You will regret it.  I promise.  Follow the directions on the can and do short bursts keeping your hand moving.  Think a "swoosh...swoosh" type of movement.  Go ahead and make the sound if it helps...I did :)
7. Let dry.  I let them sit for an hour between coats in my garage, which was about 60 degrees that day.
8. Re-assemble your fixture and put it back up!!

2 Ceiling Fans = Lots of Space

Scrap wood makes a great lift.

More scrap wood assistance

Electrical tape!

Do as many coats as you feel is necessary (I think I did 4 coats).  Keep your hands off them...fingerprints suck.  If you need to flip them over to do the other side, make sure you let it dry extra long before you do!!!

I highly recommend doing a test piece on something (maybe a spare fixture or piece of it).  Not all spray paints are created equal.  Satin Nickel in one brand can look completely different in another brand.  I'm a big supporter of TEST first!

That's it kids!!!  If you want, you can add a coat of spray poly.  Like I said, my fixtures weren't going to be touched much if ever, so I skipped this step.  I didn't need the extra touch protection.  Warning: the poly will make it shiny.  

Sit back and enjoy your updated fixtures!!

Shared on: Not Just a Housewife

Chalkboard Wine Glasses & Mugs

If you're on pinterest, then you've probably seen the whole "chalkboard" trend.  It started with mugs...then bowls...then glasses.  Originally, all I saw was a very pricey tiny bottle of chalkboard paint that you could only find on Amazon.  Frustrating.  You can make, what, 2 mugs with that??   Pssssh!

After a little blog searching, I decided to give an alternative product a try.  On a quick visit to Home Depot, I bought Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint.  I already had the proper foam brush on hand in my little craft drawer.  Boom. The hardest thing to find was probably the actual chalk!

 
Wine Glasses

Wine glasses were the first things I decided to try, as I had a few spares on hand.  These seemed simple enough, right?  Dip them, let them dry, and bake them.  Yeah, well not so much.  Haha.  You definitely want to wrap and protect the rest of the glass with aluminum foil AND tape the edge with painter's tape.  You can see a failed attempt when you don't use tape below ;)  That sneaky paint gets right under there!

Success!!

FAIL!!!  (but easy to wipe off)

1. Lay out your drying area.  I used parchment paper.
2. Wrap your glasses where you don't want paint and tape the edge with painter's tape so you don't get runs.
3. Dip! and let excess run off back into the paint can.
4. Brush off excess from the bottom of the glass.  If the paint is too thick, it will bubble when you bake it.
5. Flip those puppies upside down and let them dry.
6. Just like walls, remove the tape before they are 100% dry so nothing peels.

Mugs & Miscellaneous

You can use painter's tape to section off areas you want to paint on glass or ceramic as well.  Brush the paint on with your foam brush in a decently thick coat.  You don't want to go over the same area too many times as it will start to remove the paint.  I did a mug for a friend's birthday and a candy dish for my counter top.  Easy.

Make it Stick!!

If you plant to wash these guys (so anything you're going to eat or drink from), then you'll want to bake it so it doesn't chip.  I was extremely nervous about this step and imagined my oven blowing up the pieces cracking or breaking.  In the end, it was easy also!  Go figure.

1. Let your pieces dry COMPLETELY.  I let mine set overnight.
2. On a baking sheet, set your pieces out so that none of them touch.
3. Put your sheet in the oven BEFORE turning it on.  This is uber important.
4. Turn your oven on to 350 degrees and set the timer for 30 minutes.
5. When your timer sounds, turn off the oven but leave the pieces in there to cool.  This could take quite awhile, so don't do this if you need to be using the oven for a few hours.

That's it!  Draw on them and enjoy!  All in all, I made a set of wine glasses for my future sister-in-law, a mug for a friend, a candy dish for myself and a flower vase for a future gift.  And I still have a TON of paint leftover.  

Next step...wander around house and think "what else can I chalkboard paint?"

Shared on: Lovely Crafty Home

DIY: Cork Coasters using Mod Podge

Mod Podge is all over the place these days in the DIY world!  I've used it before to seal a puzzle, but was interested in trying it for something else...maybe something slightly more useful.  With that I give you...Cork Coasters using Mod Podge!  (a tutorial so easy you can watch some crummy reality TV while doing it!)

What you'll need:

• Cork Coasters.  You can buy these in a pack at Hobby Lobby or similar craft store.  You could also buy a chunk of cork board and cut out shapes yourself if you're feeling ambitious or especially creative!  Other options: square tiles, glass tiles, etc.  You could probably use many different things...I was just looking for something that had non-skid qualities built into it.  For things like tile, you could add felt or little rubber feet to the back.
• Mod Podge: I picked up the gloss.
• Xacto knife: or similar.
• Craft Brushes
• Cutting mat
• Water resistant, Clear Acrylic Spray.  You can get this at the craft store also.
• Finally...Whatever image you want on those coasters!  The person I was making these for has a thing for penguins...don't judge, it's cute.  I used an old calendar.  You could use photographs, magazines, comic books, books, craft paper, etc.  I don't know how well your typical computer printed image works, but if someone tries it, let me know!!

What you'll do:

1. Choose your images.  Get creative and select interesting shots!  *Tip: cut the excess from around the image you want to minimize the extra paper you deal with.  
2. Add a thin layer of your Mod Podge to the cork coaster and adhere it to the back of the image.  I held mine up to the light so I could get it exactly where I wanted it.  *A side note: you can also cut your image out before attaching.  However, I decided it would be easier to cut them out after so I could just trace the outside of the coaster.
3. Stack them up.  Put a heavy book on top and let them dry for 15-20 minutes.
4. Trim (if you didn't cut previously).
5. Apply at least two more layers of Mod Podge.  Let them dry about 15 minutes between coats and make sure you hit the edges.  It dries clear, but will leave some brush marks depending on your application.  Mine curled up a little (cork if flexible!) but they flattened out on their own.  No worries.
6. Let your final coat of Mod Podge dry for at least and hour...more if you can.  Add your clear acrylic spray.  I did 4 thin coats, making sure to hit the sides, because I wanted to be sure these bad boys were water resistant.  Let dry about 20 minutes or more between coats.  
7. When you're 100 %, let them dry really well before using them.  I let mine sit for 12+ hours.  *A side note: as with any other wet medium, it takes longer to dry in cool or hot areas.  Adjust accordingly.

Step 1

Step 4

Step 5

The final product!  Shiny, waterproof, and cute!

 All in all, this project cost me about $12.  The Mod Podge and acrylic were the two more expensive items.  However, now that I have them, I could easily make more coasters for super cheap :)  With some parental guidance, you could do this with kids.  How cute would that be for a gift to grandparents!?!?

I also made puzzle magnets.

Get creative and see what is around your house that you could be spontaneous with!  You can use these same steps to make magnets, add images to an old tray to give it new life, a pot for interior house plants, etc.  The options extend as far as your creative mind will go!!  Have fun :)

Shared on: House of Hepworths