Blue Lagoon Candlesticks, Saved From the Holidays!

These candleholders have served our home well and I simply hate to part with them. I have used them for the Christmas holidays all the way thru to New Years. As you can see they are a shimmering silver. So, since I'm on this recycling kick and decided to spray paint them with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X in Lagoon. The Lagoon color fits perfectly right into my dining room and brings out the teal tones in my mirror. I opted to keep them all and use them for the spring - the Lagoon color does look stunning against the plain old pine mantel. Color can uplift your home and the joy of recycling is great too!

Project Materials

*Drop Cloth

*Candleholders

*Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X in Lagoon

Project Steps

*Cover nearby items to protect them from spray mist

*Apply one coat of Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X to each candleholder

*Allow to dry 30 minutes

*Apply second coat within an hour or after 48 hours

Organize & Recycle Paint

If you live in the colder regions, you should always bring in your paint from your garage or shed. Be sure to label each color by dabbing a spot on top of the paint can or you can label the color with a sharpie marker. Another easy way to keep a record of your paint colors is by dipping a paint stick into each gallon, allowing it to dry and then keeping that paint stick readily available for decorating as well.

My handy tip- I recommend that you wrap the mouth of the paint can with cling wrap - basically sealing in the paint and then tightly secure the lid on. As we repaint and decorate rooms, we should do away with the old paints that are no longer in your home.

If your paint is old and has an odor, you should fill it with kitty litter and allow to get hard then recycle through your local waste management company. If you have various gallons of paint left, here are a few tips on recycling:

*Call your local Good Will or Thrift Store
*Contact your local high school's drama department - they are in need of supplies all the time!
*Call Habitat for Humanity

The new buzz word in the world of recycling is now "Precycle" - which is basically purchasing the correct amount of paint. No need to over buy paint..you can always go back and buy a quart for touch-ups as oppossed to storing a gallon for a few years! A few websites that can help you further recycle your paints:

*PaintCare.org
*Earth911.com
*www.local.com

Snowflake Napkin Rings, Trivet and Votives

Crate & Barrel had these out years ago and now they are floating around in the thrift stores! I managed to round up a trivet, 2 votive holders and 6 napkins rings. All in great shape and thought I'd use them all winter long...the only dilemma? What color? With Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X the color palette is broad and I had a tough time deciding...I posted the before pic on facebook at PaintIdeas Angie and the winner is Satin Aqua! What could be better than light blue snowflakes in the middle of winter?

Project Steps
*Find a spot safe for spray painting - cover nearby items with drop cloths or old sheets to protect them from spray mist
*Lightly spray Rust-Oleum Clean Metal Primer
*Allow to fully dry
*Spray two light coats of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X in Satin Aqua

Project Materials
*Metal Napkin rings, votives & trivet
*Rust-Oleum Clean Metal Primer
*Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X Satin Aqua
*Drop cloths

Winter White Picture Frames

Thanks to one major retailer for clearancing these solid wood picture frames for $1.54 each! I will say that I did not take to the sage green scrolling around the front frame. So as with everything, I decided to invest $3.97 on a can of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X in Satin Blossom White and magic happened!

These frames went from one sagey style to a winter wonderland of pictures. I am thinking I will be adding winter pictures of the kids and dogs sledding and making all of those snowmen!

Project Steps
* Find a spot where it is safe to spray paint; cover nearby items with drop cloths or old sheets to protect them from spray mist
*Wipe off picture frames, remove glass from fronts
*Apply Zinsser B-I-N Primer - allow to cure one hour
*Apply wwo light coats of Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X in Satin Blossom White
*Allow to fully cure 24 hours
*Fill with fantastic winter pics of family fun

Project Materials:
*Picture frames in need of a face lift
*Zinsser B-I-N Primer
*Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X in Satin Blossom White
*Drop cloths
*Fun, winter pictures

New Year's Eve Centerpiece

Ring in "2012" with all of those unwanted and outdated vases that have been just sitting around in the basement! I did add a few filler vases from my local Goodwill for a grand total of $1.25 for all four vases! My big purchase was the Universal spray paint - three cans and still have plenty leftover for yet another project! I added the tin house numbers for under $7.

Consider adding in fresh flowers such as white peace lillies or simple red roses! Adding candles inside the "2012" front vases luminates the numbers nicely. If you wanted to keep it simple, you can just spray the four vases and glue on the 2012 and use that as a hostess gift as well!

Project Steps
*Wash & Rinse your vases. Dry well
*Cover nearby items with drop cloths or old sheets to protect them from spray mist
***QUICK TIP: Stuff each vase with newspapers so you do not spray the inside of the vases. This allows you to fill with water & fresh flowers or candles
*Apply Universal's Primer - for all surfaces
*Allow to dry 24 hours
*Apply two light coats to each vase in Universal's Gloss Black, Gloss White & Metallic Titanium Silver
*Using a hot glue gun, glue on the 2012 numbers to the front of the vases
*Fill with candles & flowers

Project Materials
*Various Vases
*Drop Cloth
*Universal Primer
*Universal Spray Paint in Gloss Black & Gloss White
*Universal Spray Paint in Metallic Titanium Silver
*Newspapers
*Tin Numbers 2012
*Hot Glue Gun
*Fresh Flowers & Candles