Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Smurfy Gets a Friend


Good friends are hard to find. Square picture frames larger than 12" are even harder to find. You may remember when I first spray painted my ugly brown thrift store candlestick Smurfalicious blue I wasn't sure if I was really on board with the color or not. My master bathroom color scheme was an extension of the bedroom - aqua blues, sand, dark brown wood - and as a windowless space, it was kind of blah. I thought the brigher blue candlestick might help perk things up in there, but the only thing it sort of matched was a blue glass bottle on top of the cabinet. So when I came across this pretty turquoise blue, brown, white, and kelly green silk scarf on a recent thrift store outing I thought it might just do the trick. It was approximately 21" square - yeah, just try to find a picture frame that big without going the custom framing (i.e. mucho expensivo) route. Determined to make it work, I settled on a 12" square with a chunky, dark brown frame. Why the heck are picture frames so darn expensive anyway? Did you know half of them aren't even wood anymore? So $20 for a plastic frame, which Michaels had on sale for 40% off and then I had a coupon for another 25% off, so it came in at just under $10 - fine for one frame, but ouch still a lot if you're planning a gallery wall.

Now obviously my 21" square scarf was not going to fit into a 12" picture frame, and I didn't want to cut it, so, using the backing as a guide, I folded the edges under and ironed them flat. Ta dah! Perfect fit.


The old bathroom art was two photographs I had taken in Charleston, SC back in the days before digital photography. I scanned them and printed them on my ink jet printer, and while I still love them, the ink was beginning to fade and I was getting tired of the frames. I'm considering a photo gallery in the hallway, so they may be reprinted and repurposed there at some point. Because I was replacing two pieces of art with one, I did have to move the hook to hang somewhere in between where the old pieces were originally positioned.


I also wanted to try to work in the green sunflower mirrors I'd used on my Easter table. You may remember they were anti-freeze green and very, VERY plastic, so I spray painted them with Krylon oiled bronze spay paint which was only $2 at Walmart. I have no idea why it was so cheap, all the other colors were more. Because of the smooth, plastic surface I primed with Zinsser B.I.N. Primer, which I'll also be using when I get to a pair of caned chairs with a lacquered finish that are high up on my list for a makeover - it was $8, yikes. If I didn't need it for the chairs I wouldn't have spent that on these cheap-o little mirrors.

Once I had the frames painted and the mirrors back in I played around with the placement a little and finally settled on one underneath the scrarf and slightly off center and one centered above. I arranged Smurfy, a green glass jar, and a metal tin on the back of the tank (why can't they make this perfectly level?) and with the scarf to tie everything together I am much happier with the candlestick's makeover now and I like the brighter colors in the bathroom so much I'm thinking of dying my towels a brighter blue too.


So there you have it, a little spray paint, a little ingenuity, and probably around $20 netted a much bigger and brigther impact for this small space.

I'm linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick's "Home May'd Spray Paint Party." Jump on over and check out everyone's great projects.



5 comments:

DIY said...

LOVE that candlestick and the fabric spruce up. It looks great!

Reunion Committee said...

oh I just love the colors!!
Dont yah love spray paint and fabics? :)
Thanks for the comment and I hope to see you over at my blog more.
Im your newest follower!!!
Tana

Gypsy Heart said...

GMTA! I love the color...and you did a great job with your framed scarf. Looks really nice!

Pat

Honey I'm Home Blog said...

Thank you for popping over to say hello. I love the "Smurf" blue candlestick and the framed fabric. So cute. I'm having a linky party also, if you'd like to share with my readers.

Warmly, Michelle

Shari @ My Cottage of Bliss said...

Lovely makeover! The scarf coordinated great with your candlestick holder! You have inspired me to get more creative with my bathroom wall decor.

Thanks for your nice comment on my ironing board makeover. To answer your question about the rubber feet...my hubby picked them up in the hardware department of either Home Depot or Lowes. He said they come in all sizes so try to take one of your old ones along so you get the correct size.

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