Spray Paint and Me

Lately I've been seeing so many awesome projects involving spray paint. I've been awed by how a simple can of paint can transform a glass jar into a color-coordinated flower vase. Or a pretty mercury-glass candle holder. Or a glow-in-the-dark flower pot. I was itching to try my hand at it, so a couple of weeks ago I braved the home improvement store and purchased three cans of spray paint. I was ready to create something awesome!

Random fact #1: I have always been a fan of glow-in-the-dark stuff. So when Carrie sent me a link and I saw these groovy flower pots, I wanted them! I never really looked up a tutorial for the best way to accomplish that awesome look - I was just so happy to have found glow-in-the-dark paint I just went for it. Problem: the terra cotta pots I used really should have been sprayed with a primer before I sprayed, oh, I don't know...10 coats of glow-in-the-dark stuff that totally soaked into the clay and barely lights up once the sun goes down. {Note to self: read directions.}

Random fact #2: I collect jars. You just never know when you'll need one for holding flowers, storing leftovers, and I-don't-know-what-else. I love jars. And fortunately for this one, I didn't need a tutorial. I used regular ol' red spray paint, a couple of clean jars, and I started spraying.

I should mention at this point that I asked Doug to not watch. For those of you that may not know, my hubby has been a professional painter for over 30 years, and this kind of stuff is like second nature to him. Me? Well, not so much. I had grand illusions of painting jars, some rocks {to be turned into strawberries} and an old cafeteria tray.

The results? Well, the jars turned out pretty good, except for the one that got stuck to the newspaper when the wind blew. And I over-sprayed the rocks causing paint to drip down underneath, making them stick to the newspaper. And the tray? I never made it that far. Turns out by then I wasn't a fan of spray-painting. And I realize I could have asked Doug to do it for me, but I'm stubborn about junk like that. Silly me.

Right, so this is a fun little mason-jar turned-flower-vase. I put a metal ring on this one before I sprayed it and I really liked the look - plus it made for a more narrow opening that I like for flower arrangements.

Random fact #3: When we were kids a thermometer broke and we had the most fun playing with the mercury ball that rolled around on the floor. We split it into pieces and were amazed at how the individual balls kind of morphed into each other when they touched. Man, we loved that mercury. Who knew it was a dangerous element? Not us! And we survived. A small miracle.

Anyway! Mercury glass. I love the aged look of mercury glass, and when I saw this tutorial for creating a mercury glass finish, I added it to the list of stuff I wanted to spray.

Now, for this one I did follow directions. Well...sort of. I followed the directions but I couldn't find "looking glass" spray paint. I did find a glossy silver metallic paint though, and that seemed to work just fine. Of all the things I sprayed, I loved this finish the most.

So, I think I got the whole spray-painting-desire out of my system. Or at least I am over the desire to do it all myself. I think some more painted jars are in my future, but I'll leave the other stuff to the professional. {Doug? Will you make me some glow-in-the-dark flower pots?}

How about you? Have you tried your hand at spray painting?

♥