An old mirror given a new purpose

About 3 1/2 years ago, my Nana gave me a mirror that she had at her house that she wasn’t using. Free is fabulous in my mind, so of course I happily accepted it. I can’t remember what the original color of the frame was, but I spray painted it a dark brown and it lived in my seafoam colored bedroom for a year. Fast forward a year and I moved into my own place, without roommates. The dark brown morphed into a slate gray to go with a slighty darker turquoise colored apartment. (I do love all variations of turquoise.. especially on the walls!) Here we are 2 and a half years later, and we are living in a new house. We have been here about 5 months now and I just don’t have a place for this mirror. It’s been sitting in a closet collecting dust. I had a vision for getting a piece of plywood and cutting it into a heart and covering it with chalkboard paint that I could write on whenever the mood struck me. As I was contemplating how I was going to free hand a heart design on plywood, I happened to look over and see this mirror sitting against the wall.

I have this new obsession with gold spray paint. I love me some spray paint [in general] but gold.. man. Gold is special. I used to only wear gold and I have phased it out over the last several years and pretty much everything I own and even decorate with is some kind of silver. I’m slowly starting to work gold-ish pieces back into my life though, my rose gold watch for my birthday was the first beautiful piece.

SO. I grabbed the mirror and took it all apart. I added some glitz to this frame with gold spray paint. The other amazing thing about gold spray paint is that it covers pretty much anything with only a coat or two, so one can goes a long way.

Next step: I took the mirror that was inside this frame and painted it with chalkboard paint. I ran a search on different kinds of chalkboard paint and basically it seems like chalkboard spray paint is easier and quicker to apply, but that it chips faster than the paint-on kind. I already had some of the liquid kind in the bottle that you paint on with a paint brush so I was going to give it a go. I figured I was in for 4-5 coats, but after 2 I had a pretty thick layer. I did do one extra just to be sure though.

 

I CAREFULLY put the mirror back into the frame so as not to chip any of the chalkboard surface, but I really didn’t have any issues.. I think maybe the paint on kind is a bit more durable if any of you are considering chalkboard painting anything that you have.

Turn a plain jane mirror into something really special with a little chalkboard paint and some gold spray paint. Instant glamour!

Since it is the Christmas season, my glitzy chalkboard says “Very Merry” & can be seen as soon as you walk through our kitchen. I love it and am seriously thinking about chalkboarding lots of surfaces… If you’ve been contemplating doing so, GO FOR IT!!

Darling little things: jewelry organization

Up until recently, I was utilizing a traditional jewelry box. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very classy, traditional, sleek.. and black. And plain. I had the recent lightbulb go off in my head that getting ready in the mornings and putting outfits together would probably be MUCH easier if I could actually SEE everything that I have. Plus, all of the pieces of jewelry that I own are pretty things that I love, so why not display them anyway?

I started with this DIY project (featured in the sneak peek post last week), a jewelry board. I found the original project tutorial on Something Like That Designs, she walks you through her process here, and also see her Finders Keepers Post for some other organization inspiration- I ended up copy catting some of her thought process!)

First: Sneak Peek Project Reveal

My beautiful jewelry organization board

All of my favorite earrings are easily seen on this board. This is so much better than digging through a drawer or box and trying to find the matching pair!

I tweaked the tutorial a smidge when I made my own board. I purchased a frame from Michael’s Craft Store & then browsed the paint aisle. While some of the other tutorials out there (there are a lot on Pinterest if you’re looking for a different spin) show just taking the back out of a frame, I chose to keep that cardboard that comes with it and actually keep the back of the frame as well. I painted the cardboard insert a rose gold color and spray painted my chicken wire (which you can buy in a roll at Home Depot anywhere from $10 and up) a burgundy color. The two colors look amazing with the dark wood frame, so I kept it as it was. The only difficult part I had was threading the earrings through the wire with the backing still on the frame, it took a bit of maneuvering at times.. but we rent and I would rather spend that extra 10 minutes threading it through the wire with the back on than have lots of scuffs and things to fix on my wall when it’s time to do that, but that’s up to you!

Since I kept the back on, I wasn’t able to use the little cup hooks to hang my necklaces. I found these great little tacks at Walmart for a buck and was able to punch them through the back of the cardboard to hang my necklaces. The antique-y brass-gold color works nicely with my color theme.

Next: Everyday Items to Add Some Pretty Utility in Your Life

My newly updated dresser top

1. This great little ceramic egg crate was a steal of a deal and cost me $5 bucks at World Market (one of my favorites). I chose the yellow because I’ve been trying to incorporate more of yellow’s cheeriness into our home, but they had an assortment of pretty colors to choose from. The jewelry board organizes and houses all of my dangly earrings and the egg crate holds all the studs. I work for a rather conservative company that does not care for flashy jewelry. Instead of going without, I have grown a pretty large collection of studs that sparkle 🙂 The egg crate lets me separate them into categories (pearl, diamond, costume jewelry, blue, gold, etc.) and they’re easier to find, easier to see.

2. This is an example of using things you already have on hand. I bought this [yellow, gold] candle holder a few years ago and have used it as a small vase, a candle holder, a few different ways over the years. I had stored it in a drawer when we moved and I rediscovered it recently. I decided to put a leather cuff and another larger bracelet in it. I can see what’s inside, and it gives adds visual interest with its pop of color.

3. This plate is probably my favorite. I found it on the clearance aisle at Michaels for $1.48. It had a sticker on it that said “sold as is.” There are no marks on this plate that I could see… so, after visiting and falling completely in LOVE with Paris on New Years Eve, of course I bought it. It holds my every day favorite pieces: my new & beautiful birthday present watch from the boyfriend as well as the b-e-a-utiful necklace that he bought me our first Christmas together, my favorite rings [including a spoon ring!] and a very unique spoon bracelet.

4. While cleaning out my jewelry box with all of my nice, real jewelry, I realized I had another jewelry box somewhere with costume jewelry in it that I used to wear quite a bit a few years ago. I found the [very adolescent] jewelry box and decided it was time for a more sophisticated update for the pieces I wanted to keep and continue to wear. I found this little basket/box with button and loop latch at Hobby Lobby and got it half off for about $4 bucks. It was lacking pizazz so I dug through my craft bag in search of something that would give it that little something extra.

Add a Paper Flower to a Plain Box/Basket

 I had some on hand but you can go to your favorite craft shop and purchase paper flowers. I layered 2 for the effect I wanted & added a contrasting button on top to complete the design. Now it’s got that something special to it and is different, but goes nicely with all of the other elements atop my dresser.

I’m still working on organizing a second dresser that holds tanks, scarves, socks, and a drawer full of randomness that I’ll hopefully be able to show soon, but for now is still a serious work in progress.

Always be on the lookout for items that can add some pretty in your life.