When the style and look you're going for doesn't match your budget.
Browsing the aisles (virtual or in person) in stores like Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Anthropologie and others like them often feels like a rollercoaster for me. Generally when I walk in, I’m excited and full of anticipation! There’s eye candy in every nook and cranny. Each corner seems to be calling me in to look closer and feel the textures. Once I’ve held a few things in my hand, longing creeps in…I can picture item X in my home, and not just anywhere in my home, but in an exact location and it looks perfect! And then, just like that feeling you get when you crest the hill of a roller coaster ride to start your decent, it happens…I find the price tag. My balloon has popped, my glass dreams shattered, my tummy hurts. It’s too expensive.
What’s a girl to do?
The way I see it, I have two choices. I can keep my home stuck in time and space, never moving forward with a fresh perspective (are you picturing yourself with ratted out bangs, fizzy perm and acid washed jeans? No? Me neither.) OR I can come up with a way to make it myself.
So, make it I did!
The inspiration: The price: $89
The process:
I went to the thrift store with eyes wide open. You need to, you see. If you don't you might miss the potential. Here's what I found. It doesn't have the handles, but that's ok.
The price: $0.79
Not the cutest thing in the world, right? Maybe at one time, but we're moving beyond our acid washed jeans era, which I'm pretty sure, is where this one came from.
After washing the vase, I used plain old spackle to cover it entirely. Isn't spackle a fun word to say? It goes on pink and dries white. Great for someone like me who wants to do a project and can get impatient while I wait. It's basically a built in hand slapper saying, 'Not yet. Not yet. Now!'
Price of spackle: $5.58
Once there was not even a tiny hint of pink left on the vase, I sanded down the rough edges (I had sandpaper on hand) just a bit. You could leave them so you can see more texture...entirely up to you.
Using chalk paint I had on hand (I think you could use acrylic or latex too), I painted. Chat and paint. Paint and chat.
I stopped there, not adding any topcoat. The look I'm going for is a bit matte. Not rustic, just matte.
You could keep going from here:
Distress the black by lightly sanding in places.
Dry brush it white or charcoal grey to give it a muddled, more rustic look.
The final product: Total price: $6.37
So there, Pottery Barn. It may not be the $89 original, but it's perfect in its $6.37 glory.
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