DIY Necklace Hanger

We decided to block out our weekend and we've got nothing planned but house projects! I am so excited to share one big one in particular (photos coming!), but one small project I want to tackle is making a second one of these little necklace holders I did for my first Domino article project.

I'm running out of space and my necklaces are getting buried, which sort of defeats the purpose of the thing. The good news is it's really, really easy to make one of these hangers and only takes a few minutes, so I can turn a second one of these out in 20 minutes or so.

My inspiration came from this photo below I saw on a cool site that just shares images of closets belonging to really stylish women. I can't remember the name of the site though - do you know it?

In this woman's closet, she use a strip of wood and a series of nails tapped right in. This hanger would be like a five minute project!

I wanted my necklace strip to be painted the same color as my wardrobe units (which is Benjamin Moore's Knoxville Gray), and I wanted tiny brass hooks.

I had a scrap piece of wood laying around that was just the right size. I don't have a photo of this, but I bought some of those picture hangers that you just tap right into wood or a frame. They sort of look like jagged teeth? They're great and so easy to use. After installing those on the back, I painted a first coat on, then I marked out where the hooks would be on the front, spacing them about an inch apart and staggering the rows.

Then I drilled teeny tiny pilots holes with the smallest bit I have. This made screwing in the small hooks by hand about a million times easier!

I touched up the paint with a small brush and then hung the strip of hooks up on the wardrobe wall using the jagged teeth hangers.

The teeth hangers sort of make the strip tilt out a bit, but I kind of like the angle? Or at least it doesn't bother me enough to figure out another way to hang the strip!

What plans do you guys have for the weekend? Any big projects? Here's a sneak peek of what I've got going on... :)

How to Spray Paint Hardware

I was just working on the whiteboard tutorial and I when I got to the photos about the primer I used, I realized I haven't yet shared my new favorite product! I used it to DIY the pulls I used for the wardrobes in my first Domino piece. (PS my next project article will go live soon!)

This spray primer is life-changing for those of us with itchy spray-trigger fingers! Especially if you've ever wanted to (successfully) spray paint knobs and pulls. In the past (like when I sprayed my laundry room hardware gold) I've been a little iffy about whether or not spraying hardware for kitchens or other high-use areas is actually good idea. I was always worried about chipping/adhesion issues.

Seriously though, this Rustoleum spray primer, which is specially formulated for metal applications, works like a dream. It coats thickly, but evenly, and it really sticks to the metal and provides a great new base for your paint to hold on to.

When I found these industrial pulls below, I knew I wanted to spray them to look brass and that I would need a really good primer to pull that off. And you know what they say - necessity is the mother of spontaneous purchases. And this one totally worked out for me!

I found the pulls in the hardcore hardware aisle (not the same aisle as the regular knobs and pulls). This aisle has window sash pulls, latches, hinges and garage door pulls. It's usually the aisle that also has rope and and chain at Home Depot and Lowes. I love how chunky and squared off these were, but I picked up a few garage doors handles too, just for comparison. I think my gut was right about the square pulls, but I also think these others could be cool in the right application. Filing away for later!

So, some people might want to use a deglosser or a TSP spray as a first step before spray painting hardware, but I sort of feel like the primer makes that effort unnecessary. Depending on the existing finish you're working with, deglosser can make for a slightly uneven finish - it can sort of gunk things up sometimes and you never really know when.  So I think it's best to only use it if you have to. 

I did lightly sand the top of the hardware first, just to make sure there were no bumps or residue anywhere. Then I flipped them over and sprayed the underside first.

The key, always and every time you're painting anything, is to do multiple light coats with drying time in between. Even and maybe especially with your primer. After two good coats on the back side, I flipped the hardware over and sprayed the tops.

If you notice any bumps, drips or dust specs, leave them to dry and then lightly sand them off after the primer has cured. Often dust specs will just wipe away with a cloth after the paint has dried. Don't mess with wet paint!

I repeated the same process with my beloved Design Master Gold Metal spray paint. Man, this gold is perfect! The paint is a great quality, but the color is spot-on for what we're all looking for in brass-like hardware, especially after it fully dries.

I did one final step and used a spray lacquer on the tops, just to give it an extra layer of protection. It did change the look of the finish a bit (it's a bit more shiny now and the extra layer changes the way the light refracts, so the gold is a touch less bright). The jury's out on whether or not I would repeat this step next time. It is nice to have that safety precaution though. Maybe I'd just try a matte sealer and do a really light coat?

To install the pulls I bought a box of #10 brass 1" screws. It's a good idea to drill pilot holes first just to ensure you're installing them in the exact right spot. One of my pulls is slightly off and it's driving me nuts (must fix!!).

The sprayed pulls are holding up perfectly and I love them more the more I see them. My mind has been racing, thinking of other projects to do with that amazing metal primer. (that white board tutorial is coming up though! Stay tuned!)

DIY Splatter Vase (and a Trick for Grocery Store Roses!)

When I was leaning over the paint counter, thinking about what colors I'd like to add to my bedroom, I thought an oxblood red would be the perfect balance to the new green lamps and the Knoxville Gray walls. I usually have something of every color in my extra tchotchkes/accessories closet (we all have one, right?), but this time I was coming up a little short in the oxblood red department.

So I swung by the craft store and picked up a plain, clear glass vase for about $3. They have these vases everywhere - even the grocery store. And they make the perfect base for customizing (hello! - great gift idea!). Here's the how-to:

I wanted a splatter pattern on my vase, so for the first layer, I grabbed a bottle of black nail polish and sort of carefully whacked the brush around the rim of the vase.

This enamel spray paint from Rustoleum is the perfect color of oxblood. It so glossy and deep - love it.

I wrapped the outside of the vase with a grocery bag and sealed it up with painters tape along the top edges of the rim

Then I sprayed the inside of the vase with the red color. Don't go too heavy with the paint here. You want to coat all the glass evenly, but it looks prettier if the light can still get through the layer of paint.

Just like Christmas morning!

The oxblood pairs so well with the pinks and purples in my favorite lady portrait and in the pink grocery store roses.

Also, here's a little trick for getting cheap $10/dozen bodega roses to look more like garden roses. 

To loosen the buds a little, put them in some warm water for an hour or two and then use your fingers to help them open a little more. If you put your fingers in a pinching position and sort of spread them from the center of the bud, they'll open up beautifully! And if you do it gently, there won't be any damage to the petals. Also I think they live just as long as before this way, especially if you're good about changing the water every other day or so. I can usually get my flowers to last about two weeks that way.

The roses are so much more pretty this way, don't you think? Hard to beat $10 for a pretty arrangement that last for weeks!

Oh, and some of you were asking about our flip clock. It was an Amazon purchase! Takes some work to get it going, but it's cute and fun!

New Bedroom Lamps

Sometimes when I'm decorating a room and things are falling a little flat, I like to stand back and think about what color is missing that might help round out the space.

When I needed a pair of lamps for our bedroom, I felt like it would be a good place to bring in a bright shot of color. I found these lamps on clearance at Target and I thought they might paint up well.

I don't think the lamp base is made of real wood, but it looks a lot like a cut log on a lucite base. I thought a painted version would be a little like this idea.

I wasn't sure what color I wanted to paint the lamp bases, so I mocked up the room using paint swatches at the hardware store. I'm sure the guy at the paint counter thought I was nuts, but it really did help me in a pinch to see how all the colors I already had in the room would work together with the new lamp color. I picked Glidden's Spearmint Gum and got a quart in high gloss.

I just used an artist's brush to cut in on the edges and then a 2" angles brush for most of the base.

Later I clean up any mess-ups with a razor blade, but it was pretty easy to stay mostly on the wood part.

I love the slight texture of the wood-like grain under the glossy green paint. I think it's such a pretty combo with the lucite base and the black linen shade.

And the pop of bright green is just what the space needed. I think colorful lamps are always a good idea.

PS Here are a couple other lighting DIYs I've done over the years, in case you feel like browsing today:
- Painting a ceiling fan
- Painting a lampshade
- Inexpensive black lampshades
- Spray painting vintage metal task lamps
- Painting a giant brass chandelier
- DIY Sputnik
- Painting vintage sconces

Spray Painted Jewelry Box

I love it when a little spray paint can breathe new life into a old piece of furniture or decor!

I found this beat up vintage jewelry box on eBay for almost nothing (I think it was $10 with free shipping - or something ridiculous). I bought it mostly for the hardware. Isn't that brass beautiful?

The wood was shabby looking though and the brass sort of got lost against the stain color.

I've been so drawn to purples lately, especially shades of lilac. (This room is still a favorite) I found a really beautiful color of spray paint from Rustoleum called French Lilac.

I gently pried off the brass hardware, lightly sanded the wood down and gave the box a few light coats of the lilac spray paint. The color only came in satin finish, which was a little more flat than I wanted here.

I used a high-gloss spray lacquer on top to make the lilac nice and glossy.

It took about a full day for the lacquer to fully dry, but once it was ready, I added the hardware back on.

I love the way the brass looks on the lilac and the way the lilac looks against the gray wardrobe.

Also, a little PSA on the Nate Berkus tray: Basically this whole line was on clearance at my local Target yesterday! I bought the lamp and a second tray.

I'm pretty sure the trays are just resin, but they look and feel a lot like stone. They're so cool and just about the perfect size for any surface.

How was your weekend? I have been travelling for about a month straight now and I am wiped out! We're up at my parents house right now, which is much, much more relaxing than the past few trips I've been on for work, but I'm pretty ready to get home and get back to real life. :)