As the daughter of a hardware store owner, I used to think that hardware stores were kind of lame. Now that I am older and wiser, however, it's a pretty sweet operation to have access to. The plumbing section is naughty, power tools and batteries are handy, and there are all the paint swatches you'd ever need.
I am apparently not the only one who loves paint swatches. Jennifer does too and I'm sure there are other secret paint swatch lovers. This Too Cute Tuesday, we craft with them and make a bookcase fun again.
Materials needed:
A crappy old smallish bookcase (or end table or box, something smallish)
Paint in a color you like (more neutral is better and water based is easier to clean, I used a shade of khaki)
Paint brush
Paint swatches (free at your local hardware store)
Modge Podge ($5 for a ton of it at any craft or general store)
Bottle of crisp white wine (I like riesling but it's your call)
1. Paint your smallish but potentially hip piece of furniture. Put a small fan on it so the drying process speeds up.
2. While the paint dries, go to the hardware store and get your swatches. Look really indecisive about color for added effect. You can either go the rainbow route (like I did) or get all colors in a family like shades of red. 3. Paint another coat on the furniture.
4. While it dries, pour yourself some wine and peruse a magazine. You're accomplishing something; fun multi-tasking is perfectly acceptable.
5. Is the paint job even on your bookcase? If not, put on another coat or spot fix as needed. Take your time; a crappy uneven paint job will compromise the integrity of the whole project. (I know, look at my using serious words while crafting!)
6. Line up the paint swatches on the top of the dresser without glue at first. The great thing about this is they are numbered for easy ordering. Yay! Bonus: the paint shades all have fun names under them, great conversation starters.
5. When the paint swatches are in the right location, put a little Modge Podge behind then and stick them down one at a time. Making them straight now is your only option. Make sure the swatches stay straight and are even distances from each other. The more thought you put into this step, the better your final product. Tip: If you don't trust yourself, try making
6. Put a thin, clear coat on the whole top layer with Modge Podge. Two or three thin coats look much better than one thick one! You can drink more wine while doing this part because you are home free!
Don't have a bookcase you can part with? Try this paint swatch idea on a garbage can or even a notebook cover. (How cool would you be back to schooling with that cool notebook!)
Aren't you crafty!