From Fishy to Fabulous

Somebody, somewhere, sometime thought this was a neat design for this little coat hook rack. When I saw it at a yard sale last summer I knew those black porcelain knobs were way too spiffy for a "Gone Fishin" plaque! Giant blunt fish hooks would have been fun...but I'm not really into the huntin' and fishin' look in my decor anyway. So, an easy update was in order....
A little painting and distressing, plus some pretty scrapbook paper cut and modge-podged to the center panel and it's done! I did remove the hooks first so I wouldn't get paint on them. Then I lightly sanded to rough up the surface. I wiped it down with a soft cloth to remove any dust, and slapped on a bit of black acrylic craft paint around all the edges and let that dry. I mixed some blue, green and white acrylic paints until I got the robin egg blue I wanted and brushed that on. Once the blue was dry I distressed it by rubbing with a little sandpaper and some steel wool - letting both the black and the original red show through here and there.
The final step was decoupaging the scrapbook paper on to the front panel. The paper wasn't wide enough to reach from end to end so at first I cut a decorative shape on each end. But, I didn't like the look so I just cut a couple more pieces and added them to each end to fill in the entire panel. Looks much better! I've been debating whether to add some kind of accents. But I really like this look. What do you think? Should I add something? And if yes, then what/where?Right now it hangs across from my pantry holding aprons, but I've got a couple other spots where it would look adorable too, so it may travel a bit.

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Entryway Mirror for a Tiny Space

What do you do for a skinny wall space next to a front door that needs a little somethin'-somethin'? My solution was found in a local flea market for less than $3.

It started like this....

A 1990-something mirror with a good solid wood frame - 2 hooks, but one broken - and some kind of "stuff" all over the mirror. Maybe a spray adhesive overspray? A little acetone took the "stuff" off nicely. I removed both hooks and filled the holes with wood putty. A quick, light sanding, then I covered the mirror with newspaper and spray painted a layer of black then a layer of brown spray. Kind of haphazardly. Quick - easy!After the spray paint was completely dried I brushed on a dark walnut stain (Minwax). I didn't wipe off a bit! Just left it on and let it dry for about 4 days. This made the finish a deep, dark espresso color with lots of glossy shine. I bought a couple of simple brushed nickel coat hooks and attached them to the sides. It's the perfect size for this small space and gives a much needed spot for a coat or hat. Turns out the wall had no studs where I wanted this hung, so I attached a small strip of wood to the wall, so screws could go into the wood inside the wall. Then I hung the mirror from that. I'm debating - may paint that wood strip the same gold as the wall. But for now it is a dark brown/bronze. Project cost: about $6 total!



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