Classic Charm from an Old Planter

If you ever go to flea markets, thrift stores . . . or sometimes just your own garage, you might have some ceramics or planters whose glory days have past. Sometimes these are in the shape of flowers, animal or cars.

For this project, I decided to rescue a car planter. Most likely it was a father's day gift with some sort of small plant. The first thing I always think about is how and where I am going to use this. For this project, I would loved to make it a pair of bookends. However, I only had one, so I thought it would be a great conversation piece to add to a bookshelf or mantel.

The design of the car is very old fashioned, so I wanted to pick a new and fresh color to give it a more modern edge. You would be amazed how much the right color can transform the feeling of something and help transition it between style.

For this project, I picked Seaside. It has that great color you will find on those hotels dotting the beach along the east coast. It is also in the realm of thespunky teal colors that continue to be part of the home decor color trends for 2013.

OK, down to brass tacks. First, make sure the piece is very clean, or your spray paint won't adhere to it. Yes, I use spray paint because of the ability to adhere without sanding. It is also gives a better finish without brush marks.

I start on the bottom of the piece. It is important because if the paint doesn't something strange, you can potentially hide it on the bottom and figure out how to fix it before coating the top.

Give the piece a light coat. Wait for 5/10 minutes depending on outside temperature and put on a second coat.

I love those this came out. You can see that it has a great rustic feel, but lends a pop of color to my bookshelf.