Monday, April 4, 2011

DIY Disaster

You know all those cool blogs where bloggers show their latest craftiness and how they saved lotsa dough by re-vamping something they already had?

Yes, of course you do. I love those too!

[From Wisteria -- like this -- but it's not quite right for my space]



Well, this isn't one of those DIY success stories. It's a bit of a sad story of a mirror done in by novice DIY'ers! We had a framed mirror in our entryway that had been there for ages and called out to me for a little pick-me-up.


[Pottery Barn -- bit too ornate for me]


The frame just needed a little repainting -- that would make it look like new (or so I thought)! How SIMPLE, eh? Well, first the mirror sat on the dining room floor for a couple weeks waiting for me to get around to it. I sanded the frame, which was kind of a goldish color with swirls on it like S's. I taped up the mirror covering it with newspaper.


I consulted with Mr. Tennis on how to go about painting it. He suggested spray paint (I had been thinking of sponge-painting it???). Anywho, he rigged it up in the garage and got a little trigger-happy with that can of spray paint. Coat after coat was sprayed on (the goldish color was a bit hard to cover). When it was finally dry and looked fairly presentable, we hung it back up and removed the newspaper! OOOPS -- our mistake was evident -- the paint had bled through the paper and covered the mirror! As in, covered A LOT of the mirror! Can you say now need to purchase a replacement mirror?


[Pottery Barn --love this, but it is really a large mirror!]


The morale of this DIY story is . . . use a lot of newspaper to cover whatever needs to be covered AND take your time.

Not to worry, I have not been deterred by this small setback. Am currently painting a number of frames -- the good news on those is that there is nothing inside that needs to be covered. Fingers crossed for a successful DIY project in my future!

11 comments:

Jean said...

Ahhhh ya- I've had a few of those experiences!
We found a big ole oak desk and decided to paint it black- sounds good so far right!! Ya know we thought it would look like a PB desk when it was done!

We were a little short on time- bought the wrong paint- ended up with a shiny black desks that took for ever to dry and was oh so ugly. Gave it to our college son... he left it in the appt. He didn't even like it!

That's bad when it's even too ugly for the college kids!

Musings from Kim K. said...

Been there too. We should start a series of blog parties on DIY gone bad. Have fun with those picture frames!

Jodee Leader said...

Sorry to hear about your mirror. Maybe you could score one at Pier One to match your new furniture! Good luck with the frames!

Kristin said...

Yep, been there too! We have a kitchen table that we redid---with not good results. It is now headed to the college apartment.

Good luck with the new mirror!

Bridget said...

Oh I have made many DIY mistakes. If nothing else they usually make for a good story. Hope the frames turn out better:) have fun buying your new mirror!

Kim said...

Oh no! Sorry to hear that, I porbably would have made the same mistake but who knew. Good luck with the rest of your frames.

Casey said...

haha!! I actually did the same thing to my bathroom mirror. It was gold too and when I spray painted it, it just peeled off later too. It was horrid. Still not sure what I did wrong. Maybe it needed a primer?

Sorry about your mishap!! Good reason to buy a new one though! :)

Love Letters To China said...

lol!! I'm such a terrible DIYer. I've come to the conclusion it's better for me to just go out and buy whatever I like already finished so I don't have to go through the pain.

Look forward to seeing your successes!

Lisa said...

I am proud of you for trying!!

3 Peanuts said...

Oh no...sorry it did not go well. I am thinking that would happen to me too. have a few DIY projects I am considering and I am a little timid.


Have a GREAT weekend.

Kim

Brownie Troop 157 said...

oops. Happens to us all...frequently! I just finished having someone paint all my daughter's hand-me-down, grandma's-old-furniture white. Looks fab. Didn't trust myself.

When you find your replacement mirror, give the DIY mirror to your daughter, with a can of glossy hot pink or purple...or whatever she likes, and let her go to town. Bet it would look fab for her room!