Hello, dear friends! I’m back today with my 42nd round of smalls! If you’re new around here, welcome!! My Painting the Smalls series came about when I decided to group a bunch of smaller items that wouldn’t necessarily make for the most exciting post on their own. However, grouped together, they make for a fun post! And, they give me several smaller items to fluff my booth with!
I really enjoy the simplicity sometimes, and I think y’all do too!
As always, this group has SIX mini makeovers. They started out like this:
Let’s see what we can do with them!
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
Mini Makeover #1
First up is this large clock I found at the thrift store for $9.99:
Clean
I started all of these makeovers the same way, with a good cleaning with White Lightning first. For larger pieces, I usually mix one TBSP into a half gallon of warm water, but for these smaller items, I halved that…
(You can see how large this clock is next to my hand!)
Once everything was good and clean, I swapped out my dirty water for clean water to rinse. (I won’t share this step for every makeover, but I cleaned them all the same way.)
Paint
I taped off the clock part with FrogTape for delicate surfaces and gave this clock three coats of Cotton from Dixie Belle, removing the tape while the paint was still wet:
Sand
I sanded next using 220 grit sandpaper:
One more detail
I decided I wasn’t done there and chose to add a grain sack stripe in the color Sand Bar, once again, using FrogTape for delicate surfaces…
Seal
I chose to seal this clock with Clear Best Dang Wax. (Liquid sealers can sometimes pull weird colors from metal surfaces and part of this clock was metal.)
I applied the wax using my Best Dang Brush and then buffed away any excess with a clean cloth:
Mini Makeover #1 After
Here is how this clock turned out:
I just didn’t love the wood on this one in its before state. Now it’s fresh and bright!
And the grain sack stripe is so subtle but adds a little something…
Mini Makeover #2
Next up is this galvanized metal shelf that likely came from a big box store like Hobby Lobby:
It was $7.99 at the thrift store. I had originally planned to not paint the metal portion, and paint the rest black. However, I didn’t love how that looked:
So, I decided instead to paint the whole thing in Cotton White…
Normally, I would prep the metal first with a coat of Bonding Boss, but I don’t anticipate the front of this will get much wear, so I went straight to painting!
Sand and Seal
I lightly sanded all over with 220 grit sandpaper and then sealed this the same way as the clock, with Clear Best Dang Wax.
And that was it!
Mini Makeover #2 After
Here is how this one looks lightened up:
Very simple, but now it isn’t so taste specific with that metal.
Mini Makeover #3
Mini Makeover number three is this lamp I found at the thrift store for $9.99:
I just loved this lamp when I saw it! It’s hard to see in the before photo, but it is covered in flower petals.
Paint
I chose this gorgeous Sea Glass color for the base of this one, using my French Tip brush to get into all the details:
Once the paint was good and dry, I sealed the easiest way for all these tiny details, with Rustoleum’s Clear Satin Spray.
Highlighting the details
And finally, to highlight all that beautiful detail, I used Dixie Belle’s Gilding Wax in Gold:
Mini Makeover #3 After
Here is how this lamp looks now!
Remember the original shade?
While I didn’t mind the shape, I just felt it was too busy, especially after adding the Gold Gilding Wax to the details.
I had this shade in my stash, and I thought it worked well…
Just look at that detail…
So pretty!
Mini Makeover #4
Next up is this frame I found at the thrift store for a $1.99:
While I didn’t love the colors of this frame, it had amazing detail that I knew would paint up so pretty!
Paint
I redid this exactly as I redid the lamp above, using Sea Glass by Dixie Belle…better already!
Gilding the details
And after spray sealing, I highlighted those detials the same way also, using gold Gilding Wax:
Mini Makeoer #4 After
This one looks so pretty painted!
My beach baby! I use this photo often to stage frames because it’s one of my favorites, and I’ll put it in my booth this way too!
Sea Glass and gold work so well together!
Mini Makeover #5
Mini Makeover #5 is the cutest little cherub shelf you ever did see. It was a $4.99 thrift store find:
Prime
I decided to get a quick first coat on this one using Rustoleum Flat White Primer:
With all that deep detail, this was just easy!
Paint
While I could have very easily followed that up with white spray paint and called it a day, I much prefer the finish you get when using chalk paint, so that was next. I applied a good coat of Cotton:
I really wanted to give this little shelf a shabby chic vibe, and to do that I chose to faux distress using a sanding block and Coffee Bean paint:
This one was spray sealed also for the ease of it:
Mini Makeover #5 After
I love this shelf so much!
It’s a bit dwarfed with that big lantern, but it would be so cute on a small wall:
The face is just so sweet:
And the faux distressing is just enough to highlight those pretty wings a bit…
I’d love to find a spot for this one!
Mini Makeover #6
And finally, I found this set of candle holders for $3 at a yard sale:
They were two-toned gold that was relly harsh, but the detail was pretty.
Paint
I decided to go with Caviar for this set:
And after two coats, they were ready for the next step. I was deliberating between using Gilding Wax and sanding to reveal some of the gold beneath. In the end, I did a bit of both!
Gilding wax
I started with the Gidling wax…
Then, I hit the rest with just a light sanding to reveal some of the gold beneath.
UH OH!!
When I was getting ready to seal, we had a little accident.
I had a lazy Susan on top of my rolling stool that I sit on to paint. That’s where I was spraying everything since it was easy to roll to the edge of the garage for good ventilation, but when I was rolling the stool towards the opening of the garage, it went over the lip on the ground and one of the candle holders went splat!
This was the larger of the two, but the crazy thing was what was inside…a bunch of broken candle holder parts??
Weird! Luckily, the breaks were clean, and I was able put everything back together with E6000 glue.
They were left to dry overnight and then got a little touch up, then spray sealed just like the shelf above.
Mini Makeover #6 After
The black toned down that bold gold…
And the subtle gold works much better.
This is the candle holder that broke, but you would never know:
And that’s SIX more mini makeovers complete!!
I’d love to know if you have a favorite!!
And my to-do list just got a little shorter!
See anything you may have missed below:
Painted Hutch Makeover
Update Thrift Store Lamps with Paint!
Vintage Telephone Table
Repurposing Hobby Lobby Art
Unfinished Wood Table Makeover
Apothecary Empire Dresser
I’ll be back on Thursday with this sad sad box I scored for only one dollar:
You won’t believe what this looks like now!!
UPDATE: See it HERE right now! 🙂
See y’all then!!
XOXO,
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Mary Kaiser says
Oh they are all so beautiful now! I think my favorite is the lamp, and the matching frame. I wonder if the same person will buy them from your booth because they match? I would, if I lived closer. I love watching you tranform the smalls!
Christy says
Thank you, Mary! That would be awesome if someone bought both! The smalls are fun for me too!! See ya Thursday, my friend! XOXO
Linda says
That cherub is awesome!
Christy says
Thank you, Linda! It really is the sweetest!! XOXO
Christine says
Love the clock especially!
Christy says
Thanks, Christine! I think that’s my favorite too! XOXO
Lorri says
They all look lovely, as usual😍. My favorites were the Metal shrlf… you could put it anywhere. The Cherub shelf was so stinking cute… If I was closer I would be heading to your store..lol!!
Christy says
Thank you, Lorri! Yes, I love a shelf that you can put anywhere! And the the cherub is so sweet…wish I had a spot for that one! I wish you were closer too lol! XOXO
Laura J. says
Very clever to layer some of the other makeovers in your staging Christy! Love them all, but my favorite is a tie between the metal shelf and the cherub shelf!!! They are so lovely. Such a sweet cherub face… keep it!!!
Christy says
Thank you, Laura! The shelves are a big hit today, and yes, that cherub face is so sweet that I’m trying really hard to keep that one ha ha! XOXO
Linda says
You have such an eye for smalls that I would miss. Love the lamp and frame! And that clock—what an inspiration with just the minimal addition of stripes. Love these!!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Linda! The clock surprised me the most! XOXO
Caye Cooper says
I think all the pieces are wonderful! However, if you twist my arm really hard, I’d have to pick the lamp and the picture frame as favorites. Great job! I love that you do a collection of smalls which keeps it interesting.
Christy says
Ha ha thank you, Caye! Can’t go wrong with Sea glass and gold…they are such a pretty combination for sure! I’m so glad you enjoy the smalls!! XOXO
Josee says
Your work is awesome!!!!!!!!!
Christy says
Aww I appreciate that so much, my friend! XOXO
Jackie C says
Oooooh such great smalls!! all of them are wonderful, but that lamp base was really unusual. I love it too.
Can’t wait to see what you do with that box next week. I see those a lot and usually pass them by b/c I don’t always like the design on them, yet thinking what great storage they would be. Why it never occurred to me to redo one, I’ll never know 🙄
Have a fabulous week Christy xoxo
Christy says
Thank you, Jackie! That was such a cool lamp…would have been nice to have a set of them! And you are not going to believe that box now…can’t wait to share it! See ya Thursday, my friend! XOXO
Cyndy Cook says
In case you think we’re getting bored with white paint, personally , I NEVER get tired of how clean and fresh it looks!❤️❤️❤️❤️
Christy says
Aww yay!! Thank you, Cyndy! I’ve really stepped outside the white box with color a lot more lately, but I always love a classic white!! XOXO
Cyndi says
These are all great! I love a good, fast, little project and these are ALL so much improved over their “befores.” So pretty! P.S. That is so bizarre about the candle wax inside the candle holder!
Christy says
Yes!! Fast and easy are the best and they still feel like big wins! So weird on the inside of that candle but glad I was able to fix it! Thank you, my friend! XOXO
olivia says
I loved all the makeovers. My favorite was the picture frame. It was just waiting for you to bring all the details to life. What a difference. Do you think the candlestick had broken pieces in it to give it weight? Or maybe that’s how the workers cleaned up their area!
Christy says
Thank you, Olivia! That frame had the prettiest details! And yes, probably! And I think they have to fill the cavity of the candlesticks with something, and that really does make sense since they probably have a lot of extra pieces of resin that would get thrown away anyway, but just funny to see it in there! XOXO
Catherine says
Candle holders are almost always my favorites…but the lamp and the frame turned out so beautifully too!
Question…what do you enjoy more…finding the items or repurposing the items?
Christy says
Thank you, Catherine! Great question! I of course enjoy the hunt, and that is probably my favorite, but the satisfaction of seeing a piece redone is so good too! XOXO
Lizzy says
There is something about the cherub shelf’s finish that is so nice! It’s gotta be how smooth and white it is. Love it.
Christy says
Funny…that little face looked so tired before, but it looks so sweet now! XOXO
Anita says
You always know just what to do, Christy! They are all so lovely. I really like the simple shade you chose to contrast with the more ornate lamp base. My favourite is the cherub. So sweet! All your pieces have such professional, quality finishes. That extra care and attention makes such a difference. Thanks, as always, for sharing.
Christy says
I really appreciate that, Anita, thank you!! I love the cherub shelf too. It was hard to leave that one behind at my booth! XOXO