I grew up in a home where my parents encouraged exploration and creativity. We had buckets of crayons, rolls of paper, paints, and anything a little girl could dream of to create art. My Dad was known to bring home odds and ends. He has a collection of old doors, windows, pieces of floors and random boards that he will one day use. He is pretty crafty and my Dad is always willing to help me with my projects. Big or small he is there taking it over and telling me to get out-of-the-way.

I inherited my Dad’s ability to see a diamond in the rough and the ability to turn someone’s trash into a treasure. The last weekend of every month is a wonderful time to live in Uptown. Hipsters move out and in the alley they leave their “trash” behind. I have been known to haul home all sorts of things. People in my neighborhood are used to it and they offer a hand when I want something that’s to heavy to carry. I’ve been know to trudge through garage sales and thrift stores looking for unique finds. In addition to dragging things home, I also rehab items that I all ready own. A fresh coat of paint can go a long long way.

My Ex-husband got the house and all of the furnishings in our divorce and I was left with basically nothing. I had to start from scratch. At the time I bought what I could afford and a few classic pieces. Over the years I have switched a lot of things out and repainted items that I loved. Take my bed, I paid $89 for the frame at IKEA and I love the design of it, just not the color. White was the only color choice and I lived with a white bed in a white room for 4 years. It became mundane and I knew I wanted to keep the bed, I just didn’t want the white staying.

The white had over stayed its welcome and I was ready for a change. I knew I wanted to paint the bed a shade of blue, I just didn’t know which one. To be honest there are way to many choices in the spray paint isle. Seaside blue spoke to me and I walked out with four cans. The manhuman graciously helped me out with my project and it took us about an hour to paint the bed. My bed is now the focal point of my bedroom and I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. Life is best lived in color.

My Bed is not the only thing that got a shade of color this summer. I bought a bird-cage candle holder thing at a thrift store last spring and of course it was white. I felt that the white was just to darn lame and I wanted to brighten it up. Mostly I had been scouring different shops looking for a unique side table that would compliment the lines of the cage, I came up empty-handed. That is until one day I was out walking the muppet like dog and there was the perfect table just sitting on the curb. I drug home that scratched up wobbly legged side table. Sure she was rough-looking, however I loved the lines and it was exactly what I had been looking for. It was the right sized and with help from my Dad we tightened the legs right up. I Chose golden squash for the bird-cage candle holder and cornflower blue for the table.

Speaking of my living room I have been on the search for the perfect coffee table for months and wouldn’t you know the perfect one was right behind my building. I came home on a rainy afternoon to find a scratched up coffee table with its glass intact propped next to the dumpster. The coffee table was to heavy for me to lift, so I ran through the building got the Prius and loaded it up. The coffee table was dark brown and that did not go with my decor, a little spray paint would make it fit right in. I decided to paint it the same color as the bird-cage candle holder. This way it would tie into the existing design of my living room. My Dad took over the painting, he always does. My mom and I came back from the beach to find the table half painted. Five cans of paint later and I had the perfect rehabbed coffee table for my living room.

Girl Meets Spray Paint is exactly what happened this summer. Why throw something out if you can simply grab a $4 can of spray paint and make it new again. We have become a throw away society, no one is resourceful anymore. If it’s scratched, dinged or if we do not like it, we throw it to the curb. One woman’s cast off will always be another woman’s treasure. Take a few moments, look around you and find that diamond in the rough that is waiting for you to make it shine. Trust me they are out there and it is extremely worth it. My shabby chic DIY furniture makes my apartment a home.