Young House Love

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A Giant Rooster In The Kitchen

Me.

Rooster1

I’ve actually been hiding this $12 HomeGoods find in our playroom for… oh… five months? So it was about time I attended to him. Yup, this guy’s part of the self-imposed initiative I like to call the “Dude Get On That Already” challenge, since I’ve solemnly vowed to use it or lose it (aka: use it or craigslist/donate it) when it comes to all the things we’ve been hoarding in our full-to-the-brim playroom.

At first glance you might think “he’s a fine looking roughly weathered white & tan rooster” (or “you need ceramic animal rehab” which could also be true) but I thought his distressed white finish was a little more country than my usual crisp & modern ceramic animal tastes, so I decided that giving him a coat of new color would be just the thing. And I wanted to pick a pretty daring color, just because… well, he’s a giant rooster. Don’t want him to take himself too seriously now do I? So after standing in the spray paint aisle for at least ten minutes weighing all the bold and bright options (and singing Jingle Bells to keep the bean entertained), I grabbed Rustoleum’s Painter’s Touch in Aubergine (satin). And I was plum excited to use it. Groan. Sorry, the puns just happen. It’s a gift and a curse.

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If I really wanted to be an overachiever, I would have used some spray primer (that always helps paint “grab on” when you’re spraying slippery things like ceramic) – but because the can said “two times the coverage” I figured I’d try my luck without it and just go back and add a layer of primer if things went haywire. Luckily they didn’t. I just did my usual thin misted coats routine (read more on that here). Check out how crazy things were looking at first. If you’re spray painting lightly and thinly, there’s not good coverage until the third or fourth coat, so the first one had him looking a little… hot pink:

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But after two more thin and even coats, coverage was good. And Jarvis was aubergine. Oh that’s his name. Everything with a face deserves a name, don’t you think?

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He looks pretty fun in front of the light avocado walls in the kitchen.

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Oh and in case the scale wasn’t clear until this photo, he’s giant. Like a foot and a half tall. Who doesn’t want a giant aubergine rooster named Jarvis waiting in the kitchen to greet you in the morning? Cock-a-doodle-do to you too, Jarvis.

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Although if I’m being honest, I’m not 100% sold on the color. It’s fun, but I’m not sure as the kitchen comes together if he won’t get a few more coats of another bright color someday. Say yellow… or slate blue. So I’ll keep you posted. Plum is fun, so who knows – it could totally stay.

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What do you guys collect and stash in a spare corner/room/closet only to look at it months later and feel crappy for just leaving it there? These “Dude Get On That Already” projects are small, but they’re making me feel pretty good for some reason. Maybe it’s the whole “every little bit helps” thing? Or the fact that we’re inching towards clearing out the playroom which means it’ll be a blank canvas for paint and curtains and a rug and furniture and accessories. Wheee. It’s almost like that dream when you find an extra room in your house. Except we’ve always known it was there and have been filling it with weird stuff instead of discovering a secret wall or staircase that leads to it. Am I the only one who has that dream?

Psst- Jarvis is second to none when it comes to giant roosters… except for Beyoncé. If you haven’t read the funniest post on the internet about her yet (salty language warning) check that out here.

Comments

  1. Megan I says

    We have that same rooster! I bought him on clearance thinking he’d live on our table during fall, but he has so much personality he lives here and there year-round. So proud. So much personality. :)

    Reply

  2. Maureen says

    Haha, $herdog, the only reason I know that is because I grew up in Columbia, SC. Gamecock fever down there. Also (don’t know if this has already been mentioned or not) did you get the name Jarvis from the singer Jarvis COCKER (*elbow nudge* get it)? Yeah, I couldn’t help myself.

    Reply

  3. Chaucea says

    Hmm… yeah, you *might* wanna change the color of Jarvis the Rooster.

    You really don’t wanna be known as the folks with the big purple cock on their kitchen counter, eh? ;-)

    Reply

  4. Tara G. says

    My Granny used to collect chickens/roosters. She was also involved in ceramics, so combine the two loves and you can imagine what her house looked like! She even had a giant rooster lamp- bigger than Jarvis- on the nightstand in the guest room…a tad creepy! :)

    Reply

  5. Kate says

    I always find that the easier the project, the longer it takes me to complete it! I have a bunch of old cd’s, outdoor chairs and a chest of drawers full of material waiting for many simple and quick projects.. our “guest room” looks more like a bomb shell!

    Reply

  9. lesli devito says

    OMG I lOVE that dream…lately when I have that dream, I tell myself…in the dream that “THIS TIME, it is not a dream!” and then I wake up, and I am so sad, like the sad you would be if you were a kid and did not get what you wanted for Christmas….what does that mean?Thanks John.

    Reply

  10. Jessica B says

    LOVE LOVE LOVE the Rooster. I found one at a thrift store- small one that I sprayed a Carolina blue- and it makes me happy. We live on a small farm with chickens, ducks, sheep and a goat- so it really fits us but is more chic in the home than the normal farmhouse decor. We have more of a cottage chic old farmhouse decor going on….I would love to get the giant metal chicken for our yard- kinda like a guard chicken hahaha

    Reply

  11. Katie says

    Right now I’m working on our playroom. I was wondering when it was on your to do list? Will it be soon? Should I hold out and wait for the wonderful goodies that you’re bound to show in conjunction with your playroom?

    Reply

  12. Paige says

    $herdog, you’re not the only one who names everything with a face! The dinosaur painting in my office is Melvin, and I used to have a ceramic unicorn named Gary. My car doesn’t “officially” have a face, but I named her Gladys anyway.

    I wonder if Jarvis and Beyonce could ever meet up at a blog conference or something. Imagine the pictures…

    Reply

  13. Katie says

    I adore him! He has this delightful air of self-importance. Jarvis suits him well. I imagine he struts about the kitchen at night (ok, a bit silly but oh well…he is a purple chicken…why not?).

    Reply

  14. Karyn says

    I collect sheer curtain panels. Because one day I will hang (Eric will hang) curtain rods and every room will have pretty, pretty sheer light.

    Reply

  16. pebbles says

    YAY for a MONK reference!

    i keep so much stationary stuff stashed around the house. ok, when i say around the house, i really mean my office. it’s cluttered with notebooks and notepads. whoops.

    Reply

  17. Jules says

    We name everything that comes into our house with a face…actually even some without faces, like my rose bush (Marlene) and my car (1993 Gold Camry…The Donald)
    I use the term “we” lightly as it is probably more me with the naming than my fiance!

    Reply

  18. Amy Knisely says

    We’re full of fail on our Dude Get on that Challenge, mostly because we just found out that our entire roof needs to be reshingled. The previous owners did it themselves and didn’t do it correctly, so the shingles are now sliding off the roof. The saddest part of it all is that the shingles are less than a year old and now need to be torn off and replaced.
    We’ve managed to patch the leaks for now are are keeping an eye on it until we can get a roofer in (many of them are backed up still from the flooding that happened last fall up here) but it looks like it will be a while before we can start on anything else.
    I have to say, it’s really hard dealing with the consequences of the previous owner’s mistakes and shortcuts. Is this something that you two have come across? If so, how do you deal with the frustration?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh, so sorry to hear that Amy! We’ve had the fortune that most of the things in our homes have been fine structurally and functionally, so we haven’t had to deal with too much – and we kinda rolled with what we had to deal with because we knew we had bought a “fixer upper.” I’m not sure there’s much advice to offer to cure the frustration, except to just remind yourself that it’s all part of the gamble of home ownership (and think of all of the things that were left in good condition!)

      -John

  19. Mary says

    I haven’t had a chance to read through comments, so this may have already been mentioned, but I love how in the first spray painting picture it says “Ta-da!” on the box behind Jarvis. Totally appropriate.

    And I have to read the Beyonce story everytime I see it somewhere. And I pee myself laughing every time. And my husband still doesn’t get it. So last week when I bought new towels (I would use a new one every day if I could afford it – lottery dream) and he complained, I said, “At least I didn’t come home with a huge metal chicken.” And then again, the humor was lost on him.

    Reply

  22. Nadia says

    I have been inspired by you both and have gotten my “dude get on it” hat on and have managed to get in the door of our office/gym/playroom/storage for all things that don’t have a home! It has gotten so out of control scary full since having our third baby and shoving even more stuff in there to make room for her. So my goal is to start finding homes/selling/donating/finishing projects for everything in there…dreaming of a day when we have a useable room to decorate and *gasp* use! Thanks guys!

    Reply

  23. Laurie says

    I have been on the hunt for a white rooster for ages! I saw one at home goods, hesitated and lost :( And I am also on the hunt for a Beyonce of my own ;) Love the purple!

    Reply

  25. Amie says

    I was showing some friends something on your blog, I think it was your kitchen, and the man looked over and said “Ooh, I like how they decorate! See hunny, if you did that in our house, I’d be ok with it.” Little does he know, that’s already what I’m trying to do. My style is a bit more of a vintage take on yours, and it’s good to see that two folks with different styles can live together. Do you ever have arguments over what looks good? Over what is considered clutter? Does John ever doubt your spray-painting ways to make inanimate object look snazzy?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, I think for the most part we’ve hit our “groove” when it comes to knowing how much is too much clutter for John and he knows when to let me go crazy with spray paint when it comes to ceramic animals. It’s a give and take. Hahaha.

      xo,
      s

  28. Bethie says

    No way! I had that dream last night!! No joke!! I have it fairly often. Wonder why that is?
    Also, I like the rooster. Your spray paint fixes are always so inspiring!

    Reply

  32. Bethany says

    PLEASE don’t ever change the color! I think it looks perfect and everyone needs some bold splashes here and there and a 100 ft purple rooster is just the thing. Pardon me…plum rooster!

    Reply

  34. Julie says

    It looks great in your kitchen! Now I wish I would have recycled and painted my country rooster instead of selling him in the garage sale! Rats!

    Reply

  35. Vonda says

    I love Jarvis!
    AND, OMG I thought I was the only weirdo that dreams about finding new rooms in my house. I used to have it alot only it would be about finding whole other levels of the house. They are recurring too which is even weirder.

    Reply

  36. Jyl says

    I was kind’ve hoping you were going to name him Beyonce. And that, at least for one photo, you would have wrapped that left over lamp chain around his neck to bring out his inner Jersey. That’s okay though, you’re busy. I’ll just play Rooster dress up in my head ;) (Jarvis is a fantastic name, I’m just feeling weird today)

    Reply

  39. Melissa says

    Love love love the plum rooster. i have actually been storing future project in our “den/storageroom” that i need to get on. I have 3 music notes that are meant to hang on the wall that are plain black = boring. but i just cant decide what colour to paint them. But now i an thinking maybe plum.

    Reply

  40. Lisa says

    Thanks for the reminder that there is no rule that things have to remain the color that they currently are! I wouldn’t have initially thought of painting the rooster, much less painted him the beautiful plum that you chose.

    Reply

  41. anglophile.ash says

    Perhaps instead of Beyonce (although I do like Solange as the “little sister”), it should be Jay-Z, since it’s the rooster! Or maybe Jarvis is the more formal version of Jay-Z? :P

    Super cute pop of color! I can NEVER decide when I’m in the spray-paint aisle! SO MANY OPTIONS! I’m certain I’ll eventually have them all, like collectibles…

    Reply

  42. Jeni Sandberg says

    You are not alone–I have a giant chicken in my kitchen. He is vintage and multi-colored plastic. He is technically for sale in my Etsy shop, but I love him so he is hanging in my kitchen. I’m hoping he remains unsold for a good long while.

    And I recently drove past Beyonce! She is magnificent.

    Reply

  43. HG Insider says

    Hi Sherry, we may be a bit biased but we’re fans of giant roosters AND bold color. So hey – he’s pretty perfect to us. Thanks for the shout out! Your friends at HomeGoods

    Reply

  44. Makes Me Blush says

    I need ceramic animal rehab, too! I’ve got a rhino (my newest score!), an elephant, a dog, a cat, an owl, and a parrot. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I just listed everything right here… wow. I’ve got issues.

    Reply

  46. Lindsy says

    The French do the rooster. Are you French? “A rooster still yells when knee deep in shit!” Rooster represents the French.
    I like it.
    Cheers

    Reply

  48. Amanda L. says

    OMG! My mother has a two foot tall rooster that she spray painted gold. When I asked her what the heck she was thinking, she replied…

    “Every woman needs a golden cock!”

    My brain is still burning.

    Reply

  50. megan says

    Can I just say that you guys are AMAZING! my husband passes by me looking at YHL and says, “man, they do something everyday.” Just thought you should know. Annnd! Where did you get that cutting board? thnx

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks! Smooches to your hubby. From me, not John (that’s weird, wait, I don’t want to kiss your husband either). Forget I said anything. Haha. As for the cutting board, it’s from HomeGoods about two years ago?

      xo,
      s

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