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A Giant Rooster In The Kitchen

Me.

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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. Katy says

    Jarvis looks fab in plum! Over the summer, I bought a nearly identical “shabby white” rooster at Goodwill. I sprayed him robin’s egg blue and he watches over our family room. Gotta love the roosters! (Oh, and as often as you remind us to use “thin and even” coats, I still managed to over-spray, so Blue Rooster Dude is little drippy. Oh well!)

    Reply

  3. Johanna says

    $herdog (haha!!) I had a dream about this rooster last night… I was reading your blog late last night and I guess the Jarvis the rooster post just stuck with me….. It was the strangest thing and so funny at the same time…. I guess pregnancy hormones could also be to blame for the wacky dreams! :) thought you might get a kick out of that!

    Reply

  4. Leanne says

    I am so jealous of him! I am in the process of PLANNING the remodel of my kitchen… however i did inherit a supply of ceramic roosters and chickens from my grandmother’s previous “chicken theme” . They have lived in the far back cabinets for about 3 yrs. Last night i decided i would spray them flat black (my colors: green, grey & black) and put them in the area over my sink. I think they will look great but i need one more larger one…. Maybe i can find one in a thrift shop or tjmax… Jarvis makes me so excited to get started!!!

    Reply

    • Leanne says

      HOLD UP WAIT-A-MINUTE! these chickens aren’t cheap! they are $20-$30 on amazon… they may be a get rid of item! Maybe i shouldn’t paint them yet!!!

  5. Katie says

    Jarvis looks mighty fine in aubergine! My Grandma had a mini collection of ceramic roosters and when she moved, I was gifted a box of the birds. Still not sure where I’ll put them, but painting them might be the way to go.

    Psst! Have you seen the ceramic animals at Target? I saw a white horse head the other day and I was going to grab it for my bookshelf, but then I realized I already have…uh, two ceramic horses haha

    Reply

  6. Leah says

    Jarvis is adorable! However, I’m not sure if it’s the quality of the photo but I think the paint color hid some of Jarvis’ details that were visible when he was white. Maybe a lighter color that’s still fun, like turquoise perhaps?

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  9. Colleen P. says

    LOL-well I do actually have a rooster in my kitchen but he’s not aubergine or ceramic-he’s wooden and articulated so you can sit him up with his leg crossed over the opposite knee. His name is Rooster Cogburn (my dad is a John Wayne fan, what can I say?) Rooster Cogburn just seemed to work, you really can imagine him in a cowboy hat and boots…I move him around and pose him. We’ve bonded.

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  10. Jamie says

    I always dreamed of having a secret stairwell/room in my house, you are not alone. Then again, I also used to pretend that the Spice Girls lived down the street because we never saw the people who actually occupied that house!

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  11. Abby says

    I need to take a cue from you and get on it already. I’ve had a vintage slipper-esque chair in our basement for well over a year just waiting to be reupholstered. I even have the fabric already! Shame on me. I also have a cute ceramic horse head bookend that i scored at Goodwill that i need to choose a color for. I’m thinking orange :)

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  13. Angela says

    If anyone is near the TJ MAXX in Ellsworth Maine, I spotted a Jarvis clone there today. I think he was $19, not positive. I’d scoop him up but I spent my $$ on a pillow I’ve been lusting after since seeing it there just before Christmas. Then there were two, today only one and it was on clearance. Score! or insert a Sher-Dog catch phrase here. =)

    Reply

  16. Kim says

    Sherry – I totally have that dream too! Except in my last one, I had found like almost an entire new house we didn’t know we had – wahoo! If only…

    Love Jarvis by the way – whatever color you make him :)

    Reply

  17. Dara Jarvis says

    Ha Ha Ha! Had to do a double take when I saw my last name in this post. Just curious as to how you came up with his name Jarvis?

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  18. Karen says

    At first I wasn’t sure about the purple, but when I saw Jarvis against the kitchen walls, I was sold! Another poster mentioned silver and I think that would be great, too. And House of Leaves was a good book that would make both of you lose sleep…not that you have the time to read and you haven’t lost enough sleep already (haha).

    Reply

  20. Kristin F says

    I like Jarvis in the plum. But the real question is: has he met Sue the Napkin to determine if they will be compatible?

    Reply

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