Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! We’re celebrating with Burger, Clara, each other, and a photography crew in our house for the third straight week. But there’s a twist today: we’re trying not to vomit! Poor Clara got sick the entire evening on Saturday and into the morning on Sunday and now it appears that John and I have the bug… but the show must go on! The good news is that we finished all of our secret projects so we just have to get the last 20 in the can by Friday and we’re done-zo. Oh yeah and we’re supposed to shoot some cover shots tomorrow (ahhhhhhhhhhhh) but we won’t think about that right now. So Happy V-day from our slightly green household to yours! Now let’s horse around a little…
I’ve started to realize that my little self-imposed “Dude, Get On That Already” challenge should probably just be called “So I’ve Been Hoarding Little Animal Friends And Now I Get To Spray Paint Them.” Here’s Exhibit A and Exhibit B. Although, in my defense I’ve apparently been hoarding other things like coat hooks and old light fixtures too, so it’s not like I have a spare room full of ceramic animals. Yet. But I did have these guys that we bought for $2.50 each almost exactly a year ago in Delaware in a whirlwind thrift-store-palooza. And then they sat in our playroom for 12 months. Poor guys.
But I had big plans for these little orange and black sponge painted horse heads from the start. First I gave them a few thin and even coats of primer (slippery ceramic things like this usually do best with some spray primer before any spray paint).
Here they are all primed up and steely gray:
But spring is in the air! So some happy yellow spray paint was just what the doctor ordered.
It took about five thin thin thin coats (more of a mist than a real coat of paint). You really want to just hold the can about 12″ away and keep your arm moving the whole time (there are more spray painting tips for ya right here). After a few days of letting them cure outside in the carport I brought those babies in and put them to work:
Yeehaw.
Who’s ready for warm weather and cherry blossoms and birds singing? This girl (points to self with yellow spray painted thumbs).
So that’s the story of two $2.50 thrift store book ends that sat in the playroom for a year collecting dust. One more thing off the ol’ list and out of that room. Hurrah! At this rate the room will be empty and ready for a big makeover in about three years. Haha. Kidding. But I still have a ways to go, which is why I love forcing myself to tackle one small thing we week. It’s do-able and not too overwhelming, but it definitely adds up to 4-5 little accomplishments each month along with some other big projects that we’re juggling (like zee book and zee kitchen). Did I just get French for a second? Anyway, the weirdest thing is that sometimes these little projects make me beam the most. How strange is that? It’s the little things.
What have you guys been up to? Are there any other Dude Get On That Already challengers who have tackled things that need to be cleaned/organized/painted/etc? Anyone else trying not to lose their lunch on V-day? Do tell.
Laurie says
Um, I just saw in your twitterfeed that BOB VILA referenced you guys. BOB VILA?!?! whoa dudes.
Love the horse heads too – great color.
YoungHouseLove says
Crazy town, right??
-John
Jessica says
love those little horsies! I have the exact same book ends… they aren’t ferociously orange sponge painted, but now I am considering painting the boring black to a more poppy spring color! it is magical what a little spray paint can do!
Carli says
Love this project Sherry! You’re house has such lovely neutral base to it. And now, with all these pops of color, it’s getting a personality all its own!! Looking great guys. Way to make a house YOUR home :)
Emily says
At Winners the other day I saw a big white ceramic owl and my first thought was “I should totally get that for Sherry”. My second thought was “But I shouldn’t be an enabler” and FINALLY my third thought was “Wait, I don’t even know her!” Oh internet! For v-day I’m doing the big house clean I’ve been putting off, and apparently shoveling snow.
Ericka says
So sorry you guys are sick:( Poor Clara. I hate it when my kids get a stomach bug – they’re so miserable and it spreads like wildfire, unfortunately. Get well soon!
Paula says
I am still struggling with my spray painting skills. I think the two places I may be running into trouble are: 1) Drying time. When you say “plenty of drying time” between coats – are we talking 10 minutes? 20? an hour? and 2) Arm movement. I think I either move my arm too fast or too slow and never hit the perfect in between. I vote for a spray painting how-to video with all the free time you are about to have =)
YoungHouseLove says
I’ll have to make a video for you for sure! Goodness knows I do it enough to remember to catch it on video someday! I just follow the can directions when it comes to between coats (sometimes it says apply next coat when first one is dry to the touch) which only takes a little while (20 mins?) when you apply it super thinly and evenly and you’re outside so it can cure up in the sun!
xo,
s
Cristina S. says
I had that bug 2 weeks ago! & ran my first half marathon 2 days later… Obviously, I lived, but I know how awful you guys feel right now “/ Feel better & keep hydrated :)
Cristina S. says
BTW I got the beau a white ceramic octopus for Vday :) $herdog style.
YoungHouseLove says
Sweet! Congrats!
-John
Alanna Fraase says
Super cute! I must find something like these for my new office shelves.
My “dude get on it already” task this month is going through all of our artwork, posters, and photos to get them hung up in different rooms, donated or sold (art / posters). Because between my husband and I, we have a lot!
Best of luck with your big task and hope you all make speedy recoveries!
Leila says
So sad you got the bug. Here in California everybody is catching it. I had with my husband and son ( he is 1 ). And I heard that a school in San Francisco had to shut down for 3 days because more than 100 kids were puking. I hope you feel better soon
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my. Now that’s a visual to make you feel better! :)
-John
Courtnet says
A couple weeks ago I picked up a yellow horse head at the antique mall, and yesterday I got a similar globe that I won off of eBay. You spying on me??! Ha! I love quirky things.. They make me smile!
Karen says
Love the painted horses! I just had to leave work because my 7 year old daughter got sick at school. Happy Valentine’s to us as well!
Katie @ Polka Dot Soup says
Okay, this is seriously the best spray-painted project ever! Thanks to you guys, I’ve been rocking the cheesy ceramics isle every time that I go to Value Village. Now that I’ve seen this spiffy horse heads, I’ll be doing double-time!
Karen says
As soon as I saw the horse heads I was like, “Ooooh! I wonder what color Sherry will paint them!” I even liked them in primer gray, but the yellow is perfect. I was wondering if they are very heavy and solid or hollow (as I haven’t had much success with bookends for all my books) Anyway, they turned out awesome!
Sorry you’re all sick. Last month my husband and 5 kids got that one, too. I didn’t because I’m not allowed to be sick. Is this Clara’s first illness? I don’t remember ever reading of her being sick before. Take care, and happy v-day!
YoungHouseLove says
They’re actually pretty solid! They hold up all of those big books on their own! And yes, it was poor Clara’s first all-night-long sickness. Poor girl! We’re so glad that in the morning she was back to her happy self, so we’re hoping we get over it pretty quickly too!
xo,
s
jessica says
Can’t wait to see YOUR book in between those bookends!
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhhhhhhh!
xo,
s
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
oohhh, I like those!!! I am a horse nut lol. And I really love the color yellow.
I scored one of my loves this weekend… I have been looking for this guy since I saw one in Marshal’s over the holidays (but didn’t buy ~ it was Christmas! I wasn’t supposed to be buying for me lol). But I found the closest thing and cheaper than I had seen online!
http://wherelovemeetslife.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/happy-valentines-day/
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
Oh and hope you guys feel better soon… :( being sick stinks!
YoungHouseLove says
Sweet!
xo,
s
threadbndr says
I can hardly wait till it warms up a bit (we had snow here yesterday with ice.)
I have a spray paint project – three vintage magazine holders. Currently they are the “Mad Men” style institutional steel grey (which would be cool except that it’s three different shades of grey and they are so banged up). I can’t decide if I want them ORB or black. I have GOT to choose a color plan and stick with it for my bookshelves and the associated storage.
John says
Very cool. Target has a nice horse head chess piece and large jacks that would look nice painted.
betsy says
I’m so sorry you are sick! I dread the stomach bug!
It’s probably too late, but there is a medicine that you can get (doctor has to prescribe it) that stops you from vomiting. Of course, the sickness finds other ways to manifest itself. But sometimes when you have little kids and obligations, you just cannot be vomiting! I hope you feel better soon!
And can you please take a week off when this three weeks is done!!! I worry about you guys! :-)
Giulia says
Ahhh, hope you feel better soon. We had a week of the same stomach bug up here in Canada – hubby first, son second, daughter third and me last. Not fun!
I’m liking the cheery yellow, nice to see a bit of Spring down south.
Lauryn says
So excited for you guys to be almost finished! And, cover photo?! So fun!! Love the bright yellow horse heads. Hope you feel better soon!!
Annie says
Two things: love the spraypainted ceramic animals. All of them! I need to hit up my neighborhood Old Time Pottery, which is like a cheaper, tackier Garden Ridge. It has so many hideous but cheap ceramic animals that I’m sure I’ll find something that will look good when it’s uniformly colored.
Also, I am amused by the “Decorate” book right next to “Undecorate”. Which should I do?!? I’ll have to look those up on Amazon.
Hope you all feel better! =(
YoungHouseLove says
Now we just have to collect “Redecorate” and our collection will be complete! (I don’t know if that’s a real book or not, but I figured there’s a good chance someone’s authored a book like that).
-John
Robin says
I love them! Look great there with the books and globe!
Kristin says
Clara must have met my nephew Sully in the southside recently! It’s awful, but it should end in a day or 2 [says the girl who stopped studying for the bar exam over New Year’s not to celebrate, but from this exact bug]. Feel better!
And I love the horses :)
Jessica G. says
Uh-oh… is it norovirus? It seems to be everywhere now, and DH and I had it last week. It’s absolutely awful, but at least it moves fast. Hope you recover very soon! Oh, and cute horses. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ugh, we think it is. Here’s hoping we come out alive by tomorrow!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
I had that pesky virus a couple weekends ago. Definitely no fun, but mine came and was gone in less than 7 hours probably! Hope you guys get through it quickly!
Pam the Goatherd says
Feel better soon! I think I’d rather have a broken arm or leg than have to deal with puking!!! I hope the bug leaves your house quickly.
A says
I rarely comment – usually only lurk, but I am so in love with the transformation on these! I have been dreaming of unique book ends for a while now (staring at my giant stack of books currently piled on a mud bench in our dining room). I am definitely going to keep my eyes open at thrift stores for some!
Brittany G. says
What brand/color is that yellow spray paint? I can’t find a good yellow at our local Lowes or Home Depot. It’s either “baby” light yellow or harsh almost neon yellow!
Love the horses, they turned out great!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s Rustoleum’s Sun Yellow. I think they have it at Michael’s?
xo
s
Katie Rose says
Your projects like this remind me to look beyond color when shopping! Sometimes I see stuff and think “Aww too bad they don’t make it in INSERT COLOR.” I got to get it in my head I can do it myself! Thank for the inspiration & feel better!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you’re welcome Katie Rose!
xo,
s
Corie says
Pow! Incredibly awesome! LOVE them.
Hope you all are feeling better soon!
Frances Bentley says
We are all home sick today with a stomach bug. Happy Valentine’s Day to us!! It must be a national epidemic.
Ashley says
Happy Valentines Day! My family is packing a u-haul and moving to Oregon tomorrow. Looking forward to decorating a new space and possibly seeing the two of you in Portland next week :) Do you know what day you will be presenting?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re there on the 22nd all day I think! So excited!
xo,
s
Rachael says
AWW! I hope you guys feel better soon!! I just want to say I’m jealous that you can let paint dry outside!! Here in Canada its like -5 Celcius right now!! No paint drying outside for at least another 2 or 3 months!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man, that’s cold! Sending warmer weather vibes your way!
xo,
s
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
What a crazy week! I hope you all get to feeling better! We are doing our final walk through tonight and then closing on our first house tomorrow!! So excited!!!
Debbie says
I am SOOOO with you guys! I am craving spring so bad. I think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder over here in Chicago. I think I need to paint something yellow…or pear green…sigh.
Carrie says
Get well soon Petersiks! Singing Elaine’s song from Seinfeld: “get well, get well soon, we want you to get well”
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Carrie!
xo,
s
Brenda says
Love the glossy yellow! I’m ready for spring too, I bought myself a new purse, a bright floral print Le Sportsac bag, in anticipation of spring but it feels a little out of place now, lol. Soon I guess.
RVA Born and Raised says
I am sorry to hear you all are ill. Just about all of my co-workers have it. I am the only one left without being plagued (knock on wood since tomorrow is my b’day and I am flying out to Seattle for a week). I hope you all get well, and that you don’t share the love this V Day with the camera crew!
Monica says
Those look great! You have inspired me to be always on the look-out for ceramic animals. I think when summer arrives I might start a “Dude, get on that craft project!” session.
Deanna says
Love them yellow!
All this cold weather is in need of some sunshine!
Todd says
You may have already seen these, or been told by someone else or own one of them already, but my wife and I thought of y’all when we saw a ceramic cat toilet brush holder/hider in Bed Bath & Beyond the other day. Couldn’t find the item on their site strangely, but did find a pic in a google search:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://staringdownforty.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/img-20110129-00027.jpg&imgrefurl=http://staringdown40.com/2011/01/&h=1944&w=2592&sz=796&tbnid=1FwbvfFNMpANPM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&zoom=1&docid=hzu382A6kkHDsM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=h4w6T4H5KujL0QGI2aGZCw&sqi=2&ved=0CJUBEPUBMAc&dur=3736
pretty funny we thought.
YoungHouseLove says
Hhahaha- so funny!
xo,
s
Anika says
I don’t normally like yellow accents but it works perfectly in your room (and I love the transformation from scary orange horse heads to stylist bookends!).
So sorry you guys feel sick! Hope you and Clara get better asap!
Briel K. says
Eek! Sorry to hear that you guys are feeling sick. Even through the internet I’m leaning as far away from you as I can. hehe I hope you feel better soon!
Love the yellow horsies! I have some horse book ends that aren’t quite the right color. This may inspire me to give them a little makeover. :)
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
Ya know, $her-dog and John – it’s OKAY for you guys to take a break. When you’re sick, you’re sick. Just take a day for yourselves to breathe/relax….you’re no use to anybody if you’re sick!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’re not allowed! The crew is here and shooting since the schedule is tight! But they’re being so sweet to us about letting us rest between shots. We just hope we don’t get them sick!
xo,
s
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
Oh, poo…..le sigh! Prolly shouldn’t have used the word ‘poo’, huh? FEEL THE EFF BETTER!!! Probably shouldn’t have used the “eff” word either. Just get better, all right? And don’t bring your crazy noro virus out to Portland next week! Hopefully I’ll be able to meet you guys then :-)
YoungHouseLove says
On it! We’ll keep our germs here on the East Coast. :)
-John
Courtney says
I was inspired by your “dude get that done” challenge and your rampant use of spray paint…And embarked on a lamp beautification project 1 have been hording! I bought the little beauty years ago at a thrift store and then used it as attic decoration! Here is a link to my finished project…it has inspired me to re-do the whole dining room…
http://www.businessblueprintsbrides.com/2012/02/diy-friday-lamp-beautification-project.html
YoungHouseLove says
Prettttty!
xo,
s
Bboss says
I was in Target the other day and saw a bunch of ceramic horse heads. I thought, “I’ll bet one of those appears on YHL sometime soon” Knowing your love of animal heads. Should have known you had some already. Unfortunately, when I saw them in the store, I could only thing of “The Godfather”. Sorry
Robyn says
If you ever need to get rid of those yellow horses, you can send them to me!
Reem says
I seriously love your “dude get on it” challenge. I too have been getting lots of little and big stuff done. I can also agree that the little things get me super excited, I tend to go back and take a peek at them for a good week and smile! It’s the little things….,
Wendy - Old Town Home says
Ugh, so sorry to hear about the flu bug in your house. No fun at all!
I’m totally with you on the one small thing each week concept. It really helps make the ‘ole to do list more manageable. (Love the bookends by the way. The yellow is fab!) We recently completed a makeover of our basement stairwell, thanks to a little nudge from Brooklyn Limestone. Since we don’t have a closet on our first floor, it also doubles as storage. We’re so glad to have the project finished and are loving the new organized space. http://www.oldtownhome.com/2012/2/9/Basement-Stairwell-Turned-Coat-Closet—Transforming-a-Tiny-Space-into-an-Effective-Storage-Solution/index.aspx
Feel better soon Sherry, John and Clara!
Patti says
I had a “Get on that already!” weekend myself. I did three outstanding projects:
1) Finally (after 7 months in my house) created an entryway with repurposed stuff from around the house: my 2×2 Expedit as the console, a cheapo lime green ceramic bowl from Anthropologie for my keys and change, a giant sea glass vase scored for $15 at Marshall’s, a few old frames/photos, a plant, two old thrifted and spraypainted mirrors, some old Target wall art, and some coat hooks from World Market. Yay for not losing my keys anymore! I suddenly wish I had a blog to post photos to – I love it!
2) Took a trip to the hardware store for proper mounting hardware for a large canvas I previously unsuccessfully hung on a brick wall. Lesson: do it right the first time, or do it twice.
3) Down-selected to a few potential paint colors. Now I just need to get back to the hardware store for sample pots! I’m so sick of living with a house full of toothpaste colored walls that feels like a model home. Ew.
YoungHouseLove says
Nice! You’ve been busy!
xo,
s