My First Can ‘O Spray Paint

I have been coveting this bench and its metallic bins in my Serena & Lily catalogue for months.

Now, the bins are not so expensive ($28 apiece), but the bench clocks in at nearly $1000 and I really don’t have a great home for it in my entryway.

When I opened the latest Martha Stewart Living Magazine, I was similarly smitten with these metallic baskets and accessories.

  

Photos by Johnny Miller, Martha Stewart Living Magazine

So, what do you know? I went through an entire can of spray paint this weekend. And, yes, it was my very first can of spray paint.

I used Martha’s recommendation: Krylon Premium Metallic Spray, in Sterling Silver, $4.75, www.michaels.com. It’s quite bright (think aluminum foil) but looks just right, especially when mixed with bits of wood.

I started with a set of these simple baskets from Michaels.

I liked seeing the rattan handles on Martha’s pieces, so I taped off the handles.

Then I sprayed. Or, I should say, we sprayed. Enlist five-year-old helpers ONLY if you have Lava soap on hand. Adults spray with their pointer finger and can keep their hands relatively clean. My helper sprays with his thumb, situating the rest of his hand to quickly resemble the Tin Man’s.

He was wearing pants earlier, but I said he couldn’t paint in them.

Voila.

And, tucked in my new office, on the Serena & Lily rug, which unlike the bench & baskets, I just couldn’t resist.