I have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to spray paint, especially when I don’t want to spend any money on something new.  Long ago, I accepted the universal truth that paint in all forms is my very best friend.  It is the easiest way to change or reinvent an old thing, and make it something new PDQ. 

Case in point.  I’ve had a 5’ x 7’ outdoor rug for a few years, and the original border used to be deep red.  You’ll spy it in this porch scene and this one too from last year.  

I was over the dark red, and feeling something new, so I perused my spray paint collection and came up with a can of ‘Green Apple’ spray paint leftover from these painted pots, and my old rug was reborn. 

The last time I spray painted the border of this rug, I didn’t use primer, but this time, it was necessary.  I tried to straight up spray paint the border green, but it looked muddy on top of the red.  Primer to the rescue!  I taped off the edge, then rolled a quick coat of Kilz low odor mildew resistant primer.  When dry, I finished it off with RustOleum’s ‘Green Apple’ spray paint. 

Here’s another trick I use a lot with spray paint, I call it ‘The Cap Trick’.  It’s a very advanced concept, I’m a little nervous about sharing it, but here goes. 

If you ever spray paint something, and end up with spots that are uneven or areas that need touched up afterward, fear not.  Simply spray a small amount of the paint into the cap, then use a small paintbrush to touch up imperfections.  Hence the title: ‘The Cap Trick’.  Guaranteed to impress your friends at parties.   

I planned to do an entire grid pattern all over the rug with the paint, but then I got lazy and decided the outer stripe was enough, and went inside to read this Larsson sequel. I’m completely engrossed and it’s affecting both my patience with projects and the cleanliness of my house ~ funny how a great book does that to your life. 

DIY chalkboard pots mentioned here. 

How pretty are cosmos?  They seem to know it too, with the way they parade their petals in the sunshine.  How can you blame them. 

Then there’s blue delphinium, (or ‘larkspur’) standing tall and proud, practically shouting “Look at me!”  Delphiniums are showy perennials, but I love them for their sassy attitude.  If you treat them right (meaning give them water and don’t kill them with too much sun), they will bloom for you again and again, year after year. 

Now I know why Claude Monet said, “I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”

I’m just going to come right out and say it, I have some of the prettiest hydrangea plants on the block.  These plants are ten years old and oh so happy where they live.  Soft morning sun + evening shade = gorgeous blooms every year.   

People keep telling me to change their color to blue by adding aluminum to the soil, but I really like them pink, so I don’t listen.   

I find contentment in living with things just as they are.  

If something is beautiful as it is, don’t mess with it. 

If you want to change it, then do that.

Sometimes it just takes a simple stripe of paint to give you a fresh perspective. 

Want to hear more ideas for adding curb appeal to your home? 

I’m talking about just that today over at…

Stop by for Eight Weekend Projects for Your Home’s Exterior, and say hello! 

P.S.  Those outdoor pillows on the porch are two years old.  Medallion print pillows from OSH, apple green geometric from Tar-jay.  Wish I had a link for ya, sadly I don’t. 

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Tags: painted rug, porch

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 at and is filed under DIY, Garden, My Home, Outdoors, Spray Paint: My BFF. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.