What a Difference a Spray Makes!

In case you don't know me, my name is Kerry and I'm a thrift-aholic. Cheap, frugal, low budget, I call it various names, but the point is that if I can't do a decor project/makeover for less than $10, I'm probably not going to do it. Or, at least, I'm going to think REALLY hard about it (and probably obsess for a ridiculously long time). So, are you ready for a couple of super-cheap upgrades? Here goes!

The kitchen is NOT my favourite room of the house. I don't often cook, so it was fine with me that the house I bought has a very small kitchen. Some day soon I'd like to upgrade the appliances (they're very old and very ugly), but otherwise the kitchen can stay as is, because I don't spend much time in it. BUT, when I moved in, the room's only light (and air circulation!) source looked like this: (click to enlarge - I dare you.)


I personally can't recall ever seeing a nastier looking ceiling fan. The dirt can be easily remedied, but the damaged faux wood veneer and 'gold' accents? I'm not a 'fan' (pun intended). Enter my favourite inexpensive decorating tools, a couple of trusty cans of spray paint:


A little red and aluminum-coloured spray paint and the fan actually looks like it belongs! It now coordinates with my favourite fabric panel on the far wall (the colours of which, coincidentally, set the tone for the whole room). Not bad for a short term fix. I have a number of light fixtures that need to be upgraded, but at least now this one doesn't have to be first on the list!

Next up was a mirror for my bathroom. The wall in front of the sink is actually part of the sloped ceiling, so a traditional bathroom mirror or medicine cabinet wouldn't work. After a recent trip to Value Village, I came home with this beauty for a mere $4:


It wasn't perfect (a few chips, as pictured), but it would do. I like the simple, wide frame, and the fact that it's got a really slim profile - space is at a premium in the bathroom!

It might be tough to tell in this pic, but I painted it with some of the aluminum-coloured spray paint left over from the ceiling fan project. Et voila, my bathroom finally has a mirror!

So what do you think? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Has spray paint made a difference in your world, too?