Spray paint to the rescue

Thrift store shopping is always fun. I haven't had much luck finding furniture at the thrift stores around here, but I try to keep my eyes open for little pieces that would enhance my home. Recently I was excited to find a beautiful silverplated pitcher that I knew would make a lovely vase for flowers. It was covered in tarnish, but I was sure that a little Wright's silver cream would fix that in a matter of minutes. And for $1, I figured I couldn't go wrong.

Uh-oh. My Wright's silver cream worked like a charm, but this is what was hiding underneath the tarnish:

My darling pitcher was actually brass coated with a very thin plating of silver. Most of the tarnish came off with polishing--but so did most of the silverplate. Darn.

Then I remembered how well metal takes spray paint. So I grabbed a handy can of Rustoleum's Heirloom White (I always keep this on hand; doesn't everyone?) and went to town.

After I coated the pitcher thoroughly, I used some extra-fine grit sandpaper to distress the pitcher just a little:

And I ended up with a beautiful pitcher-vase:

Doesn't she look graceful? Right now she's holding some grocery-store lilies, but I'm really looking forward to stuffing her with my blue hydrangeas in the summertime.

If you have any old metal pieces that are beyond polishing or just don't appeal to you any more, try spray-painting them. Works like a charm!

--Linked to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land