Glow In The Dark Planters

"Buy a flower pot that you really like and use Rustoleum's Glow-in-the-dark paint to paint the pot. During the day, the paint will absorb the sunlight and at night the pots will glow." 

I'm completely convinced  that people who pin and share these things on Facebook have never actually tried glow-in-the-dark paint. The first thing wrong about this image is that well, it's not night. At all. The second is the amazing glow the pots are putting off, enough to even illuminate the grass. Glow-in-the-dark paint won't do that. 

You see these aren't just painted pots, they are LED-lighted pots. I've been trying to track down the direct source of  this image, but haven't been able to. However I have found enough variously similar planters to show you, like these from Konstsmide, a German light manufacture:

And just like in other various "Glow-in-the-Dark" pins, people don't seem to take in account that glow in the dark paint is very green/yellow. In fact there is a great review and write up about two different popular glow-in-the-dark paints at Observation Blog. Here is his 2 examples of the paints, which even with 8 hours of charge were barely glowing, surely nothing strong enough to light up the grass around it. 

So once again, put down the paint, people. Sadly this isn't even near what the original image is. And please let me know if anyone knows the source of the original image! I'd love to email the photographer or landscapers who did this and give due credit. 

Landry Basket to Make Polka Dot Walls

"polka dot walls! Make a stencil from an old laundry basket" 

Today's post is what I wouldn't call a bad idea, but that's just not what this is an image of. I too was tricked by this post as first, it's been making the rounds of pinterest for sometime now. But I got to thinking ... laundry baskets are made of fairly thick plastic, which would make for a pretty bad stencil. Anyone who has ever worked with stencils knows that the thinner the plastic, the better. It helps keep the stencil flush with the wall and prevents paint from dripping or leaving the boundaries of the stencil. A quick search later and I realized why that didn't seem right with me: it's not a stencil made from an old laundry basket at all. 

Over at The Lil House That Could, you'll find the original source of the image. It's not a laundry basket, just a traditionally made stencil. 

Polka Dot Closet : The Lil House That Could 

I'm all for turning everyday items into something else (the cut bottoms of celery make the prettiest rose pattern for stampings!) but when it comes to stencil work, thinner is better, so I'd set the laundry basket down and just use a traditional stencil.  

Good Idea Friday - Coloring Your Dresser Pulls

"Color plain dresser pulls with a sharpie and bake!" 

Faux Malachite Knobs : Tea and Lime

When I first saw these I thought for sure it was the good old switch-a-roo, like the spray painted light bulbs I wrote about. These don't look like sharpie covered knobs to me, instead they look like something you could get at Anthropologie for $22 a pop. So I was honestly surprised when I found the blog post about how to make them!

Over at Teal and Lime, Jackie wrote about how she wasn't happy with the pulls that came with a dresser she had bought. So she broke out a sharpie and started coloring them. After letting them dry she baked them at 350° for 30 minutes. They certainly are beautiful, but I was worried that with being knobs, the wear and tear would soon have the ink coming off. I sent her an email and asked how they were holding up. She replied that they were still holding up fairly well, a bit of the color was coming off but that it wasn't enough to bother her yet, plus touch ups won't be hard. Readers of her blog have suggested you could even do a quick lacquer coat with professional spray or even clear nail polish, which is something I would highly recommend if these are going to be used regularly. Another idea would be to use a ceramic marker (which was her original idea until she learned her marker had dried up). But all in all, I think this is a great idea for adding a pop of color to your home without spending a fortune on new pulls.

Glow In the Dark Walkway

"Line a pathway with rocks painted in glow in the dark paint. During the day they “charge” in the sun and in the evening they reflect the stored light. Rust-Oleum Glow in the Dark Brush-on Paint."

This is another example of a photo on pinterest with an idea that doesn't match up with the image. Those are not patio stones that are painted with glow in the dark paint. I've also seen the same image tagged with Glow Stones - a company that makes glow in the dark rocks. 

But how do I know this? Because that's not what glow in the dark paint would look like, first off. Glow in the dark paint often times comes in colors like yellow, green, or pink, and tend to be that of a neon nature. 

Here is an example of what the glow in the dark paint from Rust-Oleum looks like:

Glow in the dark bat : B-Movie Star

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That is awfully green and neon compared to the original image. You'd also have to make sure the pavers you are painting aren't treated with waterproofing, and since this paint isn't designed for outside use, you have to realize that with wear and tear and normal weather condition it will peel and chip over time.

So what about the other product this often times get tagged as on Pinterest - Glow Stones? Again, nope. Glow stones look to have the same bright colors as other glow in the dark paints do. Not only that, Glow Stones only come in pebble size rocks - not large flat walkway paver stones. They come in ether a blue or green, not that warm soft yellow that the walk way is glowing in.

So what COULD be the cause behind this great image? Photoshop or good lighting, It's as simple as that. Lets take a look at the image again. If you look at it, you will notice that there is a soft light not only on the walkway  but also reflected back onto the fence door and the vases by the fence. Also notice how the light of the walkway extends OUT from the stones themselves, as if there were simply a light source that was lighting the walk way from above? 

So there you go - this isn't glow in the dark paint or Glow Stones, but just a pretty picture of your average walkway that ether had a perfectly time photo taken or has been altered in photoshop. I've tried to find the source of this image, but haven't been able to track it down. It seems it's just been pasted around the internet being tagged as what to do with glow in the dark paint. 

But that OTHER image making the rounds of pinterest being tagged as glow stones? That is legit. In fact you can even find over at their website. 

Glow Stones Driveway : Glowstones.com

Update 10/2013 - This post has quickly became one of our MOST popular posts, and with out a doubt one of the most debated and talked about posts we've done. Good news - we were able to track down the artist thanks to a fan, and have updated news on this over at Posts Revisited. So we can all put to the rest finally how the image was made. (hint: it's really not glow in the dark paint)

Painted Coffee Beans

"Spray paint coffee beans and use them as vase filler...much cheaper than those marbles!" 

Sadly, that's not what this is a photo of. This is an actual product, but it's not designed as a vase filler. They are called Coffee Joulies, and are designed to maintain the perfect temperature of coffee. I know this because I am a total coffee addict, and have been dying to get a set myself  (but sadly I don't own any yet, so I can't report how well they work). They are made from recycled stainless steel and are, in fact, quite a good size - not tiny like real coffee beans. 

Coffee Joulies

But as the pin suggests: can you spray paint regular coffee beans to get a cool metallic vase filler? Eh, maybe. As I've reported before on our lace light bulb post, metallic spray paint never comes out looking like real metal, so if you're after slick metallic stainless steel looking coffee beans, keep looking. Spray paint won't get you that finish. Another issue that I can imagine coming up is what makes coffee so delightful in the first place: oil. Most whole beans will have a wonderful sheen on them from the oils in the bean, making your paint unwilling to stick well to it. Not to mention that it would be quite hard to get beans--tiny little coffee beans--coated evenly enough that they would look nice. All in all, if what you're going for is something like the original image from pinterest, this is just something I don't see working out as you might want it to.

DIY Nail Decals

"wrap a plastic sandwich baggie around a cd and secure. Paint hearts of varying sizes and colors making sure to use a lot of polish so it won't crack when you remove them later. Let dry for 6+ hours. Carefully remove hearts from plastic. Add to your nails using clear polish. Finish with a top coat to seal." 

Ok I will admit two things - first, I'm just as guilty as a lot of people for reopening this idea. It SOUNDS like it would work. Second, this is a bit different from my usual posts in that I don't have a lot of research or data to back this, nor is it all that bad. 

I spent 4 hours yesterday experimenting with this pin. I originally had just set out to do my nails, but as it failed time and time again I realized there was a post to be had with this. 

I started out with 2 forms to try this on - a plastic bag like the pin states, and wax paper. I figured I could try both and see which worked easier. The problem comes about when you look at how nail polish differs from other forms of paint - it's far thinner and binds differently than, say, craft or wall paint does. 

I had started out with 2 colors, done in 2 coats on wax paper. Attempting to peel it off just resulted in crinkled and torn paper. So I tried the plastic baggie. Again, no amount of picking at or scratching was getting the paint to peel off. So I added 2 more coats and let it dry and tried again. It wasn't budging. 2 more coats, letting that dry, and still nothing. I finally gave up and tried another trick that was posted on pinterest - painting your basic scotch tape with nail polish and using that as decals. At first it actually seemed to work - it was far easier to just cut the painted tape into the shapes I wanted (racing stripes, because I like my nails to look like they are going fast) but about an hour later, after being sealed with 4 top coats and a quick drying drops, the edges were starting to peel away from my nails. As I write this, the paint is actually flaking off the tape it's self, despite the top coat and all. 

Over at The Craft Patch though, she seemed to have had better luck than I did with this. Maybe the difference is thickly painted designs verses a large painted patch (I was planning on peeling it off, cutting in stripes, and laying them on my nails like that.)

So what do you think? Good idea or bad idea? Have any of my readers tried this before? Did it work better for you? Comment and let me know! 

Lace Light Bulbs

"Cover a standard light bulb with a dollies, spray paint with silver paint. Instantly dress up a light bulb!" 

How pretty are these? And with such simple instructions it seems like it would be a fun weekend project that would add instant class to your room. However... it's not true. At least that's not what this is an image of. These are actually lamps designed to look like light bulbs - they are metal, and cut to look like lace. Originally for sale at plumo.com but no longer listed or for sale. 

But CAN you take a light bulb, cover it with lace and spray paint it to get the same effect? Maybe. But you wouldn't want to use silver spray paint, because anyone who has tried to use 'metallic' spray paint can tell you - it never ever turns out looking metallic.

Looking glass on the left, Chrome on the right

Over at April Moffat Design she did a great write up on chrome spray paint vs looking glass spray paint. Price wise there is a big difference - one will cost you around $5 a can, the other one is in a much smaller can and costs over twice that much.  When looking at spray paint I know I'd be tempted to reach for the cheaper one.. but here's why you shouldn't.

Anyone who has played around with the looking glass spray paint knows just how awesome it can be, but also how fickle it is. Spray painting glass is very hard to do, which is why to use the looking glass paint they recommend you paint the INSIDE of the vase or jar. I've tried it myself and found that it rubs off very easily so keep that in mind when using it.

Another problem that could come up is that it is really hard to get lace or dollies to spray paint right. It's not impossible but it can be tricky. More times than not it can come out looked blurred, the lines smudged and the pattern lacking in areas. Taking in account that you are trying to spray paint glass and a very curved surface at that, you stand a good chance of messing this project up.

Another option that would be fun to try is to use a metallic pen designed to write on glass. It probably won't give you that true 'metal' look, but short of real metal its honestly hard to acquire such a look at home, especially on glass.