I've been eyeing beautiful drink dispensers for a while now in anticipation of hosting a garden party in our big backyard. Unfortunately, the ones that I like best are usually the most expensive.
I knew I wanted at least a couple of dispensers, but I couldn't really justify spending $50 or more each. I tried to find less expensive alternatives like these:
Unfortunately, by the time I added in shipping it was back to more than $50 per item. Some jars wouldn't even ship to me since I'm overseas. So, I did what any good DIY'er does and started thinking outside the box.
My goal was to scour local thrift stores for good deals. I also asked my friends to keep an eye out for me. My friend Karen won the prize by spotting this beauty at the gas station, of all places!
I love the cat, but the design on the dispenser left something to be desired. It's just a bit too country for my tastes. Who cares though when the price is just $11!
As the title of this post suggests, I came up with an easy upgrade for this guy. I pulled out my leftover chalkboard paint and simply painted over the existing design.
Doesn't it look so much more modern? It only took me around 15 minutes to paint the stripe; then, per the instructions on the jar of paint, I let it cure for 24 hours before baking it in the oven.
I was so excited that each dispenser was only $11 that I had Karen pick up three of them! Two had the ugly flower design and one was plain. I gave the two flower ones the same treatment, but I had something extra up my sleeve for the plain one.
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| Isn't this gorgeous? [source] |
I knew I wanted at least a couple of dispensers, but I couldn't really justify spending $50 or more each. I tried to find less expensive alternatives like these:
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| $39.95 from Sur la Table |
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| $26 from Crate and Barrel |
Unfortunately, by the time I added in shipping it was back to more than $50 per item. Some jars wouldn't even ship to me since I'm overseas. So, I did what any good DIY'er does and started thinking outside the box.
My goal was to scour local thrift stores for good deals. I also asked my friends to keep an eye out for me. My friend Karen won the prize by spotting this beauty at the gas station, of all places!
I love the cat, but the design on the dispenser left something to be desired. It's just a bit too country for my tastes. Who cares though when the price is just $11!
As the title of this post suggests, I came up with an easy upgrade for this guy. I pulled out my leftover chalkboard paint and simply painted over the existing design.
Doesn't it look so much more modern? It only took me around 15 minutes to paint the stripe; then, per the instructions on the jar of paint, I let it cure for 24 hours before baking it in the oven.
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| Bake at 300 °F for 35 minutes |
I was so excited that each dispenser was only $11 that I had Karen pick up three of them! Two had the ugly flower design and one was plain. I gave the two flower ones the same treatment, but I had something extra up my sleeve for the plain one.
I found some pretty, free labels online and adjusted the size using Microsoft Word. I'm fancy like that.
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| [source] |
I printed out the label on plain computer paper and taped it to my jug using double-sided tape. Then I just traced around the paper with my paintbrush, took the paper off and filled in the rest with paint.
I was having so much fun that I couldn't stop there! I grabbed a glass jar from my recycling bin and turned it into a fun water bottle.
And here they all are, just waiting to be filled with some delicious drinks. What do you think? I love this new chalkboard craze. Have you chalk-boarded anything lately?
I love the chalkboard paint, but as we determined, I definitely don't think the flower design is ugly. At least we're consistent :)
ReplyDeleteHa! We are so consistent!
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