Hey there! Welcome to the last week of July. Which is just mind blowing. Housekeeping note: If you're a regular reader, you'll note that I missed a few days last week. For the remainder of the summer, I'm not going to promise a heavier blogging schedule. I hate to disappoint when I don't post, and there are a billion and one things happening that have made it tough. So I'm aiming for my three times per week schedule, and boy is there a lot to say!

So let's talk gold spray paint. I'm the first to note that spraying things gold is so trendy as to be almost cliche at this point, but I keep turning to it because it works. A quick spray of gold instantly elevates or updates a huge array of stuff. Case in point: the $1.38 pencil sharpener above that looks so chic by just spraying the axis gold, right? I love it. I spotted it months ago at the dollar store (the "Dollar" store around here connotes any kind of steep discount store) and thought it would make a lovely, and functional, addition to my desk. 

This more sort of classic gold color is so pretty, but I've also recently fallen hard for more of a burnished, aged look. This planter that I bought a while ago is just awesome. I found it at our local hardware store, and I thought it was a steal at about $13.

I just love the dark woven material, but I wanted to hang it inside, rather than outside, and I thought that the gold chain would make it a bit more formal. What do you think?

The sleeker gold color of the globe wouldn't have worked here, but this darker, more aged gold looks great with the rustic planter. And how gorgeous is this plant? Well, it died, so it doesn't matter. In, like, 48 hours. The empty planter still looks pretty good though!  And I like how it looks with the Ikea lamp I transformed with gold paint - acrylic, not spray - several months ago.

I used that same darker gold color to transform this wee elephant toothbrush holder into something a bit more high-class, and befitting of our bathroom makeover, which I'd describe as "global."

Big difference, right? And this is only the beginning. There are so many things that I own that are great, but could be better with a color change, gold or not. Last night I was actually contemplating spraying my knee board (the thing I kneel on to bathe the babes) so it'd blend better. Maybe a nice dove gray? Which I tell you to illustrate that gold spray paint is a gateway drug: It's so easy and feels so good that before you know it, you'll be roaming around your apartment looking for things you can alter.

But that's a good thing! Make things better - that's the goal, right? Have you transformed anything with cheap and easy spray paint?

There's a ton going on over here, organizationally, on the parent front, on the decor front -- stay tuned!