a silly bit of decorating [DIY]

i have a thing for these types of food tins.

i like them as is and use them in the studio to hold pencils and other supplies.

sometimes when i'm working on a drawing i separate particular grouping of colors from all my supplies so that i know where they are. one tin can hold all the reds, or a series of colors for a specific piece.

they are also good for holding the little's markers and stuff. 

i decided to decorate 2 with some spray paint - just to jazz them up a bit. 

but i wanted to leave a bit of the silver. 

so first - wash your tins really good and if you left any sharp edges when you opened them file or sand them down so that no one will cut themselves. 

you also might have to spend a bit of time getting all the glue that held the label on [goo gone is good for this].

then take some painters tape and wrap it around the spots that you want to stay silver. be sure and press the tape down really well. especially along the edges that will meet the painted surface. 

spray spray spray the tins. i do it outside in the sun with some kraft paper as a base to keep my area clean. i ended up doing 3 coats with this liquitex paint. it doesn't cover quite as well as enamel spray paint, but it's matte finish is something i wanted. 

once the tins are completely dry peel the painter's tape off. 

voila. in use [on the little's vintage school house desk]. 

[so excited. next week we are off to art camp ! i'm sure i'll be posting photos on instagram. so excited to meet everyone and make some good stuff. and swim. and eat s'mores.]