Reader project: a creative Christmas with PlastiKote spray paint

3rd December 20194th December 2019 SPIadmin

We’ve had great fun – and been inspired – looking at the creative ideas that our Instagram followers have come up with for Christmas using PlastiKote spray paint. We thought we’d share a couple of our favourites here on our blog.

Let’s start with Anna @makinghomematter. She says:

“I am currently fixing up our home with a rustic farmhouse style and I share all my home decor and DIY inspiration. My aim is to inspire people to make a house a home on a budget which involves lots of fun, creative projects.

I made these from reclaimed wood and finished with Vintage White Chalk spray paint. These houses make up a winter village on my open shelving in the kitchen.

I always look out for unique pieces in charity shops that I could put my own stamp on. Originally red, this candelabra was a great find and the spray paint covered in one coat.

I spray painted three bottles white, distressed one with fine sandpaper and printed letters on the others.

I found a very cheap decoration in silver, took it to pieces, spray painted the bells and added cord to create single white baubles for my white and copper themed Christmas tree. The wicker star was another charity shop find.”

We love the rustic look of all Anna’s projects. Using PlastiKote Chalk Vintage White paint has allowed her to achieve that lovely ultra matt finish.

Sian, who can be found on Instagram at insideno.46, lives with her partner and two children. She says:

“I am always looking for ways to improve our home decor, whether this is buying new furniture or making little discoveries at a car boot sale. On my Instagram page, there are lots of posts showing the transformation of items I’ve either already owned or I’ve bought secondhand that have not matched my colour scheme – I’ve been able to do this using PlastiKote spray paint.

My most recent festive upcycle has been two candle stick holders that were purchased at a car boot fair. Originally, the candle sticks were a dark wooden colour but with just two coats of paint, they are now bright white. I have added these into a garland on my mantlepiece.

I’ve been looking for a tree topper but was unable to find one I liked. I found some Halloween twigs on sale and had the idea to use these and some of my spare baubles to make my own. The twigs were a natural brown colour and the baubles were red but both finished really well with a couple coats of PlastiKote and now that they’re dry, they have made the perfect addition to the tree.”

Sian’s mantlepiece in classic white and silver looks very pretty but we love her wacky family Christmas tree. Bet her children love it too!

We featured Mrs_Roobottom_Home from Instagram in our September blog and she had already started on her Christmas decorations. In case you missed it, here’s her pretty pine cone dec.

christmas dec

The satin bow adds that je ne sais quoi to a simple sprayed cone!

If you have spray paint projects you’d like to share with us, email info@spraypaintideas.co.uk. If we feature them on our blog, we’ll send you some spray paints as a thank you.

For more information and inspiration from PlastiKote, follow us on Instagram here.

Mini makes: last minute decs with PlastiKote spray paint

3rd December 2019 SPIadmin

There’s so much to do in the run up to Christmas that time seems to run away and before long, the big day is looming. You may think you don’t have time to add some homemade touches to your Christmas display but with a can of PlastiKote spray paint, you can quickly and easily make place names and last-minute decorations.

Simple place names can be made using a can of PlastiKote Fast Dry Enamel spray paint in a metallic or colour of your choice – spray apples, pears or cones and add a handwritten tag.

If you prefer a more subtle look, a single ivy leaf sprayed white with a luggage label attached looks super stylish. Or, for a bit of bling, this copper-sprayed sycamore leaf looks fab on a plain white plate. Just use a marker to write the name on.

A good excuse for a pre-Christmas tipple! Spray clean, empty bottles with Metallics or festive colours – use as vases for fresh foliage or do as we have and spray dried seed heads to fill them.

Fruit and nuts look stunning when sprayed with a metallic colour – Gold Leaf was used for this collection. Displayed in a glass bowl, they make a lovely centrepiece – just don’t try eating them!

Candlesticks are a staple of any Christmas decoration and a mismatched selection like these can be brought together as a cohesive group with a coat of PlastiKote spray paint in a colour to match your theme. Gloss White and Brushed Nickel were used here.

All of these projects can be achieved in less than an hour, so no excuses! Enjoy being creative and add your own homemade decs to this year’s display.

Our top tip for this time of year is to make sure the ambient temperature is over 10 degrees. Spray paint doesn’t like the cold!

If you’ve used spray paint to update your Christmas decs this year or to make new ones, we’d love to see them. Tag us #plastikoteuk on Instagram @plastikoteuk

For product information, visit the website www.plastikote.co.uk.

PlastiKote Christmas 7 - Fast Dry Enamel Flat White or Twist & Spray White Matt

How to: dream of a White Christmas with PlastiKote spray paint

5th November 2019 SPIadmin

Reuse and recycle for an eco-friendly Christmas this year with a little help from PlastiKote spray paints.

Christmas is traditionally a time of excess and we all love to buy an extra decoration or two to add to our collection but to avoid spending out on more plastic ornaments, we’ve come up with a few ideas for making your own decorations on a limited budget and as environmentally-friendly as possible.

Use PlastiKote Chalk spray paint in Vintage White to create a White Christmas theme to your decorations. Chalk spray paint is water-based with 90% less solvents than conventional spray paint and therefore much kinder to the environment. So, go for a brisk walk in the countryside to collect pine cones, leaves, ivy, twigs and you’ll be set to create your own winter wonderland.

Create a mini Christmas tree using either a potted tree or twigs.

If you buy a growing tree and it’s in a plastic pot, spray the pot as well. Put a black sack over the tree and tuck in around the trunk while you spray the pot. Whilst the pot is drying, spray lengths of ivy, building the colour in fine layers. When both are dry, remove the black sack and drape the ivy around the tree. Add a string of fairy lights for a bit of sparkle.

Equally easy to do is our twig tree decorated with sprayed pine cones. Screw small metal eyelets into the top of the cones to hang them. If you want a more natural look, lightly spritz the cones and twigs with white Chalk paint to give the effect of a light dusting of snow.

This pine cone wreath is quick and easy to make. Take an old willow wreath and spray paint with Chalk in Vintage White along with a selection of pine cones. Several layers of white have been applied to give this wreath a solid white colour but if you want a snow-dusted look, a light spritz will do. The thin, long cones were given a light coat of Fast Dry Enamel in Gold Leaf as a contrast to the white. When everything is thoroughly dry, use a hot glue gun to stick the cones to the wreath.

Large leaves make great place settings when sprayed. Either add a tag as shown or use a marker to write on the leaf.

One final thought regarding an eco-friendly Christmas…

There has been much discussion in recent years around having a real or artificial Christmas tree in the home. An artificial tree can be brought out year after year, making them a budget friendly option and saving a real tree from being chopped down. The over-riding argument AGAINST an artificial tree is very basic: they are made of plastic – usually from PVC, a plastic which is notoriously difficult to recycle because it requires specialist equipment. However, circumstance or, indeed preference, may mean you have an artificial tree. The advice if you do have one is to keep using it as long as possible. If it’s starting to look bedraggled or you want to change your Christmas colour scheme, spray paint it to ring the changes. This gold tree didn’t look right in its new home, so a couple of coats of PlastiKote Super spray paint in Black gave it a fab new look and it’s seen several Christmases since.

These are very easy ideas which hopefully have inspired you to have a go. We’d love to see your Christmas spray-painted makes – share your projects with us on Facebook or Instagram#plastikoteuk.

If you’re unsure about using spray paint, watch our vlogs for tips on spray painting and inspirational projects (look on the right-hand panel for the vlog category).

For more inspiration, check out our YouTube or Pinterest page.

Christmas baskets with PlastiKote spray paint

5th November 2019 SPIadmin

For a fabulous alternative Christmas stocking or some stylish Christmas storage, watch Francesca show you how easy it is to make these fun festive baskets using PlastiKote spray paints.

For inspiration on using PlastiKote spray paints and more ‘how to’ vlogs, subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

WIN: £50 Etsy gift voucher with PlastiKote spray paint

5th November 20195th November 2019 SPIadmin 5 Comments

Any time of year is perfect for getting creative with PlastiKote spray paint but Christmastime especially so. Forget garlands of plastic tinsel and shop-bought decorations – make your own with cones, leaves, twigs and fruit and a spritz of Metallic spray paint.

From place names to wreaths, there’s a whole host of decorations that can be made without breaking the bank. A can of Fast Dry Enamel in Gold Leaf, Chrome, Antique Gold, Rose Gold or Copper can be bought for around £4 and goes a long way. It’s quick and easy too!

Our top three Metallics from the Fast Dry Enamel range are Copper, Chrome and Gold Leaf. Which is your favourite?

comp - fave metallic

Like to win a £50 gift voucher to spend on Etsy? Then enter our competition. Tell us your favourite Metallic – A Copper, B Chrome or C Gold Leaf – by emailing your answer together with your name, address and phone number to competition@spraypaintideas.co.uk and put NOV COMP as the subject. We’ll pick one lucky winner at random after the closing date of 31st December. Good luck!

Entrants’ email addresses are added to our database to receive our monthly newsletter. If you wish to enter our competition but do not want to receive the monthly newsletter, please state NO MARKETING in your email.

Thank you to everyone who entered our September competition. Congratulations to Adrian from Blackpool who chose the wicker armchair sprayed in Black Plum as his favourite autumnal makeover. An Ikea gift card worth £50 is on its way.

For terms and conditions for the November competition, click here.

Want to know more about PlastiKote spray paint? Visit our website here for more information about the product or pop over to our Pinterest page for lots of inspirational projects.

Mini make: affordable autumn decs with PlastiKote spray paint

2nd October 201921st October 2019 SPIadmin

As a new season arrives, lifestyle magazines and blogs invite us to change our interiors to complement the time of year. If you’re looking for an affordable way to add some autumnal accents to your home, look no further than a pile of dried leaves and PlastiKote spray paint!

A metallic accent lifts any colour scheme and PlastiKote Fast Dry Enamel comes in Gold Leaf, Copper, Antique Gold, Silver (Chrome), Rose Gold and Brass. Available in 100ml cans, a little goes a long way and using (free) leaves means you won’t break the bank updating your decor.

Mini make 5

So, go for a brisk country walk and collect your leaves. We particularly like the large sycamore leaves. Dry them between a couple of heavy books to get them to lie flat. When ready to spray, prepare your spraying area with cardboard or newspaper and make sure the room is well-ventilated. Spray with your chosen metallic, using fine mists of paint to build the colour. These two images show the depth of colour and shine that is achieved with PlastiKote Metallic spray paints.

Mini make 1

The leaves can be used in all sorts of ways. Welcome your visitors with an autumnal wreath. Using Gold Leaf, Copper and Antique Gold, spray 6 large leaves and allow to dry. When thoroughly dry, hot glue to an old wicker wreath. Not just for Autumn, this could be used at Christmas too.

Mini make 6

Cascading sprayed leaves blu-tacked to a wall make an appealing display or they could be hung from a small branch to make a mobile of hanging leaves.

Mini make 4

A colourful garland using Copper and Orange Gloss is a cheerful addition to the home. Our top tip for attaching the leaves to the twine is to cut 15mm lengths of drinking straw and hot gluing to the back of each leaf. Then simply thread on to the twine.

Mini make 3

Looking for a quick and easy Halloween decoration? Use Fast Dry Enamel in White to spray some dried sycamore leaves and allow to dry. Their shape really lends itself to being transformed into spooky ghosts! Draw on a couple of black eyes and use washi tape to stick them on the window.

Mini make 2

Finally, what about place names? Perfect for any time of the year – great for Christmas! – choose large leaves to spray and, when dry, write on your guests’ names.

If you’ve used sprayed leaves for decoration, we’d love to see them. Tag us #plastikoteuk on Instagram @plastikoteuk

For product information, visit the website www.plastikote.co.uk.

Top tip: PlastiKote spray paint plus Ikea hack equals easy spray painting!

1st July 20191st July 2019 SPIadmin

If you use PlastiKote spray paint for painting small home accessories – vases, ornaments, jars and bottles, for example – this is a useful little hack.

Invest in an Ikea Snudda. At around £6, it’s a bargain and can make spray painting even easier and quicker to do. The Snudda is Ikea’s lazy susan, a wooden turntable that is so useful when spray painting small items. It means you don’t have to try and pick up your sprayed item to get to another side, possibly getting paint on your hands or spoiling your paint job – simply turn the table and the unpainted side comes to you!

top tip 1

Keep it clean! Rather than build up layers of paint on your turntable, cover the top with newspaper and using masking tape to secure it underneath. This will make it easy to remove when you’ve finished your project, ready to be recovered for the next.

top tip 2

2. Place the item to be sprayed in the middle of the turntable.

top tip 3

3. Start spraying using even strokes and building the colour by slowly rotating the turntable with your free hand.

top tip 4

4. Leave your project to dry and then apply a second fine layer if needed. Allow to thoroughly dry.

5. Finally, remove the newspaper and you’re ready for your next project!

Follow us on Instagram @plastikoteuk for more ideas and projects. And don’t forget to tag us if you make something using PlastiKote spray paint – we love seeing them #plastikoteuk.

For product information, visit the website www.plastikote.co.uk.

Reader project: Metallic changes with PlastiKote spray paint

4th January 20194th January 2019 SPIadmin

After the Christmas decorations have been put back in the attic, your house can feel a bit drab and uninspiring. An easy way to inject some colour or introduce a new accent into a colour scheme is to use PlastiKote spray paint.

Instagrammer Kaval, @1st_home_journey, has done just that, not because the house was drab – far from it – but because nothing was the right colour! Kaval explains:

“I recently purchased a property with my partner and needed to furnish the whole house. I kept finding furniture that was perfect but in the wrong colour! This happened repeatedly and I missed out on so many amazing pieces for the house because of it.

rp3

Whilst I was walking through The Range one day in search of wallpaper, I discovered PlastiKote! It was the copper coloured spray paint that initially caught my eye as I had been wanting a copper clock for a while.

rp4

Once I’d sprayed the clock from silver to copper so easily, I went on a bit of a spray painting frenzy and have ended up with four mirrors, two side tables and a clock that have all been sprayed from their original colour using PlastiKote!

rp1

Such a fantastic way to find amazing things for around the house when you know you can change the colour of them for less than a tenner!”

rp2

We’re delighted that Kaval has found PlastiKote spray paint and is a convert to the ease and affordability of recycling items around the home.

We really enjoy seeing the diverse mix of ideas and creations using PlastiKote spray paints. If you have a spray paint project you’d like to share with us, email info@spraypaintideas.co.uk. If we feature it on our blog, you’ll get some ‘thank you’ spray paints.

For more information and inspiration from PlastiKote, visit our website here.

How to: pimp your pine cones with PlastiKote spray paint

5th December 20185th December 2018 SPIadmin

Pine cones – they’re free, easy to find and make fabulous festive decorations with the help of PlastiKote spray paint. In their natural state, they complement a woodland-themed tree or table setting but a spritz of spray paint can make them a colourful and glittery addition to your Christmas décor.

cone placenames

A place name holder is not always the first thing you think of when planning your festive meals so this is a great idea for a last minute make. Simply spray cones to match your theme using PlastiKote Fast Dry Enamel spray paint. With many colours to choose from plus some stunning metallics and glitters, one can will be enough to do lots of cones. Go bold with colour or just spritz the tips with white spray paint and silver glitter to give a frosted appearance.

pine cone Chrsitmas tree

If you feel a little more ambitious, these mini cone trees are a cute decoration and could double as place name holders. The mini maché planters and gift box are from Hobbycraft.

pine cone tree

It’s a simple process to make hanging decorations from pine cones. Spray the cones, allow to dry and then screw small eyelets into the top of the cone. Hang on twigs and branches for an alternative Christmas tree – you could spray the twigs as well.

4b wreath after

An easy way to upcycle an old wreath is to spray it with a colour to suit your décor. Whilst it dries, spray some pine cones in the same colour or perhaps a metallic and when everything is dry, hot glue the cones to the wreath.

pastel cones

If your theme is pastels this Christmas, this may be the choice for you. These have been sprayed with PlastiKote Chalk spray paint. Add a layer of Translucent Glitter spray paint to pimp them up for the festive season.

It really is so easy to do. Just make sure the pines cones are dry before applying the spray paint of your choice and follow the instructions on the can. Simple!

Hopefully, we’ve inspired you to have a go. Share your ideas with us on Facebook or Instagram #plastikoteuk – we’d love to see them.

For more inspiration, check out our ideas on Pinterest page.

Vlog: upcycle an old wreath for Christmas with PlastiKote spray paint

5th December 20185th December 2018 SPIadmin