Paint it Black (or white, or green, or pink, or blue...)

I think we all know I love decorating. In fact, I just got my first paying gig to decorate, and I'm so excited! But getting your space in the shape you want can be expensive, especially if you have caviar taste on a Potted Meat Food Product budget. That's why spray paint should be your best friend.

I wanted a new lamp for the little table in the kitchen, but sometimes it's hard to just get rid of your perfectly functional old lamp. I bought this weird pirate monkey lamp at Kirkland's in 2000, and let's just say it's seen better days.

The finish is ick. But it's the right proportion for the space, and hey - I like monkeys. I decided to take a can of satin avocado spray paint to it to see if I could make it salvageable.

The key to making an item that you've spray painted look like it WASN'T spray painted is to do several light coats and let each dry completely (yes, just like the can says). You're reading the blog of the most impatient person on the planet, so I find this incredibly tedious, but trust me - I've done this the wrong way more times than I care to mention.

Also, if you have a large area to spray, pick up a spray paint gun somewhere like Lowe's for around $7. Your trigger finger will thank you profusely.

Here's what my last-decade monkey lamp looked like after a few coats of paint - it's still got monkey whimsey, just not the early-2000s finish.

So if you're walking through Hobby Lobby or Big Lots or your neighbor's yard sale and see a lamp that's the right size or shape, but the finish is off, grab it and find a color of spray paint you like. One more tip: Hobby Lobby and Michael's generally have more "decorator" spray paint colors than Lowe's or Wal-mart. Now go get painting!