If at first you don't succeed...

fail, fail again.  **

I thought two cans of off white spray paint would be enough.  I’ve done a bit of spray painting in the past, and it generally works out alright.  After all, you just point and shoot.  Try to use moderately slow, even strokes.  Put a tarp down to catch stray spray.  Don’t get too close to the furniture in question.  And don’t overspray... light coats, drying in between applications.  See, I’ve got it down, right?

Two cans was not enough.  I tried to make it stretch, but alas, it remained sadly and definitively insufficient.  I figured I could do the drawers a different color and it would be even cuter.  But I was deficient by more than a little and couldn't even cover the backside adequately .  So I decided to look around and see what other spray paint I had.  Hmmmm.... tan.  OK, maybe I can do the desk tan instead of white and just keep the top of the writing surface white.  

I ran out of tan.  Plus, I hated it.  It was ugly.  

So what else is on hand?  Orange.  Blue.  Red.  Bronze....... we’ll skip the bronze.  I have the most blue, but I really don’t want it that dark... so next is red.  I can still have a cute desk if I make the drawers orange and the desk red.  Kind of bright and cheery.  The only thing better would be yellow.  I spray the drawers orange.  Kind of nice.  I move on to the desk.  

There is less red than I thought initially and what is worse, it is CHEAP spray paint.  I mean cheap.  The kind that takes two hands to hold the nozzle down.  The kind that makes your index finger hurt for days.  The kind that SPUTTERS and CHOKES out nice, LARGE DROPS OF RED PAINT in a blotchy PATCH!

Fine.  The whole thing is getting nice, red blotchy spots then.

Now, the clean white top just looks macabre.  So I’ll do a little light dusting of orange and....

At this point, I give up.  Lets just go hog wild.  Blue squirts here, orange showers there.... 

When it is finished, I end up with a very large, very 80’s looking desk.  (The only thing that would have made it an even better homage to the years I grew up in would be bright neon florescent pink, green and orange spray paint instead of the plain old simple brights I actually used.)

I’m thinking it’s a fail.  A pretty big one.  The good thing is it’s only going in my basement to be my brand new sewing desk.  I won’t show you the pitiful space I have been using, because I am too embarrassed.  Let’s just say ANYTHING would have been an improvement, even my 80’s monstrosity.  And hopefully now I can spread out, stretch, and sew without stooping over at an almost 90 degree angle.  I'm actually pretty excited for this desk!  (besides, I got it at St. Vinny's on their 1/2 price Monday, and we know how much I love that!)

It’s not perfect, but I think it’s almost better this way.  It’s a reminder that sometimes things don’t go the way I plan them to, but I have to make the best out of it.  

And if I really can’t stand it, I’ll haul it back outside this summer and coat it with white - four cans, to be safe.  

**Footnote: I almost didn’t post this one, because, really, this project is the epitome of embarrassing.  This shows just what a ridiculous novice I truly am.  But, Mr just laughed and told me I had to because it was the best depiction of what my blog is all about.  








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