Last week I was at Dollar Tree and I spotted these two little birds. They were the only two I saw. I’m not sure what possessed me to pick them up and put them in my cart, because…well, let’s face it, they are hideous. They look cheap and ugly. Actually, they are quite photogenic, because they look worse in person than they do in this picture.
My original idea was to give them the look of stone, using gray primer spray paint and some dry-brushing with white and gray acrylics (similar to the technique I used on this finial).
That very afternoon I was just doing a little online browsing, and completely by accident, came across these at Ballard Designs.
My vision immediately changed, and I pulled out the bronze spray paint instead. After a good coat and a little dry-brushing with very light gray acrylic, my ugly ducklings became this.
Ballard’s sell for $25 for the pair. I think my $2 version is just as nice. Dollar Tree Works For Me! Visit We are THAT Family for more ideas.
I'm also linking up with Thrifty Decor Chick's Spray Paint party.
33 comments:
I love these little buddies. I can just picture some nestled in among my books.
I love decor on the cheap!
Oh my gosh...I think I am heading to the dollar store tomorrow. :) I never would have thought to paint something from there.
Great job! Nobody will guess they are from the dollar store. Cute!
Oh so cute! Great job. I recently saw a blog where someone had found some super scary dollar store bunnies and spray painted them white (like the ones in the Pottery Barn catalogue for a bunch of money) and they ended up quite stylish and adorable.
PS I think your pair are much cuter then the $25 ones :)
bronze birdies, i would have never thought of that but i love them! i love your blog! you have so many great ideas.
Holly, what a wonderful transformation! Love it!
Sheryl
Very cute little birds. I wouldn't have thought to paint something like this either.
Just discovered your blog today and love it! My favs so far are the scrabble tiles, the RL bag, and these birdies! I agree with Kirsty - yours are better than Ballards. Seems like their stuff is always overpriced.
I loooove the color and that is fantastic that Ballard had the exact same ones!! I love it!
How cute...I love your site...I've added it to my Reader.
Luv 'em, luv 'em, luv 'em!! Great find - great job!
I LOVE what you did with the birds, nicely done!
What a fantastic post! I love it! I'll have to keep my eye out for something with hidden potential!
I love this idea! I would have never thought of it on my own.
Great idea! That opens up a world of possibilities.
OMG! I love the idea of painting stuff from Dollar Tree. I often see things and think they'd be cute if it weren't for the horrific paint jobs.
Clever!
:)
Genius!
These are darling, they look really classy too!
They are cute!
Spray paint is wonderful! They certainly look a million times better! Very cute!
Manuela
Haha! I painted mine white. They really were ugly little guys before their makeover. I like them in a dark color.
I love birds! Yours are amazing! Great job.
Man, I was just at Dollar Tree! Looks like I'm going to have to head back over the bridge and see if I can find any treasures I can paint. Cute idea!
They turned out really cute! Chalk one up to Dollar Tree! Like Niki, I've seen lots of stuff that would be cute if it were not for the paint job. This is a great idea!
What a GREAT idea! Those birds just needed a fresh coat of paint! I want some for my porch!
I definitely like yours better! So so cute!
You are the second blogger I have seen use these exact same birds. Hers were white and I loved them, but I love yours too. Dang, now I'm going to have a hard time deciding which ones I should copy!
Too funny, I have those same birds waiting to be painted white. They look great bronze also.
Came here via the $5 challenge- your shelf looks great and these birds- they are fabulous! THey look better than Ballards!!
blessings
mary
I am in love with your ideas!!! How creative !!!! I am going to have to change how I look at things in the store from now on!!
Oh wow, these are beautiful! I would have never thought of that!
personally, I like yours better than the Ballard's
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