Guest Post - Simple and Colorful Dining

Today guest blogger Eva Stephen is stopping by The Junk House to share her tips for using lace and spray paint to create a simple and colorful dining experience.

Hello Junk House readers. I am Eva Stephen and many thanks to Sam for letting me be a part of her wonderful blog. Today I am sharing a very easy DIY - spray painting a dining set using lace to make your meal more pleasant and colorful. I hope you like it. I am looking forward to your opinions in the comments section. You may also see me at Facebook and can follow me at Twitter.

Here it goes:

Hosting friends for a home-cooked meal is a treat life affords hosts and guests alike. But oftentimes after arranging the schedule, cleaning the house, researching recipes, shopping, and preparing dinner, finally sitting down and enjoying the meal lacks the ambiance you envisioned. The good news is that lovely ambiance complimenting your hard work can be accented simply and elegantly with just a few colorful touches. No need to spend a fortune on dinner settings. I set out to craft a beautiful dinner set with your schedule and budget in mind. Join me!

The Goods

1 can spray paint - Color of your choice, I chose Deep Purple

2-8 30 x 42cm thick-ish paper – Must be big enough for a placemat

Lace strips/old clothing with lace elements – Both can be found at thrift stores/DIY shops

2-8 sets old silverware

2 candles/holders

Old wine bottle

2 pieces cardboard with straight edges

Sticks/masking tape

Old towel/newspapers to paint on

Optional

Old wallet

Envelopes and blank paper fitting inside, folded

Steps

1. First I’ll make the placemats to use on the dining table I recently bought. Lay the paper on a towel or newspapers on your table in a well-ventilated area. Spread your lace over the area you wish to decorate.

Place two straight cardboard edges on either side of your intended area to reduce excess spray. I experimented with a middle stripe as well as a criss-crossing pattern that required drying time in between stripes.

2. Spray evenly while holding down edges of the cardboard.

3. Carefully remove the cardboard edges and pull the lace off smoothly to leave the cleanest pattern possible.

4. Next lay out your silverware and create an edge with a sticker or cardboard. I decided to spray most of the handle for a smooth look. You can also use lace if your silverware lacks a pattern on the handle. Obviously, don’t spray the parts people will be putting in their mouths.

5. Now the candles are a bit tricky, and decoration is certainly open to your whim and fancy. I cut stickers lengthwise and wrapped them up the candles to create negative-space spirals. Be warned, let the paint dry thoroughly on the candles. It doesn’t adhere as well as other materials like glass, paper, etc. Leave plenty of sticker left at the top so you can hang the candles while they dry.  

6. I think the flower arrangements are even lovelier when placed in an old wine bottle as a vase. The homemade vase was enhanced even further when I wrapped a sticker at the top and sprayed the rest, creating a neat little window to see the contents of the vase and plenty of color for the table to boot! Just make sure the bottom is dry before setting it down on the table.

7. Now that you have all the elements for a gorgeous table setting decorated and ready to go, consider adding a few extra touches to other items lying around. I found an old wallet that certainly benefited from a lace enhancement:

I also fashioned some new stationary for sending letters to friends and family. I just lay the lace down on the edges of the envelopes/letters and let my heart guide me:

And voila, it’s just that easy to add a little extra color and elegance to your dinner table and everyday items. Enjoy!