When in Doubt....Make it a Planter

Happy Monday!  I had the best weekend.  The spring weather just makes everything better :)

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this interesting object at my favorite shopping destination (Goodwill for those of you who are new around here!).....no clue what it was, but I bought it anyway.

It had some cool carving along the sides.....

...and some really pretty blonde wood on the bottom.  It's too bad this lighter wood wasn't on the top...I may not have painted it if that were the case.

Whatever this thing was...I thought it would be a cool planter, and a great opportunity to try out my new Country Chic Paint sample! 

I thought it was pretty cool that County Chic Paint let me try out their paint and wax for free.  I chose Elegance, which is reminiscent of a robin's egg blue, and gold wax in keeping with my Midas tendencies.

You know me and gold....we're besties.  

Can't stop. Won't stop.

Before I could paint though, I had to widen the long hole on the top of the object  in order to be able to fit plants in it.  I mostly leave the power tools to Mr. M. (although I'm slowly learning), but even I can operate the Dremmel MultiPro.

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I love that thing.  I used the sanding wheel to widen the opening to fit the roots of  the plants into the container, and then it was on to the paint!  

The best thing about Country Chic Paint is that it requires virtually no prep work. So I was able to skip the sanding and get right to the transformation.  Giving the planter two coats of paint was a snap, because the paint dries really quickly.  And once the paint was fully dry, I added a coat of gold wax, which brought a golden, shimmery finish to my planter. 

Then, I used my old trusty, Martha Steward Liquid Gilding and a small paintbrush to enhance the carvings, which turned out to be my favorite part of the whole project.

I added potting soil, some succulents, and a mini cactus that I bought at the drugstore (who knew??), as well as a few white rocks from the outside of our house to mask the soil and keep it in the container.  Since succulents and cacti require little water, I'm not too worried about water damaging the planter.  I just add a few ice chips to the top every weekend, which is when I water all of my plants, and it seems to be fine.

Right now, this little planter is bringing some life to our coffee table in the family room.  But the blue/gold combo will also look great in our living room, master bedroom, or hall bathroom.  

I see this thing moving around the house as inspiration strikes, and it's versatility has me quite pleased.

Anyone know what it was in the first place, anyway?!

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