Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Painting Vintage Finds: What Colors Would YOU choose?


I've been hard at work crafting and painting merchandise in the proverbial batcave these days. My business partner Rosaly painted the trio of owls above in colors she's found people gravitate towards. They turned out beautiful and they look gorgeous in her antique store booth at Southern Crossing!


These are the chalkware owls in their original colors; this type of item isn't as desirable as they used to be. Like I said in the last painting vintage post, sometimes when a vintage item won't sell, a coat of paint is what it needs to finally move off the shelves. I painted a large owl that wouldn't move white and it finally sold- and I have requests for more!


So here I am with a collection of cute critters waiting for paint. Should I paint them all white? Should I paint them in colors that match my brand or in colors I feel people will like?

What would you do? How do you feel about painting vintage items? Original or new colors? The debate continues!
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43 comments:

  1. I really like the look of single solid colors. I've painted a few items in my house. I think each animal deserves a unique color. You have to see which color speaks out to you

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    1. Ah, I see. Vintage whisperer. Close my eyes, be one with the item, meditate and see what color pops in my mind. I'll try this. Thanks, Birdie!

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  2. If you're looking to sell and move them off the shelves I say white and that light mint green color would be good colors to go with (that mint green color seems really hot right now). If your goal is to dress up your booth I say pick colors that match the overall feel of your brand. :) Have fun!

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    1. Thank you for the informed advise! :) I was thinking maybe some teal and aqua too? Who can hate those colors?

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  3. The new pantene color for spring is orange! But light gray is also popular now as well. I guess you can not make a mistake. If one does not sell in a couple weeks you can re-color it!
    Personally I like the eyes to be a different color. We spent a half hour last weekend debating to buy a gargoyle with grey eyes or gold.

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    1. Ah, I do like the idea of light gray- still a nice color to blend in with decor without being too sterile. Nice tidbit on the eye color too, hmm...more to consider!

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  4. I love seeing this, because I painted a very similar looking owl in mint green over the summer and I still smile when I look at him. I like the colors of your logo/sign, actually. Red and teal would look nice.

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  5. Add me to the white for selling side.

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  6. i always think this is a great idea and it always looks so cute! i did that to a plant pot and i love it.
    xo,
    cb

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    1. I read that as, "I did that to plant pot and I love it!" Haha. :) I shall be painting more and more vintage.

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  7. My vote is for the mint green color. I still have my white painted owl in my booth right now. I would paint more but I can't find any owls any more! During the fall I could pick them up everywhere but now they are no where to be found!

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    1. They're around, keep hunting! We've bought owls for cheap from other antique store vendors, too. :) A hint!

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  8. Go with a color! I'm loving what your friend did with hers and I could see these as a grouping in a whimsical child's room. Now i want to find my own ugly ceramic animals to paint!

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    1. I love staging "little kid" room vignettes. When we set up shop we'll have a whole section for that style. :)

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  9. Love owls. My personal go to colours are white (goes with any decor & any other colour in the home & any season) or green or blue (because again they work as nature neutrals). But hey... it is just paint... if a colour isn't selling you can always spray away again. Fun fun. If the white one sold quickly before it is bound to do so again (a bunch in white could draw someone to the entire grouping for an instant collection... white makes all those textures the focus). Now I feel the need to spray paint something... anything really.

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    1. Loving your feedback. I think I'm going to try a mint green and tealblue one and leave bigger pieces white. Hmmm... :)

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  10. I think I would go with white, grey, black. I really don't like any of the colored ones above. They remind me of the old air fresheners. LOL But hey that's just me and I tune in here to learn from you.

    Question is, is it working? Is is moving products off the shelves and what colors are prefered by today's customers?

    I think I am going to try it with some old cats I have laying about.

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    1. I like to do it for a product that won't move for months. I had an owl that wouldn't sell for months: painted it white and it sold in a couple of weeks.

      I like the white, grey, and black idea.

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  11. My vote is white. But that's just what would make my heart sing. I'm sure whichever color you choose will be someones favorite decor piece. :)

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  12. Go to the "ooops" section of a paint store and get whatever they have. You might be plesantly suprised and you'll get the paint for cheap.

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    1. I definitely need to try this to yield some interesting ideas. I wonder exactly how much cheaper these paints are...

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  14. Because I can just tell you are such a free, fun spirit, I am going to say, I really thought the little owl on the left was just cute the way it was. I know, party pooper. When I read some blogs, I just remember what Thumper's mom said and don't say anything, if I can't say anything nice, but I know you can handle this opinion. Of course, I get that if things aren't moving, a girl has to do what a girl has to do and painting is the way to go. I have a feeling that orange would be a wicked cool color to try, since that's the color of the year, right?

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    1. Oh, of course I can handle any opinion ;) Especially since my partner Rosaly painted these, not I.

      To update, she sold the one on the far left and one on the far right- whereas before the owls didn't move from the shop for months.

      Behold, the power of paint!

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