This Little Piggy

Charlotte@Living Well on the Cheap  —  February 20, 2013 — 6 Comments

I was going through the furniture in our guest room recently as part of my new year’s resolution to declutter. It actually belongs to my sister (who inherited it from our grandmother) and there’s a bunch of her stuff in the drawers and cabinets from when we lived together several years ago. She came over and took what she wanted and told me I could toss the rest. I was cleaning out the chest at the foot of the bed when I came across this porcelain piggy bank.

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It gave me pause because we’ve got a penny problem in our house. I was just telling Nick we needed a piggy bank the other day, but of course something like this is not exactly my style. Then I remembered seeing this completely ridiculous piggy bank from Jonathan Adler. Do people seriously spend that much money on fun accessories?

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Feeling inspired, I took Little Miss Piggy outside for a spray tan. Which in this case was reversed because it actually made her paler. And by that I mean I sprayed her with a thin coat of primer.

Then I broke out this can of metallic silver spray paint I got at Lowe’s. I totally failed as a blogger here because I forgot to note the price, but I feel certain it was less than $10.

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After one coat this little piggy was looking only mildly pearlescent.

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But after maybe 3-4 quick, light coats she was looking pretty silvery. I’m no expert at spray painting and I did end up with a few drips, but my technique is basically to keep the can constantly moving about 6-8 inches away from the surface, and to take frequent 5-10 minute breaks to let each coat dry before coming back for more. I get a little inpatient sometimes and keep spraying instead of stopping to let it dry and that’s how I get drips. To get good coverage all over I just waited a little bit longer between the first couple of coats (so it was dry enough to handle) and flipped it upside down to spray the underside. The bottom doesn’t have to be perfect, so it only got two coats.

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I let it cure outside for a day before coming back with some of this stuff, left over from sealing the sign I made for Jack’s nursery.

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And now little miss piggy lives a glamorous life inside my house, collecting pennies and looking fancy.

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I haven’t actually found her a forever home just yet. I need someplace both convenient for Nick (the one who comes home bearing loose change) and prominent enough for me to enjoy her beauty. So she may be popping up in random spots around the house over the next few weeks.

The fun thing about this is that I could indulge in something completely ridiculous for so little money and hardly any time (I just went outside and applied a coat of paint every few minutes while washing dishes and doing laundry one weekend day when Nick was home to help with Jack). So if I’m so over the silver pig in a few months it’s no big deal-she was headed for the Goodwill anyway. Or maybe I’ll love her forever because we were meant to be together. Only time will tell!

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Charlotte@Living Well on the Cheap

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6 responses to This Little Piggy

  1. I love it, Charlotte!

  2. That pig is lookin’ good.

    I spray painted a kids rocking chair this summer and it was clear I needed better technique. It looks pretty hoopty.

    • Charlotte@Living Well on the Cheap February 21, 2013 at 8:28 am

      I have learned the hard way multiple times about spray painting furniture! It sucks! Now I only use spray paint on small stuff like this.

  3. Janet (Country Mouse) February 20, 2013 at 7:06 pm

    Was that pig from your Grandmother Sandy? I ask because it looks mildly familiar and I seem to remember seeing one in my Grandmother’s house. Grandmother Anne would be your Great Grandmother. Just wondering. Another thing, those sterling silver piggy banks were pretty popular in the 50s and 60s but they weren’t that expensive. They were a popular baby or baby shower gift and were sold in your Great Grandparents’ Store, Holland Your Jeweler or just Holland’s. Kind of interesting that you found one that looked like the kind sold at Holland’s. I like your painted version.

    • Charlotte@Living Well on the Cheap February 21, 2013 at 8:30 am

      I just asked my sister and she said my mom gave it to her, but she doesn’t think it came from Grandmother Anne’s. I’ll have to ask my mom when I see her today!

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