Poodles&Ponies: Can You Paint With All the Colors....

Of the Wind?

Because I can. Well, maybe not all the colors, but at least half of them.

Because I can. And I have junk in the trunk. Or at least I have junk and thanks to a great yard sale find I have a trunk!

It’s an old steamer trunk with metal fittings and leather straps all over the place. It’s old and musty and AMAZING!

So I ran out and bought primer. Immediately. Again with that patience thing… Good thing I’m in such an immediate gratification sport, amiright? On day 1, I primed it, painted over all the rusty corner pieces., dry cracked leather bits and icky brown canvas sides.

Due to my instant-gratificatio-itis and my love for one design genre, I found and used hammered copper Rustoleum spray paint that I had left over from a previous project. Since I had it, I spray painted the side and edges that were and odd mix of leather and metal pieces first thing. In hind sight, painting the canvas should have been first, followed by spray painting then finished by my corner pieces. But, hindsight being what it is, live and learn.

Also, I was just so excited to paint!

So, after spray painting the straps to give them all a uniform metal look, I ran to Sherwin Williams (during their summer sale! Yay savings!) and selected what I thought was a calm, decadent blue. You know, the navy nautical upper class look since I seem to be stuck in a steamy, punky rut.

You know.

But as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men… You know?

My blue, picked off of a one inch by one inch swatch was not Upper Class Calm. It’s steamy and punky and by the second coat, I loved it. So what that we’ll never fit into the high dollar AA Show Jumper barn where everyone wears the right clothes and has the best brands… but it works for someone with ridiculous sport ponies and dogs who wear jackets (though sometimes under duress).

I finished the trunk with shiny copper paint found for $2 at WalMart. I painted each and every little steel corner and edge piece. Oh, and the leather pieces on the top and front and the hinges. And clasps.

Who designs these things with so many little pieces to paint? Seriously. This was boarder line ridiculous. Even if I do love the aesthetic.

What do you think? Totally adorable, right? I was tempted to stand it upright and toss some saddle racks and bridle hooks into it, but then common sense prevailed. I need basic storage more than a fancy tack trunk. So I ModPodged the hell out of the inside lid with posters and pages from old issues of Dressage Today. Adorable!