Commonplace Beauty: Ceramic Garden Seat

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I go to my favorite thift shops often to browse through new offerings, hoping to find that diamond in the rough for a steal. I usually try to go with no expectations but I'm always excited when I find something I've been secretly hoping to find. I recently spied this garden seat that I was sure, due to the coloring, had been in some little old lady's home since 1973.

I almost said as much to the clerk at the store while I was haggling the price from $50 to $35. Thank goodness I held my tongue because the seat had actually belonged to her. She was not a little old lady. It would have been awkward. And I am not one of those socially adept people who are charming in awkward situations and cause everyone to easily laugh it off. NO, I start to sweat, tend to not finish my sentences and laugh inappropriately. It would not have gone well for my wallet. But with my foot feet safely on the ground, instead of in my mouth, I got my price. :-)

I was a little concerned about tackling this project because I'd never sprayed ceramic before. But my handy, dandy Zinsser primer assured me it could handle ceramic a-ok. I probably should have sanded it down to rough up the gloss. But I was impatient. I gave it two coats of the Zinsser. I didn't ignore my sanding responsibilities between any of the coats of primer, paint & gloss because I wanted a smooth, shiny surface. Some Zinsser, a can of Heirloom white, lots of annoying sanding in all those ~~stupid~~ sculptural holes and a whole can spray gloss and I have a pretty little side table that's just the right size to hold my espresso!