DIY Yellow Polka Dot Pitcher

Let me tell you a love story about me and a little vintage polka dot pitcher. I came across it browsing on Etsy one day and thought it would be the perfect thing to hold my paintbrushes and brighten up my studio. (And by studio, I mean the corner of my living room in the tiny apartment I had at the time.) Here's a photo below.

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So cute, right? You might be wondering why I didn't buy it right then and there. The price was too high for my meager budget, especially for something I didn't really need. I mean, I needed it, but I didn't need it, you know? So I kept it in my favorites and crushed on it almost everyday, secretly hoping the seller would have a sale or I'd find a few $20 bills I forgot I had in a coat pocket or something.

Then one day, a very large blog happened to do a post on this very shop and feature this very pitcher! What are the chances? I thought, "Oh no! It will be gone now." And sure enough, it had already sold by the time I clicked over. I was heartbroken.

So after looking for several months for a similar pitcher on Etsy, Ebay, Craigslist, thrift stores, people's garbage cans, with absolutely no luck, it occurred to me that I could try to make my own. And a DIY was born.

My goal was to find another vintage pitcher that I could paint and repurpose, but I could not find anything with a similar shape; everything was very round and short and not at all practical for holding paintbrushes. So my best alternative was to buy a new pitcher from a discount store. I happened to find this one at Marshalls for $9.99. The shape isn't exactly alike, but it's close, right? After that, all I needed was a can of yellow spray paint. It's a pretty self-explanatory DIY, but I documented the process anyway.

What you'll need:
- a white pitcher
- spray paint (I used Rust-oleum Painter's Touch Gloss in Sun Yellow)
- removable circle stickers (these can be price stickers, available anywhere; file color-coding stickers, available at most office supply stores; or what I used, washi tape stickers. Pick whichever size sticker best fits your pitcher.)
- ruler or measuring tape (a measuring tape is easier to use because it wraps around the pitcher)
- not pictured: a small brush and similar color acrylic paint or paint pen for touch-ups

I placed my stickers about 1 1/4" apart, center to center, but your spacing might vary depending on the size of your stickers and pitcher.

Here's a close-up, which is probably not necessary, but you can see the spacing a little better.

Take it outside and paint upside down. I painted 3 light coats because I wanted a really saturated yellow, but you could probably get away with only 2 coats. Follow the instructions for drying time on your paint can. After mine dried, I turned it right side up and sprayed just the top of the handle, which I missed when it was upside down.

After it's fully dry, peel your stickers off. It might be hard to tell in these photos, but some of my circle stickers didn't come off as cleanly as I'd like. I plan on going back and touching up a couple of the edges with some acrylic paint. It's not very noticeable, but if you are a perfectionist like me, you'll want to have a small paintbrush and some acrylic paint in the same color or a paint pen to do the same.

Note: if you are painting over metal or plastic, you might not have the same results. Spray paint can be finicky depending on the material you're covering, and you might need to use a primer first such as Kilz spray primer. My pitcher was ceramic, so I just sprayed right on it with no problems.

By the way, I haven't missed a day yet with NaBloPoMo! Although, I guess I shouldn't pat myself on the back just yet as we're only halfway through the month. :)