pretty, pretty keys

<<< psst! you can see a full list of my diy projects here! >>>

[SNAPSHOT]

time : minutes

difficulty :  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  

hazards : eye-rolls at your pretty keys

would i do it again? : most definitely

when fish and i bought our house, we each received three keys, one of which opens the front door. as for the other two...we have no idea. but i keep all three on my ring just in case.

every time i come home, i stand on the front porch and fumble for a moment because i can't remember which of these three mystery keys opens the door.

they look very similar, don't they?

to avoid the daily confusion, i decided to paint my keys different colors. i was inspired by c mae at {a day in the life}, however i was fresh out of glitter (what??!) so i decided to use nail polish instead.

glittery nail polish.

i painted a lockbox key as well, hence the four polishes.

pretty, aren't they?

1 // 2 // 3 // 4
don't judge on 3 -- i liked the color.

first, clean the key with alcohol.

then, dab polish on the key:

first coat:

wait about five minutes -- let it semi-dry.

then apply another coat.

then repeat.

(that's three coats total.)

here's a side view (still wet):

let it dry and you're done!

no topcoat needed.

the others:

purple guy's a little bent out of shape...harhar...

my favorite:

the 99¢ polish, if you recall!

what i discovered:

i definitely preferred the chunkier glitters --

they sparkle more in the sun.

clear or coordinating coats looked best.

i don't really love the gold glitter in black basecoat on the key.

love it on my toes however...

wish i'd used boom boom pow or i love the nightlife...

oh well, next house...

(both can be found here)

update: nearly one year later, with daily use, the nail polish has not chipped or lost its luster on any of the keys at all! i would highly recommend this method to identify your keys. 

we still don't know what the two extra keys are for...

some of my other organizational coups:

   • shoebox bins turned craft storage

   • garbage-picked markerboard turned family calendar

   • jelly jars used for bathroom organization

   • scrap wood turned pencil organizer

   • scrap wood turned outgoing mail holder

   • chalkboard wall used for the grocery list

   • small mason jars used to store touch-up paint

   • clean/dirty dishwasher magnet

   • shoe holder turned medicine organizer

   • windowsill turned bookshelf

* mari

nope, you're not crazy. this post was reformatted in march 2013.