How to Refresh an Old, Too-Tarnished Silver Bowl

 I am one of those people who, every now and then, loves the look of a really tarnished piece of silver. This little footed bowl is a good example. I found it in a thrift store on the Upper East Side while living in Manhattan and - because of the huge amount of tarnish - brought it home for $1.50. The shop owner warned me that it couldnt' be cleaned. I loved the amazing colours of blue that the silver had turned on the outside of the bowl. The inside, unfortunately, had copper showing through and looked ugly. 

It's hard to get a picture of the beautiful patina on the outside, but it really has so many gorgeous shades of blue mixed in with the silver. I know silver is supposed to be nice & shiny, but this is beautiful in its own very imperfect way. 

Since I also loved the form (check out those little dainty feet) I thought this piece was worth working with. 

 Sadly, my iphone deleted the before pics (I had no real camera handy) but to makeover this little bowl and make it look like a modern piece with some cool patina rather than an old piece of too-tarnished junk I followed these super easy steps.

1. I gave the inside a very light sanding by hand.

2. Use painter's tape and newspaper to cover the part of the bowl you don't want sprayed (here, everything but the inside).
3. I used a spray primer for metal surfaces, then waited for it to dry (follow the spray can's instructions for how long you should wait)

4. Several light, even coats of spray paint (I picked Sea Breeze Blue). Then, wait for it to cure fully. I actually waited 5 days with it curing outside (well, in my parents' garage), but you don't have to wait that long. 

 And here is the bowl by itself. It kind of reminds me of a $1.50 version of this one that I have always loved. 

Love Jenny

xo

P.S. An important note: I am showing my bowl with some cute fruit (actually, not so cute -- really bruised fruit, but I positioned it so that the bruises aren't showing). In real life I do not use this for food. Something about spray-paint plus food screams danger to me, though I'm not totally sure if that's a well-founded fear and google revealed mixed results. Anyway, for me, this is the perfect catch-all for things like clothespins (to seal chip bags), rubber bands, and other kitchen odds and ends. It may also find a home as a holder of small office supplies (binder clips, etc) one day and as a Christmas ornament holder on our table in the near future :)