MAKING MY OWN LUCK(Y HORSESHOES)

As some of you may have seen from this post a few weeks ago, I am in love with color. Heck, I even get giddy about it! One of the things I featured in the color round-up were these 'Lucky Horseshoes'! They are so beautiful and the colors are über fantastic- I was inspired to make a few of my own...

Now, I am not against purchasing the 'Lucky Horseshoes', but for how many of the different colors I had my eye on, it was going to run me a real pretty penny... That being said, I needed to find a way to get these bad boys in my life! I wasn't going to hope and pray that Cast + Crew was going to send the 1 (or 4) horseshoes my way, so I got down to business, rolled up my sleeves, and did a little DIYing to make my own luck (get it!?!).

I am guessing there are a few ways that you could go about this DIY, but this was what I found to work for me...

SUPPLIES:
- horseshoes (I used these)
- acrylic paint (details on the colors I used below)
- spray sealant (I love this one, and use it regularly)
- horseshoe nails (I used these, but really, any skinny screw or nail will work for hanging)
- cardboard

INSTRUCTIONS:
1: Wash the horseshoe(s) really well so there is no "extras" on it- this step is especially important if you are using a "vintage"/used one- who knows what is stuck to that puppy! I laid mine outside and sprayed them with a hose and let them dry for about an hour- because they were unused, this did the trick of getting them clean. If you are using "used" ones, I would recommend a lot of soap and water along with a bristled brush to scrape off the extra stuff.

2: Once the horseshoe has been cleaned and completely dried, lay it on a surface you can paint on. I used a piece of cardboard. You can also use newspaper and prop it on something (like rolled cardboard)- that way when you paint, it would not stick to the surface of the newspaper (it is not very fun to pick off newspaper from the paint once it has dried- believe me on this one).

3: Paint your horseshoe with a light even coat of paint. If you paint too much, it will get globby (a very technical term), and unless this is the effect you are going for, it is difficult to paint over drippy paint, so let's just cover our butts.

after the first coat of paint

4: Once the paint has dried, you can either paint another coat until you get to the desired color you would like, or flip it over and repeat step 3 on the backside of the horseshoe.

I painted each horseshoe with 3 coats of paint- for lighter colors, it was necessary

5: Once the paint on the horseshoe has completely dried on both sides (I let mine sit for about 1 full day), spray a light coat of sealant over it and let that dry for about an hour. 

6: Now for the fun part- hang it up!

NOTE: you MUST hang the horseshoe upside down over a door, in order to catch and keep in the good luck!

PAINT COLORS I USED:
 (all paints are Martha Stewart crafts acrylic paints*)
        - Indigo                                - Party Streamer
        - Cloud                                 - Beetle Black
        - Wild Blueberry                   - Green Curry
        - Periwinkle                          - Gold or Dorado

What have you been making lately?

Do you need a little more luck in your life?

Are you thinking about making (or buying) a 'Lucky Horseshoe'?

*This is not a sponsored post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.