Make Your Own Colorful Scissors

There are so many things that I make or little projects that I take on that I never turn into blog posts. Some projects (like this one) seem too simple, but I forget that sometimes the simple projects are the best! So if you know me at all, you know how much I love fun colorful craft and office supplies. I’m always on the hunt for colorful scissors or really interesting pens. However, sometimes it’s easier to make your own. Plus then you’ll be the only one who has them.

 

What you need:

1. Plain Scissors
2. White Spray Paint Plastic Primer
3. Colorful Spray Paint (Plutonium Paints are the BEST!!!)
4. Sealant
5. Painter’s Tape

Also, how cute is this graph paper notebook from Minted. They have the best designs and you can even personalize them. I especially love the graph paper because it’s perfect for me to use to sketch ideas.

 

Step 1: Get your scissors ready. What’s great is that you can makeover old scissors you already have. I just wouldn’t recommend doing this to scissors with a soft grip. Use painters tape to carefully tape off all of the metal parts. I found that this was easier with the scissors partly open.

Step 2: If your scissors are already a light color, you could skip this step, but I’ve found that primer helps the paint bond well to the plastic. Spray your scissors handles with a medium coat of plastic primer. You don’t want to spray too much paint so it starts to build up or anything. Let this coat fully dry before moving on.

Step 3: When your primer is fully dried, spray your scissors with a colorful coat of spray paint. I really do love Plutonium Paint. The quality is really superior to the spray paints you’d find at the hardware store and the color choices are beautiful. (If you want to create two toned scissors like I did, you can use a ziplock bag, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil to cover the side of the scissors you’re not painting. I wouldn’t recommend using tape on top of the primer.

Step 4: Flip over your scissors and spray the back. After this dries you may want to touch up any areas that don’t look fully covered. (If you’re doing the two-toned scissors, repeat the same process to the other side of the scissors after the first color has fully dried.)

Step 5: You could skip this last step, but I’m really obsessed with this sealant spray. I use it on projects all the time and it is amazing. It really keeps the paint from peeling. Fair warning: it really stinks when you first use it, but the smell completely goes away after about a day.

And you’re done! I made two toned scissors and some black and white paint splatter scissors, and you know I’ll be making some more colorful scissors soon.

 

Spray paint can be a little tricky, and in the past I’ve avoided it a lot because it never turned out like I had in mind. But after a lot of trial and error, I’ve learning some tips along the way I want to share with you.

1. Use a primer. It’s so easy to skip this step and it’s a pain to have to spray so many layers, but using a primer first makes a huge difference. It really does help other spray paint stick and adhere better.
2. Use matte spray paint. For a while I was only using glossy spray paint, and then I never understood why my project ended out being shiny and weird. Matte spray paint looks better (for most projects) and I’ve also found that it peels a lot less.
3. Use higher quality paints. I’ve started using Plutonium Paints and I honestly love them. There are also a handful of other brands of spray paint (maybe shop at your local art store) that are high quality as well. Also make sure that you’re getting the right kind of spray paint for your project.
4. Don’t spray too close to your project. Sometimes it’s frustrating when it takes a while to cover your surface with spray paint, and it feels like you’re wasting a lot of paint when you hold the can further away. However, when you get the can of spray paint too close to your surface, it tends to build up too much paint in one place that can drip.
5. Use a sealant. Sometimes Mod Podge might be the right answer, but I am obsessed with this Rustoleum Painter’s Touch 2x Matte. Since I’ve started using it to seal projects, I’ve had so much more success with spray paint. Plus it doesn’t leaves streaks or brushstrokes like Mod Podge does.

What about you – do you have any tips for spray painting?

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