Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Say Hello to My Leetle Friend.

You've seen and admired and adored this chrome pig bank from the sidebar of Cococozy (read the story of her pig here). It was created by New York artist Harry Allen. Something you may not know about me is that I have a fondness for pigs and wee beasties in general (remember my guinea pig which lived to be 9 years old?) dating back to my birthplace of DeKalb, Illinois, home of Barbed Wire and Cindy Crawford (that's a whole separate post just like Texas is a whole other country).

Gold pig bank; photo James Merrell via Cococozy

An illustration of my love of pigs: When I worked in creative for Marshall Field's advertising department, I wore a Heinhold pig racing watch. (I know, how cool was I?)

Gold pig bank Elle Decor March 2010; Nate Berkus decor; photo by Mark Shaw

Now, to the point: I found this here ugly pig at Home Goods for $6.


I purchased this here chrome paint at the Farm & Fleet (actually, there is no Farm & Fleet here and I miss it so. I miss the sweet, slightly toxic smell of gasoline, fertilizer, Wrangler denim and new tires):


I sprayed that there pig like this here and voila:


Now you tell me that's not one handsome piece o' plasticized pork. It also only measures about 8 inches long and 4 1/2 inches high (whereas the original is quite large [18"Lx10"H] because it was cast using the remains of a naturally deceased* pig); perfect for my sideboard at the beach. Oh, and did I mention $6.50 + $4.50 for paint = $11.00 vs. $190.00 for Harry Allen pig bank. Now, mine's not a bank and I'm not trying to make a starving artist out of Harry, but you see my point...

*No pigs were harmed in the production of this post; however, some resin was wildly abused and spray painted into submission.

32 comments:

Nikki said...

Are you serious about the original pig cast? Wilburrr!

Yours turned out great! Kicking myself for not purchasing the little owl I saw the other day and doing the same thing. I'll never learn. Another appropriate title for this post would have been "squealing with delight" ;)

ModFruGal said...

Fab...my kind of budget diy!

Anonymous said...

That looks awesome! I like it even better than the Harry Allen one (and not just because of the low price tag). The Harry Allen piggy bank looks neat, I even considered buying it once but I knew whenever I looked at it that I'd be a bit creeped out about the whole dead pig casting so I decided to pass. Yours on the other hand = fab!

MFAMB said...

i did the same thing with a flying pig...only he is gold. and i love him. i think i got the original pig at pier 1??

Raina Cox said...

You're a DIY ninja goddess.

David said...

You ARE a DIY ninja goddess. Isn't spray paint just about the best thing ever.

COCOCOZY said...

This looks FANTASTIC!!! Love this transformation! Got me rethinking my pig...as it sits in my office staring at me as I type this. Hmmmm....

So adorable. I am sending this post to friends!

xo
Coco

House of Hummel said...

I like your pig so much better than the Harry Allen!

And not like you care, but I live in Elgin, IL and love the Dekalb Farm and Fleet.

La Dolfina said...

That's a fine looking pig!

hello gorgeous said...

I know, I've hidden my DIY talents all this time. I didn't realize anybody cared. :-)

And David, I really got the idea from your post on that pot/urn thing you did. I'm sorry I forgot to give you props. I'll make it up to you. Because now I just want to spray paint everything!

hello gorgeous said...

Thanks Coco!

Hummel: Take a whiff for me. Ha.

Marija said...

Your pig is adorable. I like the smaller scale, personally. And I should also add that your footnote made me laugh out loud. Marija

Jen of MadeByGirl said...

That is so AWESOME...im going to look for that one at home goods...! :))))Great job!

Pigtown*Design said...

YOu're amazing! I have a slightly larger pig... people seem to keep giving them to me, wonder why? it's a blah whitish colour, so i think that the chrome will be the solution!

The Bee Charmer said...

I never thought I'd say this, but your post has made me want to go to Home Goods and buy plastic pigs for MY house.

lucitebox said...

Where I'm from, they have Fleet Farm. I think Farm & Fleet is the same thing, but perhaps it was originally under one roof until rival siblings split to do their own/same thing in different states.

Anyway--I don't think I knew we had Farm & Fleet in IL. Mostly, I just want to say that I like your pig's paint job and Mmmmmm...new tire smell.

sketch42 said...

Wow... Turned out really cool....

Unknown said...

You really have the midas touch! The little piggy looks so great--

Unknown said...

Fan freakin tastic! I have admired that pricey pig for some time now...there is a cafe near here that has the most amazing food,AND several of them on display in silver and gold! Wondering if I can borrow your spray, I could then visit my neighbor's house and spray all her little pigs in chef's hats displayed all over her kitchen!

Anonymous said...

OMG, I LOVE pigs! I have my whole life. I think that's why I got Frenchies because they're like little piglets. Your little friend is adorable.

I'm having a gold mirror giveaway so please stop by if you're interested!

ashlina {the decorista} said...

so adorable. i love him :)

Splendid Willow said...

You are one creative lady! Wilbur has never looked better.

I have a bottle of silver paint in my garage. I have a strong feeling I will be walking around the house at night when the family is sleeping trying to figure out which cute animal needs a chic makeover!

Cyber hug,

Mon

home before dark said...

I love pigs, too. I especially like flying pigs. And I know exactly the heady smell you refer to. Smells like creation!

Pam Kersting said...

I have a friend who collects little piggies. Her last name is Porcelli, which happens to mean "little pig" in Italian (so I am told). I will have to keep my eyes out for a plastic little pig so that I can transform it for her as well. Very clever!

anita said...

i love it.
what a fantastic use of silver spray.

Kari said...

I was introduced to you through Splendid Willow, and I am grateful! You are so clever, I am adding your to my "blogroll" and I look forward to more learning more about you.

All the best,

Kari

Kari said...

I was introduced to you through Splendid Willow, and I am grateful! You are so clever, I am adding your to my "blogroll" and I look forward to more learning more about you.

All the best,

Kari

Hello Lover... said...

The fact that you are a. from illinois (also where I am from and live) and b. that you worked for marshall fields which i loved and miss dearly - makes me love you even more! You're new piece of pork isn't too bad either!

erin@designcrisis said...

Oh, I am so jealous! I love your shiny wee oinker.

Unknown said...

clever. off to homegoods now!

nelya said...

Girl, you done good. I was an admirer of the orginal, but your ingenuity wins out! Bravo!

Lexi said...

I love that little $200 pig + now I am definitely on the hunt for a cheap plastic pig to spray paint!
♡ Lexi
FASHION: Glitter & Pearls
WEDDINGS: Glitter Weddings

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