Silver Coffee Beans

A few months ago, I saw this pin on my beloved Pinterest and really wanted to recreate silver coffee beans. Remember my coffee bean makeup brush holders? What can I say? I'm big on the bean! 

After doing a little more research - as in, clicking the picture and being redirected to the link - I noticed these beans were not decoration! They were used to keep drinks hot. Oh well...when inspiration strikes you have to go with it, right?

And I was off! I gathered my supplies and got to it. But, like many DIY projects, this was not seamless. I couldn't get the spray paint to stick! And at the time I didn't have a sophisticated studio like I do now. 

But, you, my beloved readers will benefit from my mistakes!  Good luck...

What you'll need:

1 bag of whole coffee beans*

2-3 small-ish cardboard boxes

1 can metallic spray paint (silver, gold, copper)

1 can polyurethane spray 

1 display vase

*refer to this coffee bean post for directions on where to buy, and this spray paint post for how to apply

Directions:

1. Distribute the coffee beans equally between the cardboard boxes

2. With a light hand, spray the beans from at least 10" away, being sure not to get too close as you want a thin coat, let dry at least 24 hours

3. Shake the cardboard box to loosen the beans and "flip" them (not all of them will flip at the same time, don't worry, you'll still get a good result)

4. Reapply spray paint to beans, in the same light and even way, let dry 24 hours**

5. When you are satisfied with your work, apply a clear gloss spray (polyurethane, or any other high gloss product), and follow directions on your spray to allow for appropriate drying time

6. Display in a clear glass vase or vessel of your choosing 

**At this point you should have beans that are painted on both sides, but if you have too many brown sides, keep shaking and reapplying until you have a satisfactory amount of metallic coverage. You might not be able to finish every single side of the beans, but they will still look wildly metallic! 

Here's where we started, after my first attempt.  Can you see some of the dark spots?  They drove me crazy:

Awaiting studio admission:

More spray paint:

And more still:

Our finished product -- We display our coffee beans in a short square vase on a side table in our living room. You may have seen them here or here or here or here or here. Needless to say, I'm thrilled with the result:

I did not follow these steps meticulously until my second attempt at this project, and because of that, the paint came off a little on my vase. For this reason, I'd suggest not using a vase of great value. 

Where do you think you would display your coffee beans? I'd love to hear from you if you try this project!

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf