My Old New Bike {DIY Project}

I've always been the girl who loves purple, so I honestly have no idea what possessed me to buy a pink bicycle way back when. Maybe the color reminded me of my daughters who were much younger then and spent a fair amount of time parading around in frilly dress-up frocks. Being quite exuberant and spirited girls, they also spent many fun-filled days climbing trees, hugging trees, digging in the dirt and making mud pies, so why wasn't I inspired to choose a lovely shade of earthy brown or leafy green instead of pink?!

Whatever the reason may be, when the winter clouds started clearing and the days started warming, my thoughts started straying to outdoor activities and I realized that I was actually dreading pulling my old bike out of the garage when spring finally arrived because I really wasn't loving the color anymore.

With no room in the budget for new wheels and our recent attempt to consume less, I decided to get a jump on things and bury the Barbie(-like color) and do it quick before bird chirping weather hit. I parked my old bike in the kitchen and rummaged through my scrap bin for something suitable to cover the pink that was now sparkling snarkily in the light of my makeshift workshop.

Three hours later I found myself sitting in a sticky pile of fabric strips looking at my half-pink, half-patched bike and wondered what the hell I was thinking! I'm not gonna' lie, that old thing was more of a challenge to makeover than I had anticipated. If the Mod Podge hadn't already started to dry I might have turned back at that point, but with no other option I kept at it despite all the snickering from my family who by now had become quite amused by my project. Yes, the idea of donating it to clown school upon completion was actually mentioned more than once.

It took about 6-8 hours, stretched over about 3 days to complete, but now that it's finished and no longer a source of amusement for my family, I'm actually pretty happy with my "new" bike. It's kind of awesome to give old things new life and the cost of the project was minimal because, with the exception of the special formulas of Mod Podge, I already had all of the supplies in my craft cupboard.

If you're feeling inspired, I created a step-by-step TUTORIAL to share some tips and show what supplies I used for this project. Enjoy!

***The fabric that I used to decoupage my bike was leftover from my bedroom / office makeover. It is a mix of Gypsy Paisleys, Lanterns and Stripes by Brother Sister Design Studio from Hobby Lobby. It's a little bit bohemian and a little bit funky! ***


Photos and text Copyright 2012 enslavedbyfaeries
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{Linked to the Brassy Apple's Make It Monday.}