Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! We’re celebrating at home with Burger, Clara, each other, and a photography crew visiting our house for the third week in a row. There’s a bit of a twist this year: we’re all feeling under the weather. Clara was sick through Saturday night into Sunday morning and now John and I have caught the same bug. Still, the show must go on. The good news is that our secret projects are wrapped up, and we only have a few final shots to shoot by Friday. Oh — and there are cover shots scheduled for tomorrow, but we’ll worry about that later. From our slightly green household to yours: Happy Valentine’s Day. Now let’s get a little playful.

I’ve realized my “Dude, Get On That Already” challenge has practically turned into a habit of hoarding small animal figurines and then spray-painting them. Exhibit A and Exhibit B are prime examples. To be fair, I’ve been collecting other things too — coat hooks and old light fixtures among them — so it’s not exactly a room full of ceramic creatures yet. But I did find two little horse head bookends during a thrift-store spree in Delaware almost a year ago. They sat in the playroom for twelve months, patiently waiting for attention.

From the start I had a plan for those orange-and-black sponge-painted horse heads. The first step with slippery ceramic pieces like these is primer: thin, even coats of spray primer help paint adhere and produce a smoother finish. Once primed, they took on a steely-gray base that made a perfect canvas for the next step.

With spring in the air, I wanted something bright and cheerful. Yellow spray paint felt exactly right. Applying several very light, mist-like coats prevented drips and ensured even coverage. I kept the can about 12 inches away and kept my arm moving the whole time, which helped create a smooth, professional-looking surface. After a few days of curing in the carport, I brought them inside and put them to work as bookends on a shelf.

The result was a tiny burst of sunshine in the playroom: two thrift-store finds transformed into happy yellow accents. It took patience more than skill — thin coats, proper priming, and adequate curing time make all the difference when spray painting small decor pieces. These simple steps turn overlooked thrift-store treasures into cheerful, custom pieces that suit your space.

This little refresh is just one more item checked off my to-do list. At the rate I’m chipping away at small tasks, the room might be ready for a full makeover in a few years — I’m kidding, of course — but tackling one small project a week keeps things manageable and satisfying. Doing one thing regularly adds up: a handful of small wins each month, plus progress on larger efforts like the kitchen and our book-related projects. Sometimes the smallest transformations are the most rewarding.

So that’s the story of two $2.50 thrift-store bookends that sat around for a year. They’re now functional and fun, and one less thing is crowding our playroom. It’s a reminder that small projects, completed consistently, add up to real progress over time.

What have you been working on lately? Any fellow “Dude, Get On That Already” challengers making progress on cleaning, organizing, painting, or repurposing thrift-store finds? And, on a lighter note, anyone else trying to avoid getting sick on Valentine’s Day? I’d love to hear what small wins you’ve had — tell me about them.