Remember when we mentioned snagging these old iron keys for $8 in an antique store in West Virginia while visiting John’s grandma? Well I finally got around to painting them and hanging them in our hallway frame gallery (see how we made that here). Where did we squeeze them in? Well, see that card stock placeholder key? That was, well, just a placeholder.
I could have easily spray painted them for a quick makeover but since I love to use no-VOC paint whenever I can (especially since I have a huge gallon of white paint around at all times), I opted just to brush on a few coats by hand. It’s the same semi-gloss Olympic Premium No-VOC paint that I always use for trim and doors in off-the-shelf white if you’re wondering.
Then I decided that the spot on the wall with my card stock placeholder key might not accommodate that big ring of keys as well as three separate keys hung in a row, so I used some lady power and a hack saw to cut the iron ring and free each key to hang on its own.
After touching up some of the white paint for a pristine finish I waited for them to dry and used twine from our junk drawer to string up each one at varying heights for a balanced but not perfectly symmetrical result.
In the words of my imaginary BFF Bethenny Frankel (I know she’s not for everyone, but I love her), thar she blows:
I love glancing over at them through the wide doorway in the kitchen…
… and gazing at them as I walk from the front of the house to the back (or vice versa)…
So that’s the newest addition to the big hallway frame gallery. If only we could get our act together and start on the other side of the wall. You can see that in it’s planning stage – all covered in newspaper – here. And in this video, still covered with newspaper. Maybe tomorrow…
Wow, is this post really only 354 words? That might be a record for a chatty kathy like me. I kind of feel like a slacker. But what more can I say about the keys? Painted them, sawed them, twined them, hung them, took a bunch of photos, professed my love for said keys. The end. Wait, I know what this post needs. An on-the-subject haiku:
Little iron keys
I painted you white (surprise)
Wait, no one’s surprised.
Ok, now we’re over 400 words and there’s some poetry going on. Sherry out.
Paula/adhocmom says
April 13, 2011 at 8:52 amI love keys. I worry that they won’t exist someday soon. . very soon.
counselor mom says
April 13, 2011 at 8:54 amWow, they look great!! What an amazing transformation. So stylish!
Olivia says
April 13, 2011 at 8:56 amAs if I didn’t love your blog and you guys enough already, the Bethenny Frankel reference put me over the edge of obsession. I look forward to your updates everyday and you’re awesome!
Jenny says
April 13, 2011 at 10:39 amI second Olivia! Love Bethenny, love you guys!
Cherie says
April 13, 2011 at 11:22 amMe too! Love the keys and Bethenny!
Katie says
April 13, 2011 at 11:31 amRight there with y’all! Love this blog and Bethenny Frankel! She is the queen of one-liners.
Char says
April 13, 2011 at 12:19 pmI agree Olivia!
sarah says
April 13, 2011 at 12:49 pmhahaha! I love Bethenny Frankel- she’s my reality tv weakness
… and i love your little keys!
Elizabeth says
April 13, 2011 at 2:16 pmOlivia couldn’t have set it better. The Bethenny Frankel reference put me over the top!
katy says
April 13, 2011 at 8:29 pmI LOVE Bethenny!!! Best “housewife” ever!
Kait says
April 13, 2011 at 8:56 amThat haiku is priceless! I never knew you were such a poet!
Angela S. says
April 13, 2011 at 8:56 amSuper clever!! :) And, your haiku made me laugh! :) Have a great day Younghouser’s.
(PS) I got my goods from initial presents late last week! They rock!! Thanks again!
Kristin says
April 13, 2011 at 8:57 amLove the keys! Just wanted to state that I too dream of being BFF with Bethenny Frankel–you are not alone! :)
Nora says
April 13, 2011 at 9:24 amSuch a small world…I, too, am imaginary BFFs with Bethenny Frankel! Oh, and I love the keys ;)
Lynette says
April 13, 2011 at 10:16 amI just love old keys. My husband doesn’t see the point. Grrrrr.
Love Bethenny Frankel too! Never miss a show.
Sara says
April 13, 2011 at 10:33 amAm I only person who has no clue who this Bethany person is? Does she have a TV show of some kind? We’re too cheap to pay for cable so mabye she is on some show we don’t see on regular TV?
I love the keys though! They have such a pretty shape to them, very elegant.
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 10:40 amShe’s awesome! I recommend googling around for clips of her hilariousness.
xo,
s
RM says
April 13, 2011 at 10:42 amThis post and these comments have made me certain what I’ve recently started suspecting – that people either love or hate Bethenny but all the people who love her have imaginary BFF relationships with her :) Myself included.
Oh, and the keys are cute, but I mostly wanted to pipe in and relate to these other BFFs of Bethenny’s!
Alison says
April 13, 2011 at 10:54 amAgreed. Kind of love Bethenny. I can’t have the show on if my bf is in the room, but I don’t care- she’s great.
Cassie says
April 13, 2011 at 8:58 amKeys look great. And the impromptu haiku cracked me up. Keep up the good work!
tracie says
April 13, 2011 at 8:59 amHey, I love Bethanny, too! That’s a little fan club of two we have going on.
The keys look great.
Tash says
April 13, 2011 at 9:00 amLove that wall. Wish I had the patience to do something similar. Furthermore…I LOVE Bethenny Frankel. She is hilarious. An acquired taste for sure.
Amanda says
April 13, 2011 at 9:45 aminteresting. I dvr Bethenny religiously.
ALittleBite says
April 13, 2011 at 9:01 amI love them! The twine just makes them look even better.
reFresh reStyle says
April 13, 2011 at 9:01 amRusty old keys never looked better! You guys are such thrifty inspirations!
Thanks,
Debbie
Jen says
April 13, 2011 at 9:01 amThe keys are gorgeous and you are hilarious. Jen out. :-)
Laura says
April 13, 2011 at 9:01 amreally cute….and, omg who does not LOVE Bethenny???? I live for Monday nights. She is the most hilarious person on reality tv.
Sara Thom says
April 13, 2011 at 9:01 amLove the keys and Bethenny Frankel (love a woman that says is like it is)!
Clare says
April 13, 2011 at 9:02 amTheyre cute! I am a Bethenny Frankel fan too :-)
Ro says
April 13, 2011 at 9:02 amI love Bethenny. She’s my Bff in my head.. I’ll fight you for her.. then she can break it up and feed us! lol
LOVE IT.. its the little things that make an area feel so complete. It would make my heart flutter too!
xoxoxo
RO
Emily D. says
April 13, 2011 at 9:02 amI just love haiku’s
But not as much as this blog
Think I have derailed.
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:03 amHaha, the impromptu haiku of the day award goes to Emily.
xo,
s
Emily D. says
April 13, 2011 at 2:28 pmLol thanks, I’m honored :)
kimberly says
April 13, 2011 at 9:04 amBRAVO! i love a good haiku (and this one is goooood, by my standards). thanks for making my day :)
Stephanie Phillips says
April 13, 2011 at 9:05 amI know that you don’t drink coffee, but this entry smacks of over-caffeination! You got some giggles out of me- Thanks for the pick-me-up!
Care says
April 13, 2011 at 11:56 amHaha! That’s the first thing I thought too!
blog is the new black says
April 13, 2011 at 9:05 amLovin’ the key-s so fun!
Dawn says
April 13, 2011 at 9:06 amLove the keys, love the whole picture wall! Oh, and in my mind, Bethenny and Andy Cohen are my two best girlfriends. Love Bravo!
Erin C. says
April 13, 2011 at 9:07 amhahah I laughed out loud at your haiku… simply beautiful, and the keys look awesome!
Micha says
April 13, 2011 at 9:07 amVery nifty keys! And your gallery wall is inspiring – maybe, once we reach the decoration stage, I’ll dare try one in our little old house too :o)
Caity says
April 13, 2011 at 9:07 amI have a serious obsession with antique keys, and lucky for me, I live about 30 mins away from the “Antique capital of the Midwest.” So I scored an awesome key hanger that is shaped like an antique key, and the store owner threw in a bunch of antique keys with it! Haven’t found the perfect place for them yet, but painting them white kind of inspired me! So thanks!!
That hallway is amazing, and I’m totally drooling over those keys. :)
tanyad says
April 13, 2011 at 9:09 amSince Bethenny is my imaginary BFF, does that make you my friend by association? Must be since I refer to both of you on a first name basis…even my husband knows my friends Sherry (& John) and Bethenny!
Love the new addition to the wall!
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:14 amHaha, yup. It’s like the seven degrees of Kevin Bacon. Except with Bethenny.
xo,
s
Caity says
April 13, 2011 at 11:41 amHahaha, I talk about John and Sherry on a first-name basis to my husband, too. Let’s all be friends! lol :)
Erin Wolford says
April 13, 2011 at 9:11 amLovely gallery! The keys remind me of yogurt covered pretzels. :)
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
April 13, 2011 at 9:20 amI thought the same thing and I had to scroll through the comments before posting it… I knew there had to be another hungry person reading! :)
Jennifer Stuart says
April 13, 2011 at 12:45 pmI thought the same thing!
JennyB says
April 13, 2011 at 1:17 pmI thought they looked like yogurt covered pretzels, too!! Must be time for lunch:)
Jenny @ Bakography says
April 13, 2011 at 9:11 amI LOVE Bethenny… she is totally my imaginary BFF too! :)
Careyh says
April 13, 2011 at 9:12 amI just adore your hallway frame gallery! The keys look great there! Congratulations on that find! <3 you guys; Keep up the bloggy goodness!
lauren says
April 13, 2011 at 9:14 amI’ve been trying to do something similar for awhile… but I keep just looking on Ebay for the keys. So expensive!! Great job, Sherry!
Ted says
April 13, 2011 at 11:06 amYou can actually find some decent deals if you do a Google Shopping search for “Skeleton keys” like this one for $1.99
(http://houseofantiquehardware.com/Antique-Brass-Skeleton-Key-With-Triple-Notched-Bit?partner=froog&gdftrk=gdfV22090_a_7c472_a_7c1461_a_7cR_d_06LL_d_00869)
The catch of course is that basic S&H is something like $6.99.
Or this pair for $0.99 (but S&H is $7.99)
(http://www.bicwarehouse.com/skeleton-keys-87002.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Base)
If you get lucky and find them out antiquing, then you can get a better deal, but if you don’t want to wait until you find them, try some of these.
Nicole says
April 13, 2011 at 9:14 amLooove the painted keys. Looks awesome in the hallway!! By the way, i was in my local Home Goods, and i found your ceramic dog (greyhound)…she was sitting on the top shelf, and i immediately screamed “SHERRY!!!!!”. Probably everyone in the store thought i was crazy! I reached up to get the dog…and it’s exactly like yours, except a mini version. Marked only $14.99!!! I have 2 dogs, and knowing them, they might end up marking (AKA: PEEING) on this little guy, so i had to put it back down. :(
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:16 amHaha, I love it! The idea of someone somewhere shouting my name in the middle of a store makes me feel like Oprah. Haha. Seriously I’m floating.
xo,
s
Nicole says
April 13, 2011 at 9:51 amI even took a pic! I will email you it in a bit!! LOL.
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 10:05 amWahoo! Can’t wait to see! Post it on Facebook so we can all check it out!
xo,
s
Catharine says
April 13, 2011 at 9:15 amHaha Sherry you crack me up! I love how the wall has turned out, and you’ve inspired me to make one of my own! :) I love the idea of displaying your memories rather than keeping them cooped up in a box.
Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says
April 13, 2011 at 9:15 amThis reminds me of the skeleton key that I had to open our house in London. It was our real life for real door key. I still have it – should frame or something, like you’ve done.
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:17 amWow- that’s amazing! Definitely frame that for sure!
xo,
s
Gina says
April 13, 2011 at 9:16 amThose keys are to die for! And, I love the terrarium! You should check out the hanging ones that I found!
http://beatbeatheartbeat.com/2011/04/06/terrarium-love/
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:17 amThose are so cute! Love them.
xo,
s
greenbean says
April 13, 2011 at 9:16 amnow i want some pretzels
Arlene says
April 13, 2011 at 10:40 amSo glad I’m not the only one who thinks these look like yogurt-covered pretzels!!
shannon says
April 13, 2011 at 9:16 amthe keys look great and i just love that wall of pictures. and the fact that you love bethenny (as do i) makes me love y’all even more!
Bonnie says
April 13, 2011 at 9:16 amLove the keys! I admit, I had to google Bethenny Frankel to find out who she is. Boy am I out of touch :o) Thanks for the fun post.
Amber says
April 13, 2011 at 9:17 amLove it!
Dana says
April 13, 2011 at 9:17 amWell then, that must mean we are friends too. I’m always telling my hubby that Bethany and I are “friends in my head”. I picture us sitting around sipping on some Skinny Girl Margarita and discussing the awesomeness of motherhood. Sherry, you’ll have to join us next time!
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:17 amI’m so there.
xo,
s
Michelle says
April 13, 2011 at 9:17 amLove the keys. I am wondering if they would look even better on a white or maybe even a clear “invisible” string? This wall just captivates me, hopefully I will have a space in my home someday to make one like it – I am currently an apartment dweller but will be house shopping soon!
Paige says
April 13, 2011 at 9:18 amlove the keys!!! and the haiku.
Sarah says
April 13, 2011 at 9:19 amIs that a Dana Duncan Photography shot to the right of the keys? :)
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:30 amYes! Dana’s a buddy of ours! She took photos of John and Clara and me when the beanette was only 7 days old! It’s amazing to see how tiny she was. Just a little bird.
xo,
s
Cait @ Hernando House says
April 13, 2011 at 9:19 amThey look great!
karen @ our slo house says
April 13, 2011 at 9:19 amThey look great. I like them seperated from their key ring.
p.s. Love Betheny! (love her sense of humor…)
Kim says
April 13, 2011 at 9:19 amWhy does everything look better painted white? It’s like magic.
I also heart Bethenney (and Jason, and Bryn, and Gina and everyone else on that show). Maybe we can all be BFFs.
Brenna says
April 13, 2011 at 9:20 amOMG, I could not love you guys more. Nearly spit out my drink reading that haiku.
Lara says
April 13, 2011 at 9:22 amYour haiku is hilarious!
cristina s says
April 13, 2011 at 9:22 amadorable! btw what camera do you recommend/use? Your pictures are always great and I need to upgrade :)
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:27 amWe saved our pennies for a Nikon D3000 before Clara was born. So worth it! We got ours for around $450 on amazon.com. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
tk says
April 13, 2011 at 9:22 amOh I kind of loved the ring. It hurt my heart when I saw the pic after you hacked through it. They look cute all lined up on the wall though. Sans ring definately fits your style more. Have you though about hanging they by a pretty ribbon to pick up on some accent colors instead of the twine?
YoungHouseLove says
April 13, 2011 at 9:28 amI actually messed around with some turquoise ribbon but the twine fit into the whole white frame wall better- I wanted them to slip in there like fun details you have to “discover” – the colored ribbon was a bit too “everybody look at me!” – haha.
xo,
s
Carrie says
April 13, 2011 at 10:24 amIt made me sad that you cut through the ring too. The keys are super cute. Can’t imagine carrying them around with me as house keys back in the day!
Bella says
April 13, 2011 at 9:22 amI love that wall so much and what a lovely idea to hang skeleton keys, too bad that i can’t hang any pictures on my walls (except for canvases which are hung with double-sided tape x))
But once i finally get an apartment where i can hang stuff i will copy your idea except that i’ll probably use frames in multiple colors and shapes maybe even some vintage ones =)
Mikki says
April 13, 2011 at 9:23 amI LOVE that so many people are Bethenny fans. I tell my husband every Monday night that Bethenny and I were separated at birth because I am sure she is my fraternal twin sister…we are that much alike in thinking and behavior! LOL!
The keys look amazing. I have been on a key hunt lately because of you two!
Thanks!
Mikki
Erin C. says
April 13, 2011 at 9:38 amTry the vintage section on Etsy, Mikki. I just bought some thanks to the inspiration from Sherry and John!