Tuesday

Cozy Coupe Makeover

My daughter has an obsession with cars.  Well, not just cars, pretty much anything with wheels.  Maybe she'll be the next Danica Patrick or maybe it's just a developmental stage, but either way I couldn't pass on this cozy coupe when I found it for $5 at a yard sale.  Sure it was plastered with Dora stickers, but in my mind I had grand ideas for this little car.  


It took me a while to decide what I wanted it to look like.  Should it be gender neutral in case we have a boy one day?  Should I make it look like something non car-ish?  Should I follow in Kristin's footsteps and make it a Minnie Mouse Car?  I finally decided on making it into a car that looked like a cupcake, a cupcake delivery car.  I can't take credit for the idea, my mom actually came up with it.  Once she mentioned it to me I knew that was the route I wanted to go.  

I started by taking it apart.  There are basically just two screws holding the top portion on.  Unscrew those and you are good to go.


Then I gave it a really good scrub down with some comet and a scrub brush to get rid of all the sticker residue and other nastiness.  It also helped get some of the sheen off of the plastic which I figured may help the spray paint to adhere, couldn't hurt.  Then, I pretty much stopped taking pictures of the progress but you get the idea.  I did cover the wheels with plastic bags to make sure they wouldn't get covered in paint too.

For the paint I decided to use Rustoleum's 2x coverage spraypaint.  It says on the can that it bonds to plastic.  This is Rustoleum's brand of plastic spraypaint according to the guy at home depot.  I was originally looking for the Krylon Fusion paint but couldn't find any locally after checking several stores and didn't want to have to order it online.  I can't attest to the longevity of this paint since I just completed this project, but I know others have used the Krylon Fusion with good results.  It does recommend to wipe down the surface with paint thinner for even better adhesion. 

Here are the deets on the car:

Top of the CarRustoleum Berry Pink in Gloss (1 can)
Base of the CarRustoleum Kona Brown in Gloss (1 can)
Sprinkles: I cut pieces of vinyl adhesive into the sprinkle shape and stuck them on the car.  I ordered the vinyl from this ebay seller.
Red Cherry on Top: Red foam ball from Quill.com
Whipped Cream: I used insulating foam sealant from Home Depot.  It's used to seal gaps around windows and doors but it worked great for this project and looks just like whipped cream.  It does have a yellowish tint to it but you could always paint it white if that bothered you, I don't mind it.  One thing I'll say about this stuff is that it grows so use it sparingly.  Even if you think it's done growing it's not, it will grow a little bit more after it cures.  After I sprayed the foam on top I just set the ball in it so that when everything cured the ball would be held in place by the foam.
Decal on side of car and license plate:  I used my Silhouette machine to design and cut out the decal.  I used gold adhesive vinyl.
Taillights: Reflectors from Lowe's
Headlights: Plastic Caster Cups, also from Lowe's.  They are clear, but I just spraypainted the back side orange.
Rear view mirror: purchased from a local automotive store








I think that pretty much covers it, but if you have questions feel free to ask away!

50 comments:

  1. This might be the cutest thing I have ever seen!!! The licence plate is just adorable! Your little girl is one lucky little lady!! :-)

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  2. That is just about the cutest little car I have ever seen! I was expecting a lady bug or something like that but a little cupcake car? Fantastic!

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  3. Oh my gosh! That is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Great job!

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  4. that is to stinkin' cute!

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  5. Oh wow, this is SO cute! My girls would go nuts for this. I have an Ellie too :)...and actually her name is Elle!

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  6. This is the cutest thing ever! I LOVE it! Awesome job! SO creative!

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  7. That is just crazy cute. Seriously, insane. Love it!

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  8. Oh my goodness I'm dying from it's cuteness! SO creative and well done!

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  9. LOVE, LOVE LOVE!!! Can't wait to do this for my future grand daughter someday!

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  10. Holy smokes, girl!!!! This is AMAZING!!!! So creative and I foresee you inspiring many a parents out there to think outside the box on the cozy coupes! Love it and this is sure to be a Pinterest hit!!! Totally pinning this! ;) Jesse @ Scout & Nimble

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  11. I love it!! I'm going tO do this:-) you are so amazing! Can you post the link to the eBay site where you bought the vinyl stickers for the sprinkles?

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  12. Thanks so much! If you click on where it says "this ebay seller" it's hyper linked to take you directly to that site. Here's the link though just in case http://www.ebay.com/itm/320977875305?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

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  13. Thank you and I really appreciate the pin!

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  14. Thanks Jennifer, and thanks for the feature too! :)

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  15. We actually call my daughter Elle too! Her name is technically Elleanor but we call her Elle and Ellie!

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  16. Thanks Julianne! You should make one for David, only maybe something a little more manly than a cupcake would be better ;)

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  17. Thank you and Thanks so much for pinning!

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  18. Thanks! She loves it so it makes all the hard work worth it!

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  19. Would mind telling me the dimensions for the decals? I love the idea, I hope you don't mind if I copy it:-)

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  20. I have vinyl for this but what cartridge did you use for the sprinkles?
    I will be using my cricut machine.

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  21. The Silhouette machine I used does not require cartridges so I just designed everything using the software that comes with the machine so I'm not sure which cartridge you would use with the Cricut. If it were me, I would probably just eyeball it and cut the vinyl into a sprinkle shape using scissors.

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  22. Thanks so much! One more question: how did you attach the headlights and tailights? And the foam, did you just spray it and it stayed or did you need something on it for it to adhere to. Thanks again!

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  23. This is amazing! You've totally got me re-thinking my Goodwill pile with old toys. Thanks

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  24. I just used superglue for the headlights and the taillights already had a peel and stick adhesive on the back so I just used that. I didn't use anything to adhere the foam, I just sprayed it, added the ball, and let it dry. It adhered really well so I didn't have to add any adhesive.

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  25. Absolutely gorgeous... I had every plan to re-do a Cozy Coupe for my niece and was just going to do plain pinks but a CUPCAKE - oh so sweet.... I want to copy but also want to try something new - maybe an ice cream?????? What other ideas had you thought of before the cupcake idea? maybe I can run with what you had thought of?? oh the mind is going 100 miles per hour! Pinned and thank you for the inspiration and how to!!

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  26. Thanks so much Amy! I think an ice cream truck would be adorable too! I actually thought about doing that too.

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  27. Since I wrote my comment yesterday I have been thinking non-stop about what to do and finally have decided on something fun - spray paint has been purchased, little car has been cleaned and pulled apart - ready to begin!
    I'll be sure to share pics once I'm done.


    Thanks again

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  28. I am wondering about how the paint is holding up and also if the "frosting" yellowed? I am planning a coup re-do but was worried about paint. Thanks for the help.

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  29. The frosting did yellow a little bit, but I just plan on touching it up with a little white paint. So far the paint has held up pretty well, especially considering my toddler rams it into things daily :) The top part has no chips at all and the bottom portion only has a few little spots where the paint has come off. I'm going to just touch those places up with some leftover spray paint I have. Hope that helps!

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  30. OMG I am literally freaking out about this!!!!! I found a cozy coupe at a yard sale for $3 and you just blew my mind!!! I hope you don't mind me copying how fantastic this is... or I might run with the previous comments ice cream truck idea!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG... decisions decisions!!

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  31. Thanks so much for your sweet words! Feel free to copy! :) I think the ice cream truck idea would be great too!

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  32. What are the dimensions for your sprinkles? We are doing a cupcake theme party and my sprinkles look like colorful band aids.. I just cant seem to get the dimentions right.

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  33. what a fun idea for a party! They are approximately 0.8" by 0.18"

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  34. Did you use the silhouette to cut the sprinkles as well? Thanks, Aimee :)

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  35. Overall it has held up pretty well. There are definitely some scratches and places where the paint has worn off though. She is pretty rough with it though. I have heard the Krylon fusion paint holds up well though so I would try that if you can find it.

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  36. Has the car been left out in the rain. We live in a small apartment and most of our big toys stay outside, just wondering if its been subject to the elements and how it held up???

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  37. Hi Pani, we actually keep it in the garage so I can't really say how it would hold up outside.

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  38. Hi Krystal! We have kept it in the garage all the time so I can't really say how it would hold up in the elements. The foam ball seems to have some sort of coating on it so it may be ok with water but I'm not sure. The "sprinkles" may be ok, but over time they would probably come off if exposed to a lot of water because the adhesive would wash away. Hope that helps!

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  39. This is adorable! I'm in the process of making it for my daughter and I'm ordering some custom vinyl for the sprinkles, license plate and doors. Do you have the approx. dimensions of each of the three rows of letters/phone number on the door? Thank you!!

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  40. My version of your ADORABLE idea!! Thanks for sharing/inspiring:)

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  41. My version of your ADORABLE idea! Thanks for sharing/inspiring!!

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  42. Of course I don't mind!!!

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  43. Here's another pic of the finished product (I painted the playhouse to match the car!)

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  44. Love the playhouse too!! So so cute!

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  45. Okay this is the cutest thing I've ever seen!!!!! I'm ready to take some spray paint to LK's CC!

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  46. What color did you use on the bottom part? It looks white and also vanilla...I love the colors together...great job!

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Thank you for your sweet comments, they make my day!