This isn’t that cute.

But, this is!

Lately, my motto is: “If it ain’t cute… let’s paint it!”  I have a serious obsession with ukuleles.  They are fun.  They are adorable.  They are extremely portable.  And you can’t tell me that when you see a ukulele comin’ your way you don’t either break out in a smile or a song.  So, I guess you could say we are a perfect match.  I recently purchased a few ukes for my Music Therapy clinic. A couple were absolutely precious and one was about the saddest thing I had ever seen.  And we couldn’t have that. So… you guessed it.  I painted it!  Why not, right?  It is my motto.

I started by removing the strings and tuning pegs.  It might seem scary, but its not – just do it.  (Take a picture first, and maybe label the strings.)  Then, I gave the thing a good sanding.  To be honest, it wasn’t very smooth to begin with, especially on the neck.  Three coats is all it took of my favorite turquoise paint to turn its frown upside down.  Don’t forget to sand after each coat.  (O.k., I forgot to sand between the first two coats, but I did it after that.)

Then, it was time to bedazzle!

I painted the sides with Elmer’s school glue and sprinkled gold glitter all over it. It’s definitely not perfect, but the only thing worse than an ugly ukulele is a perfectly glittered one.  How pretentious!  And of course, I do realize that the glitter will eventually fall off.  But, I kind of love the idea that it will leave a little glitter everywhere it goes.  (If you want a less messy version, simply glue sequined trim around the side.  I debated using this method, but I already had the glitter on hand.)

Once everything was dry, I used a stencil to apply the white zig zags.   Along the way, I did a touch up on the turquoise and a few pieces of glitter got on the top.  I kind of liked it, so I left them there.

All I had left was to reattach the strings and tuning pegs.  And play a diddy, of course.  I’m wondering how I’m going to be able to get anything done with this precious little nugget staring at me, begging to be played.

I hope you paint your own ukulele for your littles, or for you. No home is complete without a ukulele.  It would also make a great personalized Christmas gift for any age.  If you’re not gifting a live puppy, a ukulele is probably number two on their list.

Happy playing!

Smile big and Sing loud!

Julie