For all you motorcycle enthusiasts out there with little tykes in the house, how about upgrading those basic wooden ABC blocks with a quick trip out to the garage recycling bin?

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As promised, here’s my favorite version of the make-your-own-blocks project that I featured yesterday. And truthfully, this color scheme was the first one I imagined once I decided to make these blocks.  There was something about the shape of those empty metal cans in my recycling bin that reminded me of the exhaust pipes of a Harley.

And so the wheels started turning … and I scoured for chrome paint … and then I found something even better:

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That’s right, kids. Diamond-plate vinyl.  *Swoon*

Buying a roll of this amazing stuff was technically a cheat for Thrive projects, but a certain grandpa sent a roll our way as part of Christmas.  (Thank you!)

I used the same simple process from this post to easily turn empty food cans into colorfully, eco-friendly toys with some serious moxy.

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Recognize that star?  A little diamond-plate vinyl applied over my disposable baking sheet stars yielded some matching ornaments that makes me wish my entire tree was covered with biker stars and a leather studded tree skirt.

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As always, this project is perfect for rocking what ya got: house paint, spray paint, craft paint … whatever. And even though I fell in love with the diamond-plate vinyl, regular chrome spray paint looked amazing, too. Personalized details like the letters and flame decals can be applied with a stencil …

harley

… or paint pens …  or even regular vinyl.

So have fun with this idea and be sure to post your block sets in Thrive’s Flickr album or on our Facebook page.

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Special thanks to Dave and the staff at Golden Spike Harley-Davidson for letting me get up close and personal with the inspiration for this project! Your selection, gear and customer service rocks. Check them out here.

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5 Comments

  1. Beverly @ FlamingoToes.com

    These are so stinkin cool!!! I love the idea, and that diamond-plate vinyl is really great. Thanks for sharing – I love the Harley theme!

  2. LambAround

    There's a surprise waiting for you on my blog 🙂

    http://lambaround.blogspot.com/2010/12/come-vote-not-baaad-sundays-blog-hop.html

    Thanks for linking up to my Not "Baaad" Sundays blog hop!

  3. Jayna Rae

    I just can't stop thinking about these since I saw them yesterday.

  4. Kimbo West @ a girl and a glue gun

    I featured this on my blog today!

    kimboscrafts.blogspot.com

  5. Char @ Crap I've Made

    This has nothing to do with your Harley blocks, but I just wanted to take a second to say THANK YOU for driving clear down and coming to Pier 1. You're darling and genuine and I loved meeting you!