If you’ve ever had a decorative life ring that has aged badly, you can revive it! These DIY personalized life rings show how to repurpose them to look even better than before.
We did a bad thing! I blame it on our hectic schedule this past Fall and Winter and our focus on other issues…..
Normally we wouldn’t do such a careless and inconsiderate act. It wasn’t intentional!
We left our trusty life ring buoys hanging out in the weather….
all Winter!
Before and After Personalized Life Rings
Their skin became faded and began to peel excessively. They would need some serious work to look young and beautiful again!
I brought them home from our cabin and made an appointment for them in my craft room. It was going to be a serious procedure.
First I had to remove all of the papery like material that they were wrapped in. Luckily, it came off quite easily!
I decided that the best way to add back color to the rings would be with paint. Almost anything can be improved with paint! I chose a glossy acrylic paint in lime green by Martha Stewart and applied two coats to each ring. Since these would be hanging outside (not all year!), I wanted a glossy surface for the best wear.
I then applied canvas stick on letters to one of the rings to personalize it a little bit. One of my favorite quotes is “Life is Good” and thought it was appropriate for the middle ring that hangs on our deck. By the way, I was excited to find canvas stickers at Michaels…..so cool!
To seal and protect the paint and the stickers, I then applied a coat of glossy Mod Podge decoupage to the entire surface of the rings…..I love that stuff!
Finally, I added a coat of glossy varnish over everything. I think I have a pretty glossy and durable finish now!
While I was doing this project to fix what I had ruined, I thought personalizing life rings would be fun to do anyway.
Twine Wrapped Life Ring
So…in case you have some to fix or just want to make your own a little more unique, I have a few more ideas for you that you might want to try.
Another way to quickly update an old life ring is to wrap it in twine. Once the life ring is wrapped, add strips of linen or canvas material and secure the seam with glue. Finally, stencil the word “beach” or personalize any way you want.
More Ideas For Personalized Life Rings
Personalized Wedding Life Rings – I have seen several of these for sale on Etsy. The last name or initials are at the top of the ring with the date of the wedding at the bottom.
Wreath Life Rings – Decorate a life ring with shells or other nautical items for a fun wreath.
Other ideas are to simply add your name, a favorite quote, your address or city, a welcome sign, etc..
