Home furnishings stores are loaded with accessories that have that shabby-chic, old but new look that brings warmth to even the most contemporary décor. There is a really easy technique that you can use on items you probably already own to update and renew them for a fresh summery look.

All you need is a backyard, a non-windy, clear day and plenty of newspapers and you can turn out a roomful of accessories in less than an hour!

Spray paint is the key. Using it can be difficult -- it is hard not to get runs and blobs. But for these projects, you don't even have to have good spraying technique. Just wear a mask so you don't inhale the fumes.

Remember that horrible plastic lace that people used to use for tablecloths? And that almost as bad polyester lace that is everywhere? Apparently some people still top their tables with plastic lace, because you can buy it at the fabric store along with its synthetic cousin, Polly Esther. Use either of these laces as stencils to create these projects, and many more. You don't have to buy tons of the stuff, either--the lace stencils are reusable.

It's really as simple as this: use spray paint, or any acrylic craft paint to paint the object a solid color. When the base coat paint is dry, cut a piece of lace, or motifs, to fit the open space on your object. Lay the object flat on newspapers outside, and spray over the plastic lace with a contrasting color of spray paint. Let dry and pick up the lace. Your object will be patterned with a nostalgic, yet fresh, lacy design.

For summer, medium-toned pastels with white or ivory are nice combinations. You might want to spray paint a wooden tray white for the base coat, and then spray over the lace with a minty green, which will create a tray that is mainly green, with white designs.

An ordinary bucket from the hardware store takes on new life as a flower basket when first sprayed a deep pink or gold, then over-sprayed with that same mint green, or ivory for a subtler look.

Inexpensive straw mats can become wall hangings or summer shades when sprayed with a light color over the lace, with no underpainting required.

There's no end to the objects you can revitalize using this idea. Try it on plain colored throw pillow covers, an old wooden box that can become an end table, a roll of white butcher paper to make your own wrapping paper.

And there are other everyday materials that can act as stencils: try a piece of screen for a pattern of tiny squares, for example. A scrap of pegboard will yield evenly space polka dots.

Mix and match different stencils on different objects and you will be amazed at the variety of looks you can create!