While out shopping (and surprisingly NO! I wasn't at Ikea!) I found this little paper mache guy and knew right away that I wanted to somehow incorporate him into my Christmas decor. I had mounds of craft supplies at home from previous projects, so I didn't bother figuring out what I was going to do with him until later. Sounds logical, right? I kid, I kid. But seriously.
Once returning home to my stash of supplies, this is what I came up with:
What you will need:
-Canvasin your choice of size. I used 16x16"
-Paper mache image of choice
-Metallic silver acrylic paint
-Silver Metal leaf similar to this
-Silver Metal leaf adhesive similar to this
-Brush for paint(I prefer 1" wide foam brushes - you only need 1)
-Brush for applying silver metal leaf adhesive, similar to one of these. Really, you just want to make sure it's a little on the stiff side.
-Brush for fluffing off excess silver metal leaf. You just want to make sure it's super soft (opposite the one for applying adhesive).
-Painters tape in whatever thickness you want your striped lines to be
-Hot glue gun/hot glue
What to do
- Lay out your painters tape in strips across your canvas, making sure to wrap around the sides. Space evenly if you desire the look of mine. Paint your open canvas area with your silver metallic acrylic paint. Make sure to paint away from the tape, not into it, as this will keep your lines neater and prevent bleeding. Remember to paint the sides of the canvas, as well. Allow to dry, repeat for a 2nd coat. Once dry, remove tape. (I removed mine before fully dry).
- Get your paper mache image and follow instructions for applying the Silver Metal Leaf from my previous tutorial, found here.
- Once all is dry, line up where you would like your image to sit on your canvas. Apply hot glue to the back of your image piece, and adhere to your canvas. Press firmly until set.
You are done!!! Easy enough, right?! What do you think?
BONUS!
Remember when I said I wasn't at Ikea? Well, that's mostly true. I went on a different day. HA! While there, I found these storage boxes that I was in need of. (You know, 3 young kids and lots of random crud that I prefer to hide.)
I loved the size and look of the tops, but the bottom colors and patterns did not fit my style. They were cheap enough to alter, so in the cart they went. Stretching my new found love for Silver Metal Leaf, I tried it on these to see if it would work. I must admit, I LOVE the way it turned out. Love, love, LOVE. Silver and shiny is my soft spot. Did you see them in the picture above?
Stay tuned every day this week for more craft project ideas!
