My favorite word in the world is Unique. What is more unique than antiques, they even rhyme! A match made in heaven. I'll write a post about antiquing when this whole ordeal is over, but for now.. how about making antiques out of items you already have in your home?
I got these frames at a fundraiser with the intention of painting them at some point. I love the filigree on them but despised the silver. There is nothing in my home that is silver. Ha!
So when one is bored out of your mind, you finally get around to projects that you've been putting off for so long.
Materials I used:
Paint, 2 paint brushes (one hard bristled one soft bristled), and plaster. If you do not have plaster you can make your own with flour, water, and glue.
My first step was to use the hard bristled brush to add a layer of plaster over the frame. As you can see the untouched frame on the left is nice and smooth, perfect for someone who likes that kind of thing - not me. When adding the plaster you want to put it on rather sloppily as no antiques found are ever smooth and untouched.
The plaster adds texture to the frame as it would be if it were an old hand-carved frame.
Next you want to use your soft bristled brush to put down a layer of your darker paint. The soft brush helps you get down into all of the crevices. The goal is to not let any of the original color show through, but if it does, no foul, the theme of this project is that it doesn't have to be perfect.
The final step is to use your hard bristled brush to gently pull your light colored paint across the top of the piece, going against the grain of any designs. Using the hard bristle ensures that your paint cannot reach all of the crevices, giving the look of a light dusting.
Looking back I think instead of black I would use a base color of a brown tone to make the difference less stark. With that being said I LOVE how it turned out and I think it looks like it came straight out of an antique store.
