Back Porch Revival : Rusty Ornament Tutorial

Happy Wednesday! I am running waaaaay behind on this post...I had a killer toothache for almost a week and I was NOT productive. Or nice 😡 ...but we all survived.

I have a pretty fab little project I want to share with you for turning plastic, $1.00 ornaments from the dollar store into awesome, rusty patina goodness...and the best part is that they won't drag your tree branches down to the floor!

I picked up these 10 inch stars for this project...I have done the same process on several other plastic ornaments, so you can use whatever you like.

Don't be judging the lack of pretty in my shop...it's a work shop. It took many hours of hard work to get it to the level of crappy looking that it is right now.

You are going to want to prime your ornament first to dull down all that glitter...trust me, don't skip this step. I used this....just because I had it on hand...you can pretty much use any spray paint that you have hanging around.

Paint the back side of the ornament and let it dry well, and then flip it and do the front. Make sure to hold your can about 12 inches away from the ornament, and spray in short bursts, sweeping back and forth across the ornament...otherwise, you will end up with a bunch of paint runs.

Now you want to get the copper on there....start with the back and then do the front. Make sure that you get it covered well. I used my copper gilding jewels from Miss Lillian's paint line, but you can also use copper paint. I like the gilding jewels because they add a little texture and make it look more like real, rusted metal once it is finished.

Once the copper has dried, you want to dab in some black on the raised details and in the nooks and crannies to add some age. I used carbon gilding jewels, but you could use dark wax, or even black paint with a very small brush. If you choose to use black paint, you will want to dry brush it in...barely dip your brush into the paint, and then pat it on a paper towel a bit...you want just a tiny bit of paint on the brush. Don't brush it on, but kind of "dab" it onto the ornament with the brush. This will create a more realistic aged look.

Next, you will add some white and patina to finish the look. I also used my Miss Lillian's products for these colors, but you can totally use paint or even tinted wax. You will want to use the same technique you used with the black paint to apply the patina (if you are using paint). I would suggest applying the white a little thicker...just make sure to let it dry well...a blow dryer can help speed things along. If the white or patina look too "bright" once you apply them, don't panic...just come back over them veeeerrry lightly with a little black to tone them down.

Once everything has dried well, give the back and front both a light coat of clear spray paint. Spray paint rules found above also apply to clear spray paint...runs will show...yes, even if it's clear...trust me on this.

And....voila! Beautiful, copperpatinarustygoodness that won't break the bank...or your tree limbs!