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Garden Sanity by Pet Scribbles

Christmas Ornament Makeover with liquid gilding and metallic glazes

This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Any supplies used may be given to me free of charge, however, all projects and opinions are my own.


November 7, 2013 By Laura

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Have an ornament you don't like? Transform it with liquid gilding and metallic glazes!

One of my creative blogger friends, Erin of My Very Educated Mother, has been hosting a No Ugly Ornament Series on her blog over the past several years.

Each November, several bloggers get together and share their ornament ideas, upgrades, DIYs – all easy, all inexpensive – so that you, dear readers, will never have to endure an ugly ornament in your own homes! Consider it a public service!

Today, I’m going to show you how easy it is to transform an unused and unloved ornament into something you’ll treasure for years to come!

It all started when we received this keepsake ornament as a gift. I guess we received in 2008.

This unloved and unused ornament needs a makeover!

No, we don’t collect them, and no, 2008 wasn’t a significant year. It came in a pretty red box, and the ornament itself was fairly well done, except for the numbers which aren’t 100% straight – but of course that’s what you get with made in China, folks.

We never hung this on our tree or displayed it anywhere. It just wasn’t us. And so it sat in one of the way-too-many storage bins filled with Christmas decorations. Each year I would see it, and each year it just stayed in the bin. It wasn’t ugly. But it was unused and unloved.

Ready to see the transformation take place? It all started with one of my favorite products: Martha Stewart Liquid Gilding in Gold. I used this on paper maché ornaments I made last year . . .

Easy DIY Gilded Ornaments using liquid gilding and glitter paint!
Easy DIY Gilded Ornaments using liquid gilding and glitter paint!

. . . and fell in love with what a difference just a coat or two of this makes on whatever surface you’re covering.

Step One: Cover the bell in one coat of liquid gilding.

Applying liquid gilding to an old ornament...

It dries fairly quickly, and already looked much better! And you could leave your ornament just like this, add a decorative ribbon and be finished. But of course I wasn’t done yet!

old ornament covered in gold liquid gilding

Step Two: Age the bell using metallic glazes.

Next I grabbed another product line that has fast become my most favorite product line ever: DecoArt Dazzling Metallics. On smooth surfaces, metallic glazes can add depth to your color while aging your surface beautifully. And these metallic glazes are perfect for textured surfaces, as they enhance any nooks and crannies, giving an old-world look.

Here’s a comparison before-and-after for you. On the left is the liquid gilding. On the right, a brown metallic glaze was added.

On the left is the liquid gilding. On the right, a brown metallic glaze was added.

These are glazes that take longer to dry, so you can do more with them. You can use a brush, use a cloth, use whatever you want to apply them to your surface.

Renaissance Brown metallic glaze

I used a cotton swab to apply the glaze, waited about 30 seconds, and then gently wiped it off with a paper towel.

Applying Dazzling Metallics in Renaissance Brown onto a gold gilded ornament.

As I started to build up color, I kept applying, waiting (from 30 seconds up to a few minutes) and then wiping the glaze off in different spots and sections.

I love how the bell looked once I was finished this step. It took on a heavy, brass look. An old-world look. But I still wasn’t quite finished!

Olde World Patina metallic glaze

Using a new cotton swab, I carefully applied the Olde World glaze onto the Christmas tree and around the base along the ridged area. As these were both very small areas to work with, I used the other end of the cotton swab to wipe off the glaze in certain spots, leaving other areas (especially the nooks and crannies) filled with more of the glaze.

I left the bell to dry overnight.

Almost done!

Step Three: Add some matching green tulle as the ornament hanger.

And now we have an ornament that is much more “us” as it matches our decor as well as many of our most-loved Christmas decorations too.

I say “we” because my husband loved how this ornament turned out! And that’s always a win-win for us gals, am I right?

Ornament details...
Christmas Ornament Makeover with Liquid Gilding and Metallic Glazes

Conclusion? Get those ornaments out that you never really liked, and see if you can take them from ugly to lovely!

Make sure you visit Erin’s blog (My Very Educated Mother) to see what my blogger friends have crafted for the No Ugly Ornament Series as well. All this week Erin is sharing our ideas and tips, and lots of her own creativity too!

~Laura

 

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Filed Under: Crafts & DIY, Winter Crafts Tagged With: Christmas ornaments, Dazzling Metallics, DecoArt, DIY Christmas, Faux Paint Technique, gilded ornaments, Martha Stewart Crafts, metallic glaze, My Very Educated Mother, No Ugly Ornament Series

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carol TheAnswerIsChocolate

    November 8, 2013 at 1:07 am

    I was anxiously awaiting the reveal and am not disappointed! Awesome makeover.

    • Laura / The Shed by Pet Scribbles

      November 8, 2013 at 6:03 pm

      Thanks Carol! It was so easy to do and so gratifying to see the results!

  2. Erin Sipes

    November 7, 2013 at 9:42 pm

    This is such an awesome idea, I want to hit up the thrift stores in search of bells now! Thank you for being a part of the series! πŸ™‚

    • Laura / The Shed by Pet Scribbles

      November 7, 2013 at 11:41 pm

      That’s what I said too Erin, when I finished this bell: I want more of them! πŸ™‚ Excellent series and thank YOU for organizing it!

  3. Christina Paul

    November 10, 2013 at 11:23 pm

    This is such a great idea- we have ornaments like this with random dates and this is a great fix! I’m picking up liquid gilding on my next craft shop run! πŸ™‚

    • Laura / The Shed by Pet Scribbles

      November 11, 2013 at 12:39 pm

      Ooooh, I’m so glad Christina! Let me know how yours turn out! You’ll love the liquid gilding!

  4. Kerryanne @ Shabby Art Boutique

    November 14, 2013 at 4:14 am

    So much nicer now Laura and it won’t need to stay in the box this year!

    • Laura / The Shed by Pet Scribbles

      November 14, 2013 at 2:40 pm

      Thanks Kerryanne! My mother expressed “casual” interest in it…but I think I want to keep it! πŸ™‚

  5. malia

    November 15, 2013 at 9:51 pm

    Wow it looks great! I love your technique!

    • Laura / The Shed by Pet Scribbles

      November 18, 2013 at 5:42 pm

      Why thank you, Malia! πŸ™‚ You are so sweet to me!

  6. [email protected]

    November 16, 2013 at 11:40 am

    I see ornaments frequently in thrift shops that are pretty but out of date. Now I know that I need to buy them and give them a makeover. Thanks for the great tips!

    • Laura / The Shed by Pet Scribbles

      November 18, 2013 at 5:43 pm

      You’re welcome Paula! I think I’m going to be doing the same thing. (In fact, I already picked a few of our other ornaments out that just might need a makeover. Shhh….)

  7. Lisa Hall

    November 18, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    So very pretty! I’ve pinned this one…thank-you for sharing!

    • Laura / The Shed by Pet Scribbles

      November 19, 2013 at 12:59 am

      You’re so welcome Lisa… and thank YOU! πŸ™‚

  8. Cindy Eikenberg, Little Miss Celebration

    November 19, 2013 at 1:33 am

    Laura, I love how you redid this ornament and thanks for introducing me to the no ugly ornament series – how awesome!!! Thanks so much for sharing at the All Thing Christmas party! Pinning and hope you have a wonderful week!

    • Laura / The Shed by Pet Scribbles

      November 19, 2013 at 11:32 pm

      So glad you like the ornament, Cindy! And glad you enjoyed the No Ugly Ornament series too! Thanks so much for sharing this project!

  9. Lin

    January 13, 2014 at 1:02 am

    I’m a little late finding this for this season but at least I’m in good time for 2014!! I made my way here via The Sewing Loft who also participated in No Ugly Ornaments.
    People keep giving me these dated ornaments or ones with the name of an organization or company on them and I never put them on the tree. I also haven’t gotten rid of them because some are pretty shapes. This is perfect since it not only obliterates the unwanted writing, it also will tie them all together as a set. And I have time to get this done for Christmas!!

    • Laura Kuhlmann

      March 27, 2014 at 3:12 pm

      Glad you found me via Heather’s blog, The Sewing Loft! What a fabulous idea to take a bunch of dated ornaments like you describe and making a set out of them! I’m going to be on the hunt now for discarded ornaments when I’m out thrifting… never too early to get ready for next Christmas! Thanks for the idea, Lin!

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Welcome to Garden Sanity by Pet Scribbles. I’m Laura, an artist and self-taught gardener. Gardening is therapeutic for me, peaceful and calming. I write articles and film videos centered around my own gardens, with plenty of plant suggestions and gardening tips. I’m glad you’re here and happy to share my garden inspiration with you!

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