Take A Can Of Gold Spray Paint......
by Colleen Moulding
Add some glitz to your decorations with just a can of spray
paint. Choose silver for a cool ice palace look or gold for a traditional gleam
scheme.
Below is a list of ordinary items that become beautiful
Christmas decorations with a few thin coats of spray paint. Hunt around the
house, not forgetting the craft and sewing cupboards and you will probably find
lots more items to transform.
Pine cones. Attach a florist's wire and push into foam while
painting. Pile into baskets or clear vases or attach a ribbon and real or fake
greenery and use to decorate drawer and door knobs all around the house.
Dried flowers that are past their best come alive again with a
quick spray. Split up inexpensive silk flowers, like a bunch of poinsettias and
use with the gold dried flowers. and a few cones for a pretty Christmas display.
Ivy, whole strands to weave through decorations, wrap napkins or
trail from displays, or single leaves to decorate wrapped presents or hand made
cards.
Terracotta pots. Rub gently with sandpaper before spraying, add
sand to the bottom and use as candle holders.
Spray small branches or large twigs before winding tiny white
lights through them to light up a dull corner or even instead of a tree if space
is a problem.
Make small bundles of twigs 3-4" long. Spray, leave to dry, then
tie on to trees or swags with a pretty ribbon.
Spray pasta shapes for children to string, use as garland
anywhere in the house.
Hot glue walnuts to each other to make little clusters that look
fabulous when spray painted and can be added to wreaths, swags, anything!
Dig out those shells you've been wondering what to do with.
Gleaming with gold they will look great on your holiday table or make an
unexpected seasonal accent in the bathroom.
Large seed pods look superb sprayed gold or silver. Use them in
floral displays to add drama.
Baubles and tree decorations that no longer match your scheme
become useful again with a couple of light coats of gold or silver paint.
Apples and pears look gorgeous if you don't completely cover
them. Add to mantle displays, swags and wreaths, indoors or out, but make sure
that children know they must not eat them.
Baskets of any type look wonderful for Christmas fruit and
floral displays when dressed up in their Christmas gold and decorated with a
ribbon. To avoid the basket weave getting clogged up remember that two or three
thin coats works much better than one thick one.
Wrap little wads of paper with delicate white tissue paper, then
swoosh gold or silver paint over them, not covering all of the white, before
leaving to dry. Then tie on a gold or silver ribbon and use them to decorate the
tree, swags, etc.
Spray large flat pebbles or chunky stones to catch the light
sitting among your candles.
Spraying the outside of baby food or other small jars, makes an
ideal home or votive candles to light your path or porch when visitors arrive.
Napkin rings that no longer match your table decor are easily
transformed with a swish or two of your spray can. Add a coat of clear varnish
for a longer lasting finish.
A set of mismatched photograph frames make a lovely display once
sprayed, or an extra gift for Grandma if filled with family
photographs.
Old artificial wreaths or tabletop trees can become beautiful
again in minutes. Keep the spray very light for these, building up several coats
to get the look you want or just swooshing over the tips.
Dough shapes. Use your cookie cutters to make star, tree, heart
or moon shapes from salt dough. Make sure you make a hole to thread cord or
ribbon through before drying in a very low oven or just leaving in a warm place
for a few days before spraying. These look surprisingly opulent when added to
swags or hung from the Christmas tree.
Note: Paint spraying is best done outside in the open air as it
can be very toxic. Even outside you will need to protect the area with plastic
sheeting or even old sheets you no longer need. Small items can be sprayed
inside a cardboard box with the opening facing towards you as the sides stop the
paint going everywhere. If you do have to work indoors, make sure you open all
the windows and wear a mask. Be especially careful to keep items that you have
spray painted away from fires and other heat sources such as radiators. Merry
Christmas!
Colleen Moulding is owner/editor of
http://www.allthatwomenwant.com a magazine and web guide for women
everywhere. Visit our Christmas pages at
http://www.allthatwomenwant.com/xmasindex.htm where you can check out
Colleen's new Christmas ebook full of decorating and gift ideas, foodie treats
and printable wish lists, place cards and a printable letter from Santa.