Antique Wall Hangings
January 19th, 2007 by Candace
In an effort to spruce up my kitchen some, I decided to make some wall hangings. I didn’t want them to be basic and painted flat colors and look one-dimensional. So I headed to Lowe’s to check out the painting finishes they have. I found one that was just what I was looking for: crackling.
I picked up these unfinished plaques at Wal-mart for a dollar each, and used some paint that I already had. I wanted the finish product to be light, with some dark underneath, so I painted the base a coffee bean brown.
Once that dried, I applied the crackling glaze with a sponge brush, letting that dry completely before I added the top coat of off white.
As you can see, when it dries, the glaze doesn’t let the paint adhere to the entire surface, creating cracks in the paint and giving it that great antique-y finish.
Next I decided on my shape (which would happen to be a bird, go figure – hey, atleast it’s not felt!), drew it, cut it out and then traced it on the wood with a pencil.
I then painted my bird and the branches, let dry and there you go – easy and inexpensive wall hangings with that old-world feeling to it.
The supplies cost about $10 (the crackling glaze ate up $8, but it spreads thin so a little goes a long way and you’ll be using this stuff for awhile) and all together took about 30 minutes, not including drying time.
January 19th, 2007 at 4:35 am
Nice Job, once again! I wanted to mention that your beloved FELT is becoming a trend on scrapbook pages also! So, maybe using the felt on your pages will help you get motivated!!
January 19th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
I would love to wander through your house and experience all your crafti-neww first hand. Nice work!
January 20th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Once again you have come up with a craft that I am adding to my list of things to try. I am loving the birds btw!
January 21st, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Cool project. You can get a similar crackle finish using wood glue. The procedure looks to be basically the same, but wood glue is a lot less expensive than $8 a can. Instructions are on the Elmer’s Glue website: http://www.elmers.com/homerepair/projects.asp
January 23rd, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I’m actually trying this right now, but I’m going to do the first initial of our last name. So far…it’s not looking like yours BUT I did buy the wrong paint, but you know what? I’m liking it:) I’m just playing around but it’s turning out pretty neat. Thanks for the idea:)
March 24th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
that is SO stinkin’ cute!! great job.
July 19th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I just love what you have done here. I was looking all for a cute little bird like that, but didn’t have any luck. Could you tell me where you got it?
Thank you, Virginia
October 27th, 2008 at 4:56 am
Well written article.