What do you think of hand carved wooden European reindeer ornaments made by traditional craftsmen (who passed their carving skills down from father to son for generations) who are located in a picture perfect remote mountain village in Switzerland?.....No, this isn't one of them, those are probably way out of my budget! This a cheap $2 dollar shop plastic reindeer given the whitewashed faux carved wood treatment - you can give most any plastic ornament a vintage finish with a little paint!
Here is what they looked like before - a bit glitzy for my style and very very plastic.
I chose these reindeer ornaments because they had a rustic design that I think was meant to mimic carved ice, but I also knew that with the right finish they could also look like rustic hand carved wood.
Just a few easy steps and you go from fantastic plastic to old world charm!
1. Apply a base coat of old gold paint - yes the metallic type - I know it sounds wrong - weren't we moving away from glitz? Trust me - this works. Make sure your paint is designed to stick to plastic like Rustoleums metallic gold spray paint or use a product likes Fusions Ultra Grip first to make the paint stick, otherwise the paint will just rub off. It doesn't have to be perfect, just make sure to get most of it covered.
2. Once that is fully dry apply a coat of white or off white chalk or mineral paint (matte finish) all over using a fast dry brush technique, don't overload your brush with paint, remove some before you start brushing on a dry cloth or paper plate so you have the bare minimum left on the brush. Don't try to cover every single bit or be too meticulous - you want the gold to just show through in places, this gives it the distressed wood look.
That's it - let it dry and your done! Who needs to buy exclusive handcarved ornaments when you can achieve the same look if you DIY your own and for a fraction of the cost.
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