Vintage Napkin Holder Turned Valentine Art

I bought this old, handmade napkin holder at my local thrift store for $1. I knew it would get some type of makeover, I just wasn't sure what kind of makeover. Like so many "project pieces", it got stuck away until the time hit me to do something with it. And, when I finally pulled it out to do something with, the plan was to just keep it a napkin holder. But with Valentine's Day coming I went in another direction.

When I peeled off the paper that lined the bottom of the box, it revealed what the last person that bought it paid for it.

I was worried that once I painted it, the ink & the knots in the wood would bleed through the paint. So I gave it 3 coats of Dixie Belle Paint Company's BOSS. BOSS blocks odors & bleed through. 

To add texture to the outside of the box, I did a raised stencil. To do this, I placed a Stick N Style stencil from Re*design with Prima on the side of the box. These stencils have an adhesive back so they stay in place nicely.

I used a hotel key card to spread Dixie Belle's Mud over the stencil. I made sure to get a good layer covering all of the stencil, then scraped most of it off.

Even though the stencil is very thin, the mud is higher than the base & leaves a nice texture.

The Mud is porous & can take paint differently than the rest of the surface being painted. So, I covered the box with Dixie Belle's Spray Wax to make it an even playing field.

I painted the entire box with 2 coats of the color, Cotton. 

I wanted a wash of a bright, pretty color, & turned to the VooDoo Gel Stain color, Temptress. This is a water based stain which makes it easy to use & easy to clean up... no need for gloves with this stain.

I poured a little of the stain into a container then added a tiny bit of water to thin it out. I used a brush to cover the surface with the stain.

Then I used a damp rag to wipe most of the stain away & just have a wash of the color. It rested nicely in the recessed areas of the raised stencil to reveal the pattern.

I also washed the stain on the inside of the box.

There was a hole in the middle of the box that I covered with a pink paper doily. But, the hole showed through the paper.

To hide the hole, I painted a wooden heart with the color, Soft Pink.

So it wasn't so plain, I placed the same stencil on the heart once the paint was dry. I used a makeup sponge to dab on Stick With Me, a glue used to add Dixie Shine. Dixie Shine is like using gold leaf, but without the mess or waste.

Since I was doing a Valentine project, I chose to use the color, red. Dixie Shine also comes in gold, silver, & copper.

You need to wait at least 15 minutes after adding the glue before applying the shine. Dixie Shine comes in a roll & I just cut off a small piece to use. I placed the Shine on the heart facing up & rubbed over it with my finger.

I peeled up the Shine & used the areas left on the paper to cover any missed or sticky areas.

I love the texture that it made using the makeup sponge to apply the glue.

I glued the wooden heart to the center of the doily.

I wrapped a pink bottle brush tree, that I bought at Christmas, with a tiny Valentine banner.

I glued the tree into the box, then glued in a cute little vintage style Valentine.

Although it looks like the Valentine is an old card, it's actually a reproduction from Hobby Lobby of a card & is metal & has a stand.

This box has come a long way from holding napkins.

Linking To:

The Cottage Market,  Funky Junk Interiors, The Answer Is Chocolate, Flutter Buster, Our Hopeful Home, My Thrift Store Addiction, The Painted Hinge, Yesterday On Tuesday, Confessions Of A Plate Addict, My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia, Creatively Beth, County Road 407, Pieced Pastimes, Southern Sunflowers, The House On Silverado

Faux Tin Valentine Art

 The Christmas decorations are down & the winter decorations are up. But it's almost time to switch over to the Valentine decorations.

I love decorating for every season & holiday.  And, I like to create something new to add to the mix every year. This year, I'm adding this faux tin art.

To make it, I first painted an 8" x 8" wooden canvas panel with the color, Cotton, from the Dixie Belle Paint Company. Once the paint was dry, I used a brayer to add the color, Caviar, to a decor stamp from Re*design with Prima, & added the design to the canvas.

I also added a leaf & rose design to the canvas.

For the faux tin, I used peel & stick tiles from the Dollar Tree. These are so easy to work with & the possibilities are endless. You can't browse Pinterest without seeing a multitude of projects using them.

The tiles are 12" x 12" & since my canvas was only 8", I cut out a quarter of the tile. They easily cut with scissors.

I drew half of a heart on one side of the tile, folded it in half, then cut along the lines I drew.

I painted the heart with the color, Honky Tonk Red.

I let the paint dry completely, then used a damp rag to wipe away the paint from the high spots to give the heart a worn look.

This highlights the detail on the "tin".

I glued the heart to the canvas using tacky glue.

I used tacky glue to adhere twine around the heart to hide the uneven edges.

I'm excited to decorate for Valentine's Day & have something new to add to my decor.

Linking To:

The Cottage Market,  Funky Junk Interiors, The Answer Is Chocolate, Flutter Buster, Our Hopeful Home, My Thrift Store Addiction, The Painted Hinge, Yesterday On Tuesday, Confessions Of A Plate Addict, My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia, Creatively Beth, County Road 407, Pieced Pastimes, Southern Sunflowers, The House On Silverado