To the BeAcH!

I'm sure you've seen this Pinterest tutorial countless times posted by several different bloggers, so I won't bore you with the overplayed details, but I wanted to try my hand at transforming these Hobby Lobby paper mache letters into Anthropology metal letter knock offs.  I followed the steps posted on a site I googled  and got to work in my stuffy garage/workshop last week.

Here are the unfinished letters. $2.99 each. I usually only buy them when they are half off, but I was anxious to get more 'smalls' in my booth at Not So Shabby, so I bought them full price.

 An old dingy pool towel becomes a drop cloth after several years of use and away I go:
First step, painting them with a bronze paint that (NO LIE) I've had sitting in my garage cupboard for 11 years. (I know that because I remember buying it for a project I had, two houses and two moves ago).

 Here's the gallon to prove it. What I didn't know was that this paint had fermented and it would NOT dry (for hours)! First coat proved to be a nightmare, but I was NOT going to give in and buy more. Plus, the hardware store was already closed for the night. :)

 Second step was to spray the entire letter front and back with metallic spray paint,  (of which I also had in my cupboard waaaayyy past it's due date) and the nozzle kept getting clogged.  I was not going to accept defeat and simply found a new spray can and replaced the nozzle. 

Because the bronze first coat wasn't dry underneath yet, I could easily take an old rag and wipe off the wet silver to reveal the darker paint underneath. I also took a fine grit sandpaper pad and roughed it up wherever I felt it would look aged.

 Upon the advice of one blogger, I dabbed a little orange paint on the corners and edges to give it a rusted out look. (sorry, must not have snapped a pic of that).

 Here's the finished product. The pictures really don't do it justice.  I have to say that it really was pretty convincing as metal. Must've been 'cause they sold right away at the booth. 

Fun project to do but I will be replacing the bronze paint before I attempt this again. The paint was still tacky the next morning! But they finally dried!

And off to the beach I go. Paddle board loaded up, camper full of gear and bike tires filled with air for Kennedy and my annual 100 mile trek up to Pentwater for vacation this week!

 Stay tuned for a beach blog when I return!  Enjoy your lazy days of summer, Champs! YOLO! :)