Chalk Paint Magic On Plastic Sconces ... Episode 2

Oh my word! Has it really been a month since my last post? Oy…. Any other year, I would say it’s due to Christmas crafting overload and the fact that January is usually a slow month for my Etsy shop, as well as my birthday month. All those reasons are true, but this time the added reason is that I’ve been painting the interior of my clients’ new home. (Pictures coming soon!) I’ve just been too busy to do much treasure-hunting, and when I do, by the time I get home from painting, the daylight is gone to take pictures. I’ve just now come up for air long enough to get a few small items chalk-painted for the shop. So today, I finally have one finished to blog about. Before:

Burwood metallic gold, resin sconces…..
After:
Hello Gouhgeous!


I’ve painted resin plastic sconces before, and love what chalk paint and wax can do for them. While I could have left them gold for the opulent Hollywood Regency look, I saw way too much potential in the fleur de lis shapes to not enhance them.



I used a few colors, with the base coat being Annie Sloan Emperor Red. Red is traditionally the primer color for gold leaf, so I followed it with a high-pigment metallic gold, which I used sparingly in random areas to mimic gold leaf that has worn off over time. I then haphazardly dry-brushed a homemade Tiffany blue chalk paint to mimic verdigris. The final color added was homemade crisp Moss green, also dry-brushed, to look as if it developed over the verdigris.

I sealed these with a very subtle clear wax. I wanted the wax to appear almost non-existent, because verdigris and moss aren’t shiny. And while I could’ve stopped there, I felt the contours weren’t being accentuated enough, so I painstakingly brushed dark wax only in the deepest crevices. It is remarkable what a difference that made. They look so much richer now.




These resin pieces often show the mold seam marks, so I made a point of scraping and sanding them off, to remove all traces of them being plastic. It was especially noticeable on the front of the candle cups. I really wanted these to look like anything but plastic, and I believe I got my wish.


These are soon to be listed in my Etsy shop. Next post, I’ll have more completed chalk- painted pieces to share with you.  Come Join me on Instagram!