Chicken Wire Mercantile Spice Rack....Chalk Paint Transformation

There’s a project I’ve had in my head for years, but up until recently, I wasn’t able to produce it. I never had the right chicken wire, as in the small ½” hex. Now that I do, the right wooden rack came along, so finally my idea has come to fruition.

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I have transformed this Plain Jane spice rack into an old-fashioned, mercantile-inspired treasure. I designed and hand-painted every letter on this piece, in a beige crème, and outlined each in black. The Sundry letters are accented with metallic gold. I added 5 sunrise shapes as a tie-in to the word Sundry, each with metallic gold accents as well.

I layered chalk paint colors, first with Marigold Yellow over the entire piece. I then haphazardly applied Annie Sloan’s Emperor’s Silk Red, then Grass Green the same way.

Once I designed the graphics placement, I applied more red and green, this time in a solid fashion, in the areas that needed filling.

Metallic gold lines accent the body shapes. And, as usual, I heavily distressed the whole piece, and sealed in clear and dark wax.

Although the graphics and colors are more than enough to satisfy my General Store fix, it’s the final detail of the chicken wire that really puts this piece over the top into nostalgic perfection. As I mentioned, this is small, ½” hex, which is a far better scale for this piece, than the typical 1” hex from the big box stores. I oxidized the chicken wire till it was a matte charcoal in color for a more authentic aged appearance. 

Since I chose not to use staples because they would look too modern, I secured the hexes on the outer edges and center using fine wire wrapped around small nails, and hammered them all into place. 

The top edge has been secured with evenly-spaced tiny brass screws, so this chicken wire is not moving!

I left the original hanging loops, but the lucky owner can always pull them out to install their own hardware. Yes, I said lucky owner, which means I’m selling it in my Etsy shop. I am always grateful that I have the artistic ability to re-create something for myself if I choose to, and I never take that for granted. It’s pretty much the only thing that allows me to let go of a creation I love so much, and one that required sooo much detail and time. No first dibs this time, Folks….:)

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