Faux marble wall hanging

I love making things over - taking something quite ordinary and making it look amazing with a few craft tools and techniques. 

This week it is about using things that have been left over from other projects. 

I made an MDF Christmas banner a bit ago and I had one pennant left over. I didn't want to waste it so it got put in the box that I keep for things that I don't want to throw away but don't really want to deal with either. Several years later, it is still here. Well never mind, it hasn't been eating anything so it might as well wait.

I love sticks too. Must have had an interesting previous life! In the same box was a stick that I had painted with DecoArt Americana Chalky Finish Paint in Everlasting. Again, not long enough to do much with.

So I have two awkward things that don't necessarily fit together...

The answer? Make em fit! That is the point of what I do for a living after all! I moved them around a bit and then it hit me - A wall hanging of some sort and I LOVE my faux finishes so I thought that I would show you how to make faux marble. In PINK! Well, It's that sort of Friday.

So, what will we need?
- First of all, something to paint on. I have used a triangle pennant made from MDF with two holes drilled on the top.
-a stick painted white. Go for a walk for this one. The stick needs to be just slightly longer than your pennant top.
-Paint - I am using DecoArt Americana products* for this project:
   -Acrylic paints: warm white, dusty rose, mauve, hi-lite flesh
   -extender medium
   -DuraClear gloss varnish
Brushes 
   -1" flat brush
   -large softening brush
You will also need a sea sponge, strong feather, old towel for the painting bit.
To finish, jute twine, die cut letters in black contact vinyl. I have cut mine on my die cutter but you can use black stickers, a sharpie pen or whatever you like depending on skills and availability.
-small amount of gold leaf

Right. All set them, here we go!

Begin by concentrating on the pennant. We want to make it marble. Give it a couple of coats of warm white, allowing adequate drying time between coats. You can speed this up with a hair dryer if you really cannot wait.

Next make a layer of extender medium onto the white. This should be even. It will give you time to mess around with the next steps. wet your sponge and then squeeze it in the towel so that it is only just damp. You don't want dripping water.

Dab the sponge into some dusty rose and then 'bounce' it a bit on the side to distribute the paint through the sponge. Now over to the pennant. I have decided to align mine pointing down. The marble runs in a diagonal pattern so I have started at the top corner on the left and moved to the other side...

Now with a VERY dry softening brush, come back and blur all of that in the direction that you painted it....

Wash the sponge, squeeeeze in the towel and reload with hi-lite flesh. go over the marble here and there to highlight it and then soften that too....

Wash the sponge and put it aside. Load the feather with mauve and paint veins, also in a diagonal direction. 

Allow the feather to flop from side to side and meander naturally. Soften with the big brush.....

TIP: Always but ALWAYS use the softening brush dry! If you need to, buy more than one. The tiniest bit of water will ruin the effect.

Come back with more mauve and strengthen the veins here and there...

Allow all of this to dry really well. Paint the tip with some gloss varnish and apply gold leaf straight along the bottom....

It depends on the size of the pennant and your personal taste as to how much gold you put on. 

Allow the varnish to dry and then varnish the whole thing allowing drying time between coats.

Decorate with your chosen letters....

Hang on the stick with jute twine or similar.

You can get DecoArt products in the UK from www.countrylovecrafts.com and in the US from www.decoart.com 

Well thank you so much for stopping by. I hope that this has sparked your upcycling interest. Have a look around your house for things that need beautifying and go on a thrift store treasure hunt. Pink marble and gold....a bit blissful I think!

Love and hugs
Debbie
xx


*DecoArt do generously sponsor me with these fab products however, I would not use them if they were not the best and the ideas that you see here are all my own.