Challenge Time at Decorate To Celebrate: Christmas Part 1

MY STORY

     I love decorating for the holidays.  And when I can re-purpose something....even better.  Having been married for over 30 years, my husband has learned to never throw anything out before checking with me.  Being a skilled woodworker, he always has bits of projects left and I scoop them up!  I loved this beautiful piece he had left over.  This technique is one I saw on a crafts show many years ago and wanted to share with you how easy it is to create a faux mosaic with paint.

YOUR TURN

    Using any piece of wood, first prime it with a sealer.  This will go a long way to make your paint much easier to apply.  For Christmas I choose typical holiday paint colors, but you can use whatever you like.  These are all acrylic paints easily found at hardware or craft stores.

     Once the sealer is dry, begin painting your piece.  There are no patterns or rules, so this is a great project for kids to help out with.  Cover your entire piece as desired.

     When your paint has dried ....and make sure you don't rush it, it must be completely dry.....take painters tape and rip into various sizes and apply to your piece.  Press firmly so all edges are sealed.  HINT:  The part that the blue paint covers, will be what you see in the end.  So if there is a particular part you really like, cover it with the tape.  All exposed areas will turn into "grout".

     Once the tape is applied, cover your piece completely with a "grout" color.  This project has so many variations so play around with different colors.  As this color starts to dry, you might see bits of color coming through.  Apply as many coats as possible to insure the color is not leaking through.  You end up with a crazy piece that looks like a frosted layer of cake!  Let dry completely.....again don't rush.

   When your final paint layer has dried, start carefully peeling off the painters tape.  You can use masking tape, but I recommend using the painters tape.  It comes off easily and does not peel any of the paint away. Based on how much tape you applied your mosaic will look different.

    HINT:  If you are unhappy with the piece, just paint over in another color and start again!

   I added some white dimensional paint around the colored parts.  Then cover with a varnish for indoor projects.

  That's it, you can do this technique on any paintable surface with any color combos.  The opportunities are endless.

     Wishing you and yours a happy Holiday season!