Transforming a Rustic Tool Caddy Into a Work of Art

I love to take forsaken and even ugly things and transform them with a little paint and creativity. Join me as I show how this ugly Tool Caddy became a beautiful work of art!

Here she is! Primitive, dirty, and just plain ugly. The tool caddy no doubt served its purpose but for use in decorating no way! I gave it a good scrubbing and then let it dry.

I used a wicker white acrylic paint mixed with a sand color and gave the whole thing a base coat with just a sponge brush.

I cut a sponge into a 1 and 1/4 inches square. Dabbed black paint onto the bottom side and then started stamping! I made the design clear around the perimeter of the piece. I also used solid black paint to paint the edges. Added some shadowing of gray and a brown to the white checks for more depth.

The sides I wanted to paint some rustic flowers. I used my favorite colors of a barn red, sage green, and a brownish tan. I made swirls in a circle for the flowers and then filled in the other colors. I added the leaves and the vine. Also highlighted the piece with a watery burnt sienna color.

I made sure all of the squares had some depth to them by adding a little dry brushed color. I outlined all of the flowers with a dark brown and then finished the piece with a water based varnish.

As you can see both sides are a little different. That is what makes it yours!

As you can see the flowers look a wee bit different

The colors blend well with the home decor

Another view

In this pic you can see the irregular circle. I used a flat brush and then added detail as I went.

The squares are perfectly imperfect. This is still a rustic piece so I wanted the overall effect to match the caddy.

I am sure this lovely piece will find its way around our home in several locations! I can see it with white pumpkins and fall flowers in the side trays.

Again a close up view of the flowers and checkerboard. Thanks for looking and trust you have a treasure just waiting for you! You can see my whole post at Quaker Hill Farm aka quakerhomecottage.blogspot.com

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/10042121/transforming-a-rustic-tool-caddy-into-a-work-of-art site