I just love barn sales. There is this terrific barn down the road at Sunny Patch Farms. About twice a year they open their doors to the public. It is always a great day. I spent all morning milling around and visiting with many friends, helping others to load their treasures, and then panicking that I myself had found nothing except the one thing that I have been waiting for since last fall, a vintage glam mirror and taper candle set (sconce). I will post my makeover on that another day. The item was so high up, I have to go back later to pick it up!
The barn sale
These Pictures are a little blurry. I was sneaking in a few photos :).
While scanning the walls, alleys, and vendors, I found a great vintage bird on a dogwood set for $12.00. Yes it is worth $12.00. After all, this is not a garage sale we are talking about it is a barn sale. :) Big Difference.
OOOh the excitement. I brought my little birds home and gave them a good scrubbing in the sink with a bristle brush and Dawn detergent. Once it dried thoroughly, I gave it a nice coat of Rustoleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover in Gloss White for plastic. This spray paint is 2x the coverage and dries quickly. I love that! Once it dried, I gave it another coat making sure to cover almost all of the nooks and crannies.
Then I took 220 sandpaper and gave it a light rub on the areas that I wanted to accent the most. I rubbed the sandpaper across the edges of the flowers, the middle of the flowers, and certain areas of the bird such as the feathers to pull a little of the old color through.
Now it is time to clean it up again. Making sure to get all the loose pieces off the little birds in the process. I want them to be super clean.
If you want to take it a step further, you can rub a coat of Valspar Antique Glaze on them.
Wait a minute, then use a soft cloth or soft paper towel and gently rub it into the distressed areas wiping off all excess. It will give it more of a wooden look by darkening the distressed areas. If it looks too dirty or too dark in one spot--no worries, just dampen your cloth and wipe over it to clean it off. I would not wait too long to rub in your glaze. It dries quickly.
Now they are ready to shine. Where to put them?? On my hand made grape vine wreath for the time being! I am off the help my sister with 60 baby Tamworth pigs!
