Curvy Candlesticks: Making over dated brass objects

One of the little projects I have been working on is this pretty pair of candlesticks. I found them on a shelf at Goodwill shoved in with a bunch of other tacky brass items. I really liked the twisty curviness of them, and thought they had great potential. Plus, their price sticker was the right color so they were 50% off. I got both of them for $1.99 :-)

I knew I wanted to go dark with these babies. My living room is a light creamy tan, and any white or light items on the mantel get lost against the light wall color. I wanted to try and replicate a timeless oil rubbed bronze finish, with my own twist. The fact that these sticks were already bronze meant that the underlying finish would be really pretty.

I took advantage of a non-rainy day, and set up outside with my arsenal of spray paint. I really like starting with a base coat of one color, and then doing very light coats of other colors to make the finish more interesting. I started by coating the sticks in a flat black enamel. The candlesticks immediately had more presence and their "curviness" stood out more.

Then I took a dark brown glossy paint, and lightly misted it back and forth over the black paint. This part is always a little tricky, and sometimes I have to start over with the black and work up to the other paints again. The brown misting was just enough to warm up the black and give the candlesticks a warm, time worn finish.

My last step was to take a metallic gold spray paint and lightly mist it over the sticks. I love a little bit of sparkle. :-) Here's a look at what the candlesticks look like now, all spiffed up and made over. I can't wait to use these guys over the holidays!

Linked to Metamorphosis Monday. Check out all the other great transformations here

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