Guest Blogger:: Marian of Mustard Seed Creations

Chic Modern Vintage. Don't you just love that name?  It evokes such a strong design image.  Anyway, I thought I would share one of my recent tutorials that is super cheap, super easy, and super chic.  All you need is tin foil, Mod Podge, glaze and a victim (frame, piece of furniture, anything that will hold still long enough.)

Zinc is a hot "thing" right now. You're seeing zinc furniture, zinc letters, and all things zinc in home decor. It looks so cool, but it's expensive. Now, I'm going to say that as much as I love paint, I am not a fan of faux. Mainly, because it looks....well, faux. My friend, Jami from Freckled Laundry, recently painted a "zinc" dresser and did a great job, I might add. When we were e-mailing about her technique, she mentioned the possibility of using tin foil to achieve the look of zinc. I had no plans to test it out, but then, I started working on this frame.  It was part particle board, part metal...it was ugly and paint just wasn't going to fix it.  I needed to decoupage something over the frame to hide the imperfections.  I was a little tired of craft paper and sheet music, so I went for the foil to give it a go. 

...and I was surprised at how well it turned out. 

Here's the technique:

Cut your pieces of regular weight tin foil to the size you want.  Crinkle it and then smooth it out.  Apply Mod Podge to the surface of your frame/furniture and apply the tin foil immediately.  Smooth out the foil and make sure it is in full contact with the surface.  Apply a second coat of Mod Podge on top of the foil and allow it to dry.  Once dry, brush on Aphaltum glaze by Valspar and blot off with a balled up dry paper towel.  Repeat this process until you've achieved the depth of color you want.  Since this is a frame, I did not apply a top coat, but you will want to apply a top coat if you're working on a piece of furniture. 

I inserted a piece of masonite covered in chalkboard paint, but this would also looking lovely around a mirror or on a piece of furniture. 

Thanks so much, Tonia, for lending me your blog for the day! 

For more inspiration and tutorials, please visit Mustard Seed Interiors.