I am constantly amazed at what dollar stores carry now. Too much good stuff!
Ok, some of it can look a little . . . cheap. Like it only cost a dollar, you know?
Like these plastic leaves. Cute but pretty shiny. And plastic-y.
I’ve never met a fall leaf I didn’t like so I went to my spray paint arsenal.
Krylon Caramel Latte. Rust-Oleum Rich Caramel. And Hammered Copper.
Sound like delicious drinks, don’t they? Or how you feel afterwards . . . ‘hammered’.
ahem.
I sprayed a bit of the Caramel Latte into the center of each, then Copper on the left leaf and Caramel on the right. The Caramel Latte is closer to a gold then caramel color but added a little glimmer.
They looked okay and the plastic-ness was gone but less than fantastic.
I want my dollar store stuff to look fantastic, ok?
Back to the cupboard arsenal for Glossy Wood Tone which makes simply everything look better.
Almost everything.
Now there was a richness and depth of color. The plastic-ness was all gone.
I pulled out all of my fall fabrics, looking for something to show off my new shiny not plastic-y leaves.
And then I remembered one more secret weapon in the dollar store makeover arsenal.
Rub ‘n Buff!
My friends, if you buy only two new things this year, make one Rub ‘n Buff and the other Glossy Wood Tone.
You’ll be set for Fall and Christmas and if you give me a minute to think, probably Spring and Summer too.
I use my finger to rub it on because it’s like finger painting only so, so much better to play with gold shiny stuff instead of boring ol’ primary colors.
I only rubbed it on the edges because I didn’t want to be here all day.
I mean, c’mon, these are only dollar store leaves after all.
They just don’t look like it anymore.
Let the decorating party begin!
On the table, atop the fall leaf runner, with some fake fruit . . .
or plastic gems?
Or maybe on a shelf with their ‘verdigris’ friend from the thrift store.
Dollar store guys like thrift store guys. Did you know that? True story.
(Verdigris tutorial to come.)
I’m not sure where they’ll wind up but they’ll add a little glimmer wherever and make me smile.
Isn’t that why we do this stuff – to bring a smile?
The fact that it only cost a buck and only took spray paint is just icing on the cake.
Been to the dollar store lately? What fun stuff did you get?
Colleen
I LOVE this. Going to buy me some rub and buff.
Colleen…you always have the best ideas. Thanks for sharing this one. I love to just wander through the Dollar Tree. I’m going to go looking for these leaves next visit..hehe
Hugs,
Regi
excellent!!!
Hi Colleen! I’ve been purchasing the little shirts and using iron on patterns to make cute shirts for my great-nieces! They have been a fun project for me! I love the leaves! That would be a fun project as well! Thanks for sharing! Blessings from Bama!
Hi Colleen! I was just looking at the plastic maple leaves that I bought last year at Dollar Tree and wondering if paint would help them…thanks SO much for that tutorial. I also spied a felt leaf in the hutch from Dollar Tree also…I love that store! I saw your post over at the Fall party at “Centsational Girl”.
Smart idea–I’ve been eyeballing those plastic Dollar Tree leaves and trying to figure out what I could do with them!
I absolutely ADORE these leaves! What an awesome makeover! Your ability to think outside the box amazes me. I love your blog
I love cut glass but also enjoy finding plastic cut glass look. I have a lot of both and the dollar stores are always a fun place to look. My cats eat from cut glass bowls. Ok plastic. My fruit bowl is cut glass. Ok plastic. But I do have the real counterparts safe in my hutch. Love the dollar stores