Antique irons are a fun find whenever I come across them at a flea market or thrift shop. I decided this pair would be perfect for a set of bookends. Let me tell you how I transformed them into something fresh and unique.
To clean the irons, I washed each with warm water and Dawn dish soap and then let dry completely. Before painting, I applied a coat of primer, Dixie Belle Slick Stick. This product helps paint stick to glossy and hard, shiny surfaces. One coat of primer is enough, and I recommend letting it dry for 24 hours before starting the next step.
Don't judge my products, I'm a very messy painter!
Next, the irons were painted with 2 coats of Dixie Belle Sawmill Gravy. Let your project dry between coats. After the second coat, I lightly sanded some edges to give it a distressed look in spots.
The decoupage paper used is a 10 lb. tissue paper I found on Zazzle. You can choose tissue, napkins, rice paper, etc. to make a project like this. I applied a thin layer of Mod Podge to the face of the iron, then laid the tissue onto the iron. There is no need to cut the tissue to fit, it is much easier to trim after applying. I use a piece of cling wrap to run over the tissue until it is smooth. The plastic helps prevent tearing the tissue while applying.
Use a piece of sandpaper to run along the edges of the iron to trim off any excess tissue. Give the Mod Podge at least a couple hours to dry, then brush on another thin layer over the tissue paper. Let dry.
The final step of decoupage is to seal your project. I applied one coat of General Finishes Flat Sealer all over both irons and let dry. I coated the face of the iron that was decoupaged 3 more times, drying completely between coats.
For finishing touches, I added a little twine to the handle and some gold gilding wax to the edges of the irons.
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