Let's talk all things metallic & it's crafty uses

Do you love the addition of gold or any kind of metallics to your projects? You have come to the right place. I love the hint gold or copper accents in my DIY projects so I thought I will discuss what are the products available in the market that can be used for the addition of these metallic accents to your projects.

Acrylic paint: 
                   This is a very well-known thing which is used to give add a splash of color to almost any craft projects like canvas wall art, wood projects, etc. It is not suitable for fabrics but other than it is most widely used craft supply. It comes in all kinds of metallic colors like gold, silver, copper, bronze, etc  

Fabric paint:
                  Fabric paint as the name says as it is used especially for fabrics. It also comes in all kinds of metallic colors like gold, silver, copper, bronze, etc. There is also a dimensional variety in the fabric paint which is also called puffy paint or dimensional paint.

Multi-surface paint:
                          This type of paints serves the purpose of both the acrylic paints and fabric paints. It can be used on many surfaces like glass, ceramics, wood, metal, fabric, etc. Nowadays I mostly purchase multi-surface paint as these paints give nice coverage compared to the normal acrylic paint.

Projects: My favorites are Martha Stewart's multi-surface paint( I have used it to paint wooden bowls, 2 in 1 no sewVinyl tote bag, and DIY leather zipper purse) and Folkart's multi-surface paint (I have used different metallic colors in DIY embossed Christmas ornaments.

Spray paint:
                This is another easy way to add metallics to your projects. Even though it needs good weather for a project to paint with spray paint.It is the easy way and quick way as the dry time is less.

Projects: Last year, I was more into the copper trend and so I used metallic copper spray paint to re-do a floor lamp I got at the garage sale for $5, Kitchen Storage Cabinet Makeover

Gilding:
          This is a process of applying thin sheets of gold leaf or gold paint to the objects. This technique is applied by various methods depending on the object to be gilded. One of the best examples of this process used is antique frames where the tarnished gold frames are brought back to life by applying gold leaf. This technique uses either thin sheets of metal like gold or in the liquid form called as liquid gilding. This process can be done using other metal sheets such as silver. copper, bronze also.

Projects: How to gold leaf tutorial, DIY gold leaf vase, DIY oyster salt cellars(Liquid gilding)

Foiling:
         This is a similar process to gilding except that the foil transfer sheets are thicker than the gold leaf and are easier to handle. Foiled projects have a shiny finish compared to gold leaf. Foiling is so in trend now. There are various ways to apply foil to things and I personally have tried to apply foil using heat n bond adhesive and laminator method. Foil sheets come in a variety of colors which also includes gold, silver, and copper. And these can be applied to various surfaces such as paper, fabrics, wood and many other porous surfaces.

Projects: How to apply foil on fabrics, Gold foil wall art using the laminator. 

Paint pens/Paint markers:
                               These pens or markers are used to create permanent writing on various surfaces such as metal, glass, stone, etc. Paint pens/markers are opaque and pigmented compared to normal ink markers which are why these are suitable for dark surfaces.

Projects: DIY coasters using popsicle sticks(Painted version), How to install pegboard (Silver paint pen for chevron lines), DIY reusable gift tags using air dry clay

Glitter & Rhinestones:
                 If you want to add highlights to any project, Glitter and rhinestones are the perfect addition. Glitter comes in a variety of textures like fine, extra fine, etc and colors. Use them according to the need. As far rhinestones, they come in different shapes and sizes.

Glitter projects: DIY glittered jars, Dishwasher safe DIY glitter mugs
Rhinestones Projects: DIY round perpetual calendar (Used rhinestones for the teal color calendar), DIY snowflake necklace, How to make shaker cards

Tapes:
      Metallic washi tapes, copper foil tape, and metallic duct tapes are the tapes which are mess free and an instant option to add the metallic touch to any surface or an object.

Projects: Washi tape wall decals (Washi tape), Copper Tape vase DIY (Copper foil tape), Easy DIY duct tape feather (Duct tape)

Vinyl:
      Be it permanent or removable or heat transfer vinyl, these are the perfect craft supply to use with an electronic cutting machine. They all come in metallic colors and some even have different shades of gold like shiny gold, antique gold, etc. No worries, if you don't have one.You can still buy vinyl and cut simple shapes out of it to make beautiful DIY projects.

Image source

Projects: DIY personalized mugs( Permanent vinyl), DIY floral faux wallpaper (Removable vinyl), DIY gold arrow pillow (Heat transfer vinyl)

Glue sticks: 
            Do you know glue sticks come in different colors? I personally haven't tried it but I thought the projects like the one I linked below will be easier if glue sticks were colorful I think. Have you tried them?

Projects: Glue gun Cabochons, How to make sparkle earrings using hot glue

Nail polish: 
            Call me crazy! I have loads of cheap nail polish in my craft supply just for my DIY projects. There is some about this that I find it more interesting to use in crafts than on my nails. And they come in different shades of gold, silver and whatever shades you want.

Project: Glam your hair accessories

Polymer clay:
                How can I complete this post without mentioning my favorite medium, polymer clay. These come in a variety of metallic shades. I think there are 3 shades of gold like antique gold, 14k gold,  gold, etc and also other metallics colors like copper, silver, bronze, etc are available.

Projects: You can use them to add to the already existing object to upcycle the look like I did in DIY knobs using polymer clay or use clay to create metallic accents in jewelry kind of projects like Stamped clay jewelry, DIY faux metal geometric necklace using clay.

Gold enamel:
              This is a product that my previous landlord gave it to my to use in my crafts. It is actually used by interior decorators for painting accents inside the houses and it says not recommended for outdoor use. It can be used on metal, fabrics, glass, leather and bricks. It is similar to the consistency of liquid gilding. I couldn't spot the exact product(as it is years old) or something similar online as many products don't have a proper description but I recommended you to try a similar product if you use lots of liquid gilding in your projects. I think this is cost effective compared to liquid gilding. Try searching in the paint section of your local hardware stores like Home depot or Lowe's. If I came across a similar product I will update here.

Projects: DIY Jewelry dish using air dry clay, Dressing table makeover (To paint the drawer handles),   DIY flower vase, How to install pegboard (Middle gold part of the chevron design).

Hope you liked this roundup of products to make your DIY projects shine. Did I miss anything? Have you tried all of these techniques or products? What is that one thing that is a long time desire for you to try? For me, it was foiling on fabrics, which I tried last week. Share with me what is yours in the comments below. As always I will be happy to hear from you.

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Let's talk about types of paint & it's crafty uses

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