Quick Tricks: Christmas Decor Paint Projects

I’m so excited about today’s post because I LOVE Christmas decor paint projects! Whether transforming old tired Christmas decor into something updated and fresh with paint, or getting creative with home accessories collecting dust in my junk closet for holiday decorating, a great paint revamp makes me so happy! 

Today, I am also teaming up with Testors paints, which are my favorite craft/decor paints that have used for more than 20 years!  If you’re not familiar with Testors paints, they were originally designed for model airplanes/cars, so they have the durability and beautiful finish needed for model crafts. I discovered the paints when I was looking for a good glass paint and I have been obsessed with Testors since then.

I wanted to show you the paint possibilities today and some things that you may be surprised that you can paint. Lets jump into the projects!

Refresh Your Old Christmas Decor

Over the years, I have accumulated Christmas decor that I no longer use because it’s either the wrong color, or it’s just worn/tired or the wrong style for what I’m doing this Christmas. Instead of discarding these pieces, I refresh and update them with paint. 

I have had these two metal reindeers for years and this year, I wanted to update them by painting them white. Testors has just come out with these awesome smaller cans of 3 oz. spray paints that I am so excited about because the paints work on glass, metal, wood and even most plastics! 

I used the spray color White Wedding in gloss and I did not have to prime the reindeers.  I just sprayed two light and even layers and they turned out amazing! 

Quick Trick #1

When you’re spray painting, spray light layers in a circular motion is the best way to ensure that your paint won’t run and that your finish has smooth and even coverage.

I also had a white metal reindeer that I wanted a matte black that would make it look like cast iron. I used the Testors spray paint in the chalkboard finish to refresh and get that ultra matte black finish.

 

Here’s a close-up of that beautiful matte black finish!

Quick Trick #2

Allow layers of spray paint to dry for at least 20-30 minutes before spraying another coat. This will ensure that your paint won’t get gummy or run.

After seeing how the reindeer turned out, I want to spray everything with the Testors Chalkboard paint! I love that ultra matte black!

I also had this old wood Joy sign that I wanted to refresh and spray paint black.

I also used the Testors chalkboard spray paint and it turned out perfect on wood without any prep or primer! 

Look Through Your Junk Closet

Take a look through your home decor junk closet and look to see if you could refresh something and use it for your Christmas decorating.  Can you spray something red, green,white or gold and then top with spray glitter? Do you have an old wood box to spray in your Christmas color and fill with greenery and white candles?

For example, I had this galvanized tiered metal stand that I left outside last summer. The metal oxidized and turned yellow and started rusting.  

 

The finish turned out so amazing! It’s like new and I didn’t prime and I just sprayed the paint directly on the metal. 

Not only could I spray this paint directly on metal without a primer, the paint dried in less than 45 minutes and I could put stuff on it immediately! That’s just how awesome this paint is! 

The paint finish is stunning!

Quick Trick #3

Before you spray paint anything metal, clean with a light layer of alcohol or vinegar and make sure it’s dry before spraying. If  the metal is starting to rust, rub with steel wool to smooth.  This will remove any residue on the piece and ensure that the finish is smooth and even.

 

Refresh Old Christmas Ornaments

Do you have old Christmas ornaments that you know you’ll never use again? Maybe you had a hot pink or purple ornament tree years ago and you just cringe when you pull out those ornaments?  You can easily refresh them and give them a new color with this paint effortlessly. These paints give the most beautiful finish and are so durable that yes! You can paint and change the color of old ornaments! 

I had 20 of these lime green tinsel ornaments below that I never really liked and wished that they were gold. Guess what?! I changed that just a few minutes!

I sprayed them with the Testors crafts metallic gold and they turned out so beautiful!

 

Testors just came out fantastic glitter sprays as well and I absolutely love it because the metallics are gorgeous and the spray is very even and so easy to use. They also have a glitter sealer that (YAY) actually does a great job of sealing glitter.  I took this lime green plastic ornament below and sprayed it white first and then I did three light layers of the Testors gold glitter spray.

Can you believe that glitter finish?! It’s just pretty much fool-proof! Even if you don’t want a solid glitter ball, you can easily add glitter with this spray to anything! 

 

Quick Trick #4

If you’re spray painting multiple ornaments at a time, tie a rope or twine between two trees and use Christmas ornament hooks to hang on the twine. If you need to cover any areas on the ornament, you can use tape.

 

Paint Treatments for Naturals from Your Yard

Your yard is such a great place to look for beautiful Christmas decor and fillers. Branches, leaves and pinecones are perfect either natural or painted. If you want to paint them, I have a couple tips for you.

 I use acrylic craft paints for painting naturals and Testors new line of acrylic craft paints that I am loving because the paint is the thickest craft paint that I have ever used. 

 

My favorite trick for painting anything natural is to first paint your naturals (branches/pinecones/sticks) in a paint wash. You do this by mixing water/paint 50/50. Just brush on the paint wash and let it dry. You can either leave them this way or you can drizzle white paint over them and the drizzled paint will naturally spread out and look beautiful! 

I love all the creative Christmas decor possibilities when it comes to paint and I especially love that I can easily upcycle and refresh something that’s just collecting dust. I hope you’re inspired to look at your junk in a different way today! 

By the way, if you want to see more of the creative ways that I use Testors paints around my home, you can see my tips here.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cheers!

Cyndy