Did you see Tuesday’s project about painting a pail to look like Galvanized metal? The pail turned out wonderfully but it was still missing something. 
Back in the day (as my niece likes to say) household items were made to last. People usually had very few possessions and cherished those they did. Since common items, like buckets and pails, were used regularly, people frequently added some sort of identifying mark to them to keep them from disappearing.
After painting my metal pail to look like an old galvanized metal bucket, I wanted to add an identifying mark to it. By adding something like an address or street number, it would help to give it even more of an authentic look. 
I found this [easyazon_link identifier=”B00JG9LKTG” locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]Deco Art Americana Decor Stencil, Cafe Paris[/easyazon_link] and thought that the address part was perfect.
When stenciled words look multidimensional, it gives them more of a hand painted look. To achieve that multidimensional look, you need to use the stencil twice. The first time you will use a dark colour that will act as the shading and then a lighter one to highlight.
To get that look on my pail, I used the same [easyazon_link identifier=”B00O2JNZ2U” locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]Fusion Mineral Paint Ash[/easyazon_link] colour I had originally painted the pail in first and then [easyazon_link identifier=”B00O2JNZ98″ locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]Casement[/easyazon_link], a white from the same line. 
The [easyazon_link identifier=”B00O2JNZ2U” locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]Ash colour[/easyazon_link] stencil layer didn’t need to be precise so I wasn’t concerned about making it perfect. That layer would simply serve as the shading on the final lettering. 
Once[easyazon_link identifier=”B00O2JNZ2U” locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]the Ash coloured[/easyazon_link] stencil layer was dry, I re-applied the stencil moving it slightly to the right of where I had placed it originally. By putting the stencil in a slightly different spot, the darker colour would look like I had added dimension to each letter. 
Using the stencil twice to create that dimension is a quick and easy way to get a hand painted lettered look. 
Now that my collection of metal pots is growing, I can’t wait to fill my balcony with flowers and greenery! 
Pin for later…
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I’d love to expand my collection of metal pots, cheaply Would this technique work on the black plastic nursery pots?
Yes absolutely Barbara. That’s why I started doing it… because I had all of these random nursery pots (plastic) and was tired of them looking all crazy 😉 I love the look of galvanized metal but wanted to use what I had so began painting them. If you are going to use them outside (as all of mine were) I would use a paint with a top coat built in (like Fusion) so that it holds up to the elements. I am in Canada and I used the Fusion and it held up beautifully through all of the seasons. I haven’t tried latex on them but it would probably hold up too. Have fun painting your pots!! I’d love to see them when you’re done 🙂
I love how this turned out! It’s awesome. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.
Thanks Sherry! I will definitely be using this technique again 😉
What a great way to make stencils multidimensional!! Love the new look you gave the bucket!!
Thanks! It certainly was a lot easier than outlining it with black once the white was one 😉 Anything to save time and make things easier is great in my book.
Lisa! Great job on your buckets! It really looks like the real deal. Thanks so much for sharing the stenciling tip! Take care, Cynthia
Thanks Cynthia! I definitely developed a love for all things galvanized lately 😉
No, I did not see Tues. post about making paint look like galvanized metal!! Amazing–made more amazing by the awesome stenciling you added today. Love. It. Thanks for sharing it (and your frame wreath) with us all at Vintage Charm 🙂
Aww thanks Diana! I have a new infatuation will all things galvanized so am excited to perfect a way to paint some of things I already have to look like it 😉 Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. Hope you are having a lovely week!
I love anything galvanized. The stencil is super fun!! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Oh me too Jann! I can’t wait until I have enough to fill my balcony with them only those 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hi, I'm Lisa!
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