I am in full holiday mode now (are you?) and despite not neeeeeding any more holiday decor, I just couldn’t resist these wooden canes when I saw them. They were at the thrift store and at $1.99 each how could you pass them up?
Prepping the Canes
To start the recreation of these lovely canes, I removed the rubber bottoms. I didn’t need them and they were really easy to just pop off.
I wiped both canes down well with some Fusion TSP alternative and then started sanding them. I didn’t want to remove all of the finish but did want to scuff it up a bit. I love these sanding sponges for this type of work. They are squishy and easy to hold.
Taping the Canes
Once the wooden canes were sanded down, I started at the base of the canes and wrapped painter’s tape all the way up to the top. You want to start the bottom at an angle and then as you wrap, it will leave the perfect gap all the way up the cane.
The top of the cane was a little tricky but I just stuck the tape down crinkly as I moved around the curve.
Painting the Canes
With the taping all done, it was time to paint. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White and did two coats.
Peeling the Tape and Finishing the Canes
Once the two coats of paint were completely dry, it was time to peel up the tape, and boy was it satisfying! I should have filmed this part just because it would have been fun to watch lol.
I wasn’t overly concerned with how the paint looked becuase I knew I wanted to distress them after the tape was off.
I wanted them to have more of a vintage look so grabbed a sanding sponge again and gave them a quick sanding.
Adding Bows
The final touch to the vintage-inspired candy canes was to add some bows. I found this beautiful cotton ribbon last year and the red was the perfect pop of colour since I had left the other stripe a natural colour.
The larger candy cane got a double bow,
and the smaller one got a single one.
I love how cute these are and I’ll choose to upcycle something any day over buying new.
I hope your holiday season is off to a great start and you’re finding time to be creative amongst the hustle and bustle too.
If you love vintage as much as I do, be sure to check out the Recreated Designs shop for all of your furniture painting, crafting, and vintage needs.
All of the links in the project are to the Recreated Designs shop and are for products that I regularly use and love. Enjoy!
