How to Easily Give Home Decor Pieces an Aged Look

While I was away on vacation (you can see pics here) I was able to make a few quick reuse centre and flea market visits. One day was especially exciting because I found a new, small flea market that isn’t very far from our cottage. I had never been to it before so it was a great new find!

The Box

As soon as I walked in the door I saw this box staring back at me and instantly loved it. I have learned to trust my gut when it comes to vintage finds and when I see something that speaks to me so strongly, I know it’s something I HAVE to consider taking home. (find out how you can do this too here…) I knew where the box would go and how it would look with chippy paint before I could even get it to the car.

Once home, I couldn’t wait to start working on it. It wasn’t a big project but it was the kind that I absolutely love. I shared the video of what I did on Instagram here if you prefer to see a video…

Painting the Box

I wanted the piece to have gorgeous chippy paint and it was so easy to get the look I wanted. Chippy paint always seems to have a story to tell and even when a piece is new, you can make it instantly look old by adding chippy paint.

To get the look I wanted, I grabbed some Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in Linen and put a thick coat all over the piece. I didn’t put any bonding agent in the paint because I was specifically looking for it to chip and flake.

Getting the Chippy Look

After applying it, I grabbed my hairdryer and used the highest heat setting to dry the paint. Milk paint is the only paint that will naturally chip and flake and adding high heat to the drying process speeds this up. It is literally my favourite type of day when I get to watch paint dry LOL.

As the paint was drying, I could already see it starting to flake away. I continued with the hairdryer until all of the paint was dry and then took a soft brush to the paint to take off the loose flakes.

When I am painting glass, I rarely tape it off since it is so easy to remove after. When I’m done, I grab a straight edge or a little water and clean up the glass. Both methods take the thin paint off almost effortlessly.

I couldn’t be more in love with how much the paint peeled away. In less than an hour, the piece was transformed to look like it is old and was painted years ago.  This is such an easy technique to age a piece (and frankly… my favourite!)

It is now the perfect spot to put some of my plants and create a little texture in a quiet corner of my living room.

Oh and remember those thrift store finds I found and turned into faux ironstone? One of them is planted with some cute succulents and is in the box.  See it below?

Have a wonderfully creative weekend!