Whenever I am antiquing, thrifting or shopping in a regular store, I am always on the lookout for unique holiday décor. I can’t say exactly what I am looking for, but I know it when I see it. In the past, I have picked up a glass beaded garland in an antique store, beautiful mercury ornaments from Pottery Barn (end of season sale of course) and just recently an amazing wooden Santa from Good Will. It had great height and a lot of detail. I did hesitate for a moment before putting it in my cart, knowing I would be putting my own mark on it with paint. But in the end, I decided that any changes I made would be right for me and the piece would become a cherished holiday possession!
This is the original state of the Santa. It really is lovely, just not my holiday décor style.
I went with Waverly chalk Paint in Mineral, adding baking soda to give it a textured look. After it dried, I put on Waverly White Wax to lighten the color and act as a sealer.
This is where some of you may want to close your eyes!
No going back now!
After the wax was set, I lightly sanded the piece to expose some color. I was not a big fan of the results. I repainted it leaving the bow and the face as is.
I still wanted color so I pulled out my acrylic paints.
I added red to the gloves and highlighted with white and gold on the robe. Then used Annie Sloan Dark Wax to age it.
I wanted Santa’s pack darker. Before, I went ahead and painted it, I wanted to see what the actual color of the wood was. To my delight, it was a dark wood. I continued sanding until I was satisfied with the look.
I added some green and gold to the items in the pack so they would stand out.
It wasn’t an easy decision to paint the Santa. It was not only a beautiful piece, but I could have ruined it forever.
Luckily for me, I couldn’t be any happier with the results. It reminds me of an old family heirloom that has been passed down for years!