Faux Rusty Metal on Plastic Bells

I think this fun DIY is pretty magical! It is just so cool how you can transform something like a plastic bell into the cutest rusty metal looking piece of decor! I have seen so many people out in the crafting world using the Cinnamon+Mod Podge technique to create rust, so I decided to give it a whirl!! I mean, WHO KNEW!!?? And sure, you could probably go out & buy some rusty metal bells already done, but where’s the fun in that lol?!

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Want to give this a try yourself?? HERE ARE THE SUPPLIES I USED:

• Plastic Christmas Bell (dollar tree)
• Jingle Bell (dollar tree)
• Mod Podge
• Ground Cinnamon
• Gray Chalk Paint (Dixie Belle “driftwood”)
• Metallic acrylic (Folk Art “gunmetal gray”)
• Metallic acrylic (Folk Art “silver sterling”)
• Jute Rope
• Buffalo Plaid ribbon (walmart)
• Tiny wooden snowflakes (hobby lobby)
• White Chalk Paint (Dixie Belle “cotton”)
• Flocked greenery (hobby lobby)
• Scissors
• Wire Cutters
• Hot Glue Gun
• Paint brushes
• Paper/Foam plates

So I picked up a couple plastic Christmas bells from the Dollar Tree in hopes I could transform them into a farmhouse/vintage type look!

The first thing I did was remove the embellishments it came with & paint on one coat of light gray chalk paint. I used the color “driftwood” by Dixie Belle. I chose chalk paint to lay down a good base coat for the metallic acrylics to stick well. I painted the inside & outside of the bell.

After the chalk paint dries, I painted on one coat of Folk Art Metallic in color “silver sterling” and while that was wet, I blended in a little Folk Art Metallic in color “gunmetal gray”. Try not to overthink this part too much as you’re trying to create some slight variation in color to create a faux galvanized metal type look.

This part turned out soooo much better than imagined & already looked like metal! But my whole reason for starting this transformation was to try out a fun, faux rust technique I’ve seen many other crafters pull off beautifully!

And would you believe that CINNAMON+MOD PODGE creates some pretty realistic rust?!? I’m still amazed & will continue using this process for future projects!

So here’s how you do it…….after all your metallic paints dry, you will use a small brush to dab mod podge in random spots on the bell. Again, try not to overthink this part. Naturally, rust doesn’t make any kind of pattern, so just be sporadic with it!

Next, sprinkle the cinnamon directly over the places where you dabbed mod podge. It will stick, trust me! Just work in sections on your bell so the mod podge doesn’t start to dry before you sprinkle the cinnamon.

And hey……… bonus with this is how lovely your home or craft room will smell lol! So just keep adding mod podge+cinnamon where you want rust. Once you are happy, the next step will be to take a dry brush and lightly dust off all the excess cinnamon.

Now the magic really happens once you seal all the cinnamon in with another coat of mod podge! That mod podge saturates the cinnamon and gives the most beautiful rusty color! I mod podged the outside & inside of the bell.

I decided about half way through this craft that I wanted to add a jingle bell inside the big bell. I only had gold bells on hand, so GUESS WHAT?? Yep, I gave it the cinnamon+mod podge treatment! It worked perfectly! I simply covered the whole jingle bell in mod podge & sprinkled on the cinnamon. Let it dry & seal with more mod podge!!

Next, I used some jute rope to string through the jingle bell and through the top of the big plastic Christmas bell. Once I figured how far into the big bell that I wanted my jingle bell to hang, I used a couple dabs of hot glue to secure the rope to the top of the big bell. That kept the hanging string from pulling up on my jingle bell.

Next, I used a little white chalk paint in the color “cotton” by Dixie Belle & painted a couple small wooden snowflakes. I then strung them on thin twine & wrapped around top of bell. I REALLY love they way they pop off the silver/rusty bell!

For my next embellishment, I chose to use some flocked greenery. I simply cut off the pieces I needed & hot glued them to the sides of the bell. Don’t ya just love flocked greenery?! It added another perfect, wintery touch!

So far so good, but are you thinking what I’m thinking??!! Yep, it DEFINITELY needs a cute bow!

I made one of my super simple Loop Bows with some buffalo plaid ribbon I picked up at Walmart. If you want the step by step on that bow making process, go HERE! Just tie it on & you are all finished! How cool is this?

So are you as impressed as I am at how realistic this rust looks!!?? And that before & after is pretty magical!! It’s even more Awesome in person! I’d LOVE to know if you have tried or plan to try this faux rust technique! Like I mentioned, this won’t be the last time you see me create rust like this!!

I also did a video tutorial on this project if you want to check it out!