Magnolia Inspired Antique Brass Planter

Today I’m going to show you how I took a thrift store $3 find and transformed it into a Magnolia inspired antique brass planter that sells for $30 on their website!

I just want to take a moment to mention the loss of two of the Thrifty Style team gals recently.

They were Michelle of The Painted Hinge and Paula of Sweet Pea. I’m still so sad that they are gone.

Paula and I were also in a mastermind blogging group together for quite a while and I got the chance to meet her last Summer at a blogging conference. She had been battling cancer for 5 years…that girl fought like hell!

Sending my prayers to their families, I am just so sorry for your losses. They were both such creative and lovely women.

How I Made a Magnolia Knock-off (and saved $50!!)

OK, so I was scrolling through the Magnolia website a few weeks ago and just loved the antique brass fluted pot that they have for Spring!! I’ve had it in my cart since I saw it but just couldn’t hit the order button because it was $30…and I knew that I could probably find something similar at the thrift or antique store if I looked hard enough.

That’s the one thing about my job here…when I see something that I love but is pricey I try to figure out how to remake it for as little as possible and share it with all of you so we can all save $$. I’ll admit it, but there are lots of times I just want to buy something and that voice in my head says “C’mon girl, you can make it for 5 bucks!!” (Oh, and she has a Southern accent instead of my Boston one!!)

This post may include affiliate links; you can read my disclosure policy here.

Finding the Thrift Store Planters

So last weekend when I was dropping off a few boxes of stuff at the thrift store ( I reorganized my studio and my stash of home decor..yay me!) I ran in to see what they had, plus I got an extra 20% discount coupon for my donation.

When I walked into my Savers store I spotted the silver pots in the vase aisle, I couldn’t believe that not only did they have the perfect shape but there were 2 of them available…and a little more than 3 bucks each!!

On the way home I stopped at Lowe’s and picked up a can of the Krylon Hammered Gold Spray Paint, it was the closest thing to brass that I could find and I really love working with the Krylon Hammered series of paints.

Painting the Planter

The planters took 2 coats of spray paint to cover the weird black crackle that was on them originally.

One thing I really love about the hammered paint is the texture it adds to your project. While I loved the overall effect I thought it needed just a little something else to make it look like antique brass.

Then I remembered I had a few small cans of metallic paints leftover from my Christmas DIYs and grabbed the Krylon Gold Leaf…I love these little cans that they sell at the craft stores!!

What I did was do light short bursts of the gold leaf paint while I waved my hand over the planters. This way it added a layer of dimension because of the different tones of the two paints.

Adding Antique Wax

Once the spray paint had completely dried I brought the two planters down to my studio to finish them off with one final step.

I was also thankful to be working inside because it was cooooold out in my garage…even though it was technically a “warm” March day for New Hampshire!!

Using my Waverly Antique Wax on a wadded-up paper towel I dabbed the wax all over the planter. This wax is so easy to use on small projects because it has the consistency of chalk paint…and you can grab the small container for $1.97 in the Walmart craft section and it will be enough for a few small projects!!

Once I had the planter covered in the wax I left it on for a couple of minutes.

What I did was add the wax to one of the planters and then move on to the second planter…then I went back and dabbed off the excess wax from the first one and then the second one.

This was enough time to let some of the wax absorb into the paint and get the antiqued brass look I was going for.

Then I let the wax dry for a couple of hours…well, actually I tried to bring them upstairs and got a big thumbprint on one and then made the executive decision that it was a really good idea to just let them be for a while!!!

Finished Magnolia Inspired Antique Brass Planter

Well, what do you think??? It seriously looks just like the $30 one that I love from Magnolia!!

So for around $10 I made 2 of my own…that’s a $50 savings…I think I should put that towards the cute shoes I have saved in my cart on another tab on my laptop (I can’t DIY shoes just yet!!!!)

Now please go check out what the other gals on the Thrifty Style Team have for you today! Thanks for stopping by Cottage on Bunker Hill today, you are all the sweetest readers…love you all!!

Redhead Can Decorate – 3 Simple No-Sew Home Decorating Ideas Using Fabric
Our Crafty Mom – Bumble Bee Craft Mason Jar
DIY Beautify – Salt Dough Rabbit Ornaments
2 Bees In A Pod – Stamped Eggs for Spring
The How To Home – Hand Stamped Napkins
Postcards From The Ridge – Paper Egg Ornaments
Vinyet Etc. – Thrifty Vintage Planters – Spring
Lora B. Create & Ponder – 7 Ideas for Decorating the Tops of Armoires, Bookcases (and any tall furniture)
The Tattered Pew – 5 Thrifty, Chic and Simple Spring DIY Projects
Cottage On Bunker Hill –Inspired Antique Brass Planter
Amy Sadler Designs –Easy DIY French Country Table Runner
Songbird – Easy Fresh Flower Spring Wreath
My Family Thyme – Easy Side Table Makeover with Fusion Mineral Paint