I have a love affair going with Anthropologie.  Their zinc letters make me particularly weak in the knees.  After running across this easy-to-follow tutorial on one of my favorite blogs {Isabella and Max Rooms}, I decided they really could be recreated.

You saw the “1″ being used for Keller’s party…

…and his on-the-fly photo op….

Now, here’s what you’ll need to make some for yourself:

:: Paint brush

:: Paper Machete letters or numbers {found at JoAnn’s or Hobby Lobby}

:: Old rag – or I found paper towels worked great too

:: Black Base paint {must be “base”, so the other layers of paint don’t seep right through}

:: Rust colored paint – I mixed red, yellow, and brown paint

:: Metallic Silver Paint – the one in the above photo was cheapo and did NOT work.

Use something like this from Hobby Lobby with a %40 off coupon kindly used from someone in front of you at checkout…

Step Two:  Once dry, use a paint brush to paint the silver over top.  Leave brush strokes in varying directions.

Looking like this when covered…

Step Three: When silver layer is dry, mix some paint together to get a rusty color…

…and paint on the edges or any deep areas leftover from smudges of the silver.

Note: mine may have been a tad orangey.  I would suggest making your “rust” color a little more brown.

Step Four: Rub in your rust paint with a rag or paper towels…

Step Five: Cover with silver layer of paint, leaving heavy brush strokes again.

Step Six: While still slightly damp, rub the silver in with a rag or paper towel…

The finished effect of these 4 layers of paint will look like this…

 Waaay cheaper than Anthropologie…and with minimal effort.

I’m hooked!

 If you missed the giveaway announcement on Friday, you have GOT to check it out!  There’s also a link for the kitchen love at the top right on my homepage.  

Gotta run…literally.

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