It is fun to purchase landscaping decorations to help make my flower beds look colorful and fun.   But, over time the sun damages the color and it starts to fade.  I do not like to throw away stuff unless it is absolutely not salvageable.  My parents have many decorations/statues that she purchased over time and many of them are now looking really bad.  I decided to bring them back to life instead of them purchasing new ones and throwing these in the trash.  Doing this kind of stuff is a hobby to me and I love transforming something old into something beautiful!

The paints that I love using are “Apple Barrel” outdoor/indoor acrylic paint.   Depending on what you like you may want to use the gloss look or the matte look.  I prefer the gloss look because I like things shiny.  I’ve been using this brand for years and I don’t have any issues with it.  I purchase this at my local Walmart.   It is inexpensive and you’ll find it in the craft area at your local Walmart.  I know that JoAnne Fabrics also carries this brand.

The picture above is a before picture of the frog.  As you can see the paint is really fading away.  It really needed an update!

I painted it and what a difference it makes!  It looks brand new again!  I gave the frog 3 to 4 coats of paint.  The amount of layers depends on the color of the paint.  Some colors seem to cover better than others with less coats.  I noticed that the yellow and red took at least 4 coats.  Another factor has to do with what your statue material is made out of.  I’m not sure what this frog was made out of but it was very smooth.  It would not cover completely with 2 coats.  The smoother the surface, the more the paint wants to slide around and not grab on.  I had to put the layers on pretty thin.   It takes some patience but it’s so worth it in the end.  Once my frog was complete, I let it set for 24-48 hours before I sprayed a clear coat to help protect the paint from the sun.

The brand I use to clear coat my paintings are “Mod Podge.”    I also purchase this brand from my local Walmart.  JoAnne Fabrics also carries this.   I’m all about saving money when I transform things.  I have found the paint and clear spray are less expensive at Walmart.  This is whey I choose to buy them there.  The clear coat comes in 2 different ways.  Just like the paint, it comes in gloss or matte finish. Again, this option just depends on what you like or prefer.  I gave it 2 coats.   I did this project back in the spring.  My parents have had it out all summer.  So far it’s holding up and no sun damage.  We are going to experiment and give it a fresh spray of clear coat every spring to see if this helps to protect it longer.

This is a fun and inexpensive way to brighten up  transform your flower beds!