Remaking dollar store ornaments into a vintage style

I love vintage ornaments and Christmas decor.  The patina of time just adds something special to them whether its a bit of fading, tinge of tarnish or the flattening of colors into a mellowed palette.  Sadly, the good stuff is expensive, fragile and gasp, you better not re-craft it into anything but its original purpose.  So, using some techniques I've developed over the years, during my stints as a department store visual designer, I cheat and make my own "vintage" using less than the best.  I'll use dollar store decorations.

The difference between today's ornaments and vintage ones is more than just time.  It's materials.  Many old fashioned ornaments were made from real metal, metal flake coated glass and cellulose lacquer.  Real metal tarnishes and cellulose breaks down, hence the ornaments become duller and loose their vibrancy.  Today's inexpensive ornaments are mostly blow molded plastics coated with mylar flake glitter and/or tinted with acrylic lacquer.  None of which will age, or dull naturally.

To recreate the vintage look we have to either create the illusion of age or deconstruct the finish somehow.  Here are some simple ways to do it. 

1) mimic age using pigmented paste wax

I use Howards Premium Paste Wax in dark oak. The citrus fragrance is a bonus.

Ornaments to the right are treated with the dark oak paste wax.

Using a soft lint free rag rub on a coat of pigmented paste wax.  The wax I use is Howard's in a dark oak color.  The wax dulls the mylar like finish and alters the colors to more of an antique hue.  Fake silver becomes more champagne and gold becomes more brassy.  The snow like mylar glitter starts to resemble glass and Mica glitter which was used in the early 1900's.  The paste wax can be buffed once it is dry and removed selectively with either steel wool or a scotch brite pad.  Notice on the mylar plastic tinsel tree and wreath how the paste wax makes the tinsel look like the old silver and tin used in days gone by.  I love it.

Paste wax is flammable and contains petroleum distillates.  Keep away from children, flame and heat sources until cured and always wear protective gloves and provide for fresh air ventilation.

2)  Distress the finishes using steel wool

A super easy way to age a plastic ornament is to rub it down with steel wool.  The finer the steel wool, the smoother the wear.  For rough scratches use coarse wool, for cloudy, milky effects use fine.  To preserve the original finish and turn it into a stripe or pattern, mask off areas using electrical tape. Due to its flexible nature electrical tape will bend and wrap with the shapes easily.  The steel wool will remove glitter, knock off the lacquer paint from raised details and uncover the original plastics silver tone.

Age cheap ornaments by rubbing down details, glitter and paint finishes on inexpensive plastic ornaments.

3) Use Rub-n-buff to mimic glass or metal

Using a rag, brush or just your glove covered finger, apply Rub-n-Buff to highlight raised areas, draw attention to details and mimic the wearing off of the ornaments lacquer, presenting a metallic or silvered glass like tone.  Rub-n-Buff is also a paste wax and is available in a huge array of colors and is stocked by most craft stores and woodworking suppliers.  I used silver for this demonstration. 

Paste wax is flammable and contains petroleum distillates.  Keep away from children, flame and heat sources until cured and always wear protective gloves and provide for fresh air ventilation.

Mimic vintage ornaments by using Rub-n-Buff paste wax to highlight cheap ornaments.

4)  distress using fingernail polish Remover

 Traditional fingernail polish remover will remove the ornaments lacquer finish.  It will also re-liquefy areas and allow the mylar metal flake to move around creating highs and lows in sheen.  With more pressure you can even remove the paint finish completely.  I used that technique in combination with masking areas using electrical tape.  The look it created is much like the old "shiny and brite" ornaments.  Think of the hazards involved in this technique, consider it the same as using wet fingernail polish.  If you get this on fabric, carpet or precious surfaces it may not come off.  Use caution.

Fingernail polish remover used in conjunction with electrical tape and paste wax creates a great "shiny and brite" look ornament.

Fingernail polish remover is flammable and contains petroleum distillates.  Keep away from children, flame and heat sources until cured and always wear protective gloves and provide for fresh air ventilation.  It may also dissolve and soften some plastics.  Please test an inconspicuous area first if you are experimenting.

Using a combination of the steps above, I distressed a bunch of ornaments in a variety of sizes.  Most of them I bought from the Dollar Store, Target, Michaels and Wallyworld aka Walmart.   Keep an eye out for heavy discounting as the season moves on and start working on next years big wreath or faux vintage assemblage.   Using the ornaments from this post, here's what I created.  Share with me your newly vintage ornaments over on Facebook or Instagram or drop a comment or questions below.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from me to you!

Other than the occasional seam, it's really hard to tell the difference between these ornaments and ones from days gone by.

Vintage look wreath created using altered inexpensive plastic ornaments.

Antiqued Dollar Store tinsel tree adorned with altered "vintage" plastic Christmas ornaments.

Distress and age cheap plastic ornaments to look like vintage collectibles.