Ooooooo Shiny!

[moonberry 836]

I had to do some clothes shopping today (ugh) but I always cast my eye over the jewelry stands, in case.

And today, I was rewarded richly with these amazing earrings:

The individual charms look perfect for gingerbread trim decorations, see?

There were only 3 pairs of earrings left, so I grabbed them all before any of the other shoppers could even blink twice. That's about 96 charms, enough to glue to both sides of the gingerbread trim of the roof so that it looks gilded from all angles.

Since Santa's House is getting a red roof with green walls, maybe I should paint the trim green as well?

Or will red paint make the gold "pop" more?

Or how about leaving the trim white, with the gold to give it some sparkle?

Any ideas which colour would look better?

Oh, and my husband suggested that a stone finish for the porch foundation walls would look better than plain paint.

Sigh. More work.

At least he is showing an interest!

[Dalesq 4,452]

You could also paint the trim gold, then your additions will add texture and bling! Just an idea

[kat57 1,829]

My 2 cents worth,Lene: Think back,what was your first thought when you saw the earrings and imagined them in use,the gold trim was over what color? I usually go with my first thought or instinct. If I overthink it,it doesn't have that 'magic' I first saw. That being said,I like Debora's idea! lol

[moonberry 836]

Debora, that sounds like a plan!

But I've seen what gold paint looks like after a few years - it dulls horribly.

I wonder if a gloss varnish over the gold paint would preserve it a bit better?

Or I could gold-leaf the trim..... Oi - that might get expensive really quickly!

Has anyone painted gloss varnish over gold paint? How has it held up over the years?

I have liquid gold leaf as well as various kinds of artist acrylic gold paint.

[Dalesq 4,452]

I don't know about the gold fading. Someone else will have to chime in.

I've used Testers model paints for metallics and haven't seen fading. But don't sand after painting unless you want to dull the finish.

[moonberry 836]

Kat, my first thought was on the white, sort of a Bespaq white/gold vibe, you know?

Anyway, here's a photo for inspiration:

As you can see, the red roof is SUPER busy, so red is out of the question.

Now, green and white are options. The trim at the moment, only has primer on it, not white paint.

The dark table isn't helping, but at least you can get a better idea of what will complement the roof.

Maybe if I glue it on the white trim and then put a little green crystal in the round space at the bottom of the charm?

Hmmmm....would that be too blingy or can Santa have some sparkles?

[havanaholly 11,006]

I love the way the gold charm looks on the white trim; the busy red roof would overwhelm it if it were on the green, and whether it fades or not I think gold charm on gold trim would also downplay the charms' effect; IMHO MUCH blingier with the gold charm against the white trim!

[Stacey6163 1,073]

Of course Santa should have some sparkle ! :xmas: It does look nice on the white , but then green would go with the gold too . Tough decision :rudolph:

[kat57 1,829]

I'm odd woman out,as I loooove the green behind the gold,now that I see it. Yeah,gold paint wouldn't enhance the trim,and white seems to swallow it,IMO! Your heart wanted bling,otherwise it wouldn't have struck you so hard when you saw the charm earrings-again-IMO! lol In the end,we don't have to live with it-Santa Claus does!hahaha

[morgansmith 1,355]

I agree with white. As for bling. Keep it with a little goes a long way. Let the earring pieces tell the story. A possibility for a more finished look MIGHT be to trim the edges of the white trim pieces with gold. I've never had it fade and I use acrylic metallic's all of the time. Just seal it and glue on ornaments after.

[GirlPiper 811]

I've used the Testor's model metallics, too, and some of my stuff is really old (35 years), but that might be too much shiny, even for Santa.

[KathieB 5,804]

What a great find, and what a lot of possibilities! But I'm not sure I'd upend the bangles to glue them on the roof trim. I think I'd be more likely to paint them shiny silver and hang them from the eaves, like fancy icicles. Or move them inside to add an unexpected pop of bling to the interior décor..I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to decide how to use them.

[moonberry 836]

Thank you for all the ideas!

Kathie, gosh, I hadn't even thought THAT far out of the box hehehehehehe!

I made a special trip this morning to another branch of Debenhams, but their earrings were already sold out .

Luckily, the 3 pairs mean I have enough to do the trim (both sides) and still have some left over to decorate somewhere else too. Would have been nice to have LOTS more, but these will have to do.

I do have a few gold frames on the way so that I can decorate and brighten up the dark holly/berry paper in the living room. Also have a wood fireplace that needs painting. I ordered a brass fireplace accessory set and brass firescreen.

Maybe I could use some of the gold charms on the fireplace. Will have to dig it out and see.

I like the idea of painting the edges of the white trim gold. The plywood edges are quite rough though, they are very tricky to spackle completely smooth. Would it be cheating if I glued gold braid on the edges all the way around?

[havanaholly 11,006]

...Would it be cheating if I glued gold braid on the edges all the way around?

In minis nothing is cheating, and you said you wanted *BLING* !

[morgansmith 1,355]

I would consider painting rough edges gold. Remember the 70's (60's?) Bling look that came back with shabby chic? I remember having glass topped wood tables with gold paint. The edges, sculpted, were all gold. Miniaturized, rough plywood edges would be a near perfect replica.

[kat57 1,829]

Lene,could you try taking the spackle and (carefully) dabbing and rubbing a thick coat along those rough edges with your finger? It may take awhile to fill in the 'plies',but I did a kit door edge and all the curves and edges of the porch pieces on the D.C. Ashley that way,then painted and it improved things 100 percent,from the cruddy edges I started with! If you've already tried this and ruled it out,just ignore me.

[moonberry 836]

I haven't tried spackle on the edges yet - they are so rough, glue might not stick to them, so I may as well spackle them and see it if helps.

I saw Casey's post about the soutache braid - I think that may just do the trick.

Oh Amazon, where are you???

I'm spending more time on Amazon.com than with family at the moment hehehehehe.

This calls for a Christmas song, don't you think?

(To the tune of Oh Christmas Tree),

*cough cough*

Oh Amazon.com, Oh Amazon.com,

You have most wondrous Items.

:violin:

Oh Amazon.com, Oh Amazon.com

I always really like them.

:violin:

I wish I could, just buy it all.

My husband's heart, it might just fail.

:violin:

Oh Amazon.com, Oh Amazon.com

You have most wondrous Items.

[kat57 1,829]

I guess I missed the post you're speaking of....

Okay,I found it,on her website-that looks so great! Good to keep in mind!

Edited December 9, 2013 by kat57

[havanaholly 11,006]

If you're going to glue on braid you could also use glue to fill out the rough edges and then the braid would stick.

[Roxxie2 1,974]

Lene, you are soooooooooooo creative! I love the sparkle! I didn't chime in on it because I am not a fan of gold but just the idea of the earrings got my attention! Nice! I also enjoyed your song........lol!

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod 1,762]

I'm humming "O Amazon" while I type! LOL! Those charms look like they'd make nice decorations on your tree too!

[Caseymini 979]

I'm a little late to the party. I somehow missed this whole thread. Another possibility for smoothing is ribbon. I have used ribbon, the width of the thickness to be covered, by painting it and then glueing it on the edge to smooth. I would use something with a bit of texture, like grosgrain. I have also used different trims(lace and braid) painted and laid out smooth to dry. After it dries, it has body and can be cut to the required length and glued on.

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod 1,762]

Thanks Casey! You just answered a question for me too! Once that oval was cut in the ceiling, I was wondering how to trim it---now to find some 1/8" grosgrain ribbon.....

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod 1,762]

Guess I'm late to the party too! LOL! Just noticed this was from last December! Oh well, Christmas in July!

[Caseymini 979]

Debra, if you could find soutache braid, it would work best. I am not sure where you are going to find 1/8" grosgrain. The grosgrain is always my second choice. Soutache looks more like an architectural element. It looks like double bead molding when painted.