Spice Up Rusty Jingle Bells with Mod Podge Now!

 

Craft Supplies:

• • • • Regular Mod Podge (Matte is best)
    • • Bowl of cinnamon
    • • Small paint brush
    • • Zinc acrylic paint or black spray paint
    • • Foam Brush or paint brush
    • • Metal bells – different sizes
    • • Craft paper or newspaper
    • • Paper plate, paper bowl, or plastic container
    • • Egg carton – (optional) This is the easiest way to let the bells dry.

Step 1: Add Zinc Paint

  The first thing I did, was apply a little bit of zinc craft paint to the metal bells allowing a little bit of metal to show through.  This is optional, however, I highly recommend taking time to add the paint. This is a good idea. It adds more dimension for a truly vintage appearance. The best part is that this step took about five minutes to complete and will begin to spice up rusty jingle bells with Mod Podge now! Cindy's Helpful Bell Tips: You can achieve this look with a plastic bell purchased from Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, or any craft store. For a plastic bell, I recommend painting it with acrylic paint or spray paint before adding a thin coat of Mod Podge and the cinnamon. It adds texture and dimension.  Let dry. This will take approximately five minutes. Why add acrylic paint? It's a good idea to layer colors and textures for a truly aged look.  

Step 2: Sand

  Next step use a light grit sanding sponge and sand the metal bells. Doing this step only takes a little bit of time and adds to the vintage look of the rusty bells.    

Step 3: Rust Bells with Mod Podge and Cinnamon

  Add cinnamon to a plastic container or a paper bowl. Next step, with a foam brush or paint brush, add a thin coat of matte Mod Podge. Dip the metal bells a section at a time into the bowl of cinnamon. Shake excess cinnamon off and set aside to dry. Repeat the process to make the rest of your bells. I did this in sections because when items rust and look vintage, they don’t rust the same in all areas. If you would rather your rusty bells be completely rusty feel free to do so. Skip the painting process. To accomplish this look dip half the bell in the bowl of cinnamon or pour cinnamon over the coat of Mod Podge and shake excess cinnamon off. Cindy's Helpful Bell Tip: My favorite method to create a rusty appearance is adding acrylic paint and sanding. The layering gives the bells a real vintage look.   Once the cinnamon is dry, add another thin coat of matte Mod Podge and wait for the magic of your rusty jingle bells to happen. This is an easy way to get a vintage appearance without additional cost. It's so much fun to add rusty bells to your Christmas decor. The next time I did this project, I made smaller rusty jingle bells. I didn't paint these. I added a coat of matte Mod Podge and cinnamon and shake excess cinnamon off. Cindy's Helpful Bell Tip: For a few of my rusty jingle bells, after I added a bit of cinnamon, I immediately added a thin coat of Mod Podge to small areas. This gave my metal bells a more crusty rusty appearance.