I have a love-hate relationship with Halloween decorations. Lucky for you, these Gothic Antique Bird Claw Candle Holders happen to be a product of that tormented relationship. Let me explain….
If you are a Halloween junkie, or follow any Halloween junkies on social media, you probably know that At Home stores began loading Halloween onto their store shelves earlier this month! It’s pretty exciting for all of us Halloween junkies because it’s a sign that the most wonderful time of the year is right around the corner! I can already smell the pumpkin spice and apple cider!
I have been following along as other Halloween junkies have posted their hauls from At Home on social media. The frenzy is clearly on. Being the first store to launch an all out assault on the holiday, they tend to get a lot of attention… Last year, I joined the crowds seeking some early Halloween treasures, but was ultimately disappointed in the selection I found. Despite declaring that I would not be tempted again…. last week, I took the bait.
Like many of you who read my blog, I do not shop for Halloween decorations just to deck my house out for a party in October. Well, I do that too, but…. I go shopping in hopes of finding special pieces that can be displayed in my home all year long. Because of my decidedly dark decorating style, Halloween is the one time of the year, that I have the opportunity to walk into a regular store, and find pieces I love.
Here’s where the love-hate part comes into play… As excited as I am for Halloween decorations to hit store shelves, I am often disappointed in the selection. I admit… I am a Halloween Decoration Snob. It is one thing to snag a few plastic Halloween props, or gimmicky decorations for a party. Hell… despite my aversion, even I will throw some rubber rodents or plastic spiders into my Halloween decor. But when it comes to buying pieces that will decorate my home year round… I cannot stand the plastic crap or the faux props (typewriters with keys that don’t actually type, potion bottles with bottle stops that don’t come off, coffin boxes that don’t open)… those things make me nuts! All I’m asking for is just a bit of authenticity!
Over the years, as my disillusionment with Halloween decorations grew, I finally started turning towards antique shops for a lot of my decor. With the right styling, so many antiques can be wonderfully creepy. There’s just something about the deterioration and abandonment of an antique that seems to scream haunted house!
So….. back to my trip to At Home. I was shocked to discover that At Home was actually carrying black wine glasses this year. Key word here is Glass!! Halloween drink-ware is almost always plastic. I bought every last glass they had! Unfortunately I didn’t have the same success with the rest of their Halloween Decor… which lacked the authenticity I was hoping for. One of their decor segments was called Dragon Games. I assume it’s some sort of play on the Game of Thrones obsession. I was rolling my eyes at first, and then I noticed the Bird Feet Candle Holders. I happen to own a similar pair, but mine are much smaller and made of heavy rusted wrought iron…. these were resin, and painted black. Interestingly enough… I had recently been on the hunt for more candle holders similar to mine. I have a thing for claws, and I really loved how weathered my candle holders looked. Truth be told, the pair I own were not true antiques either, but they sure looked like it, and that’s enough to make me happy! As I looked upon the resin version, I could see potential! My plan was to take them home, and refinish them to look just as old, just as rusted, just as antique as my “real” pair. And these were only $10 a piece!
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Here’s what I used, and how I did it…..
- Paint Brushes
- Modern Masters Metal Effects Acid Blocking Primer
- Modern Masters Metal Effects Iron Paint
- Modern Masters Metal Effects Rust Activator
- Modern Masters Metal Effects Permacoat Xtreme
- Aging Powder
- Furniture or Paste Wax
- Lint Free Cloth or Applicator Pad
1. Clean the candle holder…. it needs to be free of any dust or residue.
2. Paint a coat of Metal Effects Primer onto the candle holder. This prevents the rust activator solution from penetrating to the surface of the candle holder, and thus interrupting the rust activation.
I brushed it on with a paintbrush. I really wanted there to be a lot of variation in the end result, so I was intentionally lax with the coverage. When using these products it is recommended to paint the entire object.
3. Once dry… I painted a coat of the Metal Effects Oxidizing Iron Paint.
4. Allow to dry for at least 1 hour, and apply a second coat.
5. Again, allow to dry for an hour, and then spray the candle holder with the Rust Activator Solution.
6. Walk away for 5-10 minutes, and then spray the Rust Activator Solution again.
The Rust Activator reacts with the real metal particles in the Iron paint, thus speeding up the oxidization process creating an authentic Rust finish. This does not happen immediately, but you will slowly see a change in the finish.
7. I sprayed both of my candlesticks and let them oxidize overnight.
At this point, I was happy with the finish, but as I mentioned earlier… I wanted a lot of variation. When something grows old and rusty, there’s never a consistency to it. I also wanted them to look a bit darker… I feel like the pure rust color has a tendency to look like the object sits outside in the rain. There is definitely a time & place for that finish, but I was planning to display these candle holders inside my home, so I was aiming more for antique, not just rusty.
I decided these candle holders were going to get weathered even more…
The particular product I used next seems to come in many different names…. aging powder, antiquing dust, aging dust, dust of ages…. and also in a variety of colors. The one I used was Dixie Dirt by Dixie Belle in charcoal color.
There are two different ways you can apply the aging powder…. I used a mix of both.
The typical application method for most of the aging powders is to apply wax with a cloth or pad in the areas you want to “age”.
7. Using a small paintbrush, dab the aging powder onto the areas where you applied the wax. I used a lot of powder in some areas in order to give more texture. There’s no right or wrong way on this step…. just dab the powder until you like the end result.
8. I found myself wanting to almost paint with the powder, so I dipped a cloth into both the wax, and then powder. Be sure to add a small dollop of wax and small pile of aging powder onto your work surface for this step, so you don’t contaminate either container by double dipping. 🙂
I used the cloth to smear the powder onto the candle holder.
The first method of dabbing the powder onto a waxy surface gave more texture, and the second method of rubbing a mix of wax and powder gave more coverage and blending. I used both application methods simultaneously until I liked the look.
9. Lastly, Modern Masters recommends using Permacoat Xtreme to seal your project. This sealer was designed to stop the oxidized metal finish, minimizing any further corrosion. I, however, did not use it on my candlesticks. A reader was kind enough to let me know that the Permacoat creates a shiny finish, in contrast to the matte finish I achieved. If you choose not to use it, I’ll give you the disclaimer that your piece may continue to rust over time.
There you have it…. this once cheesy Halloween decoration is now old and rusty… Whether you only plan to put them out in October, or you plan on using them year round (Me, Me, Me!) these Gothic Antique Bird Claw Candle Holders can now fit right in with your other creepy antiques or sit perfectly in a spooky vignette or light a macabre dinner party.
So hurry to your nearest At Home and grab a pair before they’re gone! At Home does not offer online shopping, but this link will let you know how many of these candle holders are available in a store near you. I should also mention that my lack of success in their store is no reflection on their Halloween decor selection. If you are looking for pure Halloween Decor… the store had some really great stuff and a lot of it!
Side note…. Modern Masters have several Metal Effects products. Besides the Rust finish, they also have Patina finishes. This Skull Lantern is an example of a project I worked on using the Modern Masters Metal Effects Blue Patina.
love the results of your project.
Thanks so much Hilde!!
I don’t like this. No, not one little bit. Because WE HAVE NO AT HOME 😭 If I find so much as a talon this side of the pond, I’ll be reaching for the rust!! Another gorgeous transformation, my friend. Sx
oh believe me…. the possibilities with this rust is endless! I’m already having to stop myself from rusting everything I see!
Bought my candle sticks yesterday and ordered my oxidizing kit just now. Can’t wait to start the process! Thank you for your blog!
Good luck!! Let me know how it turns out!! Word of warning… this rusting thing is pretty addictive! Once you finish these candlesticks, you’ll be rusting everything!! 🙂
You & I must be the same person! I get made fun of because I keep most of my Halloween decor out year-round, because that’s my style….I have skulls everywhere, Living Dead Dolls at different locations throughout the house, dead bugs and spiders that I’ve arranged in shadow boxes myself, etc….it just suits me! I’m all about going for the Macabre, the unusual, and yes, the darker things. Pretty much everything in my wardrobe is black, red, and velvet….lol. Anyway, I love all of the things on your website. I love doing gothic crafting, so when I saw your website, I had to take a look. Can’t wait to see the next post!
Thanks mucho!
Deb Bradley
Deb… thank you so much for that message! It certainly does sound like we’re kindred spirits!… and that we should be borrowing each others clothes! 🙂
I loved these candlesticks at first site and was so excited to see your diy to make them even better! Everything went perfect until the last step of the permafrost Xtreme sealer. It made them shiny and kind of took away all the matte aging 🙁 could I have used too much? Yours don’t look shiny. Could it be diluted with water maybe?
Oh Kendra… I am so bummed to hear about this. Back when I first started using modern masters… there was no mention of permacoat. I’m not even sure if it was an available product back then? The “set” didn’t even come with the Permacoat, so I always used the primer, the paint, and the activator on all of my projects, with no permacoat. I have never had a problem. When I was writing the article for the bird claws, I was browsing modern masters websites (I always like to check on new products) and noticed a new disclaimer regarding the permacoat. I assumed they must’ve had some complaints about pieces continuing to rust or oxidize and developed a new product to stop it. Since modern masters is recommending Permacoat as a necessary step in the rusting process, I made sure to include it in my tutorial. I, however, did not use it. I guess that explains why mine looks more matte. I’m so sorry and surprised to hear that the permacoat changes the appearance! Thank you so much for letting me know… as I will be sure to update the tutorial with this info!! As for your claws… all I can suggest is to paint a layer of the iron paint over the permacoat, and re-apply the rust activator, and aging dust. Obviously, I’ll give you the disclaimer that if you choose not to use the permacoat, your piece may continue to rust over time. My bird claws have only been complete for a few months, but I have not noticed any additional rusting.