DIY Faux Rusted Metal State Ornaments From a Cereal Box!

I LOVE creating personalized goodies of all kinds, especially home decor. They’re what really makes a house a home, right?
And speaking of home….we’ve got three of them! No, not actual houses (oh, to win the lottery!). You see I’m from Kentucky, my husband grew up in Maine, and we’ve lived in Alabama now for five years (and it’s the only home my son has ever known).
Because of this, I thought it would be nice to create a set of ornaments that represent all three of our home states. That way we can have each represented on our Christmas tree every year. It would also give me a chance to test out a fun new painting technique that creates a rusted metal look….without the need for metal!
So today I’m sharing how I easily created some DIY faux rusted metal state ornaments….from a *cereal box!* Hooray for frugal holiday DIY projects!
And I'm also so thrilled to be apart of the 2015 blog hop sponsored by Hometalk and Country Living!

I love using cereal boxes in crafting because they act as the perfect FREE substitute for chipboard! So I raided my pantry and pulled out a box....





....then cut out a large panel, making sure all the edges were nice and trimmed.





I then cut out all three of our home states using my Silhouette Cameo. You certainly don't *need* a fancy machine to do this project though!
Just print out your state (or whatever shape) or even use a map, trace it onto the cereal box panel, then cut it out with a pair of scissors or an Xacto knife. And this would be really easy if you get lucky with a simple shape like Colorado! ;)





In order to fully cover the print on the cereal box (and yes, you need to use the glossy outside for this project....more on this below), I first blasted the states with a quick coat of black spray paint.





Once the spray paint was dry, it was time for the really fun part! I'd be using some Modern Masters Metal Effects iron paint and rust activator to get the cool rusting effect....see, no need for real metal!
I first gave the back sides of each state a couple coats of paint, and it absorbed really well into the cardboard....and actually a little TOO well. It just didn't allow for a vibrant rusting effect after the rust activator was applied....boo.
This is why I needed to use the glossy outside of the cereal box as the front of my ornaments (and something I discovered from a craft fail first set of these babies....live and learn!).





Once the backs were dry, I flipped the states over and started applying the paint to the fronts. The paint didn't want to apply evenly thanks to the glossiness, but this actually worked in my favor for this particular project....it gave the upcoming rusting effect lots of character!





Speaking of the rusting effect..... It was now time to add the rust activator! This is a liquid that you can brush, roll, spray, or splatter overtop the iron paint to achieve some really cool effects!
I chose to brush it overtop all three ornaments. I followed the directions on the bottle, which were to apply one coat then a second one five minutes later.





The rusting effect takes a while to start unfolding (which was a little different from my previous experience with the Modern Masters copper paint and blue patina products....this turns into a beautiful aged copper almost instantly).
After about an hour or so, here's what the ornaments looked like. The rust activator was still a little wet in places, but I decided to continue with my experimentation and added some more in varying degrees: I started dabbing on a little more here and there, heavy in some spots and lighter in others. I just wanted to see what would happen. Because why not.
The Kentucky one had several more complete coats added very heavily, Alabama had a light third one applied, and Maine got some more dabbed on randomly here and there.





And here's how they turned out! SO COOL, right?! I just love them, especially because they were a boring ole cereal box in their previous lives! You can't even tell that they're not REAL rusted metal. Each one is so different too.





Another cool thing about this process is that you can obviously use this technique for any kind of shape, not just states: countries, logos, names/monograms, traditional holiday images, etc. There are so many possibilities!





It's also a really frugal DIY project! The cereal boxes are of course super frugal, and the iron paint and rust activator will go a very long way. You'd be able to make lots of goodies for not much at all!





These state ornaments add a neat little industrial vibe to our tree that was previously missing. My husband really likes them because they’re “manly.” I, however, enjoy displaying unique pieces of home….all three of them. :)





For more details, photos, a complete supply list with links, and info on my first round craft fail, check out my blog post: http://www.wherethesmileshavebeen.com/diy-faux-rusted-metal-state-ornaments/





And be sure you continue browsing around the hashtag to see all the incredible holiday goodies being shared as part of this year's fun and festive blog hop!

















Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11583697/diy-faux-rusted-metal-state-ornaments-from-a-cereal-box site