DIY Faux Stone Bunny Planter
I'm sharing an easy faux stone tutorial and an exciting way to transform just about anything so it looks like stone simply by using items you probably already have on hand!
Updated 02/23
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Good morning friend! I hope this week's been good to you so far! I am flying
home today after spending a week with my brother and his family in Regina,
Saskatchewan...that's Canada! 😉 We've had a GREAT visit, but this girl has
been Cold!!! The one good thing I can say about winter in Canada is no
allergies!!
I first saw this faux stone technique shared by
Lucy at Craftberry Bush. She shares a fabulous video tutorial that you need to watch if you want to
try this!
I was so inspired after seeing Lucy's tutorial and wanted to try this faux
stone technique ASAP! I had recently tried painting a ceramic bunny planter
with navy suede paint and was less than thrilled with the results. Have you
ever had a project turn out just meh??
Don't get me wrong...the suede paint is amazing, I love the blue chargers I made with the faux suede paint. But the bunny needed something different...something more
natural. How about faux stone?! 😃😍 This may be faux stone, but I think
you'll be amazed at the results and how much it resembles the real thing! I
know I was!
The results truly give a concrete or stone look and I can't wait to replicate
this on a bunch of other items in my home!
Today I'm sharing my tips for what worked best for me in turning a porcelain
bunny planter to faux stone. Please read
Lucy's post
first for more details!!
Faux Stone Bunny Planter
So before I painted my bunny blue...it had a couple different lives which you can see below! I found it at the thrift store several years ago when it was a little brown bunny, and I transformed it using spray paint. You can read that tutorial here.
I decided to take it a step further and create a faux stone look, which is
perfect for a planter anyway! And I have to say I like this transformation the
best!
Lucy's tutorial looked so easy, I was fairly confident that I could pull this
off. The supplies needed for this project are pretty basic, you can see them
below. I already had the Plaster of Paris on hand from making
my homemade chalk paint, and I had a big bag of sand from when we lived in Florida. The sand is
optional, but it adds great texture to this project!
Supplies for Faux Stone
- Plaster of Paris
- fine sand
- water
- plastic bowl to mix
- plastic spoon
- paint brushes
- acrylic paints
- damp paper towel
You'll also need something to protect your surface while you work. Either a
piece of poster board, or
plastic or even an old sheet.
At this stage, I had already given my bunny planter a coat of the faux stone
mixture (mixing together Plaster of Paris, sand and water). It is still wet,
and you'll see how the color lightens when it dries. I found that one coat was
enough to achieve the results I wanted.
Tips for success:
- Work on something with simple lines. You will see that my bunny's face loses its detail! I didn't mind that, but just keep that in mind.
- Make a small batch of mixture at a time and don't let the mixture dry! I covered mine with a wet paper towel thinking it would keep it moist, but when I went back, it had hardened to clay!
- I used a mixture of about 1 part POP to sand, which is more than the original tutorial, but I was low on POP.
- Wetting your hands while you spread this mixture on your planter will help keep it moist and make it easier to pat down. This is a hands-on project and you'll achieve the best results by using your hands! Don't worry, it washes off easily!
- Don't worry about spots where the plaster doesn't stick (or even falls off!) These will look great once the paint is added!
- Be patient and give your planter a day or two to fully dry before moving on to painting! The color will lighten as it dries.
Painting Faux Stone
Once my bunny planter had completely dried, it was time to a paint it. Painting is optional, but adds depth and richness, and really makes the faux stone look more authentic! Give your piece a little rub to remove any of the loose sand.
Have some acrylic paints on hand, and an idea of what look you are going for.
For a more cement look, you'll want to use a variety of gray acrylics (or just
black and white).
I wanted my planter to look like it had been sitting out in the garden, so I
used some burnt umber to
give it an aged look, as well as some green and yellow to give a look of moss.
You can see that the dried bunny in the image above looks cute, but it is very
one-dimensional! I started by painting the bunny with gray paint, in small
sections. I immediately went over the paint with a damp paper towel, rubbing
the paint around to distribute. You can also dip your hand in water and spread
it around to help the paint distribute. (I told you this was a hands-on
project!)
I did the same thing with any new color I added. Dabbed it on, then spread it
around with a damp paper towel. This gives the most authentic look and
prevents paint lines.
If your project is looking a little too dark, simply add white paint and
spread it around, always wiping off excess with a paper towel. At this stage,
I dipped my brush in water before adding the paint because I was trying to
lighten it slightly!
Any spots where your plaster fell off are a great place to add a little faux
moss! Just add some green paint to those areas, and blend in with a paper
towel. The "moss" will stick in the grooves or dents, and the rest will get
wiped away.
This faux stone technique is really a lot of fun! I could have spent the whole
day adding paint, removing it, and playing around. I finally had to just stop!
For the best results, your piece should have a variety of colors! This adds so
much depth (see the images above), and keeps the piece from looking mass
produced! Yes, I lost most of the facial features on my bunny planter, but I
think the faux stone look is so much better!!
Looking for some similar textured paint projects? Check these out:
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Are you inspired to transform something with faux stone? I'd love to know!
bringing beauty to the ordinary,
Your bunny is adorable.
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial. Thank You.
Was just wondering; how would this hold up to outside weather conditions?
Thanks so much Colleen, I'm guessing you'd need to seal it!
DeleteLovvve this idea! I will def try soon! So glad you had a nice visit :}
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Sandra! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I missed this fabulous post, but I will be looking for a bunny and other animals to do this. I love the end results. Wow, beautiful. Thank you for sharing
ReplyDelete