Furniture Facelift

MATERIALS

  • Copper flashing
  • Leaves, natural or artificial
  • Copper wire
  • Copper nails
  • Scotch tape
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • Jar for patina solution
  • Lampshade, cabinet or table (if using a table: 1/4-inch glass cut to the size of your table)
  • Awl
  • Scissors
  • Hammer
  • Paint brush
  • Pen

DIRECTIONS

  1. Lay a leaf on top of your copper flashing and trace around the leaf with the awl, by pressing with medium pressure into the metal.

  2. Cut out the leaves using regular scissors.

  3. Prepare a patina solution of ½ cup white vinegar and 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix and apply to copper leaves with paint brush. Leaves should sit over night for the patina solution to take effect.

  4. Create holes in the leaves with the awl to sew them to the lamp shade.

  5. Tape the leaves to the lamp shade, mark the holes on the shade, and remove the leaves and pierce the marks with the awl.

  6. With the copper wire sew the leaves to the lamp shade.

  7. For the cabinet or the tabletop, use copper nails to attach the leaves and cover the tabletop with glass.