Flamingo Paradise Repurposed Caddy

A retro finish to a summer bash! 

Upcycling is always in people. 

I love the challenge of "making do", don't you?

Here is my repurposed caddy; inspired by @drawbertson and his ability to turn even a brown paper bag into kitschy collectables.

The supply list is as follows:

Dixie Belle Paint    

Dixie Belle Swamp Mud  

Dixie Belle Satin Clear Coat Sealer    

Retro Collage  

Dye Ink Spray  

Stencils  

Spatula  

Paint Brush 

One cardboard caddy

Scrap of fine grit sandpaper

The store I shop at offers these sturdy caddies for single choice beverages. 

(I just had to use Dixie Belle's Flamingo for my retro caddy):

I placed a thin coat of the paint to cover most of the bold graphics and create a surface with some tooth.

This is with two thin coats:

Don't worry, the best is yet to come. Swamp Mud! 

It smooths on like frosting:

**BIG FYI: do NOT, repeat do NOT rinse the Swamp Mud down your sink. It is guaranteed to clog your drain. Use a paper towel to wipe off instead and dispose in trash.**

That said; I scraped the Mud over a stencil for a circle pattern.  

It dried rather quickly. This amazing product can be sanded like wood.

I covered the two longer sides, knocking down the extra at the edges:

I added Flamingo over the circles:

Here it is all covered:

It will dry in a jif; then we will sand back some of the Flamingo to the white again. Cool distress, huh?

Onto to the side panels. I needed the flamingo image from the collage sheet.

And I decided to add some palm fronds from another stencil I had:

Now this greenish "paint" is actually white Swamp Mud mixed with some beautiful green patina dye ink spray. I'm telling ya, this product is ah-maze-ing!

To adhere the clipped flamingo image I used the DB Satin Clear Coat Sealer under it and over it. 

A little more Flamingo paint over the edges to blend it in and there you have it! 

A charm retro herb centerpiece for my table or a caddy for silverware, napkins, and condiments for entertaining:

The side view:

Thank you so very much for taking a moment to join me on this repurposeful journey with Dixie Belle.

Join our DT creative geniuses at work each day.

Ciao for now,

-Trish Alger