I like shiny things, and I think a lot of you do, too.  I'm seeing lots of gilded decor on Pinterest and in stores and I just love it!  There are some great, inexpensive crafter's paints out right now that make it easy to create a faux gilded look.  Read on to learn how I turned a Dollar Tree owl into a chic gilded bookend.

Project estimate:

• Owl Figurine,  $1
• White Spray Paint, on hand
• Metallic Gold Acrylic Paint, on hand or $1
• Wood pieces, on hand
• Paper, on hand
• Glue, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

To make your own gilded owl bookend:

Step one:  Paint your figurine white.  I used a Halloween owl from the Dollar Tree, but now they have glittery owls (pictured) that would work, too.  The glitter comes off very easily, so you could clean it off first and then paint.

Step two:  Paint your owl with two layers of the metallic gold paint.

Step three:  Decoupage and/or paint your wood squares.  My squares came from a bag of wood I purchased at Hobby Lobby.  I sanded my edges to give them a distressed look.

Step four:  Glue your pieces together to form the bookend, and glue your owl in place.  I used E-6000.

I love my faux gilded owl bookend!  It's going to look great in my office.  What a transformation from the brightly colored owl I started with.  If gold's not your style, try faux pewter or spray paint.  Have fun creating!

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