12 DIY Christmas Gifts That’ll Be Treasured Forever from Lifestyle Guru Amy Howard

Two-Tier Cupcake Stand

MATERIALS

• Cake tray (2 sizes)
• Cleaner, such as Simple Green
• Amy Howard at Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer™ in Belize
• Lint-free T-shirt rags

DIRECTIONS

Step 1: I started with two different-sized cake trays that looked really cute when stacked.

Step 2: Clean each surface very well with properly diluted Simple Green.

Step 3: Wipe any remaining residue with a damp rag and water. Let dry.

Step 4: Using Belize Amy Howard at Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer™, spray over entire underside of the surface.

Step 5: I did two coats, but make sure to allow to dry between coats. Allow to cure 48 hours before using.

I sprayed the underside of the dish for two reasons:

When applied underneath, the depth of the glass brings out an engaging look that teases the eye. No problems when it comes to serving food and cleaning. You’ll be able to wipe off the glass serving surface with a cleaning rag, and not wear down the painted piece with the harsh soap and running water that would wear down the finish.

Drab Drawer to Darling Dog Bed

Materials

• Amy Howard at Home® One Step Paint in Linen
• Amy Howard at Home® One Step Paint in French Blue
• Amy Howard at Home® Cote de Azur Toscana Milk Powder Paint
• Amy Howard at Home® Noir Toscana Milk Powder Paint
• Amy Howard at Home® Antiquing Glaze
• Amy Howard at Home® Light Antique Wax™
• Amy Howard at Home® Clear Wax™
• Amy Howard at Home© nylon bristle brush
• Nylon or synthetic brush
• China bristle brush
• Sea wool sponge
• Lint-free rag

Instructions

Step 1: I removed all hardware, then thoroughly cleaned the entire surface using a lint-free rag and gentle degreaser.

Step 2: I applied a base coat of One Step Paint in Linen to give the Toscana Milk Paint we will be using a matte surface to adhere to. Remember, no sanding or priming is required for this step! I prefer to use a nylon or synthetic brush with the One Step Paint to achieve a smooth finish. I allowed at least 30 minutes drying time.

Pro tip: While you are waiting, go ahead and clean your synthetic brush with soap and water

Step 3: I mixed 4 parts Cote de Azur Toscana Milk Powder Paint with .5 part of Noir Black Toscana Milk Powder Paint. I prefer mixing the powder pigments while they are still powder. This allows me to see exactly what the color will look like when dry.

Step 4: Once mixed, I added 50% water to the milk paint powder. The water and powder should be an equal parts solution at this point. Mix together extremely well. Sometimes I shake my Toscana Milk Paint in a mason jar or sealable container. I have even been known to mix it the night before, as it thickens up over time!

Pro tip: I applied the One Step Paint in Linen first because it binds to any type of surface and Toscana milk paint does not

Step 5: Using a flat natural bristle brush, I applied a nice even coat of the Toscana Milk Paint to the entire surface of the drawer. I always aim for one very precise coat to be enough to cover the One Step Paint base coat. I allowed the Toscana milk paint to dry at least 30 minutes. The color will lighten as it dries.

Step 6: I found some small bun feet that I thought would give my adorable drawer a little lift and drama. If you choose to add feet, apply the same painting techniques and steps to them as you used on your drawer.

Step 7: Before I began to “antique” my drawer, I first took a china bristle brush, dipped it into the antiquing glaze and splattered the surface.

Step 8: After a short 5 minute drying time, I saturated a sea wool sponge with our water based Antiquing Glaze. As I set my sponge down on the drawer, I was careful to gently press down, lift up and gently press down again. Be certain to never drag or move it around without lifting first as it will pull up your finish in an undesirable pattern.

Step 9: Using a clean lint-free rag, I carefully dabbed up any excess glaze. The glaze actually adds a bit of color to the finish, so you want to make sure there aren’t any dark spots.

Pro tip: As you start to “antique” your own surface, the Toscana Milk Paint will start to lift and come off to reveal the Linen One Step Paint underneath. This finish is what sets our antiquing process apart. It looks and feels as authentic as any true antique should.

Step 10: Since you can easily paint metal with the One Step Paint, I covered my hardware with a base coat of Linen and then a light top coat of French Blue.

Step 11: As always, be sure to seal your Toscana Milk Paint finish with our Light Antique Wax or Clear Wax. I used a flat natural bristle brush to apply a very light even layer of wax. I then buffed the entire surface with a soft lint-free rag to achieve an alluring sheen.

Step 12: Once all surfaces had cured, it was time to screw in my decorative feet and hardware. To finish my project, I added a cushion made of complimenting colors to ensure I had a very happy puppy!

Lacquered Vases

Materials

• Amy Howard At Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer in White Perfection
• Amy Howard At Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer in Begonia
• Amy Howard At Home® Adhesive Stencil
• Painter’s tape
• Round pricing labels from local dollar store
• Clear cylinder vases from local dollar store
• Degreaser to clean glass
• Water to rinse
• Lint-free rag to dry

Instructions

Step 1: Thoroughly clean glass with diluted degreaser.

Step 2: Rinse all cleaning product off in sink.

Step 3: Dry vase with your lint-free rag–inside and out.

Step 4: This is where your creativity has the chance to shine! Place your tape, stickers and adhesive stencil wherever your vision takes you! There is no right or wrong to this step. Just make sure the pattern you choose is executed straight and evenly.

Step 5: Spray your White Perfection directly onto the exterior of the vases using a linear swiping motion. Keep an 8-10” distance, spraying in small spurts and segments. This will keep any dripping at bay.

Step 6: Amy gave one of the trios a pop of color by spraying the base with Begonia.

Step 7: Allow at least an hour to dry!

Step 8: Carefully & slowly remove your adhesive stencils once the lacquer has completely hardened.

Lacquered Decoupage Tray

Materials

• Amy Howard at Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer™ in White
• Amy Howard at Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer™ in Silver Fox
• Amy Howard at Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer™ in White Perfection
• Amy Howard at Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer™ in Belize
• Amy Howard at Home® Copycat
• Amy Howard at Home® Adhesive Stencil
• 400-grit sandpaper
• Printed photo of choice
• Spray bottle
• Paper towels

Instructions

Step 1: I lacquered the entire surface of the tray in the Amy Howard at Home Lacquer Paint in White Perfection. When using lacquer paints, you want a completely opaque finish. Generally 3-4 coats are needed to get a smooth thick coating. Start with short linear bursts and build up your coverage. I sand down any rough patches with 400 grit sandpaper in between coats. These small attentive steps are what build your finish into a beautiful sheen.

Step 2: There are a host of beautiful pictures you could use for this next step. I ended up printing off two flowers and cut them out to fit my surface.

Step 3: I brushed an even layer of the Amy Howard at Home Copycat solution onto the front of the flowers and placed them on the glass. I allowed the Copycat to cure for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Using my trusty spray bottle filled with tap water. I sprayed bursts of water up into the air, allowing the water droplets to fall haphazardly all over the glass.

Step 5: Leaving the water droplets be, I sprayed a layer of Amy Howard at Home Lacquer Paint in Silver Fox over the glass.

Step 6: After the lacquer had cured for a few minutes, I took a clean sheet of paper towel and lightly placed it onto the droplets as to carefully absorb the water. The goal is to remove the water, exposing the clear unpainted glass without disturbing the painted portions. The water should come off easily and leave perfect little circles behind.

Step 7: After the glass had completely dried, I placed an Amy Howard at Home furniture stencil over the painted side of the glass. I gave the stencil a once over coat of Amy Howard at Home Lacquer in White Perfection to cover the silver droplet design. Once this layer had completely cured I slowly removed the stencil.

Step 8: To finish off our intricately painted layers, I sprayed a final coat of Amy Howard at Home Lacquer in Belize over all the patterns. This way, one side is a sea of beautiful colors and textures while the other is a clean bright pop.

Lacquered Antique Mason Jars

Materials

• Amy Howard at Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer™ in White Perfection
• Gentle surface cleaner (our staple product is Simple Green)
• Lint-free cleaning rags

Instructions

Step 1: Clean the jars thoroughly, inside and out. Rinse and dry completely with a lint-free rag.

Step 2: Carefully spray your Amy Howard at Home lacquer across the jar’s surface with a gentle swiping motion. Always be very careful not to create drips by lingering in one area too long.

Pro Tip: Our high performance furniture lacquer comes equipped with a professional nozzle as well. While most cans of spray paint disperse product with a straight shot, our nitrocellulose lacquer is applied in a V-shape. This means more coverage and maneuverability for our artisans!

Step 3: Allow ample drying time, then lightly sand any uneven spots with fine grade steel wool.

Step 4: Repeat step 2 for you final coat and seal.

Step 5: Allow your jars to dry completely and your transformation is done!

Gilded Picture Frame

Materials

• Picture frame (The more ornate, the stronger the antiquing)
• Cleaner, such as Simple Green
• Stir stick
• Cardboard palette
• Amy Howard at Home® One Step Paint™ in Black
• Amy Howard at Home® Light Antique Wax™
• Amy Howard at Home® Dark Antique Wax™
• Amy Howard at Home® Dust of Ages™
• Amy Howard at Home® Bole™
• Amy Howard at Home® Gilding Size™
• Amy Howard at Home® Gold Leaf™
• Lint-free T-shirt rags
• Green painter's tape
• Synthetic brush
• Artist’s brush
• China bristle brush (2)
• Steel wool (0000)

Instructions

Step 1: Use properly diluted Simple Green to wipe down object’s surface and clear any dust, dirt, etc.

Step 2: Once clean, wipe off with lint-free t-shirt rag and water; let dry.

Step 3: Thoroughly shake the One Step Paint™ can for 1-2 minutes.

Step 4: Open lid of One Step Paint™ with can opener, stir thoroughly with stir stick. Depending how solidly the chalk has settled, you may need to shake, stir/shake, stir until the paint is well-mixed.

Step 5: Use synthetic brush to apply the One Step Paint™ in Black. We suggest at least two coats for full coverage. Allow each coat to dry approx. 20 minutes.

Step 6: Using green painter’s tape, mark off the area where you will apply gilding.

Step 7: Apply the Amy Howard at Home® Bole™ using a synthetic artist’s brush. Be sure to achieve complete coverage so no black paint shows through. You may need two coats, to do this, depending how thick each coat was applied. Allow to dry approx. 20-30 min.

Step 8: Once Bole has completely dried, use a clean synthetic artist’s brush to apply Amy Howard at Home® Gilding Size™ directly over Bole. Make sure to get 100% coverage, even down to crannies and crevices.

Step 9: Allow Gilding Size to come to tack, approx. 20-30 min. *When Gilding Size is applied, the piece will feel wet and greasy. Before the Size is dry, the wax will come to tack, meaning it will feel sticky.

Step 10: Once Gilding Size comes to tack, you have up to a 20 min window of tack time. If you miss this window, simply reapply Gilding Size.

Step 11: *Gold Leaf comes in large sheets, so we would suggest cutting a smaller portion to save on Gold Leaf. Apply Amy Howard at Home® Gold Leaf™ over entire area where Size was applied. Apply directly on Gilding Size. *When applying Gold Leaf, overlap sheets, do not try to match lines.

Step 12: Before wiping off excess gilding, tear off a large sheet of orange tissue paper and burnish over the total surface area to ensure Gold Leaf has sufficiently adhered to Gilding Size. *Never burnish directly with fingers directly on the surface, as fingerprints will leave impressions in the gold leaf.

Step 13: Use a dry brush to wipe off excess Gold Leaf. *You can also use a dry t-shirt rag to get anything that was left by the brush.

Step 14: Once Gold Leaf has adhered, use #4/0 (0000) steel wool to distress the Gold Leaf for an antique effect. Amount of steel wool distressing varies to personal taste, depending on how aged you want your frame to appear. The goal is to let your Bole peek through deliberate areas. This would appear in an authentic antique situation.

Step 15: Once you have worn with steel wool, remove painter’s tape, pulling away from the finish.

Step 16: Using a china bristle brush and Amy Howard at Home® Light Antique Wax™, dip tips of brush bristles into the wax, then use the cardboard palette to offload some wax from the brush. *Always off-load — you should never go directly from the wax to your piece.

Step 17: Apply wax with 100% coverage. Get deep into the crevices and crannies. Allow to come to tack. Should take 15-25 minutes depending how heavy the wax was applied.

Step 18: Apply the Amy Howard at Home® Dark Antique Wax™, using a separate brush. Load brush with Dark Wax. Offload onto cardboard palette.

Step 19: In a feathering motion, lightly antique piece. It is important not to have 100% coverage. The Dark Antique Wax is intended to emulate natural wear, so add no more than 20% coverage. It varies with amount of wax applied, but should come to tack within 15-25 minutes.

Step 20: Apply Amy Howard at Home® Dust of Ages™ with a clean china bristle brush. Apply liberally. Pounce into crevices and carvings. There should be 100% coverage with the Dust of Ages™. *Do not apply Dust before wax is almost completely dry and to tack. If you apply too soon–it will go black and not buff to a pretty sheen.

Step 21: Any excess can be brushed back into can to be reused. Don’t brush so hard as you brush the Dust off completely, as you want some of the dust to sit in the crevices.

Step 22: Come back and use a lint-free t-shirt rag to buff your piece like you would buff a shoe (hit-drag motion) to get that beautiful patina shine.

Step 23: Once you have buffed, you are finished!

Step 24: Pair with a sentimental picture and your gift is complete.

Painted Pillow Fabric

Materials

• Amy Howard at Home® Adhesive Stencil
• Amy Howard at Home® One Step Paint™ in French Blue
• Amy Howard at Home® Mica Powder™
• Amy Howard at Home® Clear Wax™
• Amy Howard at Home® Round Brush
• Project fabric of your choice
• Handful of lint-free rags

Instructions

Step 1: I chose to begin with a clean pale toned linen and cotton blend fabric. For reference, my sheet would be big enough to cover a pillow front or dining seat.

Step 2: I applied an Amy Howard at Home® Adhesive Stencil over my fabric, making sure the print was evenly lined up with the edges. I decided to use a damask design from my collection to match Fortuny’s most famous prints.

Step 3: It was time to paint! I pounced my Amy Howard at Home® One Step Paint in French Blue over my stencil with an Amy Howard at Home® Round Brush. I applied a nice even coat, not too heavy, but 100% coverage over the designated area.

Step 4: While I was allowing the One Step Paint™ to dry, I mixed my Amy Howard at Home® Mica Powder™ with a dollop of my Amy Howard at Home® Clear Wax™. (I used a 1:1 ratio and believe it will be a consistent gauge for you as well.) I continued to blend and knead these two ingredients together until a beautiful gold metallic paste was formed.

Step 5: After my fabric had completely dried, it was time to (slowly and gently) remove the stencil from my fabric. If there are any areas where the lines have been compromised, you can simply touch these lines up with a fine bristled art brush.

Step 6: Using a clean spatula I troweled my waxy formulation over the painted fabric surface. Just as with my Amy Howard at Home® One Step Paint™, I made sure there was 100% full and even coverage.

Step 7: After allowing the wax to dry for about 25 to 30 minutes, I gathered a handful of lint-free rags and buffed it with the same motion I shine my shoes with. As I continued to buff, the iridescent gold wax began to glow so beautifully!

Personalized Placemats

Materials

• Approximately 14” x 20” smooth plywood
• Chalk
• Clean lint-free rag
• Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint

Instructions

Step 1: Paint your placemat with Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint in any color of your choice. Here I used Brooks Grey. Let dry in between coats.

Step 2: After your paint is dry, take your chalk and season your placemat. You must season your placemat before drawing onto it or else the chalk will burn into the paint and leave permanent marks. Seasoning is what allows you to erase your drawings. To season, take the side of your chalk and brush it over the entire placemat. Pat the excess chalk away with a lint-free rag.

Step 3: Your placemat is ready for personalizing! Get creative and enjoy!

Gilded Art

Materials

• Piece of tempered glass
• Amy Howard at Home® Bright Idea Furniture Lacquer
• Amy Howard at Home® Gold Leaf Sheets
• Amy Howard at Home® Mica Powder™
• Amy Howard at Home® Mica Powder™
• Amy Howard at Home® High Performance Furniture Lacquer™ in White Perfection
• Amy Howard at Home® One Step Paint™ in Frankly Scarlett
• Amy Howard at Home® Natural Bristle Brush

Instructions

Step 1: For this project I used a small piece of tempered glass. I sprayed an even layer of the Amy Howard at Home Bright Idea Lacquer over the entire surface of my glass. This first step creates a sticky surface for our Gold Leaf to adhere to.

Step 2: After at least 3 to 4 minutes have passed, your glass surface will be tacky enough to move forward. Taking the Gold Leaf sheet in hand, I dragged the foiled across the sticky surface in a 45 degree angle. Don’t worry with 100% coverage; allow some negative space to remain.

Step 3: Spray an additional coat of Bright Idea Clear Lacquer over your surface. While it is still sticky take the Amy Howard at Home Mica Powder and sporadically cover the tacky surface. Again, don’t worry with 100% coverage; allow some negative space.

Step 4: After about 15 minutes have passed, apply an even coat of Amy Howard at Home Lacquer in White Perfection over the entire surface. When you finish this step, you will see how the bare areas of negative space allow the White Lacquer to show through!

Step 5: Just when you think our project is complete, let’s raise that creative bar! After a few minutes of drying time have passed, pull at the white lacquer surface just a little to re-expose the bare glass surface.

Step 6: For this final step I chose to paint the back of the glass with a pop of color. Using an Amy Howard at Home natural bristle brush, I coated the surface with an even coat of One Step Paint in Frankly Scarlett.

Once your glass surface has completely cured, at 30 minutes of drying time, you are ready to frame your original work of art! I chose a large matted shadow box frame to showcase mine. Don't forget to sign your art with a sharpie on the front of the glass either!

Vintage Bucket

Materials

• Paper towels
• Clean lint-free rag
• Painter’s tape
• Disposable gloves
• Small round tapered artist’s brush
• Amy Howard at Home© nylon bristle brush
• Amy Howard at Home© natural bristle brush
• Amy Howard at Home© Clean Slate™
• Amy Howard at Home© One Step Paint™
• Amy Howard at Home© Gilding Size™
• Amy Howard at Home© Gold Leaf™
• Amy Howard at Home© Zinc Antiquing Solution™
• Galvanized metal bucket or tub from your local hardware store

Instructions

Step 1: Ensure your project has a fresh start by spraying the entire surface with the Amy Howard at Home© Clean Slate™. Wipe with a clean lint-free rag. Follow up with a shower of water to remove any lingering residue from the solution.

Step 2: First, be sure to put on your protective gloves! Pour Amy Howard at Home© Zinc Antiquing Solution™ into a rubber, plastic, glass or disposable container.

Step 3: Gather a clean lint-free rag in a ball and gently dip the tip into your solution, soak until it is saturated.

Step 4: Before applying solution to metal, gently squeeze out the dripping excess from rag. Saturate your metal surface with the solution. Be mindful to never allow an area to be left with unattended drips. This could result in an undesirable patina pattern.

Step 5: Once the entire surface has been evenly saturated, make a second pass over your project, but this time rub the antique solution into the metal with a firm circular motion. As the solution begins to dry, you will see your metal change to a lighter color. If you desire a darker patina, simply apply more solution.

Pro tip: If there are areas you find you have missed, quickly go back and apply the solution there. You want to make sure your surface has 100% solution coverage as it cures.

Step 6: Once your bucket has completely dried, apply painters tape in any design you would like! We chose a wide strip pattern to wrap around our bucket.

Step 7: Thoroughly shake Amy Howard at Home© One Step Paint™ before opening. Follow by stirring paint with clean paint stick. With long even strokes, apply a medium coat of your Amy Howard at Home© One Step Paint™ color around your painter’s tape.

Step 8: Allow your paint to fully dry, and then slowly remove your painter’s tape to reveal your beautiful design!

Step 9: With a clean artist’s brush, apply an even layer of the Amy Howard at Home© Gilding Size™ to handles and hardware. Allow this step to dry for a few minutes so the Size can become tacky.

Step 10: Wrap your Amy Howard at Home© Gold Leaf™ to the gilding size layer. Firmly press gold leaf onto the handles and hardware being mindful to cover the area completely.

Step 11: Finish the last step of this project by dusting off the leftover gold pieces with a clean Amy Howard at Home© natural bristle brush!

Photo Canvas with Copycat

Materials

• Amy Howard at Home Copycat
• Amy Howard at Home flat china bristle brush
• Amy Howard at Home Light Antique Wax
• Clean sponge brush
• Printed photo of choice
• Small art canvas
• Plaster trowel
• Clean lint-free rag
• Optional tools:
• Amy Howard at Home Dust of Ages
• Amy Howard at Home Dark Antique Wax
• Amy Howard at Home round china bristle brush

Instructions

Step 1: Print the photo of your choice with a laser jet printer in the appropriate proportion to your canvas size. I prefer to use 60 lb. bright white paper.

Step 2: Cut the edges of your image down to fit the exact size of your canvas.

Step 3: Pour the Amy Howard at Home Copycat solution into a disposable bowl. Using a clean sea sponge, brush solution onto the front of the image. Aim for full coverage.

Step 4: Using your same sea wool sponge, apply a full coverage coat of the Copycat solution onto the canvas surface as well. It is very important to cover both surfaces liberally and very well!

Step 5: Sandwich front of your photo image onto your canvas, marrying solution to solution.

Step 6: Using your clean plaster trowel, burnish the back side of your image with smooth long swipes. Aim to gently press out any air bubbles.

Step 7: Allow your photo's surface to dry at least 2 hours. The longer curing time, the better for this step!

Step 8: After your canvas has fully dried, saturate a lint-free rag with tepid tap water. Taking your wet rag, rub the back side or your paper surface with a circular motion to carefully wear all of the copy paper away.

Step 9: As the pulp of the copy paper begins to peel away, you will see your beautiful image appear. After all of the paper is worn from your image, allow the wet photo to dry for at least another 30 minutes. Sometimes I will even speed up the drying time with a hair dryer!

Pro tip: If you find there are a few areas of your photo where the Copycat solution was not fully adhered, do not worry. The ending antiquing process will help you embrace the weathered look!

Step 10: For extra protection, I like to apply a thin layer of my Amy Howard at Home Light Antique Wax. Take your clean Amy Howard at Home china bristle brush and dip just the tips of the bristles into the wax pan, then swirl around. Offload excess wax onto a scrap cardboard surface, then lightly feather wax onto your photo surface and allow to dry for at least 20 minutes.

Pro tip: The next two antiquing steps are completely optional, but if you are an antique buff as am I, you will appreciate it!

Step 11: Using the same load and offload technique as before, apply a wispy layer of the Amy Howard at Home Dark Antique Wax around the edges. Once wax has dried, buff to a shine with a clean lint-free rag.

Step 12: Using a clean round Amy Howard at Home natural bristle brush, apply a generous layer of the Amy Howard at Home Dust of Ages to the edges. Then, just as you would a shoe, buff Dust into the waxy surface with a hit-drag motion to bring out the sheen and depth of the Dust of Ages. I love the patina our wax duo brings out, but some of you may not choose to antique your image. No matter your style, your project will be beautiful and so special! You can always frame your art like I have or simply keep the canvas bare.

Chippy Finished

Materials

• Approximately 14” x 20” of raw burlap
• Clean lint-free rag
• Plaster trowel
• Clean synthetic bristle brush
• Amy Howard at Home© One Step Paint™
• Amy Howard at Home© Venetian Plaster™

Instructions

Step 1: Cut your burlap fabric down to your desired shape and size. You could even use a pre-cut placemat as a template!

Step 2: In a disposable container, combine one part tap water with one part Amy Howard at Home© Venetian Plaster™. Mix the solution thoroughly until you achieve a thick and creamy consistency.

Step 3: Using a clean plaster trowel, apply an even layer of Venetian Plaster™ directly onto your burlap fabric. Aim for smooth even coverage, with as little bumps and lines as possible. The plaster should be thick enough to conceal the entirety of the burlap fabric, edge to edge.

Step 4: Allow the Venetian Plaster™ enough time to fully dry. Dry time will last 1-3 hours depending on the room temperature. Once the plaster is white and no longer cool to the touch, it should be completely dry. You may also notice beautiful cracks on your placemat as it dries!

Step 5: While your plaster is drying, prepare the paint solution for the next step. In a separate disposable bowl, mix two parts of your Amy Howard at Home© One Step Paint™ color with one part water. For our placemat, we are using “A Good Man is Hard to Find™”.

Step 6: Using a clean Amy Howard at Home© synthetic bristle brush, apply an even coat of your Amy Howard at Home© One Step Paint™ solution over the entire placemat. Allow this coat of paint to fully dry before moving on.

Step 7: Once every layer has completely dried, it is time to begin rolling the placemat! Starting at one corner, slowly roll the burlap fabric to the opposite corner. Apply firm pressure to the mat as you roll. Repeat this rolling process with the mat as many times as needed until you have achieved your desired crackle level.

Step 8: We decided to further personalize our placemat by pulling at the edges and scraping off portions of the paint and plaster to expose larger gaps of burlap. We really love this raw worn-in look.