All that glitters

If you are a regular visitor to secondhand shops and salvage yards, you'll know that you can sometimes pick up a bargain or two.

These discarded picture frames have been refreshed with silver leaf and now add a romantic touch to plain white walls.

You will need:
- Silver leaf and size
- Soft flat Paintbrush (small and medium)
- Artist's acrylic - metallic silver and gold
- Clean cloth

Here's how:
1. Clean off any loose or flaking paint from the frames.

2. Apply a base coat of gold metallic paint over the entire frame and leave to dry.

3. Randomly apply size over the frame and leave to stand according to the manufacturer's instructions.

4. Position the silver leaf over the frame and gently peel back the backing, using a soft brush lightly press the silver leaf onto the frame and brush to remove any excess.

5. Use the Artist's metallic silver to touch up any areas not filled with silver leaf and leave to dry overnight.

Design Tip:
As an alternative to silver leaf you could also use silver Guilder's paste, which can be buffed to a high shine.

  source: janice anderssen - images - meredith publishing