For this month’s challenge, I am hopping on board the “Christmas in July” train. I know it seems a bit crazy to be thinking about Christmas right now, especially with the record heat most of us have been having. However, when you are an avid thrifter and/or DIYer, it pays to think ahead. For this thrift flip, I was inspired by Ellen at FeatherGlass. Ellen knows how to do Christmas decor. I fell in love with all the little details she shared, but there was one thing in particular I could not stop thinking about. This mini brass set.

I love the brass look. In my opinion, it just adds that special something that nods to Christmas magic. Since I spotted that set she shared in her stories, I’ve been scouring thrift stores for just the right size and style of small porcelain houses. I have found a grand total of four so far, but I will continue to look. When I find them, they cost between $2 and $4 and look something like this:

I just gave them a simple little makeover to give them a vintage brass look. If you’d like to do this, all you need is black spray paint and Rub n Buff in either Antique Gold or European Gold. I actually tried both and will show you the difference.

First step is to spray the houses black. I used satin finish because it’s what I had on hand. I don’t think the finish will make much of a difference. Also, don’t overthink this step. The paint job does not have to be perfect.

The second and final step is to apply Rub n Buff onto your dry black houses with a very fluffy, beat up paint brush. The more frayed and messed up, the better. You can either paint it on like normal paint or stipple it as if you were doing a stencil. I like a very organic and uneven finish for this type of project. I love how it gives the houses a more antique feel.

Once the houses are fully dry, you can display them however you’d like. Or, you can be like me and store them away until it’s time to deck the halls. ;)