DIY Mushroom Decor

It is so HOT in Georgia this week!  With temps soaring in the 90s and heat indexes around 110 degrees, it has been the perfect time to stay indoors and work on some crafts.

While on one of our TJ Maxx adventures, I found this cute little glass mushroom on the clearance aisle. At only $3.99 I took it home with me even though the colors were not my style.

I love browsing the clearance shelves in TJ Maxx.  I have found some great deals!

While on this clearance aisle adventure, I also found a sturdy cloche in excellent shape cloche. Read DIY Cloche Makeover to see how it turned out!

The Glass Mushroom

I have been on a mushroom kick lately!  Although I have not been successful finding anything mushroom-related in my local thrift stores.

So, I was happy we decided to visit TJ Maxx. Keep the faith, you will eventually find what you are looking for.

After inspecting the glass mushroom, I actually did a happy dance in the clearance aisle of TJ Max!  My husband just sat back and laughed. He loves joining me on my thrifting adventures.

This mushroom had great detail, but the colors were not my favorite.  But I knew it would be an easy makeover.  

DIY Mushroom Decor Makeover

I gave the mushroom a good wipe down with a baby wipe to remove any dust from sitting on a shelf.

For the base coat, I used some brown craft paint.  I applied two coats, allowing about an hour in between paint coats. This would be for the base layer.  You will see why later in the tutorial.

After the base coat had dried, I added two coats of Dixie Belle Cotton allowing time for each coat to dry before applying another coat.  

The Base For The Mushroom

I thought a base for my DIY mushroom decor would add a bit of height and more stability.  

I found this round wood disc in my stash and it was the perfect size for the mushroom base.

While I was waiting for my final coat of white to dry, I stained the wood disc with one coat of Dark Walnut by Minwax.  

After it dried overnight (yes the humidity in Georgia is horrible right now), I distressed the edges and the top to lighten it up a bit.

The next order of business was to make the mushroom look more authentic.  The white had to be toned down a bit.  

I distressed the mushroom, allowing some of the brown paint (remember before) to show through.

To tone down the white and give the mushroom an “outside” look, I applied brown antiquing wax, where I thought it needed to be to make it look more natural.  

There is no wrong way to apply the wax.  I used a damp cloth and removed some of the wax by wiping lightly.

Tip:  If you apply too much of the dark wax and realize it after wiping, you can use clear wax to remove some of the antiquing wax.  It works like an eraser!  Just wipe it on the sections that you are trying to lighten up.

On the stem of the mushroom, I added antiquing wax in an upward motion.

For the bottom, I added the antiquing wax around the bottom of the stem.

Attaching The Glass Mushroom To My Base

I gave it about thirty minutes of drying time, and then I used my hot glue gun and glued the mushroom to my wood disc. I added just a dot of the hot glue. I used Gorilla Super Glue to give it good adhesion.

My mushroom looks more like a mushroom you would find walking in the woods. Or at least here in my part of the world.

As you can see, you can add your style and taste to just about any piece.  I also create a lot of home decor with pieces from Hobby Lobby like this flower plate decor piece.

Be sure to join my FREE Facebook group! We share projects, and tips and have a good old time!