Ceramic Bunny Painting Idea (Cutest Thrift Store Makeover)

Thank you for sharing my content!

Some things just look better with a rustic and weathered look. Like the cute ceramic bunnies I found at the thrift store. They had a pretty cheap looking pink finish. I gave them a faux cement treatment with ordinary paints and now they still look cute but also beautiful.

Let me show you how to paint ceramic bunnies to make them look cute and beautiful at the same time.

HOW TO MAKE ANYTHING LOOK LIKE CONCRETE

These bunnies really needed a new lease on life because their old look was old and dated. Using a bit of paint to bring something old back to life is usually the fastest and easiest way to go.

Giving something a concrete finish is not new to me. Remember my bathroom wall that I painted to look like a cement wall?

The cement paint technique I used on the bunnies isn’t so different.

The basic faux cement paint technique is to paint your wall or object with a base layer in medium grey. Then add a layer of blended in paint in black or dark grey. This adds depth. The final step is a thin layer of white or very light grey that you wipe and blend for a soft look.

It is a quick and easy paint treatment and you only need three basic colors: a grey base color and a bit of black and white paint for the concrete finish. Now granted there are speciality craft paints out there that you can use to paint anything to look like concrete. And I am sure those paints are wonderful. I have just never invested in them because I like the look I can get with the paints I already own.

Here are my bunnies before they got their spa treatment.

Cute little pair, aren’t they. But that pink / terracotta look was not working for me. And the grey detailing made them look dirty while the white paint was a bit too rough and spotty for my liking. So they were do for a makeover. But before I show you that…

Today’s post is all about giving something ugly but with potential a makeover. If you love a good thrift store makeover as much as I do you will love all the other thrift store before and after ideas that my friends from the Thrifty Style Team share. You will find the links to all of their thrift store projects at the bottom of the post.

Now let’s get back to my sad old bunnies. I was ready to give them a good makeover.

So out came the first pot of paint.

I gave them a quick allover layer of a medium grey paint as a base layer.

I used a Fusion Paint called Little Lamb, it was a leftover from my dining room table makeover and my spring painted pots project. You can use any grey paint really, but I like the smoothness of Fusion Paint and the fact that it has a matte finish was kind of perfect for this.

I just quickly slapped some paint on my Easter bunnies with a medium large brush. The bunnies had quite a few crevices and harder to get to spots, so I had to work my brush in there a bit. But all in all painting both bunnies grey only took about 10 minutes.

The Fusion paint took about one cup of tea to be dry enough to handle the bunnies again.

Then they looked like this:

Not much of an improvement yet. Painted in one solid color made them look flat and boring.

So let’s give them some depth and character again.

The next step involved a tiny bit of regular old black craft paint, a small craft brush and a damp small sponge.

I worked in small increments. Painting on some black paint with the brush and working it into to fur of the bunnies a bit. And then almost immediately removed a lot of the paint with the damp sponge, blending the black at the same time.

I think this took 10 minutes per bunny but probably less. You can’t go wrong here because if you don’t like the look, you can always wet your sponge a bit more and wipe off the paint and start over.

Starting to like this look. With only two layers of paint my bunnies have been completely transformed. Their new style reminds me of the Essex Bunnies from Pottery Barn.

I could have stopped here. They already looked pretty and like made of concrete. But I wanted to add a bit more character and a bit of a weathered look.

So out came the medium size brush again with the stiff brittles and a small pot of regular white craft paint. I put a small bit of white paint on the brush, dabbed most of it off on a piece of paper and then dabbed the white paint on the bunnies in straight motion. Much the same as when you are stenciling something.

Immediately after applying a small section of white paint I would soften the look with a damp sponge again. Just like you put on makeup really. Dab it on and blend it in.

And now my bunnies look gorgeous in my Spring & Easter centerpiece and I couldn’t be more happy.

This faux cement paint technique is so easy and you can use it on almost anything and give it that rustic concrete look. I suspect that after Easter I will put these bunnies outside in the garden as decorations. My hope is that they will become a bit mossy and start to look even more like the real thing. We’ll see. For now they are looking pretty and cheerful on our table in my Easter bunny arrangement.

More Thrift Store Makeover Ideas

Redhead Can Decorate – How to Create a Thrift Store Basket Wall Corner

Our Crafty Mom – How to Make a Vintage Tea Cup Planter

I Should Be Mopping the Floor – Cheese Dome Turned Seasonal Cloche

The How to Home – 10 Ideas for Decorating with Thrift Store Antique Bakeware

DIY Beautify – Easy Flowers From Mason Jar Lids

Songbird – You are Here

Simple Nature Decor – Beautiful Decoupage Wall Art

Zucchini Sisters – Thrift Store Ceramic Cherub Makeover

Exquisitely Unremarkable – Vintage Wooden Candle Holder Makeover

A Life Unfolding – Ten Thrifting Tips and Tricks

Thank you for sharing my content!