If you’ve read my blog or follow me on social media, you may know of my affinity for cherubs. I love them. While my home is decorated with cherubs year round… this time of year, with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, it always seems like a perfect time for me to really show them off. I typically find them in antique stores, auction houses, or occasionally in thrift stores. So, when I found an unexpected cherub just dying for a gothic makeover, in a big box retailer, I had to jump at the chance to work my magic and create not one but two little pieces of Gothic Valentine Decor!
To be clear, in case you are new here….. sweet, cutesy cherubs are definitely not my vibe. But give me an antique brass cherub that looks like it came from some centuries old church in Europe, or an old stone cherub that you’d see in a graveyard…. now you’re talking! I consider myself lucky when I come across ones like that, but sometimes I happen upon a cherub that isn’t quite my style, yet has so much potential to be something cool. Years ago, I did a gothic makeover on a set of Cherub Napkin Rings and created a Gothic Valentine Cake Stand from a cherub candle holder. I decided to use a similar technique to transform this most recent find.
I spotted these candles in T.J.Maxx.. hot pink glass candle, with a white cherub lid (or topper). I don’t really do “pink” (I leave that to my 10-year-old), so I was disappointed with the candle jar and the scent was not for me. The candle had to go. The lid, however, had a lot of potential. Not only was it going to look a million times better once painted, but I felt like there were so many different ways I could use it everyday or display it as Valentine decor. And best yet…. unlike my usual thrift store makeovers… you can actually grab this exact same one and do the project with me! So, run to your nearest T.J.Maxx and grab one of these, before all of their Valentine goodies are gone!
First things first…. ditch that hot pink base and find a new one! But before you do that, you may want to consider what you plan on doing with it. Don’t worry…. I have TONS of ideas!!
Obviously, this cherub was intended to be a top or lid to something. At its most basic use….. it could remain a candle. After all, that is what it was made for, and it serves that function well. Whether you’re like me, and want to be able to use it year round, or are just looking for a pop of Gothic Valentine Decor, a candle works. The good news is that if you choose to go the candle route, then once the candle is burned down, you can always just pop the topper into a new candle. Or… you can use the glass holder for a new purpose. So, while you are at T.J.Maxx, picking up the cherub, check out the rest of the candle aisle for other jar candle bases the topper would fit into. Depending on your decor, I’d suggest looking for dark red or black.
While I do like the idea of finding a different, and darker jar candle base…. I was thinking more along the lines of a storage container instead of a candle. As a crafter, I always have so much need for containers filled with things. I’m always on the hunt for attractive storage to make my craft room feel more special. I could probably fill 50 of these jars with beads and bobbles and trinkets. I could also use this jar in a bathroom, filled with cotton balls or q-tips. Or… I could create a Valentine vignette in the kitchen, and fill the jar with candy or mini marshmallows for cocoa! This jar would also look good on a bookshelf, filled with cones of incense! I could go on and on! If you do choose the storage route, remember to find an opaque base unless you want to see what is inside.
Another idea that is especially perfect for this time of year is to use the jar as a Valentine gift! It has the thoughtful element of being homemade mixed with the cool factor of being a gothic cherub jar! Fill it with your loved one’s favorite snacks or homemade treats for the win! Or keep it creepy, and fill with gummy bats, black gumballs, gummy skulls, etc. Place it in a black box filled with red or black paper shreds and you’ve got an easy yet memorable gift!!
Instead of storing food, what about serving food? I love creating a well decorated table, and I felt like this topper could look beautiful on a Valentine table. Or perhaps on a tray of tea, filled with loose tea or sugar cubes. I wanted something a bit fancier than a jar, so I tested the topper among my collection of small bowls and serving pieces, and found two that were a perfect fit. If you like this idea, I recommend bringing the topper to a few of your local thrift stores, and you’re bound to come across something that fits.
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Here’s what you’ll need to makeover the Cherub Topper:
- Black Spray Paint
- Red Acrylic Paint
- Small Paint Brushes
- Paper Towels
- Rub ‘n Buff Metallic Wax: 9 Color Sample Set , or buy individually: Antique Gold , Pewter, Spanish Copper, Silver Leaf
- Clear Enamel Spray Paint
Steps
Step 1: Remove the topper from the candle.
Step 2: Give candle to a friend who likes pink.
Step 3: Remove the rubber ring on the under side of the topper. You may need to put this back on, so don’t lose it.
Step 4: Clean and prep the topper. It comes with a large sticker on the underside of it. The sticker peels off somewhat easily, but mine left a lot of residue. I used a Steel Wool Soap Pad to scrub it off, but Goo Gone should also do the trick. Allow the the topper to completely dry.
Step 5: Paint the topper black. I used a satin black spray paint. It’s looking better already!! I know many of you reading this are no stranger to painting things black and calling it a day. While I can completely appreciate that….. I urge you to press forward through these next few steps. The added layers give so much more dimension to the piece, and really makes it look much more expensive.
Step 6: Add a layer of red paint. (I skipped this step on the silver tone cherub – See notes below regarding color combinations) Using a very small paintbrush, I painted the face, body, and hair with red paint. The color I used was True Red. I’ll warn you… this step always looks bad! I’ve done this technique many times now, and it’s always the same. I have to remind myself that it gets worse before it gets better! You don’t need to be too especially careful or concerned with the coverage because you’ll be wiping it off anyway. This cherub has a lot of small, deep crevices. Try to avoid putting too much red paint into the crevices, as it will become harder to get out later. Working quickly, while the paint was still wet, I used a paper towel to wipe the red off. This left a nice distressed red tint. I intentionally rubbed it off more in some places, but be careful not to rub so hard your remove black paint. For the wet paint that will get caught in the small creases, use a small dry paintbrush to dab that up. I then used that brush to add a bit more red to places where I may have wiped off too much. There’s no exact science.
Step 7: Highlight using metallic wax. The color you choose will depend on your end use (see the note below on selecting your color) , and the vessel you decide to use the topper with. Rub n Buff makes many colors to choose from. To apply the wax, simply put a small amount on your finger or a cloth and gently rub across the raised edges. A little goes a long way… seriously!
Step 8: Seal. Spray a coat of polycrylic on your cherub to seal the paint.
Step 9: Depending on your jar or base, add the rubber seal back to the topper.
A note on the cherub’s color –
I have both antique gold and antique silver pieces that I like to use when I’m decorating for holidays, so I made two versions of this cherub, one to go with each. For the first, I used the Antique Gold
If you can’t bear the thought of painting the cherub, you could always try an all white jar. I happened to find a white cut glass jar that fit the topper perfectly. Before I painted the cherubs, I thought I’d style the all white piece, to give you an idea. Obviously, I wanted to keep my darker aesthetics, even though I was using all white…. so I set it inside of an antique brass lamp base, and paired it with brass candlesticks holding black candles. To add a touch of “Valentine” to the vignetter, I added red velvet ribbons to the candlesticks. See it come together below.
There you have it! A ton of ideas for this little cherub! Good luck finding this candle or something similar! Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. If you do have the chance to replicate it, please drop me a comment and let me know how you used yours!!
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