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How to Make Coral in 2 Easy Steps

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How to Make Coral in 2 Easy Steps

What you see over there is not real coral nor is it the pricey fake one! I tell ya, you won’t believe what these were before they got a makeover but before we get into the tutorial here’s the back story. The moment I saw these amazing faux corals in red, white, and turquoise at Pottery Barn and Z Gallerie I was in love! The red would be perfect for my decor but the price tag…..$20 to $60. Ouch…I’m not spending that kind of money on faux but they sure do look gorgeous.

That’s when I came across this genius idea from Beth at Home stories A to Z. After Pinning to my  ‘To Do list‘ board on Pinterest, rushed to the pet section at Walmart. And there I found my darlings, a ghastly green one and prickly orangey bush. The orange in the pic is a much smaller version of the real one. I forgot to take the before pic of Mr. Orange.

How to Make Coral in 2 Easy Steps

A can of red gloss spray paint and a few days later……voila. Notice the small one in the middle? That’s my take on the whole thing, made out of polymer clay.

How to Make Coral in 2 Easy Steps

Source List

Corals – $8.38 and $9.50 – Wal-Mart (found cheaper ones at Amazon*)
Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Banner Red Gloss – $3.50 –(Michaels after the 50% off coupon)
Krylon Dual Paint + Primer in White Gloss – $6.50 – Home Depot (still have lots of paint left over)
Polymer clay – Michaels (already had)
 
Total -$28.38 
 

How to make Coral Tutorial

Method #1 – The Green Bushy One
5 coats of Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss Paint in Banner Red
Remember, light even coats. Learned this the hard way, after waiting for hrs for the paint to dry.
 
How to Make Coral in 2 Easy Steps
 
 
For the Prickly Orange one;
1 coat of Krylon Dual Paint + Primer in White Gloss (if you want a white coral, one more coat of white would do the trick)
3 coats of Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss Paint in Banner Red
I think the finish looks much better with the primer.
 

So where did the third one come from? I still missed a long skinny kinda coral. The ones in Walmart appeared too fish tanky. I kept thinking why don’t I just make one. Dig out the left over polymer clay from the mushrooms in the terrarium project. Some elbow grease and a few hours of patience later my handmade faux ‘faux coral’!

Method # 2 – Mr.Faux Faux, The Spiny Small One

How to Make Coral in 2 Easy Steps

You can make a bigger one by inserting craft wire into the base and molding the branches around it. Really wanted to make a big one but this is all the clay that I had left over. Mr.Faux Faux through the various stages;

How to Make Coral in 2 Easy Steps

The verdict – Stick with technique #2 & 3  if your coral is  a darker shade. Inspired  enough to create your own coral masterpieces?

 
*Post contains affiliate links

Comments

    • whatsurhomestory says

      Thanks Brittany for dropping by. Have bookmarked your blog too. My kids loved all the sponge bob stuff over there. 🙂 Let me know how the coral project goes. This is such a rewarding project.

      Reply

  6. Julie says

    Well, I won’t be stalking my Home Goods waiting for their coral prices to drop. You have the exact look I’m going for, right down to the color so I think I need to get off my butt and do this project!

    Reply

    • whatsurhomestory says

      Thanks Alice. Should give it a try. I was look at the PB site today and some of them costs over $100! Do let me know how it goes.

      Vidya

      Reply

Trackbacks

  2. […] started, but I need to be on the lookout for other great white accessories to fill the shelves.  This tutorial for DIY faux coral from my friend over at What’s Ur Home Story looks promising.  With my affinity for […]

    Reply

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