Enchanted - #113: the Red Riding Hood necklace

As I mentioned on Defunct Decoup's Facebook page yesterday (which is where I will often preview pieces prior to blog posts), I am currently wanting to focus on working with different types of metal sheeting for jewelry and have started with aluminum because it was the easiest to find so far.

I wanted to add texture to the metal and am considering etching in the near future but due to lack of harsh etching chemicals and a lack of a working area with good ventilation, I decided to come up with an alternate method for achieving an aged and distressed appearance to the aluminum sheeting.

It involved scratching the aluminum with a wire brush and then applying a mixture of craft stain in metallic colors as well as turquoise, brown, and black acrylic paint applied sparingly with a sponge brush.
After sealing and drying, I then sanded and slightly rounded the sharp corners with 60-grit sandpaper and smoothed with 220-grit.

Once the metal was prepped, it was then just a matter of adding decorative embellishments, punching out a few holes, and stringing the charms and chains.

I love the results!!