Little Bird Blue Ornament and How to Pickle a Tart Tin

My mom liked her bird tart tin so much that she asked me to make one to give as a hostess gift to her friend Jackie, who she was going to visit.  Since I had only bright, shiny tins left in my stash, and I like a grungier look, I started by "pickling" or aging my tart tin.

Unaltered tin on left.  Pickled tin on right.

I used a mixture of mostly hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and kosher salt to pickle my tart tin.  I put the three ingredients in a small plastic container and stirred them until the salt was dissolved.  (I didn't measure anything so I can't tell you any amounts or ratios.)  I swished the tin around in the mixture, shook off any excess, and set it on a paper towel in a glass dish to dry.  (Some folks on the internet suggest using a spray bottle to apply the mixture, but I didn't have one handy.)

As the tin dried, I turned it over every so often.  I repeated this process several times over the course of two days, until I liked how the tin looked.  Basically, I wanted to reduce the shininess of the tin but I didn't want a lot of heavy, orange-colored rust.  Once I had the amount of patina I wanted, I sprayed the tin with a matte acrylic sealant.

Jackie's finished ornament

Without further ado, here is Jackie's completed tart tin!  Doesn't that bird look adorable sitting on her little nest?  I love how the white berries really pop against the darker background, and the bows on top are so sweet.  I was super pleased with how everything came together.

Since I had just finished my mom's tart tin ornament and the steps involved were still fresh in my mind, Jackie's tin was easier to complete.  In case you're interested (and for my own future reference) here are the steps I followed.  I don't take step-out photos as I create, but I have inserted some closeup photos for you.

1.  Dab matte gel medium around the rim using a plastic palette knife.  Sprinkle on chunky glitter.  Let dry completely (overnight).  Spray tin with acrylic spray sealant, paying special attention to the glitter, and let dry.

Closeup of die-cut sheet music and leaves on Mom's tin

2.  Attach a piece of vintage sheet music to cardstock and die-cut with a scalloped circle die.  Sponge distress ink around edges.  Cut smaller circles out of chipboard and adhere to the back of the sheet music.  The number of additional circles needed will depend on (a) how deep the tin is and (b) whether your bird is small enough to fit down in the tin or has a tail that will extend over the outside edge.  Adhere the entire sheet music 'stack' to the center of the tin and let dry.

3.  Adhere "nest" to bottom of tin and let dry.  Amount needed will depend on size of bird.  Make sure it's packed in tight and adhered well.  I used regular matte gel medium.

4.  Adhere bird to nest and let dry.  Make sure the nest and bird are centered so the sheet music behind them is level.

Closeup of die-cut leaves on Jackie's tin

5.  Adhere vintage book page to cardstock and die-cut several small leaves.  Tint leaves with distress inks, and use fingers or craft tools to shape and bend them.  Trim leaves as needed to fit, dip ends or backs into adhesive (I used matte gel medium), and tuck them behind the bird and into the nest.

6.  Trim berries as needed and adhere behind bird, tucking stems into nest if possible.

View of jewelry bail and cord for hanging Mom's tin

7.  Adhere jewelry bail to back of tart tin (I used E6000).  Make sure the bail is centered with your bird so that he's sitting level.  Dry completely (overnight).

Closeup of ribbon on Jackie's tin

8.  Choose lace and/or ribbon(s) to make a bow.  On a larger tin, use wired ribbon so the bow will maintain its shape, like I did for the first tart tin I made.  For Jackie's tin, I used needle and thread to sew together two pieces of white lace to form a foundation bow, onto which I sewed the blue bow made of dyed seam binding.  Adhere bow to top of tin, making sure it is centered (I used E6000).  Let dry completely (preferably overnight).

9.  Adhere pine cones using E6000.  (You can't tell from the pictures, but there are three super cute, super mini pine cones on top of the blue bow.)  Let dry.

Closeup of bail and cord for hanging Mom's tin

10.  Cut piece of twine, ribbon or cording and thread it through the jewelry bail so you can hang the ornament.  One thing I discovered is that my tins wouldn't hang straight, because the weight of the bird made the front dip a little.  This isn't too big a deal if you plan to use the tin as a Christmas tree ornament, because you can usually tuck the ornament into the branches to steady it.  Or forget hanging the tin, and just set it on a small easel to display.  I may try to figure out a different way to add a hanger on future tart tins, or I may not.  Usually a problem like something not hanging straight would bother me, but for some reason it isn't in this case.

Another satisfied customer

And finally, here is Jackie with her tart tin!  She was thrilled to receive it and because we also got an easel for her, she can display it immediately (straight or not!).

Just two final notes I want to share about these tart tins.  First, quality adhesives are essential when you're adhering items made of different materials.  I recommend Golden brand matte gel medium (regular or heavy) and E6000 industrial adhesive.  Second, these tart tins require a lot of drying time after certain steps to ensure that pieces are firmly attached before adhering the next ones.  Give yourself plenty of time to make one of these, especially if you're not keeping it for yourself.

I hope you found this post helpful.  I know for myself, I found it useful to write down the steps and some of the little hints I had forgotten since I made that first tin.  And if someone else can benefit from them, even better.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fab day.