Dixie Belle Crackle Painted Bread Box
Dixie Belle Crackle is one way to give that aged, cracked style finish. I love the finished look, but did I love the product?? Read on to see!
I love sharing new products with you guys. Well, new to me anyway.
I’ve had this one for quite a while and decided to pull it out and give it a go.
Dixie Belle “Crackle”.
When I wanted to get a crackle effect in the past I would just use Elmer’s glue and a hairdryer.
That’s a pretty simple and inexpensive method.
But today let’s see how the “Crackle” did.
Dixie Belle Crackle Painted Bread Box
Here is what it looked like when I found it.
Someone had tried to give it a wood stained look maybe?
Not so sure but it wasn’t good. ;)
I paid $5 for it and decided to bring it home and see what I could do with it.
Below are the products I used for this makeover.
MATERIALS LIST
- White Spray Paint
- Dixie Belle Fluff
- Dixie Belle The Gulf
- Dixie Belle Crackle
- Dixie Belle Gator Hide
- chip brush
I began by painting the whole thing with white spray paint.
I then brought it inside and gave it one coat of “Fluff”. (linked with the rest of the products in the box above)
After that was thoroughly dried, I painted on one thick coat of the Crackle.
Having never used it before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
It’s quite thick and sticky. (it says to not water down)
I didn’t really love that.
I wanted to make sure I had big cracks so I used a “thick” application as per the directions.
But dang, it dries so slowly that gravity took a toll on it.
A bunch of it ended up running down the sides (ever so slowly) and pooling up at the bottom.
It was kind of a mess because this stuff is STICKY to the max.
But I persevered. ;)
Once it was good and dry (overnight plus), I painted on one thick coat of paint. (I used The Gulf)
I applied it in sort of a haphazard way (as the directions stated) and made sure not to overlap where I’d painted already.
And then I let the magic happen.
As it dried, the cracks began to appear. And they grew and grew and grew.
Kind of cool to watch, actually.
It took a while to dry so I just let it do its thing.
Once it was dry, I lifted the lid and applied tape to create a finished look between the blue and white paint.
I didn’t want to paint the whole inside blue but some of the interior is visible when the door is closed.
So that part got painted the same color as the outside.
After that small section was dry, I applied one coat of Gator Hide sealer.
Then I attached this fancy little knob which I just love.
It has been in my stash for years! It came from Hobby Lobby.
I think it is so much fun on this otherwise rustic looking piece.
Here’s the top…
Just look at all those fun cracks everywhere.
This bread box can sit like this…
Opening in the front.
Or like this…
Opening on the top.
And of course, it can be used for bread…
Or essential oils, sprays, etc. (or even makeup, nail polish and more)
Or how about to keep extra rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom??
Accessible but hidden.
Plenty you could do with these old bread boxes.
I’ve made over quite a few and used them for different things!
Here are more if you’d like to see what I did with them:
- Bread Box Makeover (with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint)
- French Farmhouse Bread Box (and a fun graphic)
- Bread Box Repurposed Into Charging Station
- Repurposed Bread Box Take Two (with a faux stone stencil)
Bread boxes are always at the thrift store. I mean always.
And they are so fun to make over and can be used for so many things.
I just love them.
Now, did I also love Dixie Belle’s Crackle??
Well, hmm, not a lot, honestly.
It was messy to use and I didn’t love how it ran and how long it took to dry.
I don’t really have the patience for it!! haha
I really like using good ole Elmer’s glue but I haven’t tried to get such big cracks with it as I got with the Crackle.
I might have to do a project with the glue and see if I can achieve that (I can definitely get the small cracks with it). I’ll try to do that soon so I can show a comparison for y’all.
I’ll post when I do!
Final thoughts.
I love Dixie Belle paints (although I don’t love their jars… at all) but the Crackle can be cost-prohibitive and can be kind of tough to work with.
Be on the lookout for the next “crackle” makeover I do using glue, a much cheaper alternative. We’ll see which is the winner then.
PIN it to save it!
The first of my brand new haul! Stop back by to see what I did with this one.
UPDATE!! See it now, here!!
Have a wonderful week!!
xoxo
I have been wondering about Dixie Belle’s products. Actually just bought the Black Was but have not used it yet. As always, I appreciate your honesty!
Yes, I really love them! I have a few more things to try so I’ll be posting about them too. :) xo
I used a crackle product years ago on the drawer fronts of a dresser- I refinished the dresser twice since then – and you can still see the lines of the crackle – so be careful what you choose to crackle!
Oh yes, I can totally see that! This is heavy-duty cracking. I would totally have to sand it down to repaint it. Not the most fun thing to do! ;) xo
So pretty now, Nancy. My favorite use is the toilet paper hider! I wonder if it dripped so much because it was applied so thickly. But I’m with you – there are lots of crackle products out there, but glue works just as well (and you don’t have to wait so long for it dry 😁).
Thanks, Marcie! And yep, I think so, but I also think it’s because it takes so long to dry in general (it is so heavy and gooey thick). I’m guessing it is probably best to do one side at a time with this product but that would take forever. Maybe on a large piece of furniture, that would be the way to go though! Like I said, I’m way too impatient for that!! lol xoxo
Why do you hate their jars? Just curious!
They are threaded twist style and that and paint just don’t mix for me! They get gummed up and are very hard to open…and then hard to also close back. I guess if I were completely careful and always made sure to wipe them well, and remove dried paint around them, etc, etc, they wouldn’t be so bad. But that never happens, inevitably, even when I try to be careful, they still become a bear to open and close. For some, I’ve simply started putting layers of plastic wrap with a rubber band instead. Much faster into the paint and out! ;)
Crackle painting is always so much fun. In the past, I have used wood glue as my crackle medium. Found that out by a happy mistake when I was painting a birdhouse I was turning into a lamp for our guest room. The paint crackled perfectly where I glued it to the lamp post. Then….I was crackling everything! LOL It’s a style that I think will always be classic – especially in a rustic and beachy decors.
Yes, I found out about glue by a happy mistake too! lol Love when that happens, don’t you?! Definitely a classic in beach decors, for sure. :) xo
Cute and can be used in many ways. Love the color.
Yes, it sure can, thanks Rose! :) Me too, happy color! xo
I really appreciate that your reviews are honest. So many bloggers seem to rave about every single product they freely receive which is a red flag to me. You don’t have to do that people! Honesty = trust.
Yes, that does happen, unfortunately! I don’t do many sponsored posts around here because I always want to be authentic. That’s most important to me. So unless I truly love something, I’m not going to post about it. If I do a sponsored post, you can be sure I love what I’m promoting! ;) Thank you for voicing your thoughts on this too! xoxo
What happened to the “goop” that slid to the bottom edge? I really like what you did, and that little knob is just perfect! Kudos!
It just gathered at the bottom (and underneath, ack!). What a mess! lol And thanks, Cate! The knob is the icing on the cake of this one. :) xoxo
Very pretty! I hope it was worth the trouble! I am not happy with the DB jars either and my tired old hands aren’t either. I also put Saran Wrap over the jar for easier opening. Their paint is very nice though!
Thank you, Cecilia! It was in the end but that stuff is messy to work with. Yes, I have to get my husband to open them many times. Or run them under hot water which sometimes works. I do love their paint a lot though, yes! :) xo
This turned out so cute! We did a lot of crackling back in the 80’s so I haven’t been eager to try the crackle at all, but I love how this piece turned out! Hmmm might need to give it a try now! A tip for opening the jars, use a piece of sandpaper to twist the lid off…makes them super easy to open! XOXO
Thanks, Christy! Yes! Lol Me too but I bought it thinking it’d be fun to play with. It’s so beachy looking to me. I also have some of that Sea Spray Texture Additive in my stash that they sent me years ago. I’ve yet to try that one! Not sure I like the finish but maybe I need to pull it out and see. Love the tip on the jars (any tip is welcome! haha) will definitely try that. xoxo