Earlier this year I found a giant fish pedestal at a thrift shop in Florida and couldn't leave it behind. I knew he was too big and too heavy to fit in my suitcase. I knew he didn't exactly go with the style of my home. I knew it was kind of a weird purchase. But it was love at first sight.
When I shared him in a thrift haul on TikTok, someone commented that they used to have one and he's supposed to hold a fishbowl which I think makes him even more perfect!
He went into storage after my trip, but just the other day he popped into my mind and I remembered how I'd wanted to turn him from red to gold so he could start a new life at my house as a goldfish.
I started by mixing up a warm gray with a couple paints I had around the house and doing one thick coat over the whole fish to cover all the red.
I got way too excited about the next step of this project and forgot to take a picture of the fish when he was gray. Sorry!
Next, I broke out my trusty Rub n Buff (a necessity for any DIY-er or decor enthusiast) I did a fairly solid coat of Antique Gold all over, but let the gray paint underneath show through in the details to accentuate his shape and give a worn look.
Then I went over the fish again with Gold Leaf Rub n Buff, but more sparingly this time. This added a little dimension and a "truer" gold color on top.
I'm pretty pleased with the finished piece and think it goes a lot better with the rest of my decor than the red did. Now I just need to thrift a fishbowl to sit on top!
