How to Refurbish a Child's Rocking Duck

Here's my latest curb-side rescue; a real ugly duckling that ended up being our Christmas gift to our little grand-daughter.  This poor guy was rescued last spring from a neighbour's garbage.  I should have taken a real "before" picture prior to getting out the red spray paint so that you could appreciate how ugly "Ugly" actually was.

He was originally bright yellow with a red seat and a navy blue beak and eyes.  He had a few rough edges which my husband sanded down.  I spray painted the entire duck with several coats of red paint, it took a lot to even begin to cover the navy blue beak and eyes.

I bought one sheet of gorgeous wrapping paper from Omer DeSerres (artist/craft shop) and a bottle of Modge Podge.  The background of the wrapping paper almost perfectly matched the red paint I had chosen and I loved the flowing floral motif.


Cutting carefully around various flowers, stems and butterflies, I was able to create shapes that suited the curving lines of the duck.

I positioned and re-positioned the cut-out flowers until I had a design that I liked.  I strategically placed the cut outs to cover the beak and eyes that were still visible through the paint. 

Using a soft paint brush I applied the flowers using the Modge Podge both under the paper and over.  I painted the entire surface of the duck with the Modge Podge so that there would be a shiny finish throughout.  I let one side dry before proceeding to the second side. I also put motifs on the inside of the duck where our grand-daughter would sit and see them.

The end result?  This once ugly duckling has been transformed into the most beautiful duck under the Christmas Tree.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today,

Wishing you a most beautiful day,

Sandra