I don’t know if you know this about me or not but I’m kind of crazy about Buddha statuary.

I’m not sure if it is the bald head, the big belly (like my own?), the flowing clothing that looks so comfy or the thoughts of peace & happiness that envelope me when he’s around.

These guys look like Buddha babies to me. Buddha PLUS babies. How could I resist?

Except that this faux-crazed off-white ceramic look just doesn’t quite cut it for me. But for $10 at my local Marshall’s store I couldn’t pass them up. Besides, I knew these little Buddha babies could be made over.

And a makeover is just what they got. I brought them home and gave them a good once over with mineral spirits.

Then I sorted through my horde of Krylon paints and found Krylon Dual Paint and Primer to give them a flat gold look.

I worried that the color would easily flake off but I figured they were going to sit on my mantle for the summer and not be handled much so it would be OK.

But then after letting them dry for only a few minutes I couldn’t scratch the color off with my fingernail and I knew we were going to be all right.

I wasn’t too keen on the flat gold though. It made them look even more like babies, and that kind of seemed weird so I gave them a spray with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Satin in Burgundy.

Too red and too flat. It had to go.

So then I grabbed a can of (Did I mention that I have a Krylon HOARD?) Metallic gold and gave them a little dusting.

Oh yeah. This is more like it.

Only when I let them dry and brought them inside they blended in with the background on the mantle too much.

Hmmm. What to do?

Give them a coat of Krylon Metallic Gold ALL OVER.

Yeah, that’s more like it. That burgundy paint really made the gold pop.

Unless I decide to Glitter Blast them. Is it wrong to glitter a Buddha, I wonder?

I’m working on another project for my summer mantle decor and I’ll share a post of the whole thing once it’s all together.