The holidays are fast approaching, so it’s the perfect time to add warmth and charm with red in your Christmas projects. Whether painting furniture, crafting festive decor, or making personalized gifts, choosing the right shade of red makes a big impact. In today’s guest blog, Linda from Q is For Quandie offers expert tips for selecting the ideal red to match your style. With Dixie Belle Paint’s beautiful colors, you’ll feel inspired to add holiday cheer to all your creations.
(The following is an excerpt from Q is for Quandie. Read the full article here.)
Are you looking for the perfect shade of red paint to use on some of your Christmas projects?
Honky Tonk Red Chalk Mineral Paint
The red I’ve used the most has to be Honky Tonk Red from Dixie Belle.
It’s a lovely cherry red, perfect for pairing with white. It’s definitely my go-to red for stenciling Christmas signs.
Fiery Sky Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint
If you prefer using a no-fuss acrylic style paint with a built in primer and top coat, then Dixie Belle’s Fiery Sky from their Silk Paint line would be a good option for a Christmas red.
I like to use this color on the inside of toolboxes.
Barn Red Chalk Mineral Paint
Dixie Belle also has a Barn Red and I just finished using it on today’s project, this sled.
My friend found this sled for me at a garage sale. Unfortunately the previous owners had given it a sloppy blue paint job. After giving it a good cleaning, I decided to try a monochromatic look on this one, and I wanted to match the existing red as much as possible. My usual Honky Tonk Red was just a bit too bright, so I pulled out the Barn Red.
Tips:
I decided to work smarter rather than harder with this paint job, and this is today’s q tip for you. When working with a combination of red and white paint, it’s pretty much impossible to prevent the white from turning pink if you sand the red after the white is applied. It’s best to distress and then seal your background color first (whether it’s the red or the white), then add the stencil over it.
So after the Barn Red paint was dry, I sanded the edges to distress, vacuumed away any dust and then applied Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat before adding the stencil in DB’s Drop Cloth.
And here’s one more q tip for you, always put the approximate amount of clear coat you’ll need into a separate container when applying it over a vibrant color like this. You don’t want to contaminate your entire jar with flecks of red, which are inevitable.
I like to use the Dixie Belle Finishing Pad to gently smooth out the stenciled paint without breaking through that clear coat down to the red, but you could also sand very gently with 220 grit paper, or just skip this step altogether.
Unfortunately, I did a terrible job of capturing the Barn Red color in my photos. The color looks different in all three of my photos, but I think this next one is closest to reality.
After completing this project, I think I might actually prefer the Barn Red over the Honky Tonk Red. I may have to switch up my go-to Christmas red.
Red is the color of joy, love, and festive spirit—perfect for the holiday season. We hope Linda’s insights help you find the perfect shade to make your Christmas projects shine! Don’t forget to share your creations with us—we’d love to see how you use Dixie Belle Paint to bring your ideas to life. For more fun and easy Christmas decor ideas, check out our blog, DIY Festive Home Decor.
