Opening the Gate to a Tiny Spring Garden

Have you ever imagined opening a tiny garden gate and stepping into your own secret spring garden?
That’s the inspiration behind this beautiful Easter craft. A plain MDF cutout slowly becomes a blooming garden scene using layered rice paper, distressed gates, and dimensional flowers that appear to grow right off the surface.

Watch the full video tutorial below before you begin.

Step 1: Preparing the Background

The MDF garden gate plaque begins with a coat of Dixie Belle Chalk Paint in Cotton. Whenever rice paper or napkins will be decoupaged, painting the surface white is essential. It keeps the colors bright and prevents the design from appearing muddy or dull.

After the paint dries, the floral rice paper image is positioned on the plaque.

Step 2: Applying the Rice Paper

The rice paper is adhered using Polyvine Heavy Duty Varnish (Satin), which works beautifully as both a decoupage adhesive and protective finish. The varnish is brushed onto the surface and over the paper.

To remove bubbles and wrinkles, a lightly misted piece of plastic is placed over the paper and smoothed outward from the center. Once dry, the excess paper is removed by sanding downward along the edges for a crisp, professional finish.

Step 3: Extending the Design with Paint Blending

Because the rice paper is slightly shorter than the plaque, paint blending is used to extend the design. Light layers of Tropic Bay Blue, Linen, and Light Brown are mixed with water and dabbed along the bottom edge.

By blending the paint onto the rice paper and background together, the colors merge into a seamless transition. Additional brown paint is used to create delicate branches that match the printed design.

Step 4: Adding Depth with Ink

Brown ink is lightly brushed around the edges of the plaque using a blending brush. This soft shadow effect prevents the piece from looking flat and helps frame the garden scene.

Once the ink dries, another coat of varnish is applied to protect the surface.

Step 5: Creating Distressed Metal Gates

The decorative gates are painted with Pentart Platinum paint using a sponge dauber. This allows the paint to reach all the scrollwork without brush marks.

To create the aged metal effect, a textured mixture of Georgia Clay paint and Pentart 3D powder is applied in random patches. A diluted asphaltum glaze is then brushed over the surface, muting the bright colors and creating the appearance of rusty, weathered iron.

After drying, a Polyvine Heavy Duty Varnish (Dead Flat) finish seals the gates while maintaining the matte aged look.

A small amount of Old Silver wax is rubbed along the edges to bring back subtle metallic highlights.

The gates are then attached to the plaque using thin wire threaded through the hinges and secured with hot glue.

Step 7: Creating Dimensional Flowers

Paper flowers are stiffened with Polyvine Heavy Duty Varnish so they hold their shape. After drying, diluted acrylic paints are brushed and sprayed onto the petals.

Colors such as turquoise, mallow, dark blue, eggplant, and peach are layered with water so the pigments drip and blend, creating a marbled effect across the petals.

Once dry, the flowers are sealed again with varnish and lightly highlighted with silver wax.

Step 7: Assembling the Garden Scene

Flowers are arranged across the plaque, creating the illusion of a blooming garden behind the gates.

A diluted asphaltum wash is used to add soft shadows around the flowers, giving the arrangement more depth. Light paint splatters across the plaque and gates add a subtle vintage finish.

A final coat of varnish protects the entire piece.

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