I hate when I find an item at the thrift store or flea market that is perfect, except for one flaw. Maybe it’s stained or the wrong color. I had been gathering a little collection of these almost-perfect items, but they had been gathering dust because I didn’t know what to do with them. Luckily when the folks at Eclectic Products reached out to me, I knew I had the perfect projects to upcycle. Eclectic Products, makers of Famowood have a new product called Unicorn Spit that is a gel stain and glaze can be used in a variety of different applications– including wood, fabric and glass.

This table that my dad made when he was just 16 had been gathering dust in my guest room. I honestly didn’t love the color, the wood tone didn’t match anything else in the room, but I had too much sentimental attachment to throw it out or give it away. I felt like it was such an accomplishment to make a rather elaborate table at such a young age. So, I stripped and sanded the table down, wiped it down, then applied Unicorn Spit in “Midnight’s Blackness.”

I will admit, this is not like any other gel stain I’ve ever used. At first I diluted the gel by about 50% and applied it with a rag. According to the instructions, you can dilute the gel by up to 70% water. But I wasn’t happy with the outcome. It looked a bit patchy. Probably because my sanding job wasn’t perfectly even.

So then I applied the Unicorn Spit undiluted with a paint brush and I was much happier with the outcome. The finish is a very matte black which I love. I then let it dry and sprayed it with clear, matte, oil-based spray paint to protect the color. If you want a high-gloss finish, you could use Famowood’s Glaze Coat which works to give off a high gloss sheen that is equivalent to 40 coats of varnish! It’s important to note that you shouldn’t use a water-based sealer on this product because it could wipe off the Unicorn Spit.

Next, I wanted to experiment some more, so I tried out Unicorn Spit in a brown color called “Rustic Reality” on a leather purse with a questionable stain. I knew if I tried to dye the purse, it would probably just darken the stain, but when I applied Unicorn Spit it evened out the color! First, I wiped the purse clean. Then, I brushed on Unicorn Spit with a dry brush, again undiluted. After I had brushed it on, I wiped it with a damp paper towel to ensure there weren’t any brush strokes. After it dried, I then applied a leather conditioner to seal it in and ensure that the leather stayed supple.

The last item I experimented on was an old macrame wall hanging. This wall hanging had seen better days. I had washed it in the bathtub, but all of the stains didn’t come out. So, this time I got really crazy and added Unicorn Spit in “Pixie Punk Pink” to a spray bottle and diluted it with 50% water. Then, I sprayed the mixture onto the wall hanging. Next, to even out the color a bit, I hosed down the wall hanging with water and let it dry. That created a cool, hand-dyed effect!

Unicorn Spit is a triple duty product and I’m so glad to be upcycling items instead of sending them to the landfill.

This post was sponsored by Eclectic Products, but all opinions are my own.