paint samples and paper
is this a trash heap or a piece of trash?
Once again, I’ve transformed a piece of furniture that has been following my family around since the 70’s. This record hutch used to be some other color? before my mother stained it black in the 90’s. The doors no longer slide and I would have tossed it to the curb, if not for the serious lack of places to put things in my apartment.
paint samples from Home Depot are everything I dreamed they could be
Instead of adding it to a landfill, I discovered paint samples from Home Depot. These 8 oz tintable testers come in a variety of brands and can be color matched to anything, all for under $3 a pop!
The last time (and first time) I redid a piece of furniture I went with a semi-gloss, a recommendation from a friend. At first, I was upset to learn that the testers only came in an eggshell finish, but after I was done, I learned that I prefer eggshell for furniture. Try and learn.
prep and paint!
Preparing this piece for painting was a bit more entailed than I envisioned. After I got started with the sanding, I decided to find a way to get rid of the non-working sliding doors. It took a lot of elbow grease, hammering pulling and prying, but I managed to pop the pieces out one by one. (I saved the pieces for other projects)
...oh, the choices...
Once the prep and paint was complete I decided to get crafty and transform this piece of furniture into a work of art.
it's getting exciting
After choosing some beautiful paper and carefully cutting out my designs with an x-acto knife, it was time to test out a layout.
layout, decoupage, seal
I decoupaged the paper onto the chest with mod podge. I applied a thin layer and then let dry completely before applying another. This is important, because if you try to paint more glue over the paper before it is dry you WILL tear the paper.
the hardest part is aways... waiting
I wanted the design to lay seamlessly on the chest so I applied several layers of mod podge. The last step is to seal the entire piece with an acrylic sealant so that water will not damage your hard work.
Pretty nice!!
(note to self: take better pictures because these don't do it justice)
recreate an old frame
A few years back I scooped up these old frames someone left on their stoop for give away. They’ve been gathering dust in the corner for a while now, so I decided to follow my own advice… use or or loose it!
Here is what I did:
(click on an image to enlarge)
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- Start with an old frame. Clean thoroughly.
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- Think design! I thought I would collage/layer a picture I drew with some fancy paper.
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- A couple of paper choices…
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- Using a craft knife, cut out any pictures you will use.
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- Ooops, extra step: After it was cut, I decided I wanted to color my picture.I would have colored BEFORE I cut, had I known.
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- Before getting messy, layout how you want your picture to look. Next, tape the edges of your frame with painters tape (or masking tape).
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- Apply a thin layer of glue to the background picture & press firmly into place. Cover entire area with a thin layer or Mod Podge.
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- Allow to dry completely, add your next image layer, then apply another coat. Make sure to press firmly into place.
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- Allow to dry overnight.
make a bowl
(click on an image to enlarge)
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- Cut or tear scratch paper into shreads. We’re using an old ledger we found walking the dogs.
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- Find a plastic container in the recycle bin.
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- Cover work area with wax paper to prevent sticking. Thin out the Mod Podge with water so it spreads easily.
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- Apply a thin layer of glue to the paper and apply to bowl then spread a layer on top.
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- Smooth paper onto container in overlapping layers.
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- Cover the entire surface-area, then allow to dry.
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- Cut out images to decorate bowl.
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- Apply cut-outs in the same manner as the paper.
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- Dry overnight, and you’re done!
* * please bear in mind, the finished project is not suitable for food * *
decoupage photo frame
What You Need:
- Old Magazine
- Scissors
- Mod Podge glue
- Paint Brush/Sponge
- Old Frame
Instead of tossing out those old, banged-up frames… Recreate Them!
1. Cover your work area with paper, then start cutting out pieces from the magazine to cover your frame with. It is a good idea to cut and measure all your pieces before starting to glue.
For our frame, we went with a patterned background and then put a couple of cute pictures on top of the pattern… to make them stand out.
2. When all the cutting is done, you are ready to decoupage.
The steps are simple: apply Mod Podge glue to frame with your brush, place your cutting on top of the glue, then cover the entire image with even more glue. Do this for the whole frame.
Tip: If you are applying picture layers (a picture on top of another picture) allow the bottom layer to dry before applying the next layer to the top. As Mod Podge starts to dry, painting over the same place again while half-wet, often results in paper tearing.
3. Allow your decoupage to dry a few hours, then apply one last coat of Mod Podge, to even things out, and you’re done!!
