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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

My Little Dresser

I decided to have some fun with this free dresser.
A lot more work went into it than is visible in these photos, like making the drawers function better, cleaning out and lining the inside of the drawers, filling many holes and getting my dad's assistance with cutting off edges and adding to the rear of the table top.

Before:




After:



Knobs (brand new) purchased at a thrift store.
Tabletop edge trim created by my dad from some scraps.
Patterned wrapping paper found at Target.
Cream and Black paints I already had.

How I used decoupage to adhere the wrapping paper to the dresser top and drawer fronts:
1) I decided to use wrapping paper since the surfaces I wanted to cover were large and I didn't want to buy more than a dozen scrapbook paper sheets and have to align them to follow a pattern. The wrapping paper worked great for how I wanted it to look (not perfect and a little shabby). But, if a smoother more perfect surface is wanted, a thicker paper is better and leaves less wrinkles and small bubble bumps.
2) Cut out paper a little larger than surface.
3) Quickly coat entire surface with decoupage with a foam brush.
4)Quickly align one edge of paper on the surface and work across, smoothing with hands to get the paper covering the entire surface with minimal bumps, wrinkles and bubbles.
5) Apply a coat of decoupage with foam brush on top of the paper and allow to dry completely. I've discovered that applying the top coat of decoupage before the under coat is dry creates a smoother surface once it is all dry.
6) Use a box cutter or exact-o-knife to (carefully) trim any edges that are too long.
7) Use fine sand paper to sand all around edges to give it a shabby look, especially on corners.
8) Look over any edges/corners that may have lifted up and secure and coat with additional decoupage as needed.


I am loving this new space to organize my mounds of fabric!
I was a little hesitant to go with such a bold pattern, but I love that it is more interesting and artistic than most of my projects.

~ Chelsea ~

3 comments:

Melanie@Crafty Cupboard said...

Wow, that is quite the transformation! Love the wrapping paper :)

Unknown said...

That looks really good! Good work :-)

C.Gibson said...

This is so cute Chelsea! You should link this project up at our linky party (Fab not Drab Fridays)
http://www.ourdiydiaries.com/2012/05/fab-not-drab-friday_10.html

Courtney
ourdiydiaries.com