Fiddlette
09-13-2006, 01:05 AM
I have wanted to do something with this little (not so little, actually) jewelry vanity for ages. It was one of several treasures we inherited from my husband’s 2nd great grand aunt when she passed away a few years ago. Sadly, this little potential gem sat in my garage for way too long while I contemplated what I wanted to do with it, and waited for the time it would take to alter it properly.
Here is the before photo:
http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=21151&cat=563
Knowing I was going to write this article for the Muse this month, I started early. The key to painting furniture and getting a beautiful finished “look,” is in your prep. As the interior of each drawer is lined in velvet, I had to carefully take a razor and remove just one side to expose the back side of the interior of the drawer. Then I was able to successfully remove the three minute nail brads that held the brass handles in place. Once these were removed, I was able to begin work. One tip, though, in connection with this: use a permanent marker and number each handle on the back matching it to a number you write on the interior of the drawer. You don’t want any unwelcome surprises when you get to the re-assemblage stage. At this point you will need to use a mask, work in a well ventilated area, and wear gloves, because, besides sanding the piece very well, I used Peso to wash it down.
Now, I wish I could say I primed it. That would have been smart and appropriate. However, since I am always anxious to get on with it, in true Fiddlette form, I broke out the acrylic craft paints. I had magnolia white, antique white, cream, and every other derivation of these, but not enough of any one single color to paint the entire piece with. So, I just mixed them all up very well together, and when I achieved the creamy “shabbyesque” shade I desired, I started painting, from the bottom, and back, toward the top and front.
It took three coats of paint to get the even coverage I was after. But I was not happy with the brush strokes that were so pronounced. So, I broke out the mask and the sandpaper, and gave it a very good sanding, until it was very smooth. I cleaned it with a tack cloth, and decided that for the fourth and final coat, I would use a spray paint. I am glad I did, it turned out beautifully.
Then, I was ready for the fun part. I searched through the file containing my beautiful collection of Scrap Artist kits for patterns that would complement each other color wise, and pattern wise, but not look too “matchy-matchy.” My great grandmother made a quilt in the depression era that my mom displays in her living room, and I’ve always loved the small prints and patterns that are so perfectly reminiscient of the 1930’s. So I kept that quilt in mind as my inspiration when choosing the patterns. I only wanted to cover the interior section of each drawer, but I needed eleven different patterns in small amounts to complete my project. The hardest part was choosing only eleven gorgeous patterns!!
Once they were printed out on my laser printer on light colored card stock, I used mod podge and a paint brush, with a small bowl of water and a sponge nearby to glue each piece to the inside section of the drawer. If you have an ink jet printer, you will want to seal the print with an acrylic sealer, first, so the ink doesn’t run when it touches the glue, or when you are wiping of excess glue with your sponge. Your final step would be to put some kind of finish coat on the piece. For this, you can use polyurethane, varnish, even mod podge is fine, but use a foam brush for this, to avoid brush strokes, and make sure the product is compatible with your paint material.
I really love the way my little vanity came out. It took 4 weekends and several hours to complete. At the end, I thought about giving a little sanding to the corners and edges of the piece to expose the underlying wood, and to make it look even shabbier, but I was so happy with the creamy smooth look of the painted piece, I left off with that. But, to each her own…be creative, and above all else…enjoy the process!!
Scrap Artist Products Used:
IOD: Sweet and Trashy Papers
Lori Barnhurst: Natural Chick Kit
Nancie Rowe Janitz: Summer Afternoon Kit, Quiet Love Kit, Good Life Kit
Dianne Rigdon: Love Is Kit, Cool Breeze Kit
Michelle Coleman: Love Is Kit, Sweet Baby Kit, Flowers for Mom Kit,
Here is the finished product!
http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=21150&cat=563
TFL!
Here is the before photo:
http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=21151&cat=563
Knowing I was going to write this article for the Muse this month, I started early. The key to painting furniture and getting a beautiful finished “look,” is in your prep. As the interior of each drawer is lined in velvet, I had to carefully take a razor and remove just one side to expose the back side of the interior of the drawer. Then I was able to successfully remove the three minute nail brads that held the brass handles in place. Once these were removed, I was able to begin work. One tip, though, in connection with this: use a permanent marker and number each handle on the back matching it to a number you write on the interior of the drawer. You don’t want any unwelcome surprises when you get to the re-assemblage stage. At this point you will need to use a mask, work in a well ventilated area, and wear gloves, because, besides sanding the piece very well, I used Peso to wash it down.
Now, I wish I could say I primed it. That would have been smart and appropriate. However, since I am always anxious to get on with it, in true Fiddlette form, I broke out the acrylic craft paints. I had magnolia white, antique white, cream, and every other derivation of these, but not enough of any one single color to paint the entire piece with. So, I just mixed them all up very well together, and when I achieved the creamy “shabbyesque” shade I desired, I started painting, from the bottom, and back, toward the top and front.
It took three coats of paint to get the even coverage I was after. But I was not happy with the brush strokes that were so pronounced. So, I broke out the mask and the sandpaper, and gave it a very good sanding, until it was very smooth. I cleaned it with a tack cloth, and decided that for the fourth and final coat, I would use a spray paint. I am glad I did, it turned out beautifully.
Then, I was ready for the fun part. I searched through the file containing my beautiful collection of Scrap Artist kits for patterns that would complement each other color wise, and pattern wise, but not look too “matchy-matchy.” My great grandmother made a quilt in the depression era that my mom displays in her living room, and I’ve always loved the small prints and patterns that are so perfectly reminiscient of the 1930’s. So I kept that quilt in mind as my inspiration when choosing the patterns. I only wanted to cover the interior section of each drawer, but I needed eleven different patterns in small amounts to complete my project. The hardest part was choosing only eleven gorgeous patterns!!
Once they were printed out on my laser printer on light colored card stock, I used mod podge and a paint brush, with a small bowl of water and a sponge nearby to glue each piece to the inside section of the drawer. If you have an ink jet printer, you will want to seal the print with an acrylic sealer, first, so the ink doesn’t run when it touches the glue, or when you are wiping of excess glue with your sponge. Your final step would be to put some kind of finish coat on the piece. For this, you can use polyurethane, varnish, even mod podge is fine, but use a foam brush for this, to avoid brush strokes, and make sure the product is compatible with your paint material.
I really love the way my little vanity came out. It took 4 weekends and several hours to complete. At the end, I thought about giving a little sanding to the corners and edges of the piece to expose the underlying wood, and to make it look even shabbier, but I was so happy with the creamy smooth look of the painted piece, I left off with that. But, to each her own…be creative, and above all else…enjoy the process!!
Scrap Artist Products Used:
IOD: Sweet and Trashy Papers
Lori Barnhurst: Natural Chick Kit
Nancie Rowe Janitz: Summer Afternoon Kit, Quiet Love Kit, Good Life Kit
Dianne Rigdon: Love Is Kit, Cool Breeze Kit
Michelle Coleman: Love Is Kit, Sweet Baby Kit, Flowers for Mom Kit,
Here is the finished product!
http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=21150&cat=563
TFL!