Restyle

A Perfect Pair: Fabric Decoupage Book Ends

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I found these ordinary bookends in the housewares aisle at a thrift shop near home.  It was the only item I felt compelled to buy on this day, and they were priced right at $1.99.  Lately, I have made it a goal to begin to organize my crafting space, and these little book ends would help alleviate some of “the bookcase overload” this room is experiencing. Of course they were in need of a little restyling flare. Right now the craft room is more of a storage room, so these book ends are a very small step in the right direction, but  I am determined.  Stay tuned!

Fabric Decoupage Book Ends

 

Materials:

Fabric of choice cut and traced to size

Pair of bookends

Mod Podge

Scissors, Black Marker

OOPS! Not Pictured

Foam Craft Brush, Paint Brush

Black Acrylic paint

I had fabric that I did not use from another project that I thought would look lovely on this project.  I traced the book ends on the back of the fabric.  I used scissors to carefully cut along the traced line.  I set aside while I applied Mod Podge to the inside and outside of the book ends.  I carefully applied the fabric to the bookends smoothing out and wrinkles with my hands.  I then painted the edges where the fabric did not cover with black acrylic paint.  I allowed the bookends to dry.  Once dry, I applied 2 coats of Mod Podge to seal them.  Now, A close up of a finished one of the finished book ends! A great beginner Mod Podge project!

Fabric Decoupage Book Ends (2)

 

 

Epic Fail or Tiny Triumph: Upcycled Decoupage Cigar Box

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I found this great cigar box during a quick walk through of a local Goodwill store. I considered it a win because I was able to get my Goodwill customer rewards card stamped (10 stamps and you save 20% off your total purchase and I only managed to spend $1.06 (with tax)  I had made a previous attempt to upcycle another cigar box and the whole project went terribly wrong!   I liked this box because unlike the failed project box, it was made only from wood.  The other cigar box was made from wood also; However it was coated in paper.  The Mod Podge adhered to areas like the lid creases and not realizing it also adhered to this “paper.” When I tried to open the lid it was glued to the box! Upon attempting to open it, the lid tore away from the box. Ouch!  That’s what I’d call an Epic Fail! I swore this cigar box upcycle would be different!  After all, decoupage boxes are usually fun and easy to make.

Wooden Cigar BoxFor the lid cover, I chose the John Waterhouse painting The Lady of Shalott.  My plan was to line the inside of the box with Ivory Damask scrapbook paper I had on hand.  First, I traced the box lid onto the back of the art print.  I then traced the bottom of the box, and inside lid onto the back of the scrapbook paper.  I then cut them out with scissors.  I applied Mod Podge with a foam brush to the lid and carefully adhered the print to the top of the box carefully, smoothing it out with my hands.  I allowed the box to dry, and repeated this process on the inside of the box using the scrapbook paper.

Once it was completely dry, I applied Mod Podge to the top and inside of the box.  I decided to leave the exposed natural wood on the edges inside.  I really love this box and as I always say “Now…. what shall I put in it?”

Decoupage Wooden Cigar Box Inside

The Lady of Shalott 1888Upcycle Cigar Box

The Lady of Shalott
1888 Upcycled Cigar Box

Materials:

Art Print to Decoupage

1 Sheet of Scrapbook paper

Mod Podge

Fine tip marker

Scissors

Foam Craft Brush

Super Hero Seat: Decoupage Justice League Of America Kids Chair

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My husband and I are kids at heart, and when I told him my plans to creat a “super heroes” decoupage kids chair, he was excited to see the final result. After a trying week and a busy weekend, I figured it was a good idea to jump right back on the “crafting horse”, and keep the upcycle going.

I passed this chair up many times.  I stop by the Goodwill right down the street from our house periodically.  It is usually a quick walk through,  and this chair sat, un purchased through several of these “walk throughs”,  The chair was in very rough shape and was doused in a heavy lacquer finish, that I suspected, would not be easy to apply paint to. It is difficult for me to pass up kids furniture because I love it so much, so during this particular walk through with my daughter in tow, I finally decided to buy it.

Old Beat Up Kids Chair

First, I tightened the chair and legs,  and used sand paper to smooth any rough edges on the chair.  I cleaned it with a damp cloth to remove any dust and dirt, and boy this chair was very dirty!  Once that was done, I used a white, latex primer to paint the chair from top to bottom. This was essential and even with the chair’s lacquered finish, it covered nicely.

After the primed chair was completely dry,  I painted the chair with a red and blue color scheme to mimic the Justice League of America colors. The Justice league of America is great because it incorporates the best superhero characters from DC, Comics.

I applied Mod Podge to the chair seat with a large paint brush. I then placed the prints onto the chair seat, slowly smoothing it out with my hands to avoid wrinkles. I repeated the same process for the chair back,  I decoupaged the Justice League symbol and two additional characters I could not fit onto the chair seat, These characters were The flash and The Green Lantern. I cut them out with scissors and applied them so they would appear as though they were “leaping” off the chair seat.  I made three white, printer paper stars to add some “pop” to the top of the chair back.

I placed the chair in front of a stand up fan to dry.  The next day, I applied Mod Podge to the entire piece to seal it and repeated this process twice, allowing the chair to dry in between coats.

My husband loved how it turned out, and it was nice to complete a strictly “just for fun” project.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Justice League Of America Decoupage Kids Chair

Materials:

Kids Chair

Comic books,or Comic Prints

Mod Podge

Red and Blue Acrylic Paint

White Latex Primer

brushes, scissors, pen

sandpaper

Ugly Accent Table Upcycle-A Little Fabric Goes A Long Way!

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We have all seen these tables at various discount stores.  Made from wood and particle board, They are functional as an accent table/side table, but that is probably the only positive selling point (other than price.)  I would call this piece of furniture an”entry level” piece for those just starting out.  A new table sells for about $9.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond I think it is amusing that they describe this table as “decorative” I see nothing decorative about it!

Round Wooden Table

I picked up one of these tables at Goodwill, priced nicely at $2.99.  This table was screaming for a makeover.  Since the table is plain un lacquered wood and particle board, no priming or sanding is needed before you get started, so it is also a great first furniture upcycle project that can be completed during the course of an evening.

Materials:

Round Wooden Table

Mod Podge Matte Finish

Fabric of choice

Black and White Acrylic Paint

Scissors and a black fine tipped marker

Table Top

This table comes apart easily which is a definite plus.  I unscrewed the legs and put them aside. I traced the table top on to the fabric with a black, fine tipped marker (the side without the design)   I generously applied the Mod Podge to the table surface and carefully applied the fabric to the table top allowing about an extra inch of fabric to fall over the sides of the table.  I applied more Mod Podge to the top of the fabric to seal it. I placed the table top aside and allowed to dry under a stand up fan. I then painted the legs white with acrylic paint.  I love adding the black paint to the bottom portion of the legs to add additional “color pop” which I love.  Once the paint was dry, I covered the entire table with another layer of Mod Podge to seal it.

Now that’s what I would call decorative!

Restyled Side Table made with cloth and Mod Podge

 

 

Before and After:

Cheap wooden accent table upcycle before and after

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So Happy Together! 1960’s Mod Style Coffee Table And Mini Toy Box.

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So Happy Together! 1960's Mod Style Coffee Table And Mini Toy Box.

I spent most of the day today getting our daughters playroom together, running errands and trying to sort through a craft room that consists of more junk than crafts. I am hoping one day it will be pretty enough to share with you, but my guess is that is a bit farther into the future. Needless to say, I didn’t have much time to craft today, but I wanted to share this snap shot of my daughter’s playroom coffee table and toy box. I love how the bright fabric brings color and “pop” into our red family room. I have a new appreciation of fabrics and textiles and how much they can bring to a space.  The Coffee table surface is also holding up nicely and I use a baby wipe to clean it and it works great.

 

Repurposed Umbrella Holder Made With Fabric and Mod Podge

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I’ll admit even with all the rain lately, I never seem to have an umbrella handy. It was pouring when I left work earlier this evening and if it weren’t for the generosity of a friend, I would have been completely soaked! So, it would seem silly, that I would buy an umbrella holder.  It was sitting there mixed in with the lamps at a local thrift store.  I was at first, drawn to the shape of the item. Not to mention the price: Only $2.99!

I thought it would make a great toy holder.  Anyone with a little one knows  you can never have too much storage for toys and books. I also jumped at the chance to use the mod fabric I had left over from The 1960’s inspired Coffee Table Makeover , Step Stool Restyle, and Whimsical Garden Pig. When I purchased the fabric at Goodwill, I had no idea these textiles were created by artist and designer Helen Trast.  In 2007 she designed “Fredrika” line for Ikea.  I was originally attracted to the bright colors and retro feel of the fabric.  It would also match the coffee table in our playroom/family room.

First, I turned the piece on its side and traced the sides the fabric with a black marker. I repeated this step for all four sides.

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I cut the material with scissors and set aside.  I planned on painting the inside, so I used a white latex primer to prepare the item for painting.  While that was drying, I applied Mod Podge with a foam brush to each side of the piece applying the fabric panels, and smoothing out any wrinkles with my hands.

Decoupage with Mod Podge

I then painted the inside of the piece with three coats of red acrylic paint.  Once the entire piece was dry, It was time for more  Mod Podge.  Three full coats of it over the inside and outside of the piece.  After it was finished, I used an X-Acto knife to slice off any strings or fabric overlaps on the edges.

I then applied some additional Mod Podge to the areas where I trimmed away the excess fabric.

Repurposed umbrella holder

I may not be able to fill this box with umbrella’s but I have plenty of toddler toys to keep it full!

Toy Holder

What is it? The 50 Cent Wooden Mini Pallet Makeover

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Buy now ask questions later! The price was certainly right, only 50 cents, but what was this item and what was it’s original use?  It looked like a miniature pallet, but felt a little like a tray. Whatever it was didn’t really matter. I loved the fact that it was a fresh unstyled piece and I was determined to give it a new look. After searching the Goodwill shelves a bit more and leaving disappointed, I took a trip down the fabric aisle and found a nice old bed skirt with a triangular pattern that would be a perfect restyle fabric.

I gathered the materials I would need. Firstly, I traced the pallet slats onto the fabric with a black sharpie marker. I repeated this a total of 3 times once for each slat.  I then cut the fabric out with scissors.

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I applied the Mod Podge to each slat with a foam brush and glued down the fabric smoothing it out gently with my hand.  I used black acrylic to paint the non decoupaged areas. Once the piece was completely dry, I applied Mod Podge over the entire tray to seal it.  Not bad for 50 cents!

Before/After:

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Repurposing Glass Bottles: Celestial Dish Soap Dispenser

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While at the new Joann Fabric Store the other day, I found this great little glass bottle with a liquid dispenser top.  It was a bargain at only .99 cents!  Seeing the dispenser, reminded me of a wine bottle re-purpose I saw on Pinterest from the  Mom 4 Real Blog.  It took a wine bottle and restyled it into a liquid dish soap dispenser.  I thought this was pure genius and it looked great!  The only problem for  me was counter top space, so rather than use a wine bottle for my attempt at the project, I decided to use this smaller square glass bottle. A simple decoupage restyle was in order! I gathered up the items I would need to make this project happen.  I decided to go with a celestial themed print I loved, and it matched the colors in my kitchen perfectly!

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I decided to use Outdoor Mod Podge for this project.  My reasoning behind this was the close proximity  this bottle would be to the sink.  I thought it might hold up better with the added protection.  I simply printed the image, cut it out, and glued it to the glass with the Mod Podge.  Once dry, I then added 2 more coats over the image to seal it.  I believe the liquid/stopper/dispensers are sold separately so any glass bottle in which one of these stoppers would fit the opening would work for this project, a wine bottle is a fine example of that. I posted a photo below of the finished product.  This was an easy project and I am loving the whimsical celestial imagery!

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Fabric and Mod Podge Mania- Upcycled Kids Wooden School Desk

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What to do? Yesterday, the hubby had to go off to work so it was just me and the daughter dear all day. I decided to take a trip up to the new Joann Fabric  mega store that just opened up down the street from my house (I now have a craft store practically within walking distance, this could be dangerous!)  Usually, as you all know, I am a “thrifty” shopper, but today I had a few crafting supplies I had to pick up and I figured why not give it a look?  They had a great coupon I found online,  30% off total purchase (except for sale items of course) Which was icing on the cake –if I decided to buy anything.  I walked into the store and it was HUGE!  The place was filled with aisles, upon aisles of fabric.  I am used to Goodwill prices, so I was shocked at how expensive fabric can be! One fabric in particular  was $49.99 per yard… yikes!  Thank goodness they had good sales and aisles filled with fabric at $4.99 a yard phew!

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I found this great school themed material. I had purchased a wooden school desk at an outdoor flea market some time ago, and had no idea how or with what material I was going to restyle it.  Now it was no question the winner was… fabric! I picked up a yard for about $5.89 on sale.  Once me and the giggle-goo got home, nap time was approaching so, I put the little one to bed and gathered my materials I would need to get started.

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First thing was to make sure the piece was clean and free of dust.  Then I used a black marker to trace the desk top and seat onto the fabric.  Once this was done, I carefully cut the cloth with a pair of scissors. I then generously applied the Mod Podge Matte finish on the desk top and on the seat using a larger paint brush to smooth it out.  Then I applied it to the fabric, using my hands to smooth out any air bubbles.  Messy you say?  Absolutely, but I feel with fabric it gives me more control, than using the Mod Podge tools.  Besides, I have never been afraid to get my hands dirty!  Once it was smoothed out, I then applied a layer of Mod Podge over top of the fabric. While that was dying, I painted the piece.  I used Red, Black, and Blue all colors featured in the fabric. The wood was ready to paint and not in need of priming, but it was very dry and soaked the paint in initially.  It took about 3 coats overall to get the desired result. I brought the piece back upstairs and allowed it to dry for several hours under a stand up fan.

Fast forward to later in the evening.,with the daughter asleep for the night and the hubby finally home, I worked on finishing the piece. I decided to cut out some swatches from the material and Mod Podge these onto the sides to add a little more life to that area.  I then covered the entire desk with 2 coats of Mod Podge.  I usually add more coats to the areas that will get more use and where the cloth was applied.  I used 4 coats on the seat and the desk top areas.  Pictured below is the wooden desk before and after:

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The hubby loved how it turned out and I can’t wait for the little one to use it!  She loves sitting at her little table and chair so I think she will enjoy this just as much and it will grow with her.  I also love the neutrality of the desk a boy or girl could use it!

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Stay calm and happy crafting my friends : 0 )

DIY Recycled Wooden Photo Plaque

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We have all seen them at the thrift stores and swap meets, and outdoor flea markets.  They are wooden plaques with various images painted or printed on them.  Sure, you can purchase wooden plaques at your local craft store brand new, but this one cost only .99 cents and I rescued it from a possible trip to the landfill.  Purchasing “pre -owned, only added one additional step to the project. I had to use a white, latex primer first before I could paint the plaque black with acrylic paint.   As far as projects go, it doesn’t get any easier than this!   This is a great beginner project if you are using Mod Podge for the first time.

First, I formatted and cropped the black and white photo into an oval shape and printed it out on photo paper.   I can’t afford photo shop, but there are plenty of free great photo editing software on the web.  I use  Paint.net .  This is my one of my favorite photo’s.   I took this when my daughter was only two days old.  Amazing how those days go by so quickly!  Even more reason to immortalize these special  moments  in time.  I left some time for the ink to dry on the paper and cut out the image carefully with a pair of scissors leaving a white border around it.  This I thought  would make the photo stand out from the black plaque.  I then glued the photograph down to the plaque using Mod Podge Matte finish.  Once dry, I covered the photo plaque with two coats of Mod Podge allowing the plaque to dry between coats.  The nice thing about recycled plaques are often times than not, they come ready to hang on the wall!  I was more than happy to add this Photo Plaque to our photo wall leading upstairs.

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Pictured above Before and After

Materials:

Wooden Plaque/New or Recycled

Mod Podge Matte Finish

Printed Photo to decoupage

Scissors, Paint brush

Black Acrylic Paint

White Latex Primer

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