Design Ideas,Furniture | December 18, 20081 Comment

Keeping Busy Between The Holidays

Idle hands are the devil’s playthings. (You may quote me). Therefore, everyone should have a project in mind to keep them busy this holiday season. ‘Kay?

Misterarthur has the following suggestions: crocheting a tea cozy, polishing all the wood floors in your house, ironing your sheets with lavender water, and making this project. Ready?

This overhauled relic is from Marie Claire Ide?©s, a French magazine that always makes me feel like I should be doing something. (Read with caution if you feel more like feeding your inner couch potato).

Here are the directions to remodel a similar piece. First, check your attic for something suitable. Or visit your local Goodwill Shop. Once you’ve got your dresser or similar object, you’re ready to start.

Materials
Tack cloth
Primer
Paint to match your fabric: 3 colors, such as green, blue and beige used here
1/2 yard of fabric similar to this project
1/2 yard fusible web
Brushes
Painter’s masking tape
Wood glue, or wallpaper paste
Clear polyurethane

Instructions
Lightly sand the furniture. Clean it with water and a tack cloth. Paint 2 coats of paint. Use blue for the main body and the legs, or smaller parts, green. Let it dry thoroughly. Use your designer’s eye to paint the drawers and niches with either blue, green or beige.

Using painter’s tape, mask off the piece to create the stripes. The stripes should vary in width – between 1/2″ – 2″ wide. Paint the stripes with the coordinating colors.

To make the leaves, draw a leaf shape on a piece of tissue paper. Iron the fusible web onto the wrong side of the fabric. This will make the leaves both strong and will keep them from unraveling. Using a roller cutter, or scissors, carefully cut out your shapes.

Using wood glue, paste your leaves onto the stripes. Finish the piece with 2 coats of polyurethane.

That’s it! Get your mother-in-law to help and it will be done in a jiffy. Send me photos of your finished masterpiece.

Tags: diy