Sunday, January 15, 2012

Wallpapered Armoire

Well welcome back to me !
I’ve taken an extra long holiday this year.  I took time off at Christmas to thoroughly enjoy the season and lots of family time.  BUT… I have been working on something the past couple of weeks.  So to make up for my absence, how about an extra long post?
wallpapered armoire 034b
After repurposing  the previous armoire( seen here  in milk paint)  I came across another almost the same.  This armoire though, was larger and much deeper than the last.   Because I thought this piece would be too large for most kitchens or dining rooms to repurpose it like the last, it was decided to leave it as an armoire.
But I just don’t like mirrored door armoires.Eye rolling smile
Our before picture shows the Armoire  with one door already off.  I have to say this was in very good condition.  The inside was immaculate. The outside, although also in great condition was very shiny.  We all know how I feel about shiny.
In any case… off came the mirrored doors.
Armoire Wallpapered 002a
The inside of the mirrored doors had a panel covering the back of the mirror.
I wanted to use this so we saved those panels and took out the mirrors.
Armoire Wallpapered 011a-horza
I found this paintable, textured wallpaper at Lowes in October and knew instantly this would be perfect for this piece.  This one roll would do for this cabinet.  (I’ve had this cabinet long before October.)
Armoire Wallpapered 021a
I have to say how impressed I was at how easy this wallpaper was to work with.  It comes pre-pasted and if you follow the directions it goes on without a hitch.
Ok, back to the cabinet.  Since the inside was in perfect condition I didn’t need to paint it or work with it in any way.  All I needed to do was protect it.  We sealed it off with plastic until it was finished with paint. I’ve also learned through experience that painting the inside of anything that will house clothing might smell of paint for a long time!
Armoire Wallpapered 029a
Remember that preparation is key to a successfully finished project.  Whether you are wallpapering or painting, you need to sand the shine of your piece to ensure proper adhesion.  Follow a good sanding with a wipe down and primer.  The paint color we used is Valspar Porcelain.
Armoire Wallpapered 033a
And while we’re on the topic of sanding…
Armoire Wallpapered 031a
I needed sandpaper in a pinch once and went to the closest Dollar Store to get some. While I am a huge advocate for Dollar Store items I have to say, never buy your sandpaper there.  I loaded the paper on my electric sander and within 27 seconds was loading another………..and then another ….
ah, but I digress.
The boards that came off the inside of the cabinet doors where given a good coat of KILZ primer, and then wallpapered.
Armoire Wallpapered 034a
The dried wallpaper was painted with Valspar’s Porcelain paint.
Armoire Wallpapered 046a
The papered panels now fit into the painted door frames.
mirrored armoire doors 006a
Just because I don’t particularly care for mirrored armoires doesn’t mean an armoire doesn’t need mirrors.  Instead of having the mirrors on the outside, we opted to use them on the inside of the doors.  We laid the mirror on top of the panel and trimmed it off.
mirrored armoire doors 010a
The picture below shows the cabinet with grey primer and a bit of  paint on the edges.
Armoire Wallpapered 047a
and below, each side of the cabinet is wallpapered leaving about an inch border to trim.  The wallpaper is now painted with Valspar Porcelain.
Armoire Wallpapered 050a
The edges of the wallpaper were trimmed with painted trim and any gaps/nail holes were filled and repainted.
mirrored armoire doors 016a
I mixed up my own batch of glaze with clear glazing medium from BEHR and an small sample size of Valspar’s Pine Bark (CI65), an awesome color.
wallpapered armoire 013a
wallpapered armoire 015a
Now here is the tricky part.  Glazing this wallpaper was anything but easy and for this reason there are no actual pictures of me doing it.  I was too busy going from step to step to step to figure out how to get the look I wanted.  Bottom line is, I would add water to the usual glaze mixture.  This glaze needs to be very thin in order to work with it properly on this wallpaper.
Jumping ahead, here it is glazed and dried.   Despite the tough time I had getting it to this stage, I love the end result.
wallpapered armoire 017a
The handles were replaced, not the hinges.wallpapered armoire 027a
wallpapered armoire 018a
wallpapered armoire 022a
wallpapered armoire 024a
wallpapered armoire 030a
wallpapered armoire 043a
And now because you just cant have an armoire for clothes without mirrors, here on the inside nicely tucked away are the mirrors we saved from the outside of the doors.
wallpapered armoire 067a
wallpapered armoire 060a
You can see how clean the inside of this armoire is.  Just beautiful.
wallpapered armoire 064a
wallpapered armoire 057a
Well there you have it.  An armoire fit for a Queen.
wallpapered armoire 034a

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath



Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 004b
This simple wreath didn’t start out so simple.  
I wanted the filters to be green.  I used different paints but I didn’t like the way they looked.  I tried dying them with food color but I didn’t like that either. Several attempts later, I gave up and the filters stayed white.
The materials required couldn’t be easier to get.
A Styrofoam wreath form, about 200 coffee filters, hot glue and decorations of your choice.
Coffee Filter Wreath 001a
Fold the basket shaped filter in half
Coffee Filter Wreath 007a
Run the filter through your hand to make a flower, flatten the bottom and apply hot glue.
Coffee Filter Wreath 008a-horz
Start gluing to the inside of the wreath and work your way out.
Coffee Filter Wreath 003a
Coffee Filter Wreath 005a
No need to go all the way around. Leave the back as flat as you can.
Coffee Filter Wreath 011a
Using sharp scissors trim any areas that are uneven.
Coffee Filter Wreath 013a
Hot glue on any decorations you like.
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 005a
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 007a
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 008a
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 013b
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 018a
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 031a
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 035a
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 046a
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 013b
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 041a
Got a spare couple of hours?   Give it a try !
Coffee Filter Christmas Wreath2 041b
red ribbon lisa
Linked Up To:
Hookin Up with HOH Transformation Thursday Strut Your Stuff Time Travel Thursday  Frugalicious Friday Hodgepodge Friday I'm Lovin' It   Feature Yourself Friday Flaunt it Friday Show And Tell Friday Frugal Friday Creation Corner   Feathered Nest Friday  Saturday Spotlight Saturday Nite Special Weekend Wrap Up   Show and Tell Saturday   Centsational Girl Holiday Craft Party