I love the beginning of a new year. There is something really wonderful about the idea of starting afresh, tackling new ideas and making changes to your life.
One of my New Year resolutions is to get my house organised. Betty Towers is a lovely but very small mid Victorian terrace and I really struggle for storage space so this project has been a great starting point to help tackle my frankly out of control jewellery collection.
I’m using decoupage on this project, which is simply sticking pictures and images onto objects and then layering thin coats of varnish over them so they get a beautiful glossy finish. It was fashionable in the Victorian era and is a lovely quick way to revamp old items. Beware though it is slightly addictive you may find yourself decoupaging everything in the house!
You will need:
A large wooden box or cabinet (Mine was a very shabby bathroom cabinet I rescued from a charity shop)
Black spray paint
Some wallpaper or magazine images
Some MDF or soft wood
Wood glue
PVA glue
Fast drying varnish
A paintbrush
Material for lining
A Glue Gun
A dust mask
Handle
Screwdriver
Scissors
Step One
Give your box a good clean and then spray with your paint. You may need two coats. Leave to dry overnight (wear your dust mask and do this outside or in a well ventilated room)
Step Two
Measure the inside of your box and cut two pieces of wood, which will slot inside and create compartments.
Step Three
Glue the wood inside your box with wood glue-leave to dry.
Step Four
Glue your chosen images onto your box. Using your PVA glue For this project I used some beautiful wallpaper by www.dupenny.com. I spied their Burlesque wallpaper recently and it was love at first sight so this project was a great opportunity to use something unique and very glamorous. I always use a dry sponge to ensure there are no wrinkles or air bubbles on my images as I stick them down.
Step Five
Apply a thin coat of varnish over your image. For a super glossy finish I do this about four times (which is why I use fast drying varnish) but you can do as many layers as you like-the more you apply the better the finished result
Step Six
Measure the length and width of your box and double this amount to cut out your lining fabric. I wanted a gathered effect on the inside of mine so glue gunned the edges neatly down.
Step Seven
Using your glue gun line the inside of your box with your fabric.
Step Eight
Screw in your handle on the top of your box. The wood of my box was thin enough that I was able to simply screw directly into it but if yours is thicker you can always use a drill to make small holes first.
Step Nine
Use your beautiful box to store all your pretties. Being organised has never looked so good.
All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog.
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