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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Mod Podge FURNITURE tutorial (gasp!)

Little Sister was asking for  this vanity way before this last Christmas.  I didn't know at first whether or not to take her seriously.  She has been my rough and tough tom boy for the last 4 years...but all of a sudden she wanted to venture into the world of girly things.  Of course I waited too long, and couldn't find one that was cute enough OR the right price, until about a month ago. 

Craigslist...$20.00 
 It was the {almost} the perfect gift for her upcoming Fancy Tea Party!





I know what you are thinking...
Why did they paint weird cabbages in the corners?!?!  And why does it have the initials for California Pizza Kitchen?!?!  I just kidding, I am sure it was part of the Cabbage Patch Kid Movement.  Well, that can be (and was) changed!  This project shows the stool.  I also applied the same techniques to the front drawer, mirror, and I painted the vanity desk surface pink.

What you will need:
Cute furniture you want to make cuter (solid wood is best)
Heavy Grit Sand Paper
Primer
Paint brush or Sponges (I used 3 paint sponges)
Polyurethane or varnish

Step 1: Sand It 
Sand down the surface you want to paint and/or Mod Podge!  I used heavy grit sand paper and just made sure that the shiny finish was gone.  Bye bye weird little cabbages!





Step 2: Prime it
As you can see in the picture below, I primed over the surface I wanted to Mod Podge.
Two thin coats should do the trick.  Now you can get your cute paper and Mod Podge supplies ready!


Step 3: Adhere Your Cute Paper
A: I thought about tracing the top of the stool onto paper, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to make it match up very well on all sides.  So I invented a new little trick.  First I wanted to see if one piece of 12 x 12 paper would cover the whole stool.  It was just right.  If your project is too large for one piece of paper, you can easily piece it together.  


B: I slathered Mod Podge all over the stop of the primed stool.


C: Then I smoothed my 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper onto the stool.
Smooth from the center out to minimize bubbling.


D:  I then smoothed and bent the paper over the edges of the stool. 


E: I used my same heavy grit sand paper to "saw" off the paper over the edge.
Seems like it would take forever, but it actually went quick.


 Can you see where I sanded?  This was 3-4 strokes over the edge of the stool.


Once you "saw" all the way through, the paper will start remove itself.


Voila!  Can you see how cute it will be!!!


Step 4: Check all edges
I made sure my edges weren't all loose like this one below.
If they are, simply apply more Mod Podge and smooth down.


Step 5: Mod Podge Edges and Surface
Make sure you allow 20 minutes between coats if you apply more than one coat.


Step 6: Let Dry Overnight
I allowed my project to dry overnight.  I placed the stool face down onto wax paper.


Then I applied weight (full paint can) so that any bubbles would disappear by morning.


Step 7: Apply Polyurethane
I applied 3 thin coats for durability, letting dry 20-30 minutes between each coat.
One more night of drying and then my weird cabbage vanity turned into this...









I can't wait to see your projects if this post inspires you...
Please send pictures of them to me!

                                                                  Cheers,  










14 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post.Thank you!

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  2. This was probably from when cabbage patch kids (cpk) were popular. Hence the cabbages with baby faces in them. It is beautiful. Great job.

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  3. You did an amazing job and I featured this today on All Thingz Related!

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  4. That is so cute. I'm your newest follower. I'm having my first link party tomorrow (Monday). It would be great if you could stop by and post your project. http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/

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  5. I love this!! Come check out my craft blog! http://www.craftycagirl.blogspot.com

    p.s. I'm a new follower!!

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  6. It turned out so good! You are my craigslist idol! I never find stuff that good!

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  7. This is absolutely stunning. I am inspired! BTW, I read your tutorial for modge podge canvas and enjoy your witty writing style. It is engaging and makes me feel comfortable to take on an artistic challenge.

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  8. WOW I SO WANT TO DO THIS. BUT IN A BOY WAY HE HE
    ANY BOY IDEAS LET ME KNOW THANKS.

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  9. Looks great. CPK is for Cabbage Patch Kids and the cabbage in the corner is the CPK logo.

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  10. Hi! First of all I LOVE your blog!! You have amazing ideas!! I am working on a table and stools for my daughter and am trying to do the sand paper technique you talked about when covering the stools. I cannot get it to work for the life of me! I end up with un-even edges on the paper and taking off all of the paint I put on the edges of the stool. I'm not sure what "strength" or whatever you call it, of sand paper I'm using, it's just whatever I had in my basement. If you have a way for me to, I can send you a picture of what's happening. I don't mind the "aged" look to an extent, but I want it to look good! Thanks in advance for your help! :)

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  11. Totally doing this with my kitchen table instead of painting it. Do you think you could use fabric instead of paper?

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  12. I just got a white side-table for free, and it has a big stain on top. I think this is the solution! Thanks!

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