Union Jack Retro Dresser

As per usual, it's taken me a little while to catch up with the hot *new* "Union Jack" trend.  Better late than never? 

Here's my contribution!

The waterfall dresser needed some work before the flag could be laid... I had to fix past water damage to the dresser resulting in peeling and missing veneer along with bubbling and ill-fitting drawers.

 

The veneer issues were fixed with a healthy dose of paintable wallpaper (awesome for creating some visual appeal and saving a lot of time patching and sanding) and some extra nails in the right places. Here's an example of a nail in the WRONG place. No wonder the drawers had a hard time closing and sliding! Who would do that??
 









The drawers were whipped (and hit...and pressured) into shape. A little wood glue and elbow grease solves a multitude of problems!

 

After all the fix ups, she was ready for her first treatment. I like to use plain old white glue when applying wallpaper or other decoupage pieces to furniture. I'll also use Mod Podge...but only on soemthing that needs extra attention. Rolling on the glue with a roller brush helps to give an thin even coat and prevent air bubbles.

Applying any kind of paper is best done carefully and slowly, rubbing out bubbles and wrinkles as you go. I like to keep my paper rolled up (it keeps it easier to handle) and only unroll the portion I need as I go.

I also measure the width of my surface to find the midpoint and make sure that I centre the pattern of my wallpaper in the middle - nothing worse than off-centre patters!
 

After the wallpaper was applied, it was time for the first coat of homemade chalk paint. As an aside on homemade chalk paint (I make mine with Plaster of Paris): some folks worry about the 'lumps' or 'bits' in their paint. I often strain these out of my newly mixed batch using the leg and foot of an old nylon stocking. The nylon catches the larger lumps and gives the paint a much smoother consistency. The grit of the paint sands away after it's dry.
 

 

I use a projector for images as much as I can.  Here, I taped off the white stripes ONLY using the help of my projector.  You could do this using *shudder* GEOMETRY *shudder* but that causes me to have bad flashbacks of high school math class, so I try to avoid it at all costs. 

 

 

Once I'd taped off the white stripes, I painted them using three coats of chalk paint in an off-white colour.  I didn't wait for them to completely dry before removing the tape.  Most of the lines were clean and I only had to do minor touch ups.  Then it was like a puzzle...I only had to paint in the blue and red triangles and voila!  A Union Jack flag without ANY math!  I have a pretty steady hand so painting in the triangles of colour wasn't too challenging for me - if you feel more comfortable (and have much more patience than me), you can tape off each individual triangle - but you have to wait for the paint to completely dry on the other parts of the design before taping.  Boooooring. 

 

After painting, I distressed the drawers and sides of the dresser. I wanted to give it a 'war worn' appeal. I may have just seen Les Mis and may have been inspired; now the French probably don't like me very much. Quelle dommage.

I splurgged and bought a tin of Varathane floor varnish. This stuff is AMAZING. It's ubber durable and doesn't yellow. I love it. Buy some.

 

 

There is a small flag detail on the top drawer of the dresser.  It is a colour print-out of a Union Jack flag that I Mod Podged on and then painted to look distressed like the lower drawers. 

 

 

The hardware is reused from another project and painted with black Rustoleum spray paint.  I often do 'batches' of hardware at a time so it's ready when I need it. 

 

There she is - ready to "Keep Calm and Party On!"

 

 

French Clock Long Coffee Table

Snow is falling, snow on snow, snow on snow...
What better to do than finish another hand-painted coffee table?

I love this one - it's a bit different than the past French shabby chic tables I've done.  Dare I say I like it best?

I need to start keeping the camera on hand for 'process' photos.  A New Year's resolution, perhaps?

As always, fantastic graphics are care of the amazing Graphics Fairy.  The two major images are the "Steampunk Alarm Clock" and a large "Fleur De Lis."  I promise, a quick search on the Graphics Fairy site and you can have these images for yourself!

I tried using my Christmas present of an air powered paint spray gun (bought with gift cards from my lovely hubby-hubster!) to speed up painting the table. 

I over-thinned the paint and had to experiment with the rate of spray.  I ended up over-spraying quite a bit, but with a little practice I'm going to be IN LOVE with the new sprayer! 

It's a Wagner HVLP Control Spray Paint Gun and I bought mine at Home Depot.  They're readily available online as well as other hardware/building supply stores.

Clean up was super-easy considering the amount of paint that travels through it, and I especially liked that it's not overly heavy or awkward to handle.  The large and small paint containers it comes with are also a nice addition. 


And, in case you're a bit of a geek like me, HVLP stands for 'high volume low pressure.'  Good times!





The table waiting for a coat of finishing paste...and I'm waiting to try a can of Annie Sloan Clear Wax, but not sure if the fantastic individual who was going to hunt it down in St. Thomas for me was able to get her hands on it!  If not, it'll be good ol' MinWax Finishing Paste for this one!

Wondering how I transfer these images?  I've used a variety of techniques in the past, but the easiest and fastest way I've found involves projecting the image using a portable projector and my computer. 

This means I only go over the image once and then do touch ups with my marker afterwards. 

Other methods include tracing, using graphite/pencil rubbed on the back of the image, CitraSolv, or a method I've never really mastered involving Mod Podge.  There are lots of great online tutorials out there if you're looking!

I'm also a HUGE fan of using permanent markers or paint pens over paint & small brushes for the details.  I have way more control and I think the overall finish looks more professional and less blotchy than paint - plus, it's faster (and likely cheaper!). 





 This lovely lady is for sale - $75!

Since I used six graphics from The Graphics Fairy website, I'm linking up to her 'Brag Monday' post.  Take a look - and check out all the other fantastic links.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, too!

I'm also sharing this post over at Miss Mustard Seed's blog on Furniture Feature Friday. 

Such an inspiring source of information!

Tiny Table - It Spins!

I bought a couple of occasional tables off of Kijiji a while back for some ridiculously low price, but I didn't like the tops of the tables.  I had a graphic in mind to make the table into a birthday gift for a friend, but I couldn't put an image on the table-top.  They were 'faux' leather and octagonal...not the right surface and not my favourite.  I couldn't figure out what to replace them with - and then a stroke of genious hit me while strolling the isles at our local St. V de P...

A wooden cheese tray!  Better yet - a LAZY SUSAN-style cwooden heese tray! 

So get this, now the table top is round (just the way I like it) and it spins! 

I love it!

The graphic is from The Graphics Fairy (as always!) and I created my own 'transfer' by printing out the graphic, rubbing the back of it with a grahpite stick, positioning and taping it to the table-top and then tracing over the graphic.  The final step is to go over the tracing with either paint or a permanent marker - I always use a permanent marker.  Who can tell and it's 100x faster!

I used the good ol' homemade chalk paint on the body and sanded down to the original finish for an antiqued look.  Everything gets a once over with MinWax Finishing Paste for good measure.  Now the question is: how do I wrap it? 

 

I'm sharing this post on My Repurposed Life - definitely check out the other cool projects! 

 

Click below!

Fun with Permanent Markers!

I have had some luck lately with permanent markers. 

For the YMCA Chairs for Charity event, I created a pair of bistro chairs for a wine,cheese and charcuterie restaurant with a French theme. 

I used a thin black ink pen (not necessarily permanent, but fairly indelible)  to do the detailling and a chisel-tipped dollar store permanent marker for the rest!

The trick?  Use a less-than-fresh marker to avoid excessive bleeding on the fabric.  Sharp lines can be achieved using the thin black ink pen. 

You can find all sorts of tutorials for how to use permanent markers on china - it works pretty well and is inexpensive, easy, and virtually mess-free.  Great positives!  You're supposed to bake the finished product for 30 mins. at 350oC to make the art handwash safe...it works, but is more prone to scratches than I would like.  I have an air-dry sealant product used to clear coat painted designs on glass surfaces that I am going to use to give a protective top coat. 

These dishes won't be dishwasher safe, but can be hand washed, preferrably with a cloth (no harsh scrubbers, please!).

These sets are earmarked as Christmas presents for some family and friends.  This is a really easy activity - I did mine with a group of friends at my annual Christmas party!  Worked great and everyone left with something special and unique. 

YMCA Chairs for Charity - Before and Afters

It's been (and continues to be) busy around here!  With the countdown on...just two days to go...to the YMCA Chairs for Charity event, I'm up to my eyeballs in chairs! 

Take a look at what's been going on.

For Brio Gusto, a fantastic restaurant in downtown Peterborough.  The pillow is handmade - I used contact paper on which I traced a pattern I'd printed out.  A little latex paint and a stencil pouncer...and voila! 

A chair for the New Canadians Centre, a place for learning, playing, and helping in the heart of Peterborough.  A second hand printed pillow - this one less boozy and more patriotic! 

 

A chair sponsored by Joie de Vie a gorgeous clothing store full of special items with something for everyone.  It's a feast for the senses - they even have specialty soaps and other niceties! 

Two matching chairs for the Peterborough Examiner, one of our local newspapers.  I love these chairs! 

 

This one is one of my (and my husband's) favourites!  No sponsor, but full of character and extra-fun to create!  Inspired by Robin Hood (and will be auctioned complete with tiny Robin figurine).  I used all kinds of recycled materials here including a previously loved leather skirt and a solid leather belt. 

 

Refinished for the Silver Bean Cafe "your waterfront cottage in the city" and a relaxing place to enjoy delicious homemade food and drinks, riverside.  More than worth checking out in the summer, and open especially for the Peterborough Festival of Trees Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.  Grab a hot drink!

You've seen this chair before!  The first one I did and sponsored by Hi Ho Silver a jewellery store offering unique pieces - they've also carry accessories and a large selection of special greeting cards.  Worth visiting!  Pick up something special for someone special this holiday season.  ;)

Meow!  This hot little number is decadent and edgy, just like Bloodline Parlour, a hip hair salon located in downtown Peterborough.  A team of talented stylists help to bring the vision of two sisters to life - I get my hair cut here and nowhere else!  Great cuts, great girls! 

I love this chair!  It was one of the earlier chairs I completed and I adore the hand stitching and button accents.  You can see more info in posts below (plus a close up of the back support where all the action is!)

 

The 'before' photo for this adorable chair is disasterous and not worth seeing - the after is sweet and perfect for a nursery or playroom.  A child-sized rocker made over by our very own artist, Shannon Taylor.  Love it!

 

Chairs for Charity - Cowboys, Robin, & Rock(er) Stars

The last post gave you a glimpse of one of the near-century old parson-style chairs that once belonged to the Granite Club in Toronto. 

The first of the four chairs is finished - in fine cowgirl style! 

 

The chair was recovered using denim and the chair was sanded and then painted a rich red using homemade chalk paint, with a final coat of straight latex paint.  I trimmed the bottom of the chair with part of a faux leather snake skin belt.  I used a similar belt to create the 'cowboy boot' embellishments, adding some rhinestones for extra 'bling'. 

Now this chair is ready to rock and rodeo!

I've got a number of other chairs on the go at the moment...here are some 'before' pictures.  Hoping to have some 'afters' available in a couple of days. 

Can a chair be inspired by a Robin Hood action figure?  I think so!  This chair has come substantially further than the photo below and I can't wait to post the finished photo.  Perfect for a little boy! 
 

 

There are two of these super-solid chairs, above.  If I can get the sponsor I'd like for them, they're soon to become 'Newsies.' 

 

 Four of these pretty Queen-Anne inspired chairs below.  One is being sponsored by the New Canadians Centre.

 

This cute bistro set is getting an awesome custom makeover.  Below is a sneak peek...still lots to do on these two!

 

 Between a rock(er) and a hard place? The chair on the right is getting special treatment from some YMCA staff. The chair on the right is up for grabs...and may be staying 'naked.' It looks great!