Friday, January 25, 2013

Playing with Paper

Vintage wallpaper, that is. Having collected vintage wallpaper over that last several years, I always like to find new uses for it. There is just something about it that adds a little something special to a crafty project. If you’ve been with me awhile here, on my blog, you may remember this post where I made some cute tags out of vintage wallpaper. I have covered clipboards, cabinet panels, lined sewing drawers, covered vintage jewelry boxes, and much more, but one of my favorite projects has to be this one.
folding_screen
A few years ago, I bought a plain and boring folding screen on Craigslist for next to nothing and covered it with a patchwork of vintage wallpaper, primarily wallpaper with roses, of course. This cutie has long gone to a new home where I hope the owner is enjoying it.
Recently I found a not so cute, vintage suitcase and decided it needed a little help. So, I dug into my stash and came up with this.
wallpaper suitcase
I did both sides. This one is a keeper as I’m going to use it to store old photos/negatives.
I was so happy with how this project turned out, I just kept on going. I had this plain two small drawers, over two bigger drawers dresser that I had picked up at the thrift store. I didn’t want to do my usual shabby chic paint treatment on it so I just decided on a distressed finish on the body and a patchwork of wallpaper on the drawer fronts. Changed the knobs to some cute glass ones and voila! Instant cute! Okay, maybe not so instant, but it really didn’t take me very long at all.
wallpaper dresser
Here it is fitting in nicely in my Monticello booth. In case you’re wondering, I used plain old wallpaper paste that you get at Home Depot to adhere the pieces to the drawer front. To make it a little more durable, I applied a coat of matte Modge Podge to the top and that was it. I didn’t spend a lot of time planning where each piece would go, just kind of put them together so they overlapped a bit.
So, other than playing with paper, I have just been doing the usual trying to keep my booths stocked, going to exercise classes, (I’m loving the Barre Fusion class I’m taking at the local yoga studio) and hanging with my family. Haven’t been finding any really amazing things out there. I think it’s harder to find stuff this time of year, so I  continue to purge my collections at home to keep my booths well stocked. I have some plans to make some things too. Oh, and I also have a fun trip coming up next month that I’m really excited about.
Since I haven’t said it here yet, Happy New Year! I know I’m a bit late, but better late than never. Until next time, TTFN rose loving friends!