Plain stepstool becomes very cute.

When someone says that their love of spray paint may be replaced by a love of Mod Podge. . . that's a big deal. Spray paint is very cool, so even the possibility is huge. Laura from iGriza made this very comment when she refurbished this stepstool above, which tickled me. I'm obsessed with Mod Podge projects that use fabric, and that is how the steps were covered. Laura did use spray paint to touch up the frame, making it look brand spankin' new! Please visit her blog here, and tell her how much you love what she did. I know I do.

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a before and after side table.

Fabric and furniture are the two "Fs" of Mod Podge right now. Let me add one more "F" - fun! Christina from Down & Out Chic did this little end table, one she had in her entry way for awhile and decided to spruce up. I like a lot of things about this table.

-the vintage style is darling
-the fabric - the wonderful fabric
-she used white as a basecoat

I think white is one of those furniture colors that is, at least these days, underestimated. I'm glad that Christina showed such an awesome way to incorporate white with Mod Podge. It does my heart good.

I want to encourage you, dear reader, to NOT be afraid of projects such as these. They aren't as hard as you think, and the results are awesome. Visit the skinny on this project here and then check out the rest of the blog. You are going to love it!

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Oh joy! Another piece of furniture - a desk to be precise.

Readers, you are starting to know me.  Part of knowing me is knowing that I am obsessed with Mod Podged furniture.  There's nothing more fun to me than turning old into new, and you know what restoring furniture means!  It means there are drawers.  Clean drawers.  In which to store stuff.  It doesn't get much better than that.

This beautiful desk was created by Beckie at Infarrantly Creative.  She's a mighty crafty person, with lots of fun stuff on her blog.  She tells you what she did to get this cool desk here.  I especially like the handles - I love the fun little touches.  

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A lil' endtable re-do. Furniture upcycle!

I always get the funny tingles when I get to share a project that I did with you. It makes me so happy! Here's one of my latest. I found this endtable and took a before picture - dusty, kind of boring. The second photo is what I did to it! I hope you like it. Below are the instructions. I'd love to see any of your furniture re-dos, by the way. You know how I love them!

Supplies and Tools

FolkArt Acrylic Paint - Teal, Glazed Carrots, Magenta, Sky Blue
Mod Podge Hard Coat
Scrapbook paper of your choice – 2 sheets (I used Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse papers from K and Company)
1” Flat Paint Brush
Craft Glue
Scalloped Edge Scissors
Pencil
Ruler
1 ½” wood knob

Note: Correspond the paint colors to your scrapbooking papers, like I did! Also, if your table starts out really dark and you are painting with light colors, I suggest basecoating with White to limit the number of coats you have to paint.

1. Using the paint brush, basecoat the top of the table Glazed Carrots, the sides and legs of the table Teal and the bottom shelf Sky Blue. You will need several coats of all colors. Allow to dry.
2. While the table is drying, select two pieces of scrapbooking paper and measure the size you will need. Cut the correct shape and size out of two different (but coordinating) sheets of paper with the scalloped edge scissors. Set aside.
3. Glue the papers down to the table (top and shelf) using Mod Podge. Allow to dry at least 15-20 minutes.
4. While the paper is drying, paint the knob Magenta. Allow to dry and glue to the front of the table using craft glue. Allow knob to dry.
Coat the entire table with at least two coats of Mod Podge. Allow to dry for at least 48 hours before using.

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Awesome desk is right! Here we go again. . .

Lately I just love revamped furniture.  I know, I'm repetitive.  It's just that I can picture myself spending weekdays fixing up old furniture rather than working.  Unfortunately someone has to feed the three mutts I live with, so back to work I go!  In the meantime, I'm happy to post refurbishing projects that others are doing.  This particular desk is awesome.  See what J. Caroline Creative did here.

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A magazine table re-do!

Mintage Home's magazine rack refurbishing project gives me the awesome tickles because, as many of you know, it has become my mission in life to re-do every piece of ugly furniture on this planet with Mod Podge. In fact, the weekly project last Monday was a table done by yours truly!

DO NOT be intimidated by decoupaging furniture - it's easier than it looks. I provide a DIY tutorial in this other entry, but also read here for the steps that Mintage Home went through to bring back to life this most awesome piece.

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It's easy to decorate your furniture with decoupage!

Decoupaging furniture is one of my favorite things to do right now. This is also a bonus given that I live in a one bedroom apartment and have no room for furniture. It's not going to stop me though. . . I'll never stop Mod Podging!

In case you don't know how to Mod Podge a piece of furniture and would like a basic step-by-step, follow along with the DIY Ideas website here.

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Refurbish a nursery dresser.

I was more than pleased to find this dresser on Skyla's blog Sanity Fair. It's very cheerful and cute. Its intention? To go into a nursery. Designer Adrienne Lemmond created it, and she gives her instructions and tips here on Sanity Fair.

For more of Adrienne's great stuff, visit her Etsy shop LilaGrace Designs.

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Studio table re-do.

I'm completely inspired by this re-do.  Why?  I need a place to craft and I don't have one beyond the coffee table!  That's right.  World of Mod Podge command central is a one-bedroom apartment.  I know.  It's kind of a travesty.  I find myself working "off-site" on many a project.

Anyway, the first picture is what I like to call "the garage sale table."  The second is the finished Mod Podge table in all of its splendor.  Please view Pink & Polka Dot's tutorial here.

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A giant dahlia table.

Check out this amazing table crafted by Jessica L. at Juicy Bits!  

Table from IKEA

Paint - not sure what Jessica used, but I recommend FolkArt

Cool fabrics

Mod Podge!

This looks complicated - but it turns out it wasn't.  I asked Jessica how she created the symmetrical dahlia pattern and this is what she said:

"First I made a pattern using a giant dahlia quilt pattern as an example.  I cut out enough pieces for a little less the 1/2 of the flower to get an idea of how it would look.  Then I used the pieces to make templates out of cardstock.  And keep track of how many pieces I needed out of each one.  Then I used the cardstock to trace on the back of each fabric.  Of course you could use thick, clear template material instead.  I used a thin Sharpie to trace it and when I cut them out I cut just inside the line."

Try it!  It's easier than you think.

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Samantha's chair is the greatest chair.

Hector the Collector is my favorite poem by Shel Silverstein.  Why do I mention that?  Well, Laura Hartrich has decoupaged a Shel Silverstein poem to this cutesy little children's chair - Hug O' War!  A chair like this is very easy to find at the Goodwill, and even easier to Mod Podge!

First you'll need to paint it.  As usual, I recommend FolkArt paint.  As far as craft paints go, I find it to have the best consistency for a great price.  Basecoat the entire chair in one color first.  Another other painting should be done with painter's tape (unless you have a really steady hand, which I do not).  Stripes on the seat MUST be done with painter's tape (unless you have a robot hand, which I also do not).

Allow the paint to dry completely before decoupaging.  When you apply the Mod Podge to your paper design, do it to the paper side first.  Several thin coats are best - turn the paper down and smooth completely.  Allow to dry and THEN Mod Podge over the paper for best results.

Once you are done - Mod Podge the entire chair to seal.

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The coolest birdbrained dresser.

Oh dear. I'm in love.  I found this dresser on Flickr and begged for Sugarswirl's permission to post it!  She was kind enough to let me.

It was quite simple, she says.  Painted front, and she freehand cut the design out of newspaper.  One coat of Mod Podge, allow to dry and then apply a second coat.  That's it.
Tip:  Apply several thin coats rather than a few thick.  Try it, you'll find it works much better.

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Mod Podge fabric coffee table.

There are so many things I like about sillie.smile's table.
1) You would NOT believe how easy this is.
2) The fabric is from IKEA and reminds me very much of Orla Kiely, whom I love.
3) This table is so easy to make.

So?  How do you do it?  First of all, you need a table.  IKEA as some great ones, cheap, but so does your local Goodwill if you are not located near the great IKEA or just want to recycle.  Secondly, you obviously need a piece of fabric.  You may have a great local fabric shop or live near a JoAnn.  If you want to go completely outside of the box, I recommend Reprot Depot.  The fabrics are a delight!
All you are going to do - and yes, it is this easy - is cut the fabric to fit the table and then Mod Podge it down.  My recommendation to you is that you cut the fabric just slightly smaller than the table, because during your smoothing operation the fabric will expand.

I would work from the middle out - applying Mod Podge to the table as well as to the fabric, and then smoothing outward to the corners.  DO NOT put Mod Podge all over the table at one time, as it will dry before you even have a chance to work your way out.   Good smoothers include squeegees, rulers, even a rolling pin.  Be careful that the edge of your smoother is not too sharp as you run the risk of tearing the fabric.  Smooth gently but consistently and you shouldn't have any problems.

Finally, I recommend Hard Coat Mod Podge to seal any furniture piece, for added durability above and beyond the regular stuff.  Now you can wear and tear your finished project!

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Decoupaging fabric onto furniture. And how!

I love this nightstand.

It gives me the good funny feeling!  Please visit J. Caroline's tutorial here.  You will get the step-by-step with images!  Bet you didn't know you could decoupage fabric to wood, did ya?

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Kitchen table revamp!

I'd like to give Karen, a crafter, a lot of credit for her beautiful finished Mod Podge table:

Because before it looked like this!

Check out the instructions for this project here, on her blog.  It's actually quite easy - easier than you would think - and it doesn't take many supplies to do it.  She makes recovering the seats seem effortless!  

What do you think about her wonderful creation?

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Continued refurbished organization.

Can I tell you something? These metal file drawers are a dime a dozen at your local Goodwill. They have kind of gone the way of the rotary phone in terms of office decor. The good news? YOU can make something out of it that you wouldn't be afraid to display in your office or craft room!  Gunsgermssteel doesn't provide instructions for this filing cabinet revamp, but a project like this is not hard. Here's how I would do it.

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Peace chair with Mod Podge.

As I write this post I'm listening to a car alarm. I have to say, this has nothing to do with decoupage, but are car alarms even effective anymore? They seem to just be a nuisance. Like pigeons!

But not like this chair.

I hope to continue to show Mod Podge lovers (or first-time triers) that sometimes the best decoupage project is right under your nose. Laura H. (visit her blog here) refurbished this children's chair with paint, then decoupaged on a design. I would recommend, for a project of this nature, giving it several light coats of Mod Podge with a sanding in-between. Make sure the sandpaper is a fine grit, too, so that you aren't sanding too deep. Follow this advice and you will have a great finish!

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Design elements and inspiration.

You've asked - where can I get the "stuff" with which to decoupage? And I'm not talking about the medium. I'm referring to the pictures, the clip art - the goodies to put on your project! You have the surface, and you have the Mod Podge, but what do you do? Of course, I have a few suggestions.

Clipart.com is the first one. You need to go there NOW. You'll find anything and everything that you want to decoupage to a surface. Birds, buttons, dogs, animals, ocean, cars, nature. . . you won't believe the huge library of images that they have. You can search through filters, so the nice thing is if you want just black and white, you can specify that. The subscription is $14.95 for one week, so I suggest searching for everything you need, preparing a list, and then downloading all at once. This is the kind of thing you can do with clip art, via www.marthastewart.com:

Isn't it loverly?

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Before and after desk.

Meg from Brassy Apple is one stylish cookie. A visit to her blog revealed that this was created with Mod Podge - and the drawers are covered in fabric! I personally think furniture rehab is one of the most exciting possibilities with Mod Podge. Hard Coat is really good for furniture. . just a little tip for you guys!

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