Decoupage Secret

I've repapered the inside of more than an few trunks, but I've finally found the secret of getting the paper to lay flat and not get all wrinkley.

WATER 

I found some cool, old-timey graphics and enlarged them to fit the size of my trunk. Then I printed them on 8 1/2  x  11 size craft paper sheets. Each sheet was test fitted and trimmed as needed. Then lightly painted with water to pre-stretch the paper. Not soaked, only given just enough to get it wet. Mod-podge was painted onto the trunk and the wet page pressed into it gently to get all the air bubbles out. Each piece is fitted next to the previous one and done the same way. 

The Compass Rose Trunk

Upcycled Wardrobe Trunk

Before

This wardrobe trunk was sitting on the side of the road with a sign reading "free" taped to it.  It looked sad and lonely, but mostly heavy. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but it was too good to pass up.

After sitting in my shed for 6 months (stuffed full of deodorizer packs) I had the idea to make it into a bookcase-slash-storage piece.

The hanger bar and straps on the inside were removed.

The wood shelves were cut down from the salvaged top of an antique buffet that was too far gone to save. Pine strips were nailed in place to hold the shelves while I was working. Sheetrock screws through the sides of the trunk hold them securely in place.

I made some simple feet from some 2x4 blocks and screwed through the bottom of the trunk to attach them.

Removing the hanger bar was a feat! Remember, this trunk was made in a era when things were built to last (can you imagine!) I tried to be gentle, but still managed to make some good sized holes. I wasn't sure that wood filler would have worked so I used caulk. I sanded it down to even it out and lightly sanded the whole trunk so it would take paint better.

Without the hanger bar I didn't need the weird drawer at the top. I took out one drawer from the middle and cut it down with a jig saw and sanded the edge to fit in the top slot.












I gently drilled out the old rivets that held the leather pulls without messing up the wood too much. (mostly)

The bottom bin was too big to be practical, so I cut off the front panel with a jig saw, and then cut it right down the middle on my table saw. I sanded the edges and filled the holes where the pulls attached so I could use them as doors.

The wood of the new doors was too thin to hold the screws for the hinges. I added some pine strips to the edges, so the screws would have something to bite into, and attached them to the trunk.

I mixed up some left over paint I had with a tiny-tiny-tiny bit of water and used it to paint the inside of the trunk and drawers. The water helps the paint to get into the fabric so you don't lose the texture, but it took a least 3 coats to cover.

I bought a belt from salvation army to replace the pulls, made a paper template, cut the piece to length and carefully drilled holes in the leather.

I bought some rivets in an antique brass finish to attach the pulls.

The outside of the trunk was painted gold, and like the inside, it took 3 coats to cover properly.

A brown glaze was painted on and gently wiped off to antique the trunk.

I found some old airline and steam ship labels online, lightly sanded, and stained  them with coffee to antique them, and decoupaged them on the outside. 

This piece was a bit too big for my Etsy shop. (I can't imagine what the shipping cost would be) But it does a great job of taming the mess in the corner of my living room...Oh, and it looks awesome too!

Upcycled Trunk: The C.W. Nocturne

 This is my latest upcycle. The inside was repapered with sheet music (Chopin's Nocturne). New feet were made from pine, painted in a faux hardwood, and attached to the bottom.


 




















The upholstered bench seat was made from a piece of plywood cut to fit on top of the trunk, a 2" thick piece of foam, and a couple of layers of batting. A piece of upholstery weight textured fabric, that has a bit of an animal hide look to it, tops it off.

I did nothing else to the outside. All the leftover bits of shipping labels looked really cool, so I didn't mess with them.

Works great as an ottoman, bench seat in a mud room, or put a tray on top for a coffee table...And, oh yeah...lots of storage!  

Extreme Upcycle: The Suitcase Desk

 This is a real, vintage suitcase; a Seapack made for the navy by Hartmann around WWII. It wasn't in the greatest condition which was fine by me because that made it perfect for an upcycle that I've wanted to do for a long time now.

The Hemingway Desk

I designed it to look like a vintage piece of campaign furniture yet function like a modern desk. All the wooden pieces were made from old, hardwood table leafs that I bought at a barn sale.















When the drawer closes it becomes invisible, and looks like a piece of luggage on a stand. The sorter and upper shelf were designed to flip up into the lid. (The mechanics of this are harder than you'd think!)

The lid closes so you can hide your messy desk when you're expecting company, and now you have a functional side table.













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Tripod Lamp Made from Crutches

The Inspiration

This picture stared it all. It was small and in the corner of my computer screen and, at a glance I thought it was a picture of some old crutches. When I looked a little closer I saw that it was a way cool vintage tripod lamp, and I thought, Hey...

The hard to find wood crutches

The first thing I had to do was find a couple of sets of wood crutches that were similar. This was surprisingly difficult. It took most of the summer to find some at flea markets and yard sales, even craigslist didn't have much. Most of the ones I found were aluminum.









Once I found them the real work began. I squared off the top of the arm rest at the top of the crutch, drilled some holes in sides and inserted some hanger bolts. Next I drew an equilateral triangle on some paper, cut it out, and used it as a template to cut out the "hub" that the legs would attach to. I used some 5/8ths plywood that I had lying around.





I got some metal brackets from the hardware store and screwed them to the hub using the top of the crutch as a guide. I carefully drilled some holes in the top sides of the crutch and inserted some hanger bolts.

oops...forgot to take pics before I painted

After this the rubber feet were removed and a slight taper cut into the end.












Next I removed the handles and added some jack chain which will stop the legs from sliding out.










Once all the construction was done the entire thing was disassembled, sanded, and painted in a faux dark wood grain. The tips of the feet and a few other spots were painted with a silver spray paint in a hammered metal finish. The silver parts were a little too shiny so I brushed a little black paint over them, let it sit for a few seconds, then rubbed it off to give them a vintage look.

Then I added a new socket and other lamp parts including a vintage look wire.

The Finished Tripod Lamp

Freestanding Chalkboard form Vintage Sidetable

The chalkboard

    This is a freestanding chalkboard that I made from a vintage side table. I knew the table top would make a great chalkboard, so I figured that I could use the pedestal on another project, but when I stood it next to the feet, it just clicked. I cut up a 2 x 4 to use as bracing and painted the back a dark brown so it would look like it's always been this way.

Before

Upcycled Spotlight

The stand was part of a drum set and the spotlight was an ice bucket I got at a flea market.