This project came about because we were forced to change the entire look of a room.
What started out as a mini project of new end tables turned into a whole bedroom makeover. I had these grand plans of doing an Ikea Hack of mini dressers but like usual with Ikea, the plans didn’t go our way. But then these adorable cabinets appeared in another display and immediately became our new end tables.
What we didn’t think through was the rest of the room. Our furniture didn’t match our new cute end tables or our bed. The drapes were horrendous and the bedding was too dark and heavy overall. The next couple of days we spent shopping for new dressers, rearranging art and photos and thinking up new design elements for the room.
I found this odd art piece at the Goodwill outlet. It had a good shape and even though I knew the eye chart design wasn’t my style I liked it. It cost just a couple dollars so the investment was a easy YES.
It lingered in the garage for a couple of weeks while I thought about how to upcycle it and that’s when I knew it should be used for the bedroom makeover for it. I settled on a simple bird silhouette found on Google images.
To start Rob sanded the eye chart off and left me with a smooth finish. It was just a simple box someone had made and nailed together but it was very sturdy and straight. Next he painted the top with a couple light coats of white and the outside edges a chalky black. The same color as my paper wreath covered shutters.
Then it was time to decoupage the image onto the wood. Arranging the image was the hardest part. I purposely overlapped some of the pages and left space between others. I was not going for a perfectly smooth finish.
I applied 3 thin layers of decoupage medium (letting them each dry inbetween) then went for a unique step by adding color. As you can see it just took a couple drops in a small amount of decoupage and a couple stirs for an uneven blend. Using a dry brush method I gently applied the tint randomly over the art. I again let each color dry completely.
One final layer of decoupage then a polyurethane finish and it went on the wall. I love the texture and layered colors. It reminds me of leather.
There’s still work to be done in the bedroom but this really is a lovely handmade touch. Best of all this cost me less than $10 for the entire project.
For the last several months I’ve been involved with Gallery Direct as one of their Ambassadors. I can honestly say our home has never looked so good. We’ve recently received our 4th piece of art and this particular one was Rob’s pick. He’s been admiring their landscape and beach scenes and finally narrowed his choice to the below 
I am very far from being any kind of artist. I’m more of what one would call a crafter. Sabreena on the other hand is the artist and every year we head to the supply stores to stock up on basics and other “ingredients” for projects. Artistry isn’t a very mobile hobby though. What happens when inspiration strikes in the car or visiting the grandparents?
