I often pick up these little chests at yard sales. They are pre-fabbed pieces that usually have small to minor issues. This one looked like it had had a mirror or something attached to the top at one time as it had two screw holes on the top along the back edge. It was also missing several wood plugs that were used to cover the tops of screws.
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I had recently acquired a stack of old sheet music at an auction and decided they would be perfect for decoupaging the piece. The finished results were fantastic!
Approximate Time: 4 to 6 hours
Supplies:
small chest
rag
screwdriver
Mod Podge and water
small bowl
sheet music
scissors
sponge brush
brown acrylic paint
paintbrush
paper towel
brass embellishment
E6000
Instructions:
I wiped down the surface and removed the remaining wood plugs by prying them out with the tip of a screw driver. I would be covering up the holes with the sheet music and I didn't want any raised areas. The drawers were all removed so that each piece could be individually decoupaged.
Decoupaging can be done with most any adhesive that dries clear. I used a traditional Mod Podge for this project with a slight alteration. I poured the Mod Podge in a bowl and added water until the mixture was slightly thicker than milk. This project used a lot of Mod Podge and I mixed small batches at a time.
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The sheet music was cut into quarters to make them easier to handle. The basic technique for applying each piece is to first paint the Mod Podge over an area at least as big as the sheet music using a sponge brush. Lay the sheet music in the Mod Podge and smooth out with your fingers. Paint another layer of Mod Podge over the paper.
Corners and curves require a little bit of fiddling. Clip the paper into slits in these areas. Brush a small amount of Mod Podge to the back of the slits and fold over each individual slit, overlapping if necessary.
Note: For my chest, I decoupaged the entire outer surface and folded the edges inside the opening. I did not decoupage the inside of the chest because once assembled it would not be seen.
I did, however, cover the inside and outside of each drawer. I wasn't crazy about the heart on the bottom-front of the chest so I decoupaged over it.
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The original knobs were too white and needed a change. I painted them with brown acrylic paint and immediately wiped it off with a paper towel. This seemed to age the surface sufficiently to coordinate with the finish on the rest of the chest.
Using E6000, I attached a brass embellishment over the covered-heart area on the bottom-front of the chest. This decorated the chest while providing a protective cover over the paper covered opening.
No, the only time I have had problems with Mod Podge is when I don't thin it and apply several layers. In those instances the issue has been tackiness, but I believe that is because I live in a humid climate. From experience, this project would not have worked without thinning the Mod Podge.
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The drawers would have stuck. Thinning the Mod Podge seems to eliminate that problem. Even so, I am still able to wipe off dust with a dry or damp cloth whether I thin or not.
All I have ever decopaged was wall plaques, but even when they had been done for months, say in the process of moving you take them off the wall, and lay them someplace waiting to be packed and inadvertantly a piece of fabric would get laid on them, lint from the fabric would stick on the surface, unless the mishap was caught right away. Therefore I have quit decopaging.
