A Few Easy Projects

I'm busy this week preparing for the June Roomy sale. I thought I would share a few projects that would be great for the beginning crafter. The first project is an altered kitchen cabinet door. These are fairly easy to find at garage sales, thrift stores or architectural salvage dealers. I never pay more than $5, and it's usually less than that. The older the door, the better, but even newer doors look fine - this one was a sample door of recent vintage.

I prime and then paint the door in flat white house paint, usually one or two coats will do. Once dry, sand the edges and sides well, exposing the bare wood. For this door I used some scapbook paper (Tim Holz), and an image from Graphics Fairy. I use Super 77 spray adhesive, and I've found the best way to apply the adhesive is to use a paper grocery bag. Put the image face down in the bottom of the bag and either go outside or stand by an open window. The bag captures most of the excess adhesive - you don't want to breathe it, as it's pretty toxic, so be careful. I apply the image to the scrapbook paper and then apply the paper to the door, use a good solid coat of adhesive - you don't want it going anywhere. Next I sprayed the image with a clear sealer to protect it, and then I applied a glaze coat, first brushing on all over and wiping off with a paper towel. I used Ralph Lauren technique glaze in a taupe color. You could also make your own using a mixture of white glue, water and a taupe paint in equal proportions. Finally I drilled 3 holes in the bottom and added some knobs. These great clock knobs are from Hobby Lobby, but you could also use glass knobs or leave them off.

The next project is even easier. I found these metal plant pots at the thrift store. You see these all the time, and they are very inexpensive. There wasn't anything wrong with them, but I wanted to give them a fresh look and to blend better with my other inventory. I painted them white using a spray primer and flat white house paint. I then sanded all over, which revealed the bare metal and highlighted the details. I then applied the images (Graphics Fairy), using the Super 77 method above. I used used a clear sealer and also applied the same glaze as with the door project, brushing on and wiping off, leaving more glaze in the crevices.

So there you have it - 2 very easy projects with a great vintage look.