Wall Curio Makeover

This is the piece in all of its original glory! The plastic was colored to look like a dark wood. There are flowers "carved" into the face of the unit. The shelves, as you can see, are mottled and just not very attractive at all.

I began with my trusty bottle of Krud Kutter and a clean rag. I thoroughly cleaned the piece, making sure I got all the dust and cobwebs off.

Once the cabinet was clean, I set up my new paint tent (I love it!!!). I spray painted the unit with Rustoleum Chalky in white. What a difference that made, but it wasn't time to stop yet.

DecoArt Metallic Luster in silver is an amazing product. I love using it for highlighting, and in some cases, totally covering a piece. In this case, it was somewhere in between. I applied the cream with a clean rag and made sure it went into every nook and cranny. I set it aside to allow the cream to dry.

While the coat of silver was drying, I made a paper pattern for the shelf paper using a grocery bag. I then cut scrapbook paper from the pattern and trimmed it to fit the shelves. I set these aside and moved back to finishing the cabinet.

Using dark wax, a wax brush and a paper towel, I gave the unit an allover coat to add depth and tone to the curio. To do this without going overboard and making it dark all over again, I loaded the brush with wax then brushed off the excess on the paper towel before applying it in a circular motion to the cabinet.

Here is a collage of the finishes in progression. From left to right: 1-chalk white; 2-with silver cream; 3-with dark wax. You can see with each application how nicely the details emerge.

After giving the dark wax a chance to dry, I applied some silver highlights.

Lastly, I applied Mod Podge to the shelves (one at a time) and set the scrapbook paper in place. As the Mod Podge was drying, I smoothed out any wrinkles that formed. Once it was completely dry, a final layer of Mod Podge was applied to protect the paper.

This is what she looks like now! I can't wait to get her hung on the wall at the tea house!