Giving An Old Jewelry Cabinet Brand New Life With Stencils & Transfers

Deer Run Revamps
by Deer Run Revamps
18 Materials
$70
5 Hours
Advanced

I love refinishing jewelry cabinets! Since it's a feminine piece, I can do a feminine design, which I really enjoy!

Hopefully this tutorial will inspire you to tap into your creative side and maybe even introduce you to some new products


I used all Frenchic Furniture Paint, Redesign With Prima and Retique It Liquid Wood products for this transformation. These products can be found in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeerRunRevamps


You can find even more refinished furniture and inspiration on our Facebook page

https://m.facebook.com/deerrunrevamps/?ref=bookmarks



*Total cost listed is for the amount of product used, not the upfront cost as there will be a lot of each product/design leftover for more projects

*Total time listed includes work time only, does not include dry time

Before
After

First and foremost..... PREP

I say this in each and every tutorial, prep is the most important step for a long lasting beautiful finish. Even if your paint can says "no prep", you'll regret skipping this step in a year or less.

Clean your piece well with a degreasing cleaner. I use Sugar Soap (in my Etsy shop), it's an eco friendly cleaner that works just as good as TSP.

Make any necessary repairs...sand out deep scratches, fill any cracks and sand smooth, ect...

Then take 220 grit sandpaper and do a quick scuff sand everywhere that you're painting. This is a crucial step that will key the surface and give the paint something to really grip onto. You don't have to get down to bare wood and you also don't have to get rid of all the glossiness if using a high quality chalk paint (latex paint users-use a deglosser found in most hardware stores). This is simply a quick scuff sand.

Then wipe down with plain water and remove all dust/residue

For a jewelry cabinet this size, prep took me 25 minutes which included repairing the corners. Definitely worth a finish that will last forever!


This piece is dark wood and typically would need a primer first to eliminate bleed through. Frenchic Furniture Paint has the primer built in, so I don't need to do this step. But, if you're using another paint brand and you're piece is natural wood, has visible knots, or is a dark wood, prime now

The bottom really needed a pretty applique 😍

So I made one!

Lay the piece on its back..or make whatever section you're working on horizonal so that gravity works with you and grab your favorite Redesign With Prima Decor Mould and some Amazing Resin 🥰

Amazing Resin is great with Redesign With Prima Silicone Moulds...these moulds are highly detailed and sometimes paper clay just doesn't get all those details.


There are two different kinds of Amazing Resin...one that takes 24 hours to dry and cures clear and the other, the one we want, takes about 10 minutes to dry and cures white. This resin is a 2 part liquid, so when purchasing the resin, be sure that you get the one with a clear part and a yellow part and says that it cures in 10 minutes.

Make sure that your silicone mould is clean.

Grab a medicine cup and popsicle stick (included with the resin) and begin to mix. Pour equal parts of each bottle into the medicine cup and then mix extremely well

This resin starts to cure almost immediately, so you need to work quickly, yet careful not to overfill the moulds.

As you're mixing, you'll see it turn clear. That's when you know it's been mixed well.

Then, carefully pour the resin into the mould.

This silicone mould is from Redesign With Prima and it's called Tillurie Flourishes


*Tip*

Some of the details in the mould are very small, use the popsicle stick to spread the resin around instead of trying to pour it into those tiny details

Once the resin turns completely white, you can take it out if the mould. Bend the silicone mould so that an edge pops out and then slowly peel the resin applique out of the mould. It will be pliable for a few minutes, so you want to get them on the furniture as soon as possible so that it really forms to the surface.

Apply a thin layer of wood glue to the back of the resin applique and press it down onto the surface. If you can't lay the piece so that the applique is horizontal, you can tape the applique in place while the glue dries.

Now, it's finally time to paint your piece 🥰

I used Frenchic's Dusky Blush, a beautiful dusty pink color. Make sure that you get into all those details on the applique. This paint has amazing coverage, so 2 coats was all that I needed.

Dusky Blush is from Frenchic's Al Fresco Range...which means that this paint has the primer and topcoat built in and can also be used outdoors! Yes, this paint is durable enough to look beautiful through years of rain, snow, sun, heat and cold making it perfect for not only furniture, but kitchen and bathroom cabinets, outdoor furniture, front doors, garden accessories, high traffic pieces, the list is endless ♥️

Let's get the top done. I originally wanted to sand and stain the top...but quickly realized that was not going to possible. As I was sanding down the top, I quickly went through the veneer. It was the thinest veneer I had ever worked on, and definitely was not expecting to sand through so easily 🤦‍♀️

So, when this happens, or when I have a piece that's MDF, laminate or some other material that isn't pretty, I use Retique It Liquid Wood. This stuff is exactly that, liquid wood. You paint it on, run the graining tool through, then stain it. Easy peasy 😁

I have a few videos on my YouTube channel showing off this miracle product and tons of example photos in my Etsy listings for Retique It.


There are so many different looks that you can achieve with Retique It, and therefore different processes.. but..for this light wood look with no contrasting color, I used only the light liquid wood. Using a cheap chip brush, I applied one coat and let it dry completely

I like to use chip brushes with this product because it leaves brush marks and texture behind, and wood has plenty of texture!

Then I applied another coat and ran the graining tool through while it was still wet. Then allowed it to dry and went over it with Frenchic's Browning Wax, applied heavier around the edges

I then took Frenchic's color Cream Dream (a dreamy creamy off white) and dry brushed the edges, legs and corners. Dry brushing is a simple technique that allows you to add highlights to the piece. I like to use Frenchic's blending brush for this technique.. put just a bit of paint onto the tip of the paintbrush and dab most of it off onto a paper towel, then lightly brush over the areas you want to highlight. Have a wet paper towel handy in case you apply too much paint, you can wipe it off


While I had Cream Dream out, I went ahead and painted the pulls.

Cream Dream is also from the Al Fresco Range, so I know it'll hold up great over time

Redesign With Prima had a big new release at the beginning of this month and it was OMG AMAZING

I just had to use some of my favorites on this piece!

This stencil is one of the new designs, it's called Flourish Emblem. I used Frenchic's Cream Dream along with a makeup sponge for the stenciled pattern

once the paint was dry, i went over the entire piece (minus the top) with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth it all out and distress the edges, details, pulls and all over the drawers.

One of the new for 2021 designs is this Watercolor Bloom Decor Transfer 😍


****Be extremely careful when taking out and handling the transfer. It's easy to accidentally let the protective backing roll up which can expose the transfer itself and allow it to stick to something it's not supposed to or even stick to itself! We've all been there! It can ruin your design before you even get started...And these beauties aren't cheap! So be extra careful to not allow the design itself to touch anything other then where you want it

I cut out single flowers as well as a few clusters that I thought fit perfectly with this piece.


When you're ready to apply the transfer, remove the white backing. Hover over the area you'd like to place the transfer... Don't allow it to touch the surface until the positioning is exactly how you want it. Once you have it positioned correctly, press it down onto the surface. Grab the wooden tool included with your transfer and go over the entire design applying a good amount of pressure. Be sure to get the edges extremely well.

Once you think the transfer is adhered, start at one corner and slowly lift the clear protective layer. If at any point, part of the transfer isn't adhered to the surface, immediately lay the clear layer back down and go over it with the wooden tool. Comitnue this process until the entire clear layer is lifted and removed.

Go over the transfer with your hand or a soft cloth and smooth out any bubbles, press down all around the edges, and just make sure the entire design is adhered completely.

Continue this process for each piece of transfer you're applying.


I also took a few inspirational words from the older Words To Live By Decor Transfer and applied them on the inside side panel of the cabinet. I then stenciled a few parts of the Flourish Emblem pattern to tie it in to the outer side panels (photos at the end of the tutorial)

Even tho the paint has the topcoat built in, you still need to seal the transfer. I'm a wax girl. I love the look it gives. And with such durable paint, I'm not worried about adding any extra durability.

Frenchic's wax is the most soft and creamy wax you will ever come across. And the best part, it doesn't have to be buffed! If you want extra glossiness, by all means, buff away! But, if you enjoy that semi matte sheen, then just apply it and walk away 😁

I get these microfiber sponges from Amazon. They are meant for car wax, which makes them great for furniture! I put a little wax on the sponge, and then work into the surface, pressing down all over the transfer. I then go all in one direction in long swipes with the sponge to even out the wax application.

It's all in the details, right?

Redesign With Prima also makes tissue paper and rice paper. These are great for lining drawers and/or adding to the sides of drawers for a peek-a-boo effect.

And that's exactly what I did. The drawers were all lined with felt already, so I left that alone (other than cleaning it). But I did dress up the drawer sides.

Redesign With Prima's tissue paper is more like a fabric. This stuff is so strong, it's nearly impossible to accidently rip it.

The design I chose is called Beautiful Dream.

I cut it up to fit each drawer side, leaving some room for error. I then applied a layer of Frenchic's Finishing Coat to the drawer side and smoothed the tissue paper overtop, then allowed to dry.

Once dry, I took 220 grit sandpaper and went over the edges to release any excess tissue paper hanging over the sides. This tip works with most papers.

Sometimes, after sanding the edges, the paper lifts up, especially at the corners. Add a touch more finishing coat and allow to dry

Frenchic's Finishing Coat is a great versatile product. I use it for all my decoupage projects, I use it as a topcoat, I mix paint into it to create a glaze, and I mix Frensheen into it (Frensheen is Frenchic's metallic mineral pigments). I always have this stuff on hand!

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it is so much fun to do!

And look at her! It was so worth it! 😍

Creating beautiful pieces of furniture is truly my passion. I absolutely love what I do!

This piece along with all of the products used to create her and so much more are currently available in my Etsy shop (linked at the top of the tutorial)

I wanted whoever buys this beauty to smile every time she opens up this cabinet

I love the extra details 🥰

Every woman is beautiful ♥️♥️♥️

And I wanted the buyer of this piece to feel that as she gets ready to face the day

Thank you so much for reading my tutorial! I hope this has inspired you to create something beautiful ♥️


You can find our links for our Facebook page and Etsy shop at the very top of the tutorial 🥰

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  • Darcy Darcy on Feb 24, 2022

    This reminds me of one my grandmother had years ago. Love it.

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