Does your living space feel a little dull, a little stale? Are you looking for a fun way to liven it up a bit? This furniture makeover might add just the spark you’re looking for with little effort and very little expense!
Start with a simple bookshelf, small cabinet or end table, the kind you might have in your bedroom, living room, basement or attic… the kind you might find for under $10 at Impact Thrift Stores <hint, hint!>
Clean the piece up and lightly sand it if necessary. Paint the inside and outside with some leftover paint from a room or previous project. Latex wall paint or acrylic craft paint will work well. You might find a nice selection of small cans of sample wall paint colors at your local home improvement or hardware store.
Once the paint is dry, choose a second color that contrasts nicely with the base color, perhaps a lighter or darker shade of the base color or a completely different color. Experiment with an unexpected color combination or shades of one color to add depth to the piece. Soak a crochet doily in that paint using a sponge. Then actually use the doily as a paint applicator! Re-soak the doily as needed and press it firmly onto your furniture, overlapping and bending around the corners and edges. 
Fill the outside with as few or as many imprints as you’d like! Maybe use a variety of doilies in different sizes… There is not right or wrong way to do this – just have fun! And remember, it’s only paint. It can be repainted if you don’t like the results!
Once your paint is dry, pin or staple a thin piece of fabric or lace to the inside walls of your bookshelf or cabinet. Using a clean sponge applicator or paint brush, apply Mod Podge to coat the fabric as you would wall paper. This substance will soak through your fabric, adhering it to the wall of your cabinet and form a protective layer over the fabric at the same time! After it is dry, remove the pins. Mod Podge is a water-based, non-toxic, all-in-one glue sealer that can be found at your local craft retailer.
Using a hot glue gun, add ribbon or trim if you would like to hide the edges of the fabric. For a more rugged look, use the leather from an old thin belt or a length of rope.
Our sample was created using a cabinet found at Impact Thrift (by a very girly-girl… explains the pink lace!) We used paint left over from a previous project but did purchase fabric. The doily also came from Impact Thrift Stores. Our sample was completed for under $20!
For printed instructions for this project and more creative ideas visit the Inspiration page of our website!
~photos by Abbey Freeman
