One down, one to go . . .

I'm supposed to be making jewelry. I have a jewelry show coming up and if I don't make some more jewelry by the end of ths month, my jewelry-makin' buddy is gonna be real pissed at me.

And yet instead . . . . I am drawn . . . to the irresistible allure . . . .

of decoupage!!!!!!

You remember how this piece looked when I brought it home, right--my sister's IKEA-purchased stereo cabinet cast-off? She put it on her front porch and then it mysteriously ended up in the back of my jeep. It had two shelves, a cardboard back with holes in it, and a cabinet door with a cheap wooden knob and big marks where tape had ripped off the veneer.

I decided it was the perfect size to fit in the corner beside my piano and hold a bunch of piano books.

But clearly it would need a total makeover that would have to include . . . wait for it . . .

DECOUPAGE!

So I decided to paint it black first. I removed the cardboard back and used it as a tempalte to cut out a new back out of a good sturdy melamine-type material.

God knows the whole thing just had to be a cheap friggin' laminate material over particle board, which meant I had to at least rough it up with some sandpaper before I could prime it with my deep base primer, all the while being careful not to rough it up too much, cuz this cheap-ass laminate was so thin I could take it off with sandpaper alone.

But here it is after two coats of dark primer and two coats of black paint. You can't even tell it was laminate, huh.

Then, I could finally get to the decoupaging. I picked out some old classical piano music that was seriously yellowing and fraying on the edges. I couldn't really play it any more and most of it I had newer, fresher copies of anyway. But I worried that because it was so old the paper would fall apart or wrinkle once saturated with Mod Podge.

So I hopped on over to Mod Podge Rocks for some good advice on how to manage wrinkles. With Amy's help I decided to lightly spray the pages with polyurethane before decoupaging them onto the backboard. It totally worked! I didn't have any wrinkles at all and very few bubbles to contend with. Thanks Amy! [Another note: when I am layering paper in a decoupage collage like this, I usually wait a little while between each layer so the base Mod Podge dries a little before I put the next layer on top of the first.] You can see in the picture on the right that only two of the pages have wet glue underneath. These were the last pages to go on.

Once all the glue was dry, and before globbing layers of Mod Podge on top, I trimmed the edges of the sheet music off.

Then it was time to start the layering and layering of Mod Podge to smooth over the edges, frayed and yellowed though they are. My last couple coats of Mod Podge I tend to water down the Mod Podge a WHOLE LOT, at least when I'm doing a flat horizontal surface like this. That way, the Mod Podge pools, covering up any ridges on the layers underneath and leaving a nice smooth final surface with NO SANDING BETWEEN COATS REQUIRED.

Ahhhhhh, I heart decoupage!

All that was left to do was get a nice new glass knob for the door, tack the back onto the shelf and put the shelves back in place.

Don't forget, I have another similar shelf unit I picked up at a garage sale that has to go through its makeover yet. Then I will decide which one I am keeping and which one I am selling. So far, I really like the black one.

But as they say, it ain't over til the fat lady sings! [Actually, I sing all the time, so maybe that idiom doesn't really work here.]

I'm linking up to the following fabulous sites:
Ladybird Ln Weekend Show Off
Blue Cricket Design Show and Tell
Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays
The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday
Uncommon Designs Uncommonly Yours
Simply Designing Friday Link Party
The Girl Creative
Skip to My Lou Made by You Mondays
All Things Fee Calling All Crafters
Flour Me with Love Mix it up Monday
DIY Home Sweet Home More the Merrier Monday
Creating My Way to Success A Round Tuit
Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday
Nifty Thrifty Things Nifty Thrifty Sunday
C.R.A.F.T. Making Monday Marvelous
Type A Decorating