For Christmas this year, I did some painting and decoupaging. I had a small oak table and chairs that my children used when they were little. My husband sanded all the paint off of it down to the natural oak. I then did a light wash on the table with white acrylic paint. I used a damp rag to dip into the gallon of paint then rubbed it onto the table. I used the same technique to paint the chairs, however, I mixed red with the white for a nice pink. The grain of the wood shows through the light washes of paint. When the table was dry, I painted pink stripes on the apron of the table and a square design and flower on the table top. My husband then sprayed a light coat of acrylic clear coat on it. It made a very nice gift.
My grandson of the same family, is six years old. He recently inherited his father's childhood, bedroom furniture which is painted black. I found a small bookshelf at a garage sale for $2 and bought it. My husband and I painted it black with the same paint as the bedroom furniture. Then I used Modge Podge to decoupage some Star Wars characters onto the sides of the bookshelf. He loved it. :)
I enjoy creating things for my family that have a more lasting value than just purchasing them pre-made.
