Tuxedo Dresser aka Bunny Bonanza
The Beginning
Ooookeyyy… where do I start? In a dumpster! That’s where this scary, little thing came from. It was covered in, what looked like, a hundred and eighty layers of oil paint. I think the last owner used it as a workshop table, because the top was covered in various glue and paint stains. It had deep holes and scratches, that at first looked impossible to fix. You might ask why the heck did I pick it up in the first place? The answer is :the Bunny! He put a spell on me and I simply couldn’t resist. His smug moustache and aristocratic nose got me crazy for him.
The Gun Part
After setting the Glorious Bunny free, I knew I needed some new equipment to tackle this awful piece of furniture, so I got a ….GUN! A heat gun. It made the removing of the old paint much easier. (That’s when I first noticed that the Bunny had a thing for guns.) Afterwards I sanded it, first with coarse and then with fine grit sand paper. Then I used a wood filler to even out all the surfaces, and primed. Only then I could finally paint. Bunny said he always liked the tuxedo style colours, so I went for it 🙂 As you can imagine, all this took me quite a long time and produced extreme amounts of dirt and dust, so I don’t recommend you try this at home 😉 Here again Bunny was suspiciously experienced with covering the area with foil, Dexter style…I started to worry…
The Drawer Decoupage
Bunny needed to go away to visit his mother in Sicily so I had some time for myself. You keep asking me about my paper-lined drawers, so I thought you would like to see it done step by step. First you need to prepare some materials, tools and body parts:
- PAPER. I use a regular, thin, gift wrapping paper but for a beginner I recommend something thicker, like wallpaper.
- GLUE. I use Varnish glue or Mod Podge from Panduro Hobby.
- BRUSH to apply the glue with.
- CLOTH to press the paper.
- RULER and a CARPET KNIFE to measure and cut the paper.
- A SHOULDER to cry on, if you choose the thin paper- Kamikaze version and your first attempt is not quite what you’ve expected it to be.
But seriously, It’s not that bad. It just takes a bit practice and patience. I start with measuring and cutting the paper to the exact size of the bottoms of the drawers. Then I apply the glue evenly to the whole surface. Now the hardest part. If you’re using thin paper like me, it needs to be put exactly in the right position, on the first try. Thicker papers can be adjusted, which makes it much easier to work with. It’s best to start from the corner, and work your way out gradually pushing the paper, and squeezing the air out with a rolled up cloth. ( Like in the picture 4) Thin paper becomes very fragile and easy to rip when soaked with glue, so you need to be extra careful when pressing and smoothing it out. The large bottom of the drawer is the hardest part. Sides, since they are smaller surfaces, are much easier. Depending of what kind of paper you are using, you can apply a varnish or lacquer to seal it and make it more durable. That’s the basic version of my decoupage drawers. If you have any further questions just go ahead and write a comment or email and I’ll explain it in detail 😉
And again, if you want to try with gift wrapping paper, make sure you try it on a smaller surface before attempting a large drawer bottom. Practice makes perfect 😉
El Kaninio
Like all great romances it ended as unexpectedly as it started. One night a Special Unit Team stormed in. They cuffed my beloved Bunny and took him away. Later that day I learned that he was a part of Italian Bunny Mafia. As an eye-witness to numerous carrot-crimes, he was placed in the witness protection program and relocated. I hear he’s hopping somewhere in Mexico waiting for his trial 😉 They call him El Kaninio there. I guess we weren’t meant to be…
Final Effect – From a Dumpster Find to Tuxedo Dresser
The dresser (my tribute to El Kaninio) went from scary orange to sophisticated tuxedo matte black. Insides were lined with geometric pattern paper. As for the Bunny, he’s going back to furniture prison . After all he has been glued to the side of that dresser for about 40 years. If that’s not jail time, I don’t know what is…
You can post the bail for the Tuxedo Dresser HERE
