Just a Little Spritz Here…And a Little Dab There…

Ellowyne has been in a mood these last few days (she claims she hasn’t received much “screen” time since I started this blog), so I thought I’d use this post to highlight two of her favorite things in her bedroom…and appease her ego at the same time.

In the picture to the left, in which Prudence showcases a lovely white top, you’ll notice Ello’s wardrobe behind her—a birthday or Christmas gift from my mom a few years ago. Along with the wardrobe came a mirror of similar color. The pieces suited Ello just fine…until she watched me paint and Mod Podge an unfinished doll bureau for my niece. All of a sudden, she wanted a makeover for her bedroom furniture, especially as she would be moving from her perch in my bedroom into her new “home” in the dining room. “It just won’t do to have dark brown furniture clashing with my blue and white walls,” she bemoaned.

Thankfully for her, makeovers are relatively easy to accommodate in doll-scale…and even easier when done with spray paint! I had never spray-painted a piece of furniture before (life-sized or otherwise), but there’s a first time for everything, right? So after protecting Ellowyne’s mirror with masking tape and my garage floor with newspaper, I went to play—er, I mean work—in painting the furniture with two coats of semi-gloss, paint + primer spray paint, bought at a local hardware store. There’s a certain sense of instant gratification in watching brown change to white with the press of a button.

But my favorite part came after the paint was dry.

Using Mod Podge and a 1” wide paintbrush, I glued scrapbook paper (cut to the required specifications) to the wardrobe door fronts and to the front of the mirror drawer, making sure to smooth out any wrinkles and release any air bubbles. After letting it dry, I then reapplied Mod Podge over the paper to give it a glossy look and more durability. For fun (and to make it more pleasing to the eye), I did the same thing to the inside of the wardrobe.

You can’t see it in the picture (apparently I need to make Ello some more hangers for her clothes), but the paper doesn’t reach all the way to the bottom—I ran out. I do intend, however, to make a little shelf that will sit on the floor of the wardrobe and effectively mask the imperfection. For now, Ello can just keep the door closed.

So: Mod Podge and spray paint. A quick, fun, and easy way to refresh some tired-looking doll furniture. Great for life-sized pieces, as well. I’d love to try my hand at giving our antique sideboard a face-lift, but because it’s mahogany, my hubby won’t let me touch it. Sigh. Guess I’ll just stick to sprucing up Ellowyne’s abode. She did say something about wanting a fireplace for Christmas…