Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Happy mistakes...

I picked up a couple of tables 
on my bi (sometimes tri) weekly visit to 
last Friday.

Of course I don't have any before photos
as I was in a hurry to get them painted...
sometimes I'm just excited to get started,
forgetting to take photos along the way.

But that's not what this story is about,
it's about problems turning into 
Happy Mistakes!


Several months back I decoupaged a world map
onto this cabinet...it turned out beautiful, better than even I expected!
It sold right away.



So...I was wanting to give it another go and use another world map
I purchased at the same time, 
it would look great on these very sturdy tables!
Though this map was much
brighter in color
and the paper was thinner...
here is where the mistake begins. 


It was a little troublesome getting the map laid out 
onto the first table...
it almost immediately started to ripple,
as most thin paper does when you get it wet...duh.

Did this stop me?
Oh no it didn't...

I just kept on working it, gently, at this point the paper would tear
if you worked it too much...and I did...and it did.

Did that stop me?  No again!

I proceeded to glue down the map on the second table, 
expecting the outcome to be different...it wasn't...

and I still didn't stop!



As I was making this mistake (twice) 
I was working out in my head how to correct it,
I'm kinda tactile that way.
I decided to make the ripples and tears work for me, 
instead of ditching the whole project.

I got out sandpaper (100 grit) and sanded through 
ripples and torn spots on the now dry and securely affixed map.
Then pulled out my Annie Sloan clear & dark soft waxes...
there needs to be some aging going on with these tables!


It worked beautifully...better than I could have planned!
The ripples & tears are what made this map look old
and worn and like it had been around the world!


Before and afters

    



On this very heavy side table (table $15)
I painted the inside drawer in a deep teal to match the map.
Spent $1.29 on a Home Depot drawer pull & painted it to match.





The second table I painted in a duck egg chalk paint I mixed myself
(you can find chalk paint DIY recipe here)
trimmed it with the border from the map that I cut out and decoupaged around the edge.
Another sturdy table for $19. 
with a design that really lends itself to a world map in someones study.




And here they are in Leaping Lotus...
it was a quick 4 day buy, paint, display turnaround!


The moral of the story...
I think alot of people (including me) would be tempted to chuck the project as soon as it started to go wrong.
Don't do it!
Just take a little time, keep working on it, stop for a latte...

...go throw the ball to JoJo who has been patiently watching & waiting
for my attention...

 and something might just pop into your head 
to turn your dilemma into...

A Happy Mistake!

ENJOY

2 comments:

  1. Love it! It is always wonderful when it works out in the end although sometimes the learning process can give me chest pains. Lol!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know that heavy feeling in the chest kinda pain ! Though this time I just keep going (blindly) along thinking something was going to come to me...so relieved it did...as these are really nice tables and I HATE sanding off and starting again!

    ReplyDelete

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