I have a slight obsession with all things antique paper. Old newspapers, magazines, books and posters of all kinds just make me incredibly happy!! But I have a tendency to buy these things on the cheap at flea markets, library book sales, and tag sales by the car load. Then I riffle through them once and they end up in a less than glorious pile in my office.
So it is time to make something with all this awesomeness. I happened to acquire a book on decoupage during one of my many book buying sprees and right at the time I was deciding what my first decoupage project would be, my Pops called me and asked me if wanted a couple of end tables he was planning to chuck. Aha! Perfect!
I studied technique in the only acceptable way I know- YouTube. Thanks to the plethora of people out there that have made detailed videos of their decoupage adventures. Follow that up with a Home Depot and Hobby Lobby shopping spree and I was ready to rock!
 |
| A before shot of the tables- I used painters tape and newspaper to cover the areas I planned to decoupage so I could sand and paint the pieces first. You want to apply your paper onto an unpainted (or painted and sanded) surface. The more texture, the better it'll stick! |
 |
| Another before- Just a beat up table you'd likely see on the side of the road. |
 |
| After all, I myself rescued these old tables from the trash. |
 |
This is the top before I taped it for painting- It had this beat up leather topper that had certainly seen better days! I sanded it and decoupaged right over it.
|
So then I sanded lightly, cleaned those puppies up and gave them 2 coats of chalk black paint. Then 2 coats of an eggshell interior white I had laying around, and This is where we were...
 |
| Looking better already! |
 |
| I bought a huge pack of foam brushes at the craft store so I could use and abuse 'em and them throw them away. Especially important for decoupage, you don't wanna be trying to clean glue out of good brushes. |
 |
| The plan was to sand down some spots to expose the black underneath giving the tables an antiqued finish. |
But, Lex decided these tables were for her, so we gave it yet another coat of chalk black to match her room. Flip mode style.
And Voila!
 |
| Top of one table- All images on both were clipped from a 1943 Life Magazine |
 |
| The other top- My fav. Center image is from one of Marilyn Monroe's first professional auditions- She's 23 in the pic. |
 |
| I even did the bottom shelf and sides and back panels, almost exclusively in ads from the Life Mag. |
 |
| Back side |
 |
| Don't forget the inside and sides of the drawers- Adds some unexpected color! |
And the finish!! They say the decoupage glue (I used Mod Podge) is also a sealer and finishing coat. But when you have a teenager, you can expect that anything left in their possession is getting a beating, so I added 3 coats of Minwax polycrylic sealer (remember Polyurethane will yellow over time) to give it a super durable sheen that should stay crystal clear for ages. :)
I love the way they turned out! On to the next!
