I Call A Do Over: Book Pages Tutorial

I have these things called 'creative bones' and with no warning at all, I get struck with intense urges and needs to go thrifting and/or makeover everything in my path. The process usually consists of DVR or Netflix, food sitting somewhere on the floor or couch, my drill, dremel, and paint. Inside my living room.

When Mr. Superman deployed, I got more into DIY decor and refinishing furniture. My good friend Nikki, is a seriously incredible designer and she helped me a ton in teaching me techniques and easier ways to do things.

Now that I have a collection of stuff I've done and on my To Do List I figured why not share it with my  Lovelies? 

Since starting this little meme and sharing my projects, I have gotten a TON of questions on how I do things, what products I use, where I get my ideas.... The most popular have been the two pieces of furniture I made over with vintage book pages.

There was my Goodwill Coffee Table and my Ikea Chest Turned Vintage and I just never sat down to give a tutorial but then I had my beautiful friend Erica send me a message asking for help.

This is Erica's coffee table.



 

Its too modern and 'cold' for her. I agree. Its just not something I'd have in my house. She already knew what she was wanting but was really wanting tips, hints, a kind of rundown of the process I would take to amp up the vintage and cover those... um flowers.

I've never done anything on glass as far as Mod Podge or decoupage but its a pretty straightforward process. On all of my wood furniture I obviously do my treatments on top. If I were applying something to glass, I would do it on top as well because I just LOVE being able to see and feel the texture. Erica does have a handsome little man though so she was curious if it'd work to apply the paper underneath... OF COURSE!

I always use Mod Podge in Matte Finish and its amazing



  BUT for Erica, since she wants to apply the paper underneath so its protected and still seen, I would actually go ahead and use spray adhesive to initially get the paper on there.

There are tons of brands but since I've used Elmer's, that's what I know works.

You spray the surface and then put on whatever you want adhered. In this case that would be the book pages or newspaper your using. You want to make sure all the little bubbles are out and its lying flat.

Next, to get that antiqued look with the little bit of discoloration, I always use Minwax stain in Provincial.



Its my hands down favorite stain and I use it on pretty much every single project. Depending on how much discoloration you want will determine how heavy handed you are with the stain. I use an old rag and I just dunk it in and start applying, rubbing, spreading... If you're just wanting the edges or only slight discoloration, you could use Q-Tips or cotton balls.

Lastly, to seal it all and protect it and make sure its going to stay put, I do another heavy coat of Mod Podge. As it dries it will have bubbles but if you used a scraper or a flat edged anything to smooth it out while still wet, the bubbles will not be there once its completely done. So for Erica, even though we used spray adhesive to get the paper on, I would coat it with Mod Podge.



 Now since hers will have the glass as the protective top, my final step isn't really necessary which is to use Clear Acrylic Spray Paint in Satin Finish to make it water proof, protect from scratches and anything else coming at it. Krylon is my hands down favorite.

As far as the paper application/process goes, that's it! SO easy.

Now addressing the flower issue, I would simply take measurements/trace the shape, take it in to Home Depot, look at their scrap plywood, then have them cut it for you. They cut it for free so its even better! Depending on the coloring you're going for would depend on the paint obviously. For me, I would do another application of paper so it ties it in with the top in which case the process is the same but I'd use Mod Podge to apply it to the wood.

You could leave the frame black, age it, or paint it. I would probably go ahead and either age it or paint it. To get it 'aged' and a little rusty, I use nail polish remover and cotton balls. I just douse the cotton balls and rub away at the metal. It takes away some of the paint and instantly 'rusts' it without the nasty mess of rusty powder or chips. Again, depending on the look and how drastic you want the antique look will determine how much you do. As far as painting, I would pick an accent color in whatever room its going in and paint it. If you're painting, obviously tape off and paint before the paper application.

That's it! It really is so easy and doesn't take longer than a couple hours depending on the size of the furniture and taking in account how long it takes for stuff to dry.

Erica, I hope this helps you spark your creative bones a little bit!