Bunnies to the Attic

Hello friends
I am putting away the few Easter/Spring decorations I scattered around the house this year. As I was gathering them up and admiring my work, I decided to share their make-overs with you.

This large bunny was found at JoAnn's on sale and with a coupon. He stands 9" tall from surface to ear tips; both his stance and size appealed to me but his paint job was reminiscent of a case of the mange.  I was so eager to start his make-over that I neglected to take a "before" picture. Trust me, it wasn't pretty.

Some of the best patterns and designs can be found on paper napkins, especially cocktail size ones. I buy the ones I like whenever I see them. I've found pretty ones at both TJ Maax and Home Goods, and at after season sales in gift shops.

Looking into my stash, I found the perfect design and decoupaged it onto the body. Simply separate the layers of paper napkin, using only the single, top patterned layer. Then paint the Mod Podge onto the bunny and smooth the pieces of napkin onto the body. Wrinkles are OK - they will not show and "a man on a galloping horse" will never see them. I worked the napkins around the eyes (so no re-painting there) and used brown paint for the nose.

Adding white paint for the bow was the finishing touch to make him much more handsome . . . now this bunny has a high-end decorator feel rather than a poorly painted Made in China look.

Here's a four-side view. I had thought for a millisecond to paint his tail white but decided against it. All in all, I was pleased with this handsome guy.

The little bunnies (4" tall) seen below were found at the Christmas Tree Shop. Each was spruced up with a new look using the same decoupage method. 

None of the four I bought had perfectly clean fur (what do you want for $1.29?) so out came the Mod Podge, napkins and tissue paper. Here's the before and the after in their Easter finery:

The French script bunny is covered with tissue paper I rediscovered in my supplies. I used some green napkin for the base and painted the flower and nose with nail polish. 

Paper napkins were used to make a twin to the large bunny and for the more feminine stripe bunny. Again, I worked around the eyes on all of them so I didn't have to repaint. Nail polish nose.

The bottom of each was covered with coordinating paper to minimize furniture scratching.  I added a postmark from the tissue paper to the green bunny base for a bit of whimsy.

 Now that they have ushered in Spring, they are off to the attic 'til next season! 

If you happen to have a decorative piece you like but are tired of its look, try the Mod Podge and paper napkin makeover. It's pretty simple and fun to do.

Cheers!

Susan

The Mezzanine and a Table Transformation

There is a spot in our living room we call "the mezzanine" - actually it is a parsons console table placed behind the main couch that faces the TV.  Two upholstered dining chairs from Pier 1 make this an ideal spot to have a snack, surf the net, or work on a crafty project while whatever "gripping" drama plays out on TV.

This parsons table was custom made many years ago in (wait for it) pale lavender laminate during my "Southwestern phase."  It coordinated with a rose/lavender/khaki tweed sectional couch and a custom pieced carpet. There have been several couches and carpets since that time, but the table has lingered on in various places around the room. It's a perfect size and quite functional - the only drawback being the color.

When the most recent couch came to live in the house, the lavender laminate just did not work with the cinnamon colored leather. I searched for a replacement table without success - how could one improve on perfection?  It became very clear that it was time to "refresh" or refinish the parsons table. (Note: I've been looking for a photo of the table in its lavender skin, but haven't found one.  Apparently it has been successfully obliterated from the history of our furniture.)

With the man of the house voicing his skepticism, a roll of brown kraft paper and a jar of Mod Podge began the transformation.  The paper was ripped into pieces of varying sizes and applied to the entire surface of the table overlapping the uneven edges.  In some places, the paper rippled a bit, but I liked the texture it gave to the table. It took a few evenings of work to cover the whole table - the legs were time-consuming since they had to be covered on all four sides.

Below you can see the torn edges of the paper on the legs and some of the uneven overlaps that add texture and interest to the surface.

Table legs

Parsons table corner

Parsons Table Top

After all the lavender laminate had been covered, the table cured for about two weeks. I wanted a "top coat" of something  to seal the surface and after some looking around decided to apply several coats of Mod Podge Hard Coat. It was looking good.


Below is the parsons table in all its glory.  It is the perfect color to give the perfect table a perfect new look to complement the most recent (and final) perfect couch purchase. Success!

Cheers!

S.