Inspirational Organizer

Use your creativity and ingenuity to create unique and inspirational organization solutions for your scrap and craft supplies. This little cupboard spent years in a dark corner of our warehouse until our need for more scrapbook product storage brought this cute cupboard out of the dark. Originally painted a dull red with a poorly-executed crackle finish, this cupboard was anything but cute when we unearthed it. A new paint finish and application of scrapbook paper panels make this cupboard as attractive as it is useful. Use these same techniques on found objects or flea market bargains to make your own unique and useful craft storage items.

Supplies:

Paint Stripper and/or Sandpaper: If item has peeling paint or a crackle finish and you want a smooth finish, use paint stripper following manufacturer's directions, then sand lightly. We planned in advance to distress our cupboard so chose to only sand it. A crackle finish can reactivate on new paint, so if you don't want that look and your original piece is crackled, use paint stripper.

Acrylic Craft Paints in Colors of your Choice: We used Delta Ceramcoat® Wedgwood Blue, Apple Green, Eucalyptus, and Americana® Moon Yellow

Matte Varnish

Assorted Paintbrushes

Dowel and End Knobs (Optional)

Drawer Pulls: We made ours from wooden beads (between daisy and cupboard), daisy- shaped screw protectors, and small beads glued onto the screw heads.

Scrapbook Papers : We used a variety of the new Debbie Mumm for Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts papers for this project from the Baby Boy, Baby Girl, and Noah's Ark Lines.

Matte Decoupage

Instructions:

1. Sand or strip paint from wooden cupboard as desired. Remove all sanding residue with a damp cloth.

2. Decide on areas for each paint color. We chose to paint the top and bottom with Wedgwood Blue, the top shelf Moon Yellow, and the body of the cupboard with a mix of Eucalyptus and Apple Green. Two or more coats may be needed for good coverage. Allow paint to dry thoroughly between coats and after the final coat.

3. If a distressed finish is desired, use a small electric sander to scuff paint in areas where normal wear and tear would take place. Edges of doors, tops of drawers and curved areas are good places for distressing. When you are happy with distressing, remove sanding residue and apply matte varnish to all painted surfaces following manufacturer's directions. Allow to dry thoroughly.

4. Decide on placement of scrapbook paper. We used a pink paper for the back of the top shelf; yellow stripe for the middle section; dots for the little doors and four different papers for the drawers. Cut papers to the sizes needed and apply following decoupage manufacturer's instructions. Allow to dry thoroughly.

5. Attach drawer pulls and dowel rod as desired.

Website visitors have permission to print this project for personal use only. This project may not be copied or otherwise reproduced without the express written permission of Debbie Mumm®.