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Monday, October 22, 2012

Paris Tea Cart

I told you Saturday that I was working on a reverse decoupage project and finally it is finished.  I did not take a before pic of this piece, but I'll describe it as truly a Bombay Company tea cart.  I'm sure you have a visual of it in your mind.  It was very traditional, and, just to ally your fears, no, I did not take a fine antique and shabby it up.



 I had my husband paint the cart with primer gray, and then I came back and repainted it with Annie Sloan Ochre.  Then I took my mouse sander and gave it a harsh sanding.  I was going for the faded worn vintage look so soft colors and worn paint were the order of the day.
 I did the top and bottom with only very slight variations.  I took different images I found on the internet and literally cut and taped them in layers so that I could go to the copy store and get one 11x17 laser copy image.  I made one copy for the top and one for the bottom.  Working with one sheet of paper made it easy.
 If you want to try this, don't forget to reverse the image if letters are involved.  I'll recap my images in case you like the ones I used.  An Old rose image search on the internet yielded this beautiful cluster of roses.  The Graphics Fairy yielded four of the post mark images, the bee and the postage stamp with the butterfly.  Just put in post marks and you should be able to find these.  The image in the bottom right is an image I found when I was searching for French perfume labels.
One of these days I will do a step by step tutorial of what each step entails because believe it or not each sheet of regular copy paper needs about five tries at dissolving the paper to reveal the image.   After the image was revealed, I came back in with a scrolly-type stencil and tried to make my paint a gray green to blend with my faded image.  When this was complete, I sprayed about three coats of Deft lacquer spray over the image to seal everything.  You can find Deft at Home Depot.  I like the Satin finish.  I'm still learning about this process, but I love the end result and I hope you do to.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style 
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


26 comments:

Inmaculada said...

ohhhhh¡¡¡¡¡¡pero que belleza de mesa, me ha enamorado.
besos.

Lynda Bergman Decorative Artisan said...

It's sooo beautiful!! and, I know it's a lot of hard work, getting it right.

Donna said...

Your tea cart is amazing, Maggie! It is truly my favorite project of yours, hands down! The images are gorgeous, and I am loving all of the colors and distressing. This will sell in a flash, for sure!!! (Or are you keeping this beauty? I sure couldn't part with it!!)

karen@somewhatquirky said...

This is beautiful Maggie. Is this the process where you put the image face down and then peal it off after it is dry? I really want to do this.

chateau chic said...

Maggie, Your tea cart is adorable. Love how you transformed it with paint and the graphics.
Mary Alice

Susie said...

That cart is spectacular. You have a wonderful eye for making the right choices. Smiles, Susie

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

This is stunning, Maggie! A lot of work ~ but absolutely gorgeous!

Shabby Gr8 Dane said...

Absolutely to die for! Thank you for sharing such lovely work all of the time.

Sherrie

Two Cottages And Tea said...

What a beautiful tea cart! You did a perfect job refinishing it!
Nancy

Deborah@Green Willow Pond said...

Just stunning! I love this, and yes please, post a tutorial soon :)

Deborah

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

The cart is absolutely gorgeous!!! I love the combination of flowers and faded text!

We got good news yesterday. :)

First Night Design said...

Fabulous transformation! (via The Graphics Fairy)

Anonymous said...

Just gorgeous! I love the soft, muted colors and images.

srpprcrftr said...

NO I hate it, silly. It's gorgeous, love that soft vintagy worn look so much. You did an absolutely superb job. Wow. Your cart has to be one of bestest pieces I've seen. You have talent and lots of patience.
Wish I could do things like that but just don't seem to have enuf patience.
Don't you love your little mouse sander? I've had one for years and it's been a life saver. I can not hold one of those big sanders in my hands for any length of time.

The Polka Dot Closet said...

OH.....This is FABULOUS!!! I love the graphics and colors, it is perfect!!!!

Carol

Annette T. said...

Maggie, this is absolutely beautiful. I don't see how you could part w/it. Yes, a tutorial would be great. I've not worked w/those transfers yet either. I'd say you out did yourself!

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

This is stunning, so soft and muted. You did a great job. I am definately going to clop your process. . .I have the perfect table for it.
Stop over and see my new ASCP project. I'm kind of proud of it.
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

Charlotte said...

I would love to see a full blown tutorial on this. The combination of the colorful roses and neutral postmarks is just beautiful

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

Maggie,

Your tea cart is gorgeous!!!

Shabby chic Sandy said...

This is a work of art--totally gorgeous! What a lovely piece.

ANNE said...

A work of art is right! So beautiful You created the perfect combination of images, colours and shapes.

Stunning!

xox

Sayuri said...

WoW!!
This is so pretty and what you did is impressive:)
I absolutely love it!!

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Your cart is gorgeous! I love it! It's very soft and a delight to the eye. Good job! Have a beautiful weekend.

Blessings,
Sandi

Bliss said...

Turned out beautiful. Pinned it too.

Bliss

Anonymous said...

Everything about this is gorgeous...what a wonderful creation!

karen@somewhatquirky said...

Hi Maggie! I was looking through a pinterest board and came across this piece from you that I thought was before I knew you but I see that I've already commented! It's so pretty!!!!!