French Quarter Silver Chest

I love transforming small little cabinets into one of a kind pieces, and this little gem was no exception.  It's almost a total tone on tone color scheme that is simple yet elegant.

It was a reproduction silver chest, probably from Bombay Company.  I painted it Old White and applied this beautiful image with my old standby transfer method of reverse decoupage.  I've had several questions on this process, but I can't respond because the people who had questions are a no-reply status.  E-mail me if you have specific questions and include your e-mail address.

I will try to answer some of the questions here. First of all, this technique works best on flat paint or chalk paint.  The images will not stick to shiny slick surfaces.  If you like a shinier finish for your finished piece, you can always go over it with a clear satin or gloss spray when your project is completed.  Second of all, I have the best luck with black and white graphics like the ones you can find on Graphics Fairy or Pinterest.  I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to black and white printable images, and you can find many images there.  Lastly, be patient.  Once your reverse decoupage is complete and your image is transferred, take light sandpaper and sand your image lightly to get off any fuzzy residue of the paper.  When this is complete, I go over the graphic with clear wax.  That brings back the crispness of the ink, and then I spray the finished product with a clear coat.  I like Deft lacquer spray the best, but Valspar makes a clear spray suitable for indoor/outdoor use as well.

I like to embellish these little pieces with a little extra detail.  I found this fabulous scroll stencil on Etsy at Wall Masque Stencil.  Isn't it fabulous?  You can use it with joint compound to make this raised plaster effect.  I have also done a tutorial on this raised plaster technique using joint compound.  Click here to see it.

Here is the image I used on my little silver chest.  It's called French Quarter, and it's a great image to use on furniture if you want to give it a Frenchy flair.  I use this reverse mod podge technique a lot.  I can give my upcycled pieces a hand painted romantic look for anywhere between 29 cents and 59 cents.  You can't beat that, and I save hours of work with a single transfer.

Thanks for visiting.

You can find me partying at these beautiful blogs.

French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
Common Ground
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