3D Solar System Mirror

Hi Folks,

Today I'm sharing a recent project that I did upstyling an old bathroom mirror for my son's bedroom.  The theme he asked me for was the Solar System - he wanted planets.

As you can see from the photos there is a panel at the top of the mirror which was the perfect place to add something interesting.

I painted on three circles using a cup, a glass, and a small bowl.  Next I used some modelling clay to add texture to the planets.  I glued it down with some general craft glue and smoothed out some parts that were too prominent.  I then used some wood glue to create splashes over the entire area and left to dry.

Next I painted the planets mixing various colours.  Green and blue (earth)  red and blue, and red and yellow (orange).  I painted the background using medium grey and white acrylic paint and I splattered on white for effect and added glitter.  When dry I removed the splashes of wood glue which created a star-like effect.  I then sealed with a coat of varnish.

Give it a go!

Bye for now

Hi Guys,

I am very excited to share my latest furniture upcycle project with you. This time I revamped an old coffee table that I bought online a while back.  It was in a sorry state when I got it but after some TLC including cleaning, sanding, priming painting and varnishing. it now looks a million dollars.  Here are some pics of it before I got started...

Moroccan Style Coffee Table - Before 1

Moroccan Style Coffee Table Before 2

Cleaning

This isn't the first coffee table that I’ve finished and I more or less stuck to the same process as usual for the renewing.  I started with the cleaning which entailed wiping it down with soapy water and a sponge, careful not to soak it too much and when dry giving it a good going-over with sugar soap and finally another wipe down, this time with white spirit.  When this is done you can be sure your items is spotless and ready for the next step.

Sanding

I used a detail palm sander for the top and to get into the nooks and crannies, a dremel and some plain old hand sanding.  This is my least favourite part but if you want a nice finish it’s best not to leave it out.  Another wash down with white spirit and it was ready for priming.

Priming

I always use ZinsserBulls Eye 123 primer, it’s a great product and it also seals - I painted on two coats of this stuff letting the first coat dry before applying the second.  Now I know it's possible to paint directly over almost any surface with chalk paint but I don't, I like a primer to give the paint a good grounding.  However, if you feel this is overkill, and you have a good quality paint, go ahead and and leave this step out.

Painting
Once the primer has dried it's time for the exciting bit - the painting.  I used a light taupe colour chalk paint as a base and applied two coats letting the first coat dry thoroughly before applying the second.

Stenciling
Right from the start I had a half-plan in the back of my head for this table, I knew I wanted to do a Moroccan style finish and as I had creative licence, the stencil had already been put aside for the job. The colour was more or less predefined by the owner's sitting room colour scheme as that's where it would eventually be placed.  For the stenciling I used two different shades of blue paint one a chalk paint and the other an acrylic and I also added some black acrylic for depth,  I used gold acrylic paint for the trim which I think finished the table off nicely.

I placed the stencil and slowly worked across the entire table top.  When I had finished I felt the table was a little unbalanced or top heavy so I used the same stencil to add more of the same Moroccan design across the bar at the lower end of the table and this worked a treat giving it the balance that was missing.

Moroccan Style Coffee Table

Varnishing
Three coats of water based varnish sealed the table and when dry I waxed it over with a little clear wax.  This is it finished.

Moroccan Style Coffee Table - Top View

Moroccan Style Coffee Table - /Close-up

Moroccan Style Coffee Table - Front View

Bye for now