Curiosity Cabinet DIY

I've been obsessed with making a curiosity cabinet for a while, but had no idea where to start.  Should I start with an Ikea shelf? Maybe a simple bookshelf?  I was stumped!  Finally, a few weeks ago on my morning run I saw an estate sale and dragged my sweaty self in there to poke around.  There it was.... a rickety cabinet they could barely give away!  This cabinet had broken glass, loose doors and 20 layers of paint....It was PERFECT!  Now even though this makeover took several days to complete, I truly enjoyed every minute of it.  My favorite part is the plastic dollar store mirrors turned into decorative corners!  Who knew?!  Remember, make messes, hit yard sales and always Make Your Mark! 

Almost ready to drag into the house!

Not quite filled with everything, but getting there!

Check out my BUTTERFLIES & BIRDS UNDER GLASS video!

Found the drawer handles on a discarded dresser!  (I keep a screwdriver on my keychain)

See how I went from this............to this!

Watch the entire process here

STUFF YOU'LL NEED

Old cabinet or shelf

Metallic paint marker

Ornate plastic mirrors (got mine at the 99c store)

Sander, Jigsaw & Dremel

12" x 24" 1/4" thick plywood and 1" screws

Americana Matte Decoupage

Book pages

Americana Decor Maxx Gloss in Patent Leather

E-6000 Glue

Americana Glazing Medium and Americana Acrylic color you like

DecoArt Metallic Lustre in Gold Rush

 1. 2. & 3. With your jigsaw, cut out the front panels and carefully remove old handles and glass

4.  Sand the entire piece to remove cracked paint and warping

5. 6. & 7.  Create a pediment pattern for the top, cut in 1/4" plywood, sand and attach to the top with 1" long wood screws

8. & 9.  Remove the mirror from the plastic frames, cut into 4 equal pieces and clean rough edges with a craft knife

10.  Glue them in the corners with E-6000 Glue and tape them in place while they dry

11. & 12.  Stir the Maxx Gloss and paint the entire face and sides of the cabinet (not the inside)

 13. 14. 15. & 16.  Coat the inside with Americana Decoupage, mist the book pages with water and apply to the cabinet walls and sides.

17. 18. & 19. Using a soft cloth, add the Metallic Luster to the ornate corners and new drawer handles

20. & 21.  Edge the cabinet, drawers and details with a metallic gold paint marker

22.  Add the new drawer handles

23. & 24.  Mix the Americana Glazing Medium with equal amounts of water and about 15% acrylic paint and then glaze over the decoupaged book pages.

Fill with curiosities!

Thrift Store Tray Makeover

Do you ever see those stacks of cheap metal trays at the thrift store?  I get them for about $1 each and I keep buying them in hopes that one day I'll figure out what to do with them.  Well, I finally figured out a fun way to give them a makeover and I think they look fantastic!  A little bit of paint and some fabric is all you'll need.  Use them on a dresser, in the bathroom to organize, or put a doily liner on them and use them to serve things like cupcakes and cookies.  Everyone needs a tray or two!

Remember, have fun, make messes and don't forget to Make Your Mark!  xoxo

Tray Chic!

Love the way these look together!

Using the same fabric unifies the design

See how easy they are to make right here!

Stuff You'll Need

Thrift store trays

Fabric

Maxx Gloss in colors that match your fabric

Maxx Gloss in White China

Americana Decoupage in Gloss

Paintbrush

Scissors

Butcher paper 

 1.  Trace the pattern of the base of the tray on butcher paper

2.  Cut out the pattern in fabric

3.  Stir your Maxx Gloss thoroughly

4.  Paint the edge of the tray in Maxx Gloss (in a color you choose)

5.  Paint the base of the tray in Maxx Gloss White China

*This will make sure the fabric doesn't dull when you apply it to the tray

6. & 7.  Coat the base of the tray with Americana Decoupage in Gloss

8.  Carefully place the fabric on the base of the tray

9.  Coat the fabric with more Americana Decoupage and let dry

Done!

My new colorful summer trays!

Decoupaged Fabric Table Makeover

I can't stop dragging stuff home from the thrift store....I can't do it!  Tables, old silver, books, chairs.......I have a problem!  The one saving grace about this is that I have a job that actually requires me to haunt these places regularly so that I can create inspirational projects for all of you.  Still, I have no more room in my house, but that's another story.  Today we're tackling a simple side table with beautiful Ikat fabric I found at JoAnn Fabrics.  I used Americana Decor Maxx Gloss and some Americana Decoupage in gloss to put it all together.  In no time, this table went from drab to FAB.  (I love saying that)  Can someone please come over and take away some of this furniture?  Remember, make messes, have fun and don't forget to Make Your Mark!  xoxo

Tea for two

I love how the fabric instantly fixed up the scratched surface

The Americana Decoupage in Gloss dries to a super hard finish, too!

See how easy it is to do here

Stuff You'll Need

Thrift store table

Enough fabric to cover the top

Americana Decor Maxx Gloss (in a matching color)

*I used Caribbean Sea

Americana Decoupage in Gloss

Paintbrush

Scissors

Large sheet of butcher paper

Optional: Metallic Gold Paint Pen

1.  Press paper around the table top to create a pattern

2.  Trace around the crease with a pencil and cut out

3. & 4.  Pin to the fabric and carefully cut out the pattern

5. & 6. Pick a color of Maxx Gloss to match the fabric and stir thoroughly, don't shake

7.  Give the table 1 to 2 coats of Maxx Gloss (no need to sand, prime or prep)

8. & 9.  Coat the table top with Americana Decoupage

10.  Make sure there are no wrinkles and that the fabric is perfectly flat and in position

11.   Coat the entire piece of fabric with a generous amount of the Decoupage and let dry

12.  Optional:  Use a metallic gold paint pen to edge the table

Will you join me?

Ikea Hack Art Deco Table

From a very early age I was obsessed with the illustrator Erté and his wonderful depiction of fashion during the Art Deco period.  The beautiful dresses, the amazing furniture and fantastic architecture just did it for me.  The Empire State Building and the Chrystler Building are just two of the most famous and most beautiful Art Deco buildings, and for most of my life in NYC I was able to look up and appreciate them every day.  I decided to take my love of Ikea hacks and create an Art Deco side table with the new super glossy MAXX GLOSS paints from DecoArt.  From $5 table to showstopper!  Enjoy.  Be creative.  Make messes.  Have fun

xoxo, Mark

Watch how easy it is to make here!

I think my table would look amazing in this room!

This poster served as inspiration for my design

Stuff You'll Need

Lack table from Ikea (or small, square side table)

Maxx Gloss in China White and Patent Leather

Jigsaw

Metallic gold paint pen

E-6000 Glue

1/4" plywood cut in the following sizes:

8 - 2" x 6"

8 - 4" x 8"

8 - 6" x 10" 

1.  Using a large lid, trace a curve on the corner of each of the 24 pieces

2.  Cut each curve with a jigsaw and fine blade

3.  Sand each piece with a sander or sandpaper

4.  Paint the 6"x 10" and 2" x 6" pieces with Maxx Gloss in black

*Make sure you paint 4 sets facing each direction

5.  Paint the 4" x 8" pieces in China White

6.  When dry edge each piece with a metallic paint pen

7.  Paint the entire table with the Maxx Gloss in black

*Ikea tables come in black, but they are not glossy which is the effect I wanted

8.  Glue the painted wood pieces together in sets

9.  With E-6000, glue them to the corners of each side of the table and let dry

In love!

Let's Make Pop Art!

The problem with paint chips is that they're never quite big enough AND I always feel terrible when I "borrow" a large amount for a project.  I swear I'm on the 10 MOST WANTED paint chip thieves list!  I solved this problem recently by taking my favorite colors of Americana Decor Maxx Gloss and making my own super big, glossy paint chips to use in some fun art pieces.  Gotta tell you, it was much more satisfying because you never run out of that "amazing" color AND you don't have to make another trip to the hardware store.  Have fun!  Make Art!  Make Your Mark!

xoxo, Mark

A close-up of my favorite harlequin piece

I call this one "Gumdrops"

Harlequin and Lumpy Jelly Beans

See how easy it is to do here!

Stuff You'll Need

Americana Decor Maxx Gloss

White Frames

Card stock

E-6000 Spray Adhesive

Paintbrushes

1. Stir the Maxx Gloss colors thoroughly

2. Paint them on pieces of card stock and let dry

3.  Try lots of different colors

4.  Cut the "paint chips" into diamond shape

5.  Try lumpy jelly bean shapes, too

6.  Apply the pieces to a large sheet of paper with E-6000 Spray Adhesive

7.  Keep the diamonds about 1/4" apart

8.  Repeat the process with the fat jelly bean shapes on another piece of art

9.  Frame your art in big, clean, white frames to make the colors pop!

Art doesn't have to be so serious!

Ikea Hack Kate Spade Desk DIY

LOVING the Kate Spade furniture and lighting lately, but just not loving the prices.  Sooooooo I decided to hack a few things and see if I could get the same look for less.  You know, the old High/Low challenge!  As much as I wanted the original $3,500 desk, I thought I could save some cash and make a similar version with the Alex desk from Ikea.  Um, as you can see, they're pretty similar and I'm just fine having spent less than $200 on the entire project.  Now you can, too.  Unless, of course, you're loaded and you really want to spend that much on a polka dot desk.

Have fun!  xoxo, Mark

The original Kate Spade desk

My version with slightly different hardware

I used barrel bolts to get the same feel as the Kate desk and I'm pretty happy with them

See the short video tutorial here!

Stuff You'll Need

Alex desk from Ikea (or your own)

American Decor Maxx Gloss in Patent Leather

2 polished brass Barrel Bolts

Drill

Soft bristle brush

3/4" daubers

Center and screw in the barrel bolts in the center of each drawer

Clip tiny divots in the dauber

*Kate's polka dots aren't perfectly round

Stir the Maxx Gloss thoroughly

Test the dauber on piece of paper to get the hang of it

Paint polka dots on the top of the desk

Paint the legs in solid black with a brush

Looks perfect with my Kate Spade inspired polka dot lamp!

Kate Spade Lamp DIY

AKA Thrift Store Lamp DIY!  So a few weeks back I was dreaming about buying a few Kate Spade pieces for my home.  I love her aesthetic, always have.  Then I saw the prices!  $570 for a lamp! Are you kidding me?  Do you also want my first child?  Right then I realized that with a little elbow grease and some MAXX GLOSS paint, I could create that very same lamp for about $25 bucks.  Less if I could find the shape at a thrift store.  BTW, I hit 6 thrift stores and could not find this shape (because I was looking for it).  The following week, after the project was done, I found 3 of them!  If you're not having any luck, head to Target.com or LampsPlus.com and check out the sale items. This column shape is very popular and MAXX GLOSS will cover anything.  Have fun!

xoxo, Mark

My beautiful polka dot, Kate Spade inspired lamp!

See how easy it is to make right here!

Stuff You'll Need

Column lamp

MAXX GLOSS in patent leather

Americana Decor Chalky Finish in lace

Krylon Short Cuts paint pen in metallic gold

3/4" dauber

3/4" metallic gold sticker dots

Fine hair paint brush

Paint the lamp with MAXX GLOSS and let dry

Create a pattern of dots with the chalky finish in lace using the dauber

Cover each dot with a gold sticker leaving a crescent moon on each

Paint the top edge with the Krylon Short Cuts paint pen

I love my new work space!