Taking An Old Table From Drab to Fab! by Ceceilia Brown

When I first saw this Lone Wolf Luxe Decoupage Paper I just had to have it! I had no idea what I was going to put it on, but I just had to have that wolf!

When it arrived, I took it with me into a local secondhand shop to try to find the perfect piece. I came across this cute little table and just knew it was the one. It may have looked a little rough around the edges, but it was a perfect fit for what I had in mind.

So I took it home and gave it a really good clean and thorough scuff sand. Then I wiped it down again to make sure there was no dust or anything that would cause adhesion issues.

I used a wet rag for this, but you could use a tack cloth instead if you prefer. I just like to use water when I can. I feel like it doubles as an extra rinse to make sure there is no cleaning residue left. Since this is not raw wood I was not concerned about raising any grains.

Now onto the fun part.!

With smaller pieces like this, I usually start them upside down. It’s just easier to get the legs done this way and that bottom edge. You don’t want to skip painting the edges of the bottom side.

I chose Dixie Belle‘s Caviar and Cobalt Blue for the majority of the body. These colors were a great match for the Lone Wolf Luxe Decoupage Paper. I used the Cobalt Blue as sort of a highlight for each section and then softly blended it into the Caviar.

Now, for the main surface where my wolf was going, I used the color Fluff, which is a soft white. All decoupage papers become somewhat transparent when you apply them. So if you use a dark color underneath it’s going to create a darker, more moody look. My wolf has a light source coming from behind it and I definitely did not want to darken that. I wanted it bright. As the edges of the paper are already dark, it wasn’t going to hurt anything to leave the dark paint in those places.

As you can see here I painted my white in the middle where I knew the main part of my image was going to be. I softened the line from black to white a little, but I didn’t bother trying to blend this very well. No one was going to see it anyway.

I did two coats all over. Once everything was completely dry I was ready for my paper. I used the wet decoupage method for this.

First I trimmed off all of the excess white around my image.

I used Dixie Belle‘s Satin Clear Coat as my glue.  Any water-based topcoat or glue will do the job, I just like the consistency of the Satin. I spritzed the backside of the paper with water using my misting bottle. This helps to create a suction and avoid wrinkles. I started at one edge and brushed my clear coat onto my piece, working in about 2-inch sections at a time.

When I lined up my paper right where I wanted it, I started to smooth it out using my blue applicator tool. This tool is a must-have for decoupage! Using the felt edge, I went over my image where I had just glued, sweeping from the inside out toward the edge.

I repeated this process until the entire paper was adhered, then I let it dry. At this point, you could typically call it done and go ahead and apply your topcoat. But this particular piece has an insert that lifts out. I needed to trim around it. An X-Acto knife works great for this. After trimming, I used my sanding block to remove any excess overhang. Always rub in an outward or downward direction so you don’t risk lifting the paper.

 As you can see here, once my edges were all cleaned up you could see the sides of the insert. To remedy this, I just popped it out and painted them. Much better!

I decided to go ahead and paint a few highlights to carry my image to the edge. At this point, I was really happy with how it looked.

I went ahead and sealed my entire piece with the same Satin Clear Coat by Dixie Belle. I went over the top surfaces with Minwax Polycrylic for a little extra protection.

I just love how this came out, especially the light shining from behind the Lone Wolf! I hope you’re ready to go out and try some decoupaging of your own now too!

Ceceilia from Rustic at Heart