Some people just have all the luck when it comes to sniffing out thrift store bargains. When Kim found this battered yet solid desk for the incredible price of $26, she knew she had to have it; learning it was on sale for half that was just icing on the cake. She immediately wrestled the desk into her car, determined to try out a decoupaging technique on this bargain find.
Kim used this piece to experiment with fabric, using a bargain remnant (only $5/yard) to add some color and texture to this vintage piece. She sanded the base of the desk before painting it a soft yellow. Kim sanded the top smooth then coated it in polyurethane to protect the finish before painting the edges black for contrast. Lots of cutting and decoupaging later, Kim had a bright and wonderful desk at a bargain price.
For more pictures and detailed materials information, check out Too Much Time on My hands: Decoupage Fabric Desk. This would be a great project for a piece of wood furniture where the finish is too far gone to save, or for a room that needs a little oomph.
Image: Photos by Kim from Too Much Time on My Hands.
100 DIY Ideas for the 3-Day Weekend
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Flatwa...
Party Recipe: Creamy Crawfish Dip
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
wow! such a big difference! great job!
The creativity out there never ceases to amaze me. Also love how the edge treatment was streamlined.
Whoa! I would not have seen the potential in that desk. Looks great.
GORGEOUS!!!
It's so beautiful, but what happened to the great scalloping on the front edge of the desk?
Congratulations on the transformation!
like it! :)
Wow! It looks great. I was wondering about the scalloped edge too.
Aw, crap. I like it (purist here.) Seriously, great job. Is there a picture if the top?
Wunderbar!
Seriously, it's great. Nice color combo, not overdone or gimmicky but punchy and kind of vintage-y. Well done.
looks like my friends desk she has from her grandmother...only she kept it in the natural wood state...in good condition..... I too wonder where the cool edge is
It looks like that edge was supposed to go all the way around the desk, but one side was missing--perhaps they just thought it would be better to get rid of it outright rather than take off the other side and then cut down the ends?
Neat! Though I wish we could see a better After picture!
Kim from Too Much Time Here....
One side of the scalloped edging was missing, one was seriously damaged and for the life of me I couldn't find any that matched-so I made the executive decision to scrap it. It looked weird on just 2 sides. I saved the two good pieces though and hope to use them on a smaller project! There are lots of photos on my blog.
LOVE IT!!!
I have seen similar (probably not matching) rope trim at Home Depot in the past. If you like the look, you could probably check and see if it's the right width, then replace it all around.
I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of the particular fabric used, but I think the idea is cool. I always wondered about decoupaging really nice washi (origami) paper onto drawer fronts... maybe someday!
Very, very cool!!
I like how the pattern is continued from panel to panel, very cheery.
At my old farmhouse there was awful scratched faded beat-up avocado green counter top in the kitchen. I decoupaged the counter with old recipe cards and photo copied pictures from 30's recipe books then topped it off with 6 coats of polyurethane. I loved it, several years later it was still in good shape. I'm planning on doing that again in my new old house.
I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU KEPT THE SAME HARDWARE. THIS IS SUPER CUTE. PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK!!