Makeover with Wallpaper

Working in an interior design shop such as Laura Ashley, gives me full time access to some lovely floral and patterned samples that I can’t keep away from! I’ve decided to step away from the obvious -wallpaper to wall- use, but to experiment with other ways to use wallpaper. I’ve already posted about how to decoupage your old paint tins, of which I used wallpaper as my example and now i’ve decided to go vintage, with some brilliant old-fashioned patterns that have turned up from Laura Ashley’s Heritage collection.

I’m using a cutlery tray that I bought for £4.99 from Robert Dyas for my wallpaper challenge, you can also buy these from many other stores but if you’ve grabbed yourself a bargain from a second hand thrift shop then be sure to give them a good wash before you begin.

I started off by choosing which papers to use for each section, and although this task seems pretty simple, I had so many to choose from which led to a long dilemma and debate with myself until I made my final decision. Once chosen I measured the panels that the paper would lay on and cut them to size. I used pinking shears to cut my pieces, but this would work equally as well with a straight edged pair.

After I had all of my paper cut out i moved on to painting the base coat for the cutlery tray, I had a mixture of different coloured sample pots I picked up from The Range, and decided to use all of them! The majority of the painted area will not be seen once the paper panels are stuck down, so don’t be too precise with getting the paint job perfect… give it some shabby chic!

When the paint is completely dry, use a good helping of PVA glue to stick down the paper panels.

Once I had finished putting in all the panels of paper, I lightly used sandpaper to rub down the edges and corners to give it a rustic look, and used another layer of PVA glue over the whole surface of the paper panels to add a little protection to it all. It will turn clear when it dries.

The final outcome! I’m genuinely very chuffed with how this has turned out! I’ve cleaned out my cutlery draw and given it all a polish. This can also be saved just for a special occasion, or a completely different use such as storage for jewellery or of course more crafty items!

Now i’m off to ponder on what to do with the rest of my wallpaper samples! The possibilities are endless!