Updating a ‘So-so’ Side Table in MMSMP Boxwood with a Canning Label!

Every now and then there’s a piece of furniture that I’ve worked on, finished and set in my display room ready to take to market or sell online, that I keep taking a second look at. Like it just needs something more to give it that unique “take me home” factor. Here’s my example.

This was one of those projects – a little bedside table with a single drawer, that followed me home from a second hand store one day. I painted it using Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Boxwood green.
(Ha, I so should’ve done this post last month when MMSMP had Boxwood as their colour of the month.) I love this colour, but it wasn’t selling and it looked so plain that I knew I had to do something about it.

I was hit with a light bulb idea when I placed some of my Great Grandfather’s canning labelled cans on this side table one day. I picked one of the four can label designs that would make a good match colour wise, to place on the drawer front. (You can purchase these unique Australian Antique canning label replicas here on my ETSY store.)

Unfortunately, the drawer handle is one that doesn’t unscrew! It has no screw on the back of the drawer, but has been screwed AND glued to the front. SO – I wasn’t about to attempt to remove it … well, I did make an attempt, but it was stuck well and proper!

So, I carefully made a template of how I was going to cut around the handle and applied the pattern to the back of the canning label. I cut the piece out so that the whole label would be centred on the drawer.

I had distressed the paint on the table itself, so I wanted to add a distressed look to the label as well, giving it a more authentic antique feel. So I began to sand back the edges on the label.
In doing this, the white paper really stood out as the image was sanded back, and I didn’t like the look of that either. Eek! What to do?

Brain wave number two – I could stain these ripped white paper edges! I did think of using a dark wax to do this, but I planned on sealing the label with a layer of Mod Podge and didn’t think that would work over wax.

SO – as I was pouring myself a cup of iced tea …

You can see the difference here:

Before staining with a teabag.

After staining with a teabag.

A layer of Mod Podge over the front of the entire drawer to seal the label down nicely, and it was done!

Mod Podge dries clear and adds a layer of protection to decoupage.

And here’s the finished look:These cute faux potted plants are one of the things I picked up yesterday on my trip to IKEA, along with the pretty french linen tea towels in the white basket (above). The tea towels were from 50c each, can you believe that?!

Gives it a little extra oomph and character don’t you think?

If you are in Australia and want to try Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint, you’ll find all the beautiful colours in our Product tab at the top of this page.

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Happy Painting!