Upcycled Dolls House Furniture

A super quick post today. I found a little dolls house in a charity shop a few weeks ago and had to buy it just because I had exactly the same thing as a child, for my Sindy dolls! Here is a pic of how it turned out - sorry about the lighting, it doesn't capture the metallic sparkle at all sadly!!!

The dark patches are actually shiny and golden!

This is how it looked after a good clean and before I painted it; a bit sad, the plastic was yellowed and patchy which you can't really see and the definition on the doors and drawer fronts was faded. And look at that original box! It had most of the items in the pic except some of the cutlery and the candelabras.

I mixed some DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint in pale pink (Pink Chiffon) and white (Everlasting) to make a really pale pink. Having given all the pieces a really good wash with hot soapy water, I gave it all a coat of the mixed paint. You have to be really careful with any furniture, but especially with miniature pieces like this, not to leave paint along edges where doors etc fit. Just a thin layer of paint where things slide in can stop doors closing and drawers closing. So once it's all painted go around where things meet with a bit of sand paper.

I used a sponge to paint most of it, the 4 sides and the legs, this makes it a lot easier to minimise paint runs and give a consistent coverage. And along the top where I did want it smooth, I used a wide brush.

Once completely dry, I used metallic lustres in Iced Espresso and Champagne to highlight the doors and drawer edges and handles and raised decorative areas. I also added a few streaks along the smooth top of the furniture for a little bling!

I was very lucky that I knew of someone who wanted the upcycled piece, who gave me a little more than I paid for it (which is all I asked) as a donation to the Princess Alice Hospice as I am taking part in a Charity Fundraising Abseil on 24th March down Spinnaker Tower!

Thanks for looking!
Suz