Decorating With Dolls, part 1
A trunk that I got from one of the Bradlees stores before that company went belly-up. Some assembly required. I painted it, distressed it, and marked it with a B,and put it in the oven for Baby and then decoupaged it.
Decoupaged with images that I color-copied from a book on Czecheslovakian Folk Toys that I found in in the basement stacks of my former library. Good source for images: the giant art books that they can't keep in the stacks with the normal-sized books. As luck would have it, these dolls were perfectly sized for fitting in the slats on the trunk. I think I only had to reduce one.
My favorite decoupage book is called New Decoupage, Transforming Your Home with Paper, Glue, and Scissors by Durwin Rice. Not only is this book laid out really well, with great step-by-step instructions, and lovely photos, I can Guarantee you Giggles Galore. For example, Mr. Rice writes,
Even for those eternally committed to protecting their decoupage creation, thirty coats is downright loony, twenty coats is overdoing it, and even ten coats will get you bumped from my dinner invitation list. You want to protect your work from scratches-- not Hurricane Andrew, cosmic radiation, or the Ebola virus.
One of the steps he includes for decoupaging a trivet is:
Prepare a tuna casserole, invite friends to dinner, and casually remove the tuna casserole dish from the trivet. Await inevitable raves about the beautiful trivet, which will be a welcome distraction if the casserole is a bust.
The book includes instructions for completing plates, trivets, mantel urns, wood-block puzzles, serving trays, cachepots, decoupage eggs, floral and other vases, and hat boxes. He even shows his decoupaged REFRIGERATOR! and his ceilings that he decoupaged with images of the Sistine Chapel.
This trunk used to serve as the coffee table in my former house, but now it's more of like a blanket trunk in my bedroom, holding out-of-season slipcovers. For a fraction of the time & expense, a result that looks like the dolls were hand-painted on the trunk! (** Click on any image to see it larger! **)
Not your Grandma's decoupage, for sure! I love this trunk, but of course -- I love the way the world is coloured through your eyes. Happy stuff. Thanks so much for sharing...
Posted by: Jen domestika | September 20, 2006 at 10:05 AM
i love the colour scheme and the dolls... i hadn't thought of decopaging before much really, but how great this looks makes me want to try it! :)
Posted by: michelle | February 21, 2006 at 03:04 PM
Amazingly cool project, love the look of the dolls together like that on a trunk! Great work!
Posted by: Hanna | February 20, 2006 at 04:39 AM
That's an amazing trunk! I love the dolls on it, such a great idea! I haven't decoupaged in a long time but this is really inspiring me to give it a go again. Thanks for the book tip too :)
Posted by: Cassi | February 20, 2006 at 02:51 AM
I can not tell you how much I love that
Posted by: kimc | February 18, 2006 at 01:22 AM
I am so in love with that trunk!
Posted by: Gina | February 18, 2006 at 12:43 AM
That is so cool! I love trunks like that and yours is really great! What a great idea it was to decoupage those dolls onto it. :)
Posted by: Marie | February 17, 2006 at 03:36 PM
that is really neat. (i know, i'm such a wordsmith).
i'll have to look for that book.
Posted by: maryse | February 17, 2006 at 02:39 PM
Fabulous. You have the midas touch. I'm slapping myself for passing on a cool yet inexplicably inexpensive chest last weekend.
Posted by: Amanda Lee | February 17, 2006 at 02:24 PM
love the trunk. the dolls are just right for it.
and even though I have no plans on decoupaging anything in the foreseeable future, I might buy the book just to laugh. thanks much!
Posted by: kelly | February 17, 2006 at 08:20 AM
Wow! Great trunk!
Posted by: mimi k | February 17, 2006 at 07:46 AM
You have the loveliest sense of style. Such beautiful dolls...on such a great chest!
Wow!
Posted by: Miz Booshay | February 16, 2006 at 10:43 PM
I have that book - it's fantastic! Your trunk is really wonderful!
Posted by: rose | February 16, 2006 at 10:04 PM
I like it! yeah, oh yeah!
Posted by: Snowbear | February 16, 2006 at 09:43 PM
Absolutely wonderful! I love those dolls, couldn't have picked anything better to put on that trunk. Do you remember what book they are from?
What a treasure....chest. I love it!
Posted by: Blair | February 16, 2006 at 06:55 PM