Green Folk Art Cabinet

I needed a stand up desk for my studio. I rarely sit at my computer there, mainly using it to print packing slips and shipping labels for my Etsy shop. But I also needed the storage for paper and labels and toner that my old desk provided. Most traditional stand up desks I looked at didn’t have storage. So I decided to think outside the box and use a thrifted cabinet. It saved a nice piece of furniture from the landfill (the lady at the ReStore said she almost didn’t accept it and it was priced at only $40) and it gave me a chance to create something in a fun style that goes with my aesthetic.

I used the Primitive Mould from Iron Orchid Designs, along with my favorite air dry Modeling Material from Redesign with Prima. I played around with different patterns and elements until I found a combination I liked.

I used Titebond Wood Glue to attach everything and left it to dry overnight.

Next I gave the whole piece two coats of Fireworks green paint from Country Chic Paint.

Then I used some small artist brushes to fill in all the details in with some beautiful colors. I used Crinoline, Sunday Tea, Driftwood, Leatherbound, Liquorice, Bee’s Knees, Fresh Mustard, Secret Garden, Sage Advice, Cranberry Sauce, Peachy Keen, and a couple of custom blends, all from Country Chic Paint.

I tried to get a wide variety of colors on each drawer or door.

I added details to the sides and top of the cabinet, the inside of the door, and the sides of the drawers with the Pennsylvania Folk Stamps from Iron Orchid Designs.

I liked the look, but it was all too fresh and bright. I wanted it to look older, so I used Rustoleum Chalked Decorative Glaze in Aged to muddy the colors and grunge up the details a bit.

I applied my paint thickly with deliberate brush strokes, and the glaze helped highlight those as well, adding to the primitive, folksy look I was after.