Mermaid Bathroom Vanity: Part Three

I’m excited to have finally finished the bathroom vanity. While I liked the ruffled lace curtain I had made for the front, what I really wanted was doors that I could embellish with mermaid details.

Uncle Cabinet Maker to the rescue! At the same time that he made my microwave door, he built these two doors for the vanity. I love how they are routed to look like the other doors in my cottage.

I’ve had this piece of plywood that looks like a mustache left over from building my mantle crown lying around for ages. Everyone kept telling me to chuck it, but I knew it would come in handy one day.

It was just big enough to cut two panels to cover the openings in the vanity doors. There was only a tiny scrap left over, and I have a silly plan for that later…

The fronts of the new vanity doors got paintable wallpaper insets.

Now the fun part! I got out my Iron Orchid Designs moulds, and my favorite (discontinued) air dry clay. I used the IOD Sea Shells Mould and the IOD Sea Sisters Mould.

I added mermaids, seahorses and seashells around each corner. My favorite glue for air dry clay is Titebond Quick and Thick.

I gave the doors the same paint treatment as the rest of the vanity. I started with a coat of Country Chic Paint in Tropical Cocktail.

I dry brushed on bits of a discontinued paint in a darker aqua green, and added patches of Royal Stencil Creme in Smoked Oyster over the raised areas of the mould castings and randomly over the wallpaper.

I added a discontinued malachite colored paint and wiped it back with a damp cloth. Layers of (discontinued) black and jade gel glaze add to the patina. The aqua and metallic show through in spots, and the whole effect is very watery. The doors were sealed with a water based sealant.