Nopes I don’t mean computer desktops. I mean old fashioned writing table desktops. The ones we used to sit at and do our homework or write letters or make the occasional jigsaw puzzle 🙂 I love desks and I have a beautiful one that was given to my older sister by our grandmother and to me by my sister. It’s quite old fashioned and has some lovely detail, the top unfortunately was not usable and I had two options. One was to get the top replaced and the other was to somehow cover it. You can guess which option I went with, right? My desk became a decoupage project with a steampunk twist.
I am sorry to be digressing from my usual smash book upcycling series of posts. The fact of the matter is that my mind works in an enormously weird way. I tend to go one way and then another and then back again. You may have noticed that I started my upcycled smash and then went on to write about the Strathmore Artist workshops, which are quite awesome btw, and then went on to discuss how I would make a book of ideas and inspiration and now I am talking about desks and decoupage. This my friends is a hazard of taking a creative journey with me. I change course quite often, but always manage to find my way back and complete my projects. 🙂 So have no fear we will be finishing the upcycled smash over this weekend. I just have so much jampacked in this week that I have not been able to find the time to take the book forward. My apologies for that and for this long explanation.
Back to the desktop. I loved the way it turned out at home and then ofcourse I had to take the same technique to my table at the office. I had just moved into a bigger office with large blank walls 🙂 and L-shaped desks. The walls became the perfect canvas for some steampunk art and the desk was a perfect candidate for decoupage.
Here are some pictures of my desk.
The look is pretty simple to duplicate. I started out by using white glue to cover the entire desk with pages from an old book. I used one on the history of literature. Then I started adding some illustrations and other items that I had saved. Everything was glued on, from maps to illustrations of hot air balloons and airships to pictures of paintings. Once this second layer was on and had dried, I used some stamps to stamp motifs in black. Once again I let the table top dry and then added some finishing touches like stickers and smaller ephemera.
I really loved the way the table top turned out. After a coat of varnish to seal the top I used a piece of glass to make sure no harm came to my beloved table. Working at it is a joy and a constant source of inspiration. Do try this at home. You can use a small table or book cover or even a large jar or vase as your canvas.
Hope y’all have an artsy day. I shall be back soon with more crafty stuff to share!
Altered Fantasy 