Decoupaged Counter Tops

A very dear friend of mine suggested that I check out www.copewith6.blogspot.com She loved how her friend, Tricia decoupaged her counter and thought it would make a great feature here. I checked it out and was blown away! I gotta try this and her blog is fantastic!!! So I emailed Tricia

and even is her VERY BUSY with homeschooling 6, running a small farm, baking from scratch, fresh bread in the oven daily, taking kids to activities and sewing up a storm she emailed me the following instructions. What a Gal :)

I refinished the bright orange counter top by scanning black and white damask Amy Butler fabric from my favorite apron. I made plenty of copies of the swatch and then decoupaged the paper onto the counter top, followed by a whitewashing and then a distressing treatment.

For decoupaging, I used "Mod-Podge." I used a small paint roller and rolled on a generous coat of the glue, and then placed two or three papers on the glue. I then rolled over the paper with another coat of glue. Bubbles form here and there, so I used my fingers to press them flat before they dried.

After letting the glued paper dry overnight, I sponged over it with white latex paint, smearing it around for a worn look. Then I went over that with "distress ink," a small tea-stain colored ink pad from Michael's craft store.

I let everything dry for a day or so, and then applied several coats of oil-based polyurethane to seal it. After six months of pretty heavy use, the counter still looks great!

I used the same technique with my sewing table and a refinished little play kitchen. I love that it makes each piece look unique, with a hand-crafted feel. Tricia Cope is a busy home schooling mother of 6 kids. She is truly amazing! She sews, bakes bread and makes most meals from scratch. Check out how creative and fun being a Super Mom can be at http://www.copewith6.blogspot.com/