a bit loony.

Published on by Quandie

Way back when I first used the Iron Orchid Designs transfer called “Seed”, the one that I used on the linen press dresser last Friday, my sister noticed that it says “Richardson & Gould’s” on it.  See it?  At the top …

Our maternal grandparents were named Richardson, so that really appealed to her.  So I definitely wanted to make something for her for using that transfer.

Although we’re keeping an eye out for the perfect piece of furniture for a particular spot in her kitchen, that hasn’t come along yet so instead I decided to makeover a garage sale box that I purchased last summer.

The box was a bit ‘loony’ to start out.  What can I say, Minnesotan’s love their loons!

After sanding the box lightly and wiping it down with some TSP Substitute, I made quick work of painting over the loon with some Fusion paint in Midnight Blue.

I painted the box inside and out.

When painting a box with a hinged lid like this with Fusion paint, be sure to leave the box to cure a bit with the lid open.  If the paint is even a little bit tacky and you shut the lid it will pretty much seal shut.  Another lesson learned the hard way.

My sister loves this dark navy blue color.  I knew from prior experience that the charcoal grey IOD transfers would not work over a dark color, plus I’d been wanting to try the white IOD transfers so I ordered the smaller version of the Seeds transfer in white via Etsy.

Once the paint was fully dry, I placed my transfer over it to see how it would fit.

I did have to trim a little bit of the design off the bottom.  I’m saving that piece for another project.

Once I had my design placed where I wanted it, I rubbed the transfer sheet with a the popsicle stick type tool that comes with it, made sure all of the design was well adhered, and then pulled away the backing.

I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about the white transfer.  It definitely did not look as crisp as I was hoping it would.  I tried the trick of sanding it slightly, but that didn’t really help and might even have made it worse (and I also sanded the edges of the box to distress while I was at it).

I have seen photos of pieces with the white transfer online that definitely look much better than mine.  I’m wondering if the white transfers have been improved upon since the one I purchased from Etsy was manufactured.

But the important thing was that my sister loved the box when I gave it to her for Christmas, so that is all that matters right?

I’ll definitely try again with the white transfers.  Maybe they look better over black, or over a more matte finish.  I’ll have to experiment one more time and let you know how it goes.  But in the meantime, have any of you used the white transfers?  What was your experience with them?  Any tips you want to share?

 

 

20 thoughts on “a bit loony.”

    1. I’ve seen some really beautiful dressers online with the white transfers. I’ll be keeping an eye on your blog to see if you do one in the future!

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  2. The box turned out charming. I have seen several pieces with the white transfers. I am not a fan. Maybe it will grow on me?

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    1. My motto is ‘never say never’. There are so many things that I’ve said ‘ewww, I really don’t like that’ and then later find it growing on me. Mid-century furniture is a good example 😉 So you never know Monica, maybe the white transfers will grow on you 🙂

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    1. The graphic I used on this box is technically a rub-on transfer rather than a stencil. I have not used one on a headboard yet, but I bet that would be awesome.

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      2. Check out this post for a fairly plain bed that I painted in a two-tone look. And even though I haven’t used the transfer on a headboard to be used as a bed, I did turn a headboard into a shelf to be hung on the wall and it has a transfer on it. See it here. I also used vintage wallpaper on this bed. Maybe one of these posts will give you some inspiration!

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  5. Lucky Deb love the way it turned out. It’s the perfect place to store all those seed packets I have stored in shoe boxes. It’s something I would have passed up. Good eye. I agree with Monica it’s charming.

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  6. Yep, I do love it! It is in my living room under a side table. The color goes perfectly and the size is just right. So far I haven’t put anything inside yet, just enjoying the outside.

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