we love living in san francisco. this city is just chock-full of fun, talented, and friendly folks. one of them is our pal lorena siminovich, the artist and proprietress behind the oh-so-lovely petit collage. lorena’s got a great eye for color, and we’re big fans of her bold, graphic work. this week, we were the lucky recipients of a quick lesson in diy furniture collage from a true master of the form. thanks lorena! click here for the full post with instructions or just click “read more” below.
ps: we are going to be taking a few weeks off to finish up a couple super exciting projects we’re working on. thanks so much for all the diy & crafty fun. see you in a few weeks! (ed note: during the curiosity shoppe’s posting vacation we’ll have new diy projects contributed by a special guest editor)
[portrait of lorena by lisa congdon]
découpage stool with petit collage
here’s what you need
-small round tool or end-table with a flat, clean surface (we used the “frosta” stool from ikea, which looks just like our favorite aalto stool.)
-selection of decorative papers, such as origami paper
-2-inch circular hole punch. (lorena’s favorite is this fiskars squeeze punch, which is ergonomically designed so it won’t hurt your hand!)
-collage adhesive, such as mod podge or royal coat
-paintbrush
1. punch out a variety of 2″ circles and arrange them on your stool until you’re happy with the composition. (tip: lorena suggests punching at least 2-3 sheets of paper at a time, which will not only make things go faster, but prevent single sheets from getting jammed in the hole punch, which tends to happen with thin origami paper.)
2. starting with the outside ring of circles, lay them on the stool and begin attaching them one by one using your adhesive and paintbrush. make sure to put glue both under and over the paper. smooth out any air bubbles and set aside to dry.
3. once that layer is dry to the touch (about 20 minutes), lay down the second ring of circles and apply in the same manner as the first circle.
4. repeat with the third circle, adding a final 1″ circle to the very center.
5. finish with at least two layers of royal coat over the entire stool, and let dry for at least 24 hours before use. you may also wish to seal your stool with furniture wax or a waterproof varnish.
