Alter old drawer into a beautiful center piece

Every gypsy loves old, full of history items. But what’s better than that is giving those item a completely new life and prolonging its history-gathering adventures. From old bottles to typewriters to picture frames to furniture.

Our Crew member, Kerstin Inga-Peters alters a vintage drawer and turns it into an eye-catching centre piece worthy of being displayed in any crafter’s proud place! 

‘On my latest visit to a flea market, I saw this very old drawer. It shows many signs of degradation. Nevertheless, I liked it because it was a perfect size for a new/old shadow box. I remembered about the new Architextures collection, especially the beautiful typewriter and I thought – yes, that’s the perfect combination for me.’ – says Kerstin.

Materials used:
Tattered Angels Baseboard Mist Lava and Chocolate Brown
7gypsies Architextures Treasures Typewriter
7gypsies Architextures Paper Market signs
Canvas Corp Black & Craft French Linen Stripe
Canvas Corp Artsy sampler of craft
old drawer
Tim Holtz Vintage Portraits
Americana Decor Creme Wax Brown
Acryl Media Fluid Black
Crackle Glaze
Distress stain walnut
some pins, one chipboard, rub on transfer,
embellishments (clock, glass, little book….)
old book page
decoupage glue

I repaired the back the drawer and gave it a new coat of paint. I used dark brown wax with a little bit of black acrylic paint for the outer sides.

I glued an old bookpage with a decoupage glue in the centre of the bottom.

Out of the craft paper, cut out your chosen elements.

Tear 4 stripes and distress the edges with walnut stain.

Glue it in so that it overlaps with the book page but covers the edges of the bottom.

I added some spray and splatters for a more time-worn effect; for another wheathered look, I used crackle glaze paint together with the two above mentioned Mist sprays.

The word ‘Antiques’ is attached only by the outer ends; use pins to fasten your cut-outs.

The Architextures typewriter is self-adhesive, but I wanted this piece as a 3D element, so I used a small piece of cardboard as a spacer. Then I added a little wooden chipboard with a rub on transfer and glued it behind the sticker so that now it looks like a typed page.

Now, you can add some little embellishments just the way you wish.

Make sure you visit Kerstin’s blog and Instagram for more up-cycling ideas.

Enjoy your crafting!

Sign up to Receive Inspiring Content, Exclusive Offers and More!

Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.