Japanese drawers

These drawers were very plain and cheap-looking before I decorated them. This is the project idea that kicked off the redecoration of my craft room, but it was one of the last things in the room to be completed (because I needed to order some Mod Podge!).

The inspiration for the drawers came from the children's TV show Clarissa Explains it All. I was a student at the time it was on TV back in the 90s, so a bit older than the intended audience, but I used to love watching it on a Saturday morning. I loved Clarissa's bedroom, in particular a set of drawers that were decorated with different papers. Unfortunately this blurry picture is the only one I can find of it!

First I stained the outside of the unit using brushing wax. This was probably the most time-consuming part of the project, as I had to stain the edges of the drawers as well, and they were quite fiddly.

Scrapbooking paper was not large enough to cover the drawers, so I went looking for paper in Paperchase. Luckily I found the perfect thing - a book of wrapping paper based on kimono fabric designs. The only difficult thing was deciding which order to put the patterns on the drawers.

When my Mod Podge arrived I looked for a tutorial on how to avoid wrinkles, and I found this one. I misted the paper with water and used a brayer to ensure the paper was smoothly in place. Later I added more Mod Podge over the top.

I'm really delighted with how this turned out - it is every bit as good as in my imagination. And the Mod Podging was much quicker and easier than I thought it would be.