Hello Everyone,

Well, as you can see, I finally finished what I’d begun several months ago. The entire project took me about 70 hours to complete, and I am so happy to finally be done. I don’t have a passion for drawing or painting, but I do have a passion for mixed media, which helped drive the momentum for this project. The slideshow was created for a couple of different class assignments, which is one of the reasons I’m sharing it here. This project is something that I loved doing, and I’m excited for whatever comes next. I hope you all enjoy this little peek at the process.

If any of you are wanting to create something similar, here is a list of the products I used, and some of the unaffiliated links for purchasing those items.

• Old dresser
• Paint remover
• Sandpaper
• Screwdrivers
• Used books
• Cardboard
• Various paint brushes
• Paint palette
• Water dish
• Elmer’s glue
• Acrylic paint
• Acrylic paint pens
• Stickers
• Wooden wildflowers/animals
• Wooden door
• Wooden applique
• Palette wetting spray
• Hot glue gun with glue sticks
• Shelf paper

Reflection:

Before I started my dresser project, I had no idea how to design a dresser that resembled a bookshelf, and yet that was my ultimate goal. I spent a lot of time searching online for examples of others’ work. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anybody who had done what I wanted to do. The only examples I found were quilt projects people had completed, and since none of those were 3D, I still couldn’t quite grasp how my dresser project would look once it was done. Before I could start, I had to plan everything out, and I spent a lot of time searching for items to use since I wasn’t confident that I could cut everything I needed. In the end, most of the materials I wanted to use couldn’t be found, so I ended up hand-making almost all the pieces from old book covers or cardboard. The only pieces I was able to buy were the wooden pieces for the door, decorative applique, flowers, and animals, which I still had to paint. I feel like my dresser project is much more meaningful since I had to do most of the work myself. In the end, I learned how to draw, design, and paint: apothecary bottles, books, mushrooms, a spider web, a snail, a treasure chest, a candle, and a mouse. I had a lot of trouble gluing everything on, but I learned a lot through that process too — mainly what not to do! Some of the flowers broke when I attempted to attach them with hot glue (I quickly found out that Elmer’s glue worked better for the more delicate pieces,) and the entire project required about five coats of paint because I hadn’t primed the surfaces beforehand. I feel so confident now that if I tried something like this again, it would go much smoother because of all the issues I had to face this time. I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I think I’d really enjoy doing something like this again.

In closing, please remember that I am always here to answer your questions. I think the more we can spread encouragement through our creative endeavors, the more likely others are to discover their passions, which often leads to contentment and happiness within oneself.

Take care everyone and stay inspired. ~Ellie xoxo