Little Leaves Stepstool

A nifty, useful project you can do with some paint and a new or repurposed stool
This is one of those wooden stools from a craft store. This one is heart-shaped, but they also come in round, oval, rectangle... I start by filing down the hard edges with a coarse nail file....this works GREAT! Easier to maneuver than sandpaper too..

Then pick your poison! er...paint. I used regular apple barrel paints, acrylic in pool blue and I *think* the green is chartreuse. I wanted to 'kinda' match the leaves but not totally.

I like to trim it out in white—when I'm not lazy, I tape it off for a clean line. If you skip the tape, it's still nice, it has that hand-made feel.

Once all the paint was dry, I stuck on these leaf decals, they come in strips, for cheep cheep (I've seen them at the Dollar Store since I made mine!) Positioning can be tricky on a little stool such as this.

Finally, when the paint is dry, I sprayed on a thick layer of Matte sealant. You can use gloss too, or even Mod Podge, one of my favorites. Let that thing dry outside for a while before bringing in, that spray finish can make you dizzy!

I went on such a binge making these, that I have gifted them to friends and family! I have done some with decoupage, crackle finish, silver leaf...

Next I want to try to decoupage photography on them...thanks for stopping by!