Tape It Up: Furniture Makeover

This furniture makeover post is sponsored by Scotch Brand. All views and opinions are mine.

You know how much I like to make over an old or even a new piece of furniture, right? It is usually with paint of all kinds – spray,  DIY chalk paint, and even oil-based.  Today I want to show you a vanity I made over using something entirely different… I used tape!  – Masking, Scotch, washi, and shipping tape to be exact.

It went from bland to fun, hip, and modern in a matter of an afternoon.  The vanity was a thrift store find and is in my youngest daughter’s room. The mirror was my grandmother’s.  I made the no-sew skirt many years ago. It is attached to the vanity with Velcro.

I have not posted much about this room because no one occupies it anymore. I call it and my older daughter’s room  – “museums of their lives”.   After they left for college and beyond – all the stuff they needed to live their grown-up lives went with them. The rest stayed in the bedrooms they grew up in.   It is their history all saved and on display still.   It was fun to go in and liven things up a bit.  She will be moving into an apartment in January – this may end up going with her.

I used a variety of Scotch Brand tapes to create the chevron pattern on the top of the vanity and update the mirror with color.

BEFORE:  Vanity & Mirror

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The mirror has an old fashioned design on it that I was never very fond of.  The top of the vanity has a removable top. I removed the top and set to work.

How to: Furniture Makeover Using Tape

supplies needed:

• Scotch Brand Expressions Tapes – Magic Tape, masking tape, washi tape, and shipping tape
• Chevron Pattern
• Small clear ruler
• Craft knife with extra blade
• Pencil

• Print out chevron pattern and cut out. If you plan to use it more than once, trace it on cardboard so it can be used again.

Center pattern on furniture surface you want the taped design on. Trace the pattern on the surface lightly with a pencil.   Every other zig-zag line will build to cover the surface from this first zig-zag line, so you want to make sure it is straight.

1. I used 4 different tapes for one horizontal zig-zag line. Follow pencil lines to lay tape down.  Cut tape at each pointed section of the pattern both the top and bottom.  Smooth tape with your fingers after each cut.

2. Using a clear ruler makes it easy to line up each cut correctly.

3. Each point of the zig-zag line should look like this after tape is cut.

4.  Once the first zig-zag line is complete, add more lines following the pattern and using different colors and patterns of tape until you have the surface covered.

The tapes are shiny and pretty durable so I did not seal it, but you could use a non-yellowing polyurethane or have glass cut to protect it if it is going to get a lot of use.

 How to Make Simple Flowers and Leaves For a Mirror with Masking and Shipping Tapes

To cover the old-fashioned design on the mirror, I simply cut masking and shipping tapes into leaf shapes with a craft knife. I then placed them over the design that was already on the mirror.  Easy! – no measuring or centering of a design needed. It was already done for me.

Lay out the tape on a cutting mat and then cut simple leaf shapes. I made a few different sizes to make sure all the design on the mirror was covered.  I used 2 different tapes to add contrast and interest.

For the stems, cut thin, long curved lines in the tape.  Use your fingernail or the tip of the knife to lift the leaves and stems off the mat.

I made the flowers by cutting out the pink circle on the shipping tape. I then cut the circle into 4 equal pie-shaped pieces.

I cut out small circles from the tapes for the center of the flowers.

Smooth each piece with your fingers to make sure it adheres.

To Clean:  Spray glass cleaner on a paper towel and gently blot over and around the taped design until clean.  Do not spray glass cleaner directly on the design.

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I had some tape left over and decided to have some back-to-school fun.

Old school note taking…and new school note taking – in style!

For the composition book:  I placed the tape horizontally across the book a few inches apart. I then added the vertical lines of tape and cut it away as it went over every other horizontal line of tape. Doing this created the woven effect.

To make the taped letter on my iPad. I overlapped tape into a square shape on a cutting mat. I made the square of tape the same size as a letter stencil I had. I traced the letter onto the tape with a pen and then cut it out with a craft knife. I carefully transferred it to my iPad.  I did it for fun – it would need to be protected if it was going to last for an extended period of time, but it does show that tape can be pretty versatile.

I even made divider tabs for the composition book with the colored Scotch Tape.  After the excitement of the first day and week, school wasn’t too much fun, but I always had a place in my notebooks for drawing and doodling if I was bored in class.  Did anyone else do this?

I can hear the 1st period bell ringing now.

• Scotch Expressions Tapes come in over 100 colors and patterns and in four varieties – Magic Tape, masking tape, washi tape, and shipping tape.
• They are available at office supply stores and mass retail stores nationwide. To find a store near you head to ScotchBrand.com
• If you would like to see other projects using Scotch Expressions Tape use the #ScotchBTS hashtag to search.

Want to win a prize pack of the new Scotch Expressions Tapes?  The first 50 valid entries for for the 17th annual ScotchBrand Most Gifted Wrapper Contest will receive a prize pack of the tapes.  To learn more, check out:  MostGiftedWrapper.com

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