Contact Paper Cabinet

It looks like making my giant chalkboard wasn't a fluke - I am finally back in craft-mode! Yesterday, I decided to work on improving a file cabinet that I got for free from a 2nd-year dental student.

***Side Note*** I really, truly cannot turn down anything free or super cheap. It has been painful to drive/walk through University City and see all the mattresses and furniture sitting on the curb as the Penn kids move out of their apartments. If it wasn't for our mattress debacle last year, I am sure we'd have at least 2 or 3 new *treasures* in our apartment just waiting for a little TLC. ***End of Side Note***

I have had this cabinet sitting in our room since around Easter, and I knew that I wanted to cover it with cute contact paper. I still remember my mom covering a cabinet in contact paper for my room when I was a little kid, so I knew that I should be able to make it work. And, unlike the late-1980s, there are websites like Amazon with lots of cute options. I, of course, had to go with a chevron print.

I figure that with the light grey and white, this will be PERFECT in a nursery someday (no, I'm not pregnant). If we happen to have a boy, I can remove the pink Washi tape and replace it with yellow or blue. (One of the great parts about Washi tape is how simple it is to remove without messing up what is underneath it).

Speaking of which, the Washi tape was one of the things that made this cabinet project so easy! It was the exact size of the lip on the cabinet, and it was too hard to perfectly cover the lip with the contact paper. So, instead, I just cut the contact paper and tucked it over the side of the lip a little and then put the Washi tape on top of it. It covered the "icky" parts, saved me lots of time, and added a pop of color.

***Side Note*** Though you can buy Washi tape on Amazon, it's probably cheapest to buy individual rolls at a store like Staples or Target. The last time I was at Target, they had a whole little section with different Washi tapes. ***End of Side Note***

Another thing I realized was how much easier the contact paper went on if I sanded the cabinet first. I saved the top for last and it took a while to get the rest of the cabinet covered without air bubbles (the worst part about contact paper). When I tried covering the top, those grooves/scratches were really noticeable so I decided to sand down the top to make it more of a smooth surface. I couldn't believe how much easier it was to cover - MUCH less bubbling. Not sure why this is, but I'll definitely sand before any similar project in the future.

I'm having a lot of fun crafting lately, so hopefully I can come up with more projects soon :)

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