Decoupage Old Family Letters to Make Furniture Extra Special


Last week I shared with you this incredible vintage buffet I found for $20.  I am completely in love with its beauty and storage and it is the perfect piece for my home.  vintage buffetSince finding this piece, my intent was always to keep it and I wanted to do something extra special with it.

I had recently spent some time with my Mom looking through trunks and boxes of things that belong to my grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents.  While we were carefully and reverently going through the items, we found quite a few letters from and to each of them.  old family letterAs I was looking through the letters my grandmother had kept and how old they were, I knew I wanted to preserve them.  Even if only a few.

I have always been very keen to know everything about my heritage and these letters were a very special piece of the puzzle.

I can just imagine my grandmother longingly waiting for the postman, hoping there would be news from her family.  Once the weekly letter arrived, she would have taken it to her garden, to sit quietly with the birds, and savour each word.

Saving the letters

To allow me to keep these letters close and cherish them, I thought having them as part of the vintage buffet would be lovely.  The buffet has one long drawer and it was perfect to line with the letters.  mixing Country Chic Image Transfer Medium with Water I mixed up some Country Chic Image Transfer medium with a little water (I find it a little thick).  brushing on Country Chic Paint Transfer Medium on a painted drawerWorking in small areas, I brushed on some of the glue…old family letter being decoupaged inside of a drawerand then laid the letters, envelopes and cards on top.  vintage card decoupaged inside of a drawerI filled them in like a puzzle; carefully choosing something from each person. old canadian stamp on an envelopebeautiful old letters on yellowed paper with a blue Canadian stampOnce the decoupaging was done and the Image Transfer Medium was fully dry, I brushed on another layer over top of everything to seal it.  old letters decoupaged inside of vintage buffet drawervintage buffet drawer filled with decoupaged old letters and cardsThis vintage buffet had already captured my heart but now, seeing those letters every time I open the drawer makes it priceless. 

Pin for later…

Use old letters to make furniture special with decoupage

This is where I link up and party…

16 Comments on " Decoupage Old Family Letters to Make Furniture Extra Special "

  1. Lisa

    What a special and thoughtful way to preserve some of your family’s history, Lisa. I imagine you must smile everytime you open up the drawer. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Lisa

      It does make me smile 🙂 and keeps them close to my heart <3

  2. Lisa

    How very special! I love this idea! I am visiting from Create Bake Grow and Gather! Have a lovely weekend.

    1. Lisa

      Thank you Jes for taking the time to pop over and I am so glad you like it! Have a lovely weekend!

  3. Lisa

    This is such a lovely post Lisa. It must have been so special to read the letters from long ago and I love how you have been able to preserve some of them in a piece of furniture.
    Thank you for sharing this fabulous project at Create, Bake, Share and Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring it at tonight’s party and pinning too.
    Hugs,
    Kerryanne

    1. Lisa

      Thank you so much Kerryanne! What sweet and kind words and a lovely surprise <3

  4. Lisa

    I love, love, love the idea of saving family history in such a concrete way.

    1. Lisa

      Oh me too Carol! There is something so special about having a part of these people close to me <3

  5. Lisa

    I love the added sentimental value, Lisa. Thanks for sharing @Vintage Charm–pinned!

    1. Lisa

      <3 Thanks Cecilia! (and for pinning!)

  6. Lisa

    Lisa! I love this idea for creating a special heirloom piece to be handed down through the family, very creative and sentimental I would love for you to share it at my weekly furniture party!

    1. Lisa

      Thanks so much Brenda! I will head over and check out the party. Thanks for the heads up about it!!

  7. Lisa

    I really like what you have done with the buffet. You really caught my attention with the old letters and preserving them as you have done. What is transfer medium? If I would like to do something similar, can I use modge podge? Thank you so much for your time and your wonderful piece.

    1. Lisa

      Thank you so much Joanne! This is definitely a special piece <3 Yes, you could use Modge Podge for use. It is the same type of product so it would work. I would suggest thinning it out a bit with water if it thick so that you don't have to worry about lump of glue underneath. Have fun!

    1. Lisa

      Thanks so much Mary! I am loving this piece so much <3

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