I have two of these so messing one up wasn't a big deal. It would have been much simpler to just spray paint this, but you know I like to try different methods and applications - that and I don't like to spray paint, lol.
I removed all the doors and hardware and decided to use white contact paper to cover the interior. The rack slots were painted with white paint. It turned out pretty good. I hadn't done the outside yet because I wasn't sure if I was going to use contact paper, ink or paint. It would depend on the doors, which turned out to be a headache.
I wasted A LOT of time working on these doors. I filled in the Barbie icon recesses with modeling paste on both sides so they wouldn't be visible, then applied two coats of gesso over the doors. After I put the black paint on I was all, "Ugh, this looks so pop-ish and modern." I had also put so much gesso on that the doors were too thick to swing open all the way. FAIL! Thank goodness I had another pair of doors to try.
Also thank goodness for my trusty magic marker. It hasn't failed me yet. True, I can see the Barbie icons but since it's black and shiny, instead of pink and glittery, it isn't as annoying. I put white contact paper on the exterior of the fridge as well because I like the black and white contrast. I put satin varnish only on the black ink that's on the fridge, but none on the doors. I'm going to be touching the handles, not the doors so it didn't seem worth the effort (put satin varnish though if you want to keep the shine).
Sometimes when I try to get all fancy it works out, but more often than not, it doesn't, lol. I really like the magic marker doors. They've got a nice crisp shine and no icky paint streaks like the other doors. I'm pleased with the overall look.
Next up, I'll remodel a Liv kitchenette.
You're just good Muff. While I like the second attempt best, I am attracted to the first attempt with the molding still in white. I like the mod look. I'm exited to see what you do with the Liv kitchenette! I'm sure it's gonna be awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Tracy India and thanks! I am not abandoning the molded doors but once I'd done them they didn't look like fridge doors to me any more. I'll probably turn them into cabinet doors one day since I went to all the trouble of filling in those icons.
Delete"Glam fridge"?? :D Yeah, I can see why you wanted to gesso those doors... The magic marker worked really well though, just getting rid of the pink was a vast improvement. (Although I kind of agree the mod look might have been fun too.)
ReplyDeleteHiya, Anderson! "Glam" is the line name for some of the furniture sets that Mattel releases. Yes, without the pink it looks more like a realistic fridge even with all the Barbie emblems all over the doors.
DeleteHello from Spain: great job. I adore the fridge in black and silver handles. Keep in touch
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marta! The silver handles came that way, but I'm finding other furnishings to go with them to make the dio as cohesive as yours are.
DeleteThe black and white refrigerator looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteHey there, Adrian and thank you!
DeleteThat's great Muff! I like both! I have a barbie beuaty center (Georgia found herself as a hair stylist) in need of a restore, I'll try with magic markers and contact papers :-)
ReplyDeleteI got a 1987 barbie fridge, isn't glitter and has pink only on the decoration and inside on the shelves and drawers
Sergio, I like the contact paper because it's easy to apply and to pull up if you need to reposition it, unlike duck tape. It doesn't come in as many cool colors as it used to but it's still a good product. Good luck with your beauty center remodel.
DeleteBlack is the only magic marker color that will completely hide whatever the color is underneath and will also hide its own streaks.
I always enjoy your experiments. I like the final result. I, too, liked the white gesso circle stage. I like the white contact paper idea.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I know you said you don't like to spray paint. I didn't either until I started using the new 2x coverage stuff. If you haven't tried it, you might want to, for potential future projects. It's totally changed my dislike of spray painting.
Vanessa, I actually bought some spray paint but just about every project I do is in the dead of night and I really don't want to go outside and brave bugs in the darkness. One of these days I'm going to buck up and do it though.
DeleteI wanted to try a repaint on it and wondered how it would look. I like the one with the marker best, although the other one does not look bad (in my opinion). I wonder if you sand the circles on the other one to get a smoother look and repaint it, if it would make it better. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Georgia Girl! I'm going to scrape the sides and sand off the black that I applied to the first doors and turn that into a cabinet one of these days.
DeleteThe glossy black version looks way more glamorous than the Mattel pink-out version. Even with the B logo, the doors look more like an actual, glamorized refrigerator door. Black and white done this way looks modern, fresh, and flexible. Thanks for making the doors and trim silver - classy set up. Yayyy, Muff!
ReplyDeleteLOL, D7ana. You make it sound more worthy of its "Glam" name now. Today I applied magic marker to some of the pink glittery Barbie chairs and they came out darn good. It's starting to look like quite the swanky kitchen set.
DeleteThe finished product looks so trendy! Maybe Mattel will take the hint and understand that not all furniture has to be all hot pink. People's fridges are NOT hot pink, so why should doll furniture be?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Verona! Unfortunately, I think that as far as Mattel is concerned, pink and glitter are here to stay. In my head I wanted to make a flirty, cute fridge like many of the Korean models, but the big circles were throwing me off.
DeleteThank you for detailing your steps. I really admire your work, even if, sometimes, you are not happy w/it...you inspire me, and probably others, to at least give it a try and learn from what you call "failure" . And you didn't have to throw anything away
ReplyDelete*o* Great job! nyw
My pleasure, Nykole! ^__^ While a finished product, good or bad, is always the goal, I think knowing the steps and seeing mistakes is what helps people with their projects. I'm always happy to share, or over-share, as the case may be, lol.
DeleteFranken Dolly is at it again! lol I like them both Muff anything is better then mattel pink. Cant wait to see the furnished apt.
ReplyDeleteMustiwait, I'm not as fast as you at putting great rooms together from scratch, so it's taking me a lonnnnnnng while, lol.
DeleteMore inspiration! I appreciate your details on how you tackle these projects. You know a lot more about art supplies than I do. I will have to try filling in the Barbie logos with modeling paste some time.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Limbe dolls! I talked about modeling paste in a previous post here, so I didn't go into much detail about it again. It's really handy stuff.
DeleteI was a fine art major but after 25+ years I'm sure I've forgotten more than I learned.
I love the one painted with the magic marker, it looks very stylish and I even like the logos in that colour. you did a fantastic work and thanks for sharing how to modify this kind of furniture!
ReplyDeleteHi, Rossetti! The black marker can be overpowering, but if it's mixed with other colors or in small amounts, it look rather nice on the plastic items.
DeleteHi Muff :) Wow, it's great your job!!! Now the frigde is fantastic and I like black and silver. Thanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Poland :D
Thanks so much, Marille! The black and silver look well together.
DeleteI love it! Yeah, I'm not too much of a fan of spray paint either... I don't know what I'm doing wrong... I use the "plastic" version, but it always seems to chip on me... coats of paint always seem to work better -_-
ReplyDeleteI love these though!
http://travelingtwig.blogspot.com
Heather, my problem with spray paint is that I have a issue with any type of aerosol. For me to spray paint something would end up being this big honking production and 9 times out of 10 I get too close to the object to minimize the mist and the paint runs. It's just a mess.
DeleteHeather - Have you tried the newest 2X Painter's Touch spray paint yet? If not, I highly recommend it. Even I can spray paint now, whereas before it was a total disaster.
DeleteI haven't, I'm writing it down and going to check it out... I'm pretty disappointed with the Krylon I used before.
Delete