Leafy Dresser Decoupage

We've undertaken a number of projects around here, making our new house more comfortable and more "us".  Mac Mini inherited this dresser from her grandma.  It wasn't bad, but the brightly-colored knobs and matching contact paper were a little clownish for my tastes.  Since her new bedroom has a green rug and dark green curtains, I thought some leaves might make it a little more interesting.  This was my first experience with decoupage, an art I usually associate with little old ladies and Martha Stewart...but looking around the internet, I found a lot of pretty cool DIY projects and makeovers involving Mod Podge, so I decided to buy some and try it out.  Here's what the dresser looked like before:

Bonus picture of Mac Mini with bedhead looking extra cute.  As you can see, it's actually a nice big solid dresser (much better than the 25-year-old particle board menace I've been using in my bedroom for the past, oh, 25 years or so...but that's another project).

First I removed the knobs and the contact paper inside the drawers.  I painted each set of knobs a different shade of green using Folk Art acrylics.  

Then I applied the decoupage thingies.  I used a set of parchment leaf decorations that my mother-in-law gave me...I can't remember what they were originally for, but they worked out well for this project.  I wiped 'em down with Mod Podge, stuck 'em on the dresser, and painted two coats of Mod Podge over the top of each leaf.  Most of them stuck pretty well, but there were some places I had to re-glue, especially where I cut the leaves so the drawers would open.  

It's not exactly the masterpiece I had envisioned, but it does liven up the room a bit and once I get some decorations on the walls and reupholster the cat-ravaged  La-Z-Boy rocker, it should look pretty good.  

Many, many more projects are underway here!  The transformation of the utility/unfinished basement room to artsy-fartsy studio/workshop is almost complete!