Upcycling an Old Microwave Cart

The before version of the cart.

The after version of the microwave cart.

Somewhere along the way, I managed to end up with two inexpensive (i.e. cheap) microwave carts that I didn't need any more. But I did need a place to stash craft projects in our TV room so that my 'active' projects were close, but organized. I found that turning the open side of the microwave cart to the wall worked great for storing crafts out of sight until needed. But then we were looking at the backside of a microwave cart--not too attractive. So I rifled through my stash of left over craft materials and came up with a solution. 

I had a piece of 3/4" plywood left over from a previous project and some trim. This became the top of the cart. I used a piece of 1/4" plywood to cover the back, which was originally cardboard. I sanded and primed the three solid sides, then applied a paintable wallpaper that had a design something like and old tin ceiling. I primed and painted the wallpaper an off-white, then went over it with a wash of brown pigment thinned with water. I added a print to the front taken from an old calendar and added an old wooden certificate frame. I used a bronze glaze on the frame and added a few touches of bronze to some of the designs on the wall paper--very subtle differences, but provided a little more accent to the wall paper. The top I painted with a glossy off white latex paint, left over from painting the trim in the bedroom, to make it easier to clean. I still turn the open side to the wall and just pull it out to get to the next project.