Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Table is a table is a table?

This was my first one dollar find on Goodwill's Dollar Days.
It is not something I would normally buy, but, come on...one dollar???  Surely somebody somewhere will love it after I'm done with it.
So, after priming with Kilz spray primer (remember? I'm the Spray Paint Queen), I sprayed on some Krylon Cherry Gloss.This was, of course too bright for what I had in mind, but would have actually looked great in a kids room or playroom...
I sanded a little, and then wiped on some black tinted glaze.
Now it had a country feel to it. Of course, I felt it needed some more "pop", so I experimented with stencils...

First this...


Then this....





But in the end I changed it back to this...

Still not bad for a one dollar find, right?

I love all your comments, please keep them coming!


I am linking to A Stroll Thru Life Tabletop Tuesday

                           Debbiedoos's Garage Salen Party


Southern Hospitality 's  Today'sThrifty Treasures Party





Saturday, August 21, 2010

New Life for a Cutie



Saw this old little telephone table hidden away behind other furniture at Savers the other day. It did not have a price on anymore, and when I asked one of the staff, they said $5.99!!!!
Of course I said:"Sold!". Hold On...it gets better. I  had a coupon for 30% off, so in the end this little beauty set me back a whopping $4.00! 

My plan was to paint her a funky color in order to bring her into this century with a bang. After I was halfway putting on the white primer, though, I realized that she was meant to look more elegant than funky..
I liked the two- tone look of white and natural wood on her, so I sanded and stained the top,and sprayed the rest with Heirloom White. I accentuated the grooves by applying black tinted glaze and wiping it off again, so that just the glaze in the grooves remained.
I also distressed it just a little bit on the edges, by sanding lightly,and sprayed the hardware and metal on the doors with Oil Rubbed Bronze just to make them pop again.

Here She Is!







I really, really, love this little table. She is for sale this week-end at my friend , Stacy's Shoppe Boutique , but I almost wish she would come home with me again...



BEFORE:
AFTER:


Don't you just love her? I would love to know if you have done a telephone table before, or of any other unbelievable deals you have gotten lately ...


I am linking this up to Finding Fabulous 's Frugalicious Fridays

                                   Coastal Charm 's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

                                   Coloradolady's Vintage Thingy Thursday

DIY Show Party   The DIY Show Off



 
 

Debbiedoos' Before and After Party

 

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Enlightenment

The other day, I felt a need to "craft", but did not have any projects waiting, so I decided to change the lamp shade in the TV room.
There was really nothing wrong with it, but I wanted to see what would happen if I decoupaged on the brown suede....

I had some wall paper left over from a previous house, some Modge Podge, (read, Plain old White Glue) some vinyl  lettering, and some black trim, so I set to work.I tore off pieces of paper, and glued them on randomly.


The first layer of wall paper looked blah, so I got this one out and did another layer.
Then I remembered that I still  had some vinyl lettering stacked away somewhere, and put that on top.

Added some trim with spray-on adhesive, and Voila! A new lamp!

I think I will change out the base for a diffferent one later...a copper base I got at Savers on their dollar day, that I will spray paint. Probably with ORB.



This current base was a project I did a few years back...with Rust Paint from Master Paints...I will tel you about it sometime.






I think it is an improvement...and you? Have you changed the look of some of your lamps lately?
I would love to hear about it!

I am linking to Fun to Craft


Life as Lori




Get your craft on Thurs.



CreativeShareWednesdays
 
 



 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Coffee Table Redo

My In-laws are coming to visit from South Africa in a week, so what better time to start on the old thrift store coffee table that's been sitting in my garage for a month, right?

I will not mention the rising stress levels as a result of my not cleaning and getting the guest room ready to you at all....promise.


Saw this table at Goodwill and thought it would work well in the kid's game room/TV room/school room/bonus room.
It has drawers for all the remotes and X- Box controllers, and shelves with doors for all the games and Cd's.
Plus it was on wheels, so it could be moved around easily...perfect!
The only problem was...it was really ugly and beat up. The previous owner made some brave attempts to keep the doors together with long, bent nails and wood glue, but it was still falling apart.



I had high hopes for it, though.Yes, I know this is a terrible "before" picture, but you're lucky I actually remembered to take one...most of the times I am so eager to start transforming, that I forget. I promise I will learn to do better in the future.

This side panel was loose, and had to be secured in place with wood glue.


I took all the hardware off and filled the holes with wood filler, because I was definitely not going to use the ugly hardware it came with...(again, sorry, took the "before " picture after I got rid of the hardware) You will just have to take my word for it that it was ugly... as in hurts- your- eyes- ugly.

Then...my husband, foolish man that he is, let me use his band sander . I was just going to "lightly sand the worst grime and dirt off ", because who wants to use soap and water when she can use power tools?

I was not prepared for my own reaction to using "power tools" for the first time..
I was having so much fun, I did not want to stop!

So...This? Right here? is proof that I should not ever be left alone with power tools again.

I sanded the poor thing to with-in an inch of its life...
That mark on the side? A big gash made with the sander.
The table top was all grainy and not pretty at all.


I paid dearly for this little overindulgence with the sander when I started spray painting. I just could not get it to not be streaky. (Yes, I did prime...Kilz oil based spray primer.) After two coats of Krylon gloss Black, it still looked all blotchy and streaky. I was not crazy about the gloss black look either...too plastic and cheap looking. So I sprayed on a layer of mat black.
Still streaky. Went and bought my new boyfriend in spray paints, Rustoleum Painter's Touch, in satin black, but no real improvement.

I did decide to leave the doors off after seeing it like this. Baskets could hold the games and Cd's instead.

Then I remembered that on my last trip to Home Depot, I bought a gallon of Oops paint in a dark beige/ coffee- with- cream color. I decided to paint the top  in this color, and then distressed it so that some black showed through.
I liked it much better. I found the hardware at Lowe's for under a dollar each. They were a cheap gold color, but some primer and Oil Rubbed Bronze paint took care of that.

I love it. The baskets are too small, but I am on the look-out for the right ones.
I also painted three layers of Min- Wax Polycrylic ,since it is going to have to withstand abuse by teenage boys.

Once again:

BEFORE
AFTER
There was another side table, in pine, in this room, that I gave the same treatment. Here is a picture..
What do you think?

                         Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party
                      Domestically Speaking Power of Paint Party
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