-

2/15/13

Now I know my ABC's ~ A Smart Lazy Susan Makeover

There is something about graphic elements in design that just attracts me.  I know I'm not the only one since there are so many gorgeous graphic fabrics being used in design and you see typography of some sort in many Designers' spaces.

You'll find faux zinc letters and a subway art poster in my home decor also.  



But I would like to introduce you to my brand new Lazy~Alphabet~Susan.

What do you think?

I'm pretty smitten.  :)

See, she wasn't very smart looking before.  As you can see below, she was looking like she'd seen her best days already.  She came home with me when we stopped at a garage sale and the owner offered to throw her in for free.  In case you don't already know, I'm pretty fond of free stuff.  If there is even a remote chance that I can turn it into something fabulous or useful, I'm game.

So home she came, all tired and worn looking.


At first I just knew I would turn her into a knockoff of those Pottery Barn wine barrel lids...

But that's been done a few (hundred) times before.
...and...uh hem...I have enough stuff that indicates I like wine :)


When I saw this fabulous mirror on one of the Joss and Main events I instantly knew that I would be borrowing this concept for my new Lazy Susan. 

Source:  Joss and Main Event,/Bassett Mirror Company
Although I wanted her to retain her original purpose, I didn't want her to look tired and worn out anymore.

I sanded the little bit of poly finish she had left off.  Then I took some scrapbooking die-cut letters to use as a stencil/template and traced the letters onto the wood in pencil.


We had fun making notes for each other with the letters while we were at it.


I laid the letters on the board and traced them in order.  A few letters were missing so I used the piece of cardboard they came from as a stencil to trace those ones.


Once they were all spaced evenly and traced onto the wood I took an exacto knife and scored the letters into the wood.  These score lines kept the dark stain from bleeding into the letters. 


I used a small paintbrush to apply the stain around the letters.  The edges were not as perfect as I would have liked but scoring them with the exacto knife first kept them pretty sharp.  I used a larger brush to finish the remainder of the surface that was being covered in the dark stain.

I applied three coats of a dark Minwax stain called Jacobean, allowing each coat to dry completely before starting the next.


Once I had the intensity I wanted with the Minwax stain I allowed the piece to dry for a couple days.  Then I went over the entire surface with some Howards Restor-A-Finish to give the unfinished wood (the letters and center) a warm glow.


I love how it looks in my dining room.  Not just any old Lazy-Susan anymore.  No Way!
And remember the kids that hang out here all day, they can practice their ABC's while they eat.  
Plus it will be so much easier to share markers and craft supplies with each other now!


Did I mention that I don't bother using a table runner or table cloth because it would just get destroyed by little kids?  

Well now I have something amazing on my tabletop and I don't even miss those table runners one bit. 
(Okay, maybe a little.)


And yes, that is wine you see in the background.  I'm enjoying some right now as I finish typing this post.  

Don't worry...the kids have all gone home for the night ;)


29 comments :

  1. Such a cute idea! Saw your link over at Six Sisters and thought I'd come over and check it out )

    I'd love for you to link up a few projects at my weekend link party that is going on right now @The Weekend re-Treat!

    Hope to see you there!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wanted to stop by and say thanks for following me!! :)
    This is SO CUTE!! Pinned ;) Thanks for sharing!!

    Your Newest GFC Follower,
    Brenda
    ChattingOverChocolate.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. You did a wonderful job, pinning!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is beautiful! Such a simple project but it is stunning!

    Thank you for linking up to Raising Imperfection!
    Make sure to check back on Friday to see if you were featured.
    Leslie
    www.violetimperfection.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Susan is anything but lazy!!! I think this is one of my favorite projects of yours! The scoring is very clever. LOVE IT! Pinned!

    ReplyDelete
  6. It turned out great!

    Thank you for linking to Raising Imperfection.
    Please come back Friday to see if you were featured. :)

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.•*´
    (¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
    www.raising-reagan.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow that is soooo cute!!! Great job!
    Melissa@thetinsel.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is great, I love this idea and the outcome!
    ///I see you like wine, we would make such a great friends if you were closer haha, my family produces wine ;D ///
    Thank you for visiting my blog
    Greeting from your newest follower,
    ana

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very cute! Great idea with scoring it with xacto so stain wouldn't bleed!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautifully executed! I think I need to go look at my lazy susan differently. Visiting from Between Naps on the porch.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh that came out amazing Sherry, well done!

    ReplyDelete
  12. this is beyond awesome! I have a lazy JUST LIKE THIS and you have inspired me!! THANK U!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very nice! I really like the dark stain that you used as well.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is so creative and fun! Such a great idea, Sherry!!! I love the color of the stain and how it pops on your table! Pinned!

    ReplyDelete
  15. such a great idea! I've been trying to think how to dress up my lazy susan. I bet I could use vinyl letters as well. Hmmmm.....

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is beautiful. A wonderful interpretation of the mirror!

    ~Emily
    http://tossedsaladlife.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Omg! I'm in love with that idea! It's stunning! My husband made a lazy Susan for my daughter and its still unfinished. Now I know what I want to do with it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a beautiful lazy susan!! I have a glass one that I want to change up and am thinking I might modpodge some vintage paper on it. But now I might have to put letters on it!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Such a cute project! So glad you shared it at last weekends link party @The Weekend re-Treat!

    Hope to see you link up again this week :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Looks super...I love a b c things...guess it comes from being a retired Kindergarten teacher.

    ReplyDelete