Chevron Stripe Table Makeover ~ a.k.a. Folding TV Tables

Our new coffee table slash folding tables a.k.a. tv trays, being presented to you by the beautiful Miss Sadie!

These tables were passed on to Scott and our family by an amazing relative who was fondly called Grandpa Chuck.  He was grandpa by marriage but that didn't matter to us.  He was the greatest.  He was always tinkering away in his wood shop.  He made all kinds of toys and furniture for the family.  It was a privilege to receive something made by Chuck.  When he wasn't in the wood shop he was in the garden growing some gorgeous flowers and veggies while Helen was in the kitchen canning and preserving.  We used to go visit them at their home near the beach and play Pinochle with them for hours.  Then we would pig out on sugar free ice cream (because Helen was diabetic) and sit and talk until bedtime.  They were always bantering back and forth...so cute.  Such great memories of the good times we had together.  They were so fun.  They taught us so much.  Miss them bunches!

So these folding tables carry with them a lot of fond memories.  

We wouldn't want to part with them.  

BUT...I did want to lighten them up a bit.  Give them a little bit of fun personality to go with our space.  I don't think Grandpa Chuck would mind.  I hope not!  

First I painted them with a crisp white. 

Then, as you see in the picture above, I taped off a large chevron stripe 

(or arrow) on each table.  I used Maison Blanche paint in Cobblestone to add the stripe detail.  I wanted the stripe to be somewhat subtle and not overpower the rest of the room, but still add interest.

(Maison Blanche paint is available at Fox Hollow Cottage if you are interested)

Once the chevron stripe was completed I removed the masking tape:

Much better!  

They just needed a couple of touch ups where the white paint had chipped and they were done.

Now they look good enough to use as a coffee table in this room. 

Perfect for setting a steaming mug of coffee on, or holding a laptop.  Easily moved out of the way and folded up for when I exercise in here.

They can even be pulled apart and used as "t.v. trays" from time to time. ;)

Although we don't have a television in this room.  

My orchid (minus blooms!) looks great here too.  (Anyone have any orchid care or advice for me - I'm open to hear it.  Poor little thing just won't bloom.)

(Let's just pretend you don't see the primed end table in these pics...it's mid makeover :)

What do you think about the new look?

Better, right!?

Partying with Liz Marie :)
and Miss Mustard Seed
Roeshel at DIY Showoff
Diana's Pin Me Party
and Chic on a Shoestring
Oh and Courtney at French Country Cottage!
Alderberry Hill
I Should Be Mopping the Floor
Monday Funday
The Rustic Pig
The DIYers Link Party
The Dedicated House
http://makingtheworldcuter.com

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Coffee Table Ottoman

I've been dreaming of turning an old coffee table into an ottoman for a long time.  I spent many a summer weekend scouring yard sales, just hoping to find the perfect table.  Isn't it funny how you can come across a certain type of item over and over again...making you wonder what on earth you could re-purpose it into...then when inspiration hits you there's suddenly none to be found anywhere?

  Yeah.  Really funny.  Finally I gave up looking.  I'd grown weary of the chase.

That's when my Better Half came home with this beat up old beauty.  Just when I'd resigned myself to living without a coffee table ottoman.  He found this solid wood coffee table at a yard sale for $1.00 and brought it home to me.  Perfect price.  Perfect height and length.  Looks like I have my next makeover mark!

I flipped it over and unscrewed the table top.  It had to come off so I could paint this base.  I also needed to add foam and staple the upholstery fabric directly to the under-side of the table top which would be much easier with it off.

Do you see the patina on those little copper feet?  You can't fake that.  So pretty.  I taped those tapered copper feet off before painting the base.  I wanted the patina to stay. 

I whipped up some homemade chalk paint with some Metro Recycling Center white paint and unsanded grout.  I used a hand mixer to get it nice and smooth.

I did three coats to give the table good coverage.  I distessed a bit once it dried.

Then we went shopping for some foam.  Egads!  Have you priced foam lately?  It was $34.99 a YARD.  You've got to be kidding me!  This is supposed to be a thrifty makeover. 

We ended up finding an Ikea crib mattress still in the store wrapping for $7.00!  This left us needing only 7 inches of foam from Joann's to cover the tabletop.

I used a cloth shower curtain I had to upholster the mattress and foam to the tabletop.  I needed to merge the foam and the crib mattress together and add a bit more padding to the top.  I stretched this white fabric over the foam and stapled underneath the table top...pulling tight as I went.  This did the trick.  I love the look of the white but I know it wouldn't be this pristine for long around here.  I only wish!



I sampled this grey chevron fabric also, but decided it was too light weight to stand up to all the heavy foot traffic.

After I added the foam and the white shower curtain fabric I stretched my upholstery fabric over the top and stapled underneath. Again pulling tight as I went. After adding the button tufting I screwed the top back onto the base.

Here is what it looks like now:



This graphic fabric is a Cynthia Rowley curtain panel I picked up at Goodwill for $6.00/pair. 

I had pre-measured and drilled six holes into the tabletop before adding the foam and fabric.  I used the fabric covered buttons to tuft the ottoman.  Here's a good button tufting tutorial if you want to give it a try.  I love the tufted look on ottomans and would have loved to do MANY more buttons...but we were going for thrifty here.



Ignore the ugly couch.  ;) 

Sadie was determined to be in every picture.  I had to lure her out of the way with treats.  Hey!  Smarty pants dog!  She thinks she's so smart.

We now have a soft place to put our feet up and relax!  It's wide enough for everyone to share AND extra room for a tray.

RECAP:

Coffee Table    $1.00
Ikea Mattress    $7.00
Curtain Fabric    $6.00
Buttons    $7.00
7 inches of foam    $8.00
TOTAL COST        $29.00

For less than $30.00 we have a large, custom, tufted ottoman.  

Sharing at:
http://www.soyouthinkyourecrafty.com/im-crafty-no-49-upcycling/

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INSPIRATION CAFE'S GRAND OPENING!!! What Inspires Us

Welcome to Inspiration Cafe! 

The day is finally here!  Welcome to our Grand Opening!!! 

We've got loads of fun and creativity planned for the weeks ahead.
We would love for you to join us.

For this round of Inspiration Cafe each of our Contributors will be sharing What Inspires Us personally.  On the sixth Monday we will be launching our very first link party!!!   You must come join in!  The theme for the link party will also be 'WHAT INSPIRES US'.   So stop back each Monday to see what inspires each of us, and then on Monday, November 26th, come back and link up a project, a post, a tip...anything that shares Your Inspiration with all of us.  It can be anything that inspires you.  We will be featuring our favorite links from the party on our individual blogs, sharing teasers on facebook, and of course the overall winners will be featured on Inspiration Cafe!  Won't you share your inspiration with all of us?

And now onto what inspires ME!

Hi!  If we haven't already met...I'm Sherry.  :)  

I blog over at Pondered Primed Perfected.  I hope you'll come by and check out what we've been up to there.  I have been doing DIY projects with my husband for many, many years.  We are inspired to create something out of nothing, so to speak.  It really is rewarding for us to take something discarded, outdated, or unwanted and transform it into something new and useful.  We've rescued quite a few Roadkill Pieces over the years.  We've scoured thrift stores, made over Craigs List freebies, and even pulled things from trash piles.  Sometimes we just want to upgrade something we already have instead of throwing it away.  You should check out our Project Gallery to see some examples of our work!

BUT...

One of my biggest challenges is keeping my busy family organized.   And when everything is all chaotic and unorganized I have much less motivation to work on my projects.  So here's what I came up with recently:

A while back we went to a garage sale and I bought some stuff for my classroom.  As we were leaving the lady threw this corkboard in for free.  You should all know that I LOVE free stuff! 

It wasn't fancy, or fabric covered, or anything.  Just pure utilitarian corkboard, and that was okay.  The perfect spot for all of the school, sports, friend and family photos, as well as various schedules, appointments, and events.  Did I mention it was free!?

I'm not going to act all cool ~ like I'm ultra organized.  I'm not.  There have been times when I've struggled keeping up with a family calendar.  One that will keep us organized and where we need to be on time.  We lead very busy lives, like most families do ~ with work, school activities, playing sports, coaching, college courses, volunteering and keeping up with friends and family.  We like being busy, don't get me wrong, but it can be challenging keeping it all straight.  (It does help to be informed of events before it's time to leave...eh hem...not naming any names!).

Now...

I wanted to maximize this corkboard's usefulness.  It still needed to be utilitarian, but I was envisioning it being more ORGANIZED at keeping track of our appointments, events, important papers and notes, as well as keeping our favorite photos out for everybody to see!

Here's what I did  ~ Click here to read the entire post...

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Pondering Things

No finished projects yet.

But I have been pondering things.  :)   I like to do that.

I recovered this chair awhile back. 

Scott found a pair of these on the side of the road and brought them home to me in all their dingy, ripped up glory. 

They were such solid, good frames so I removed the nasty old fabric and replaced it

with this brown ultra-suede and a gazillion upholstery tacks. 

I'm trying to decide if I want to do a white-wash effect on the wood pieces. 

Give it a bit of a Restoration Hardware type of a weathered look? 

What do you think?  Scott thinks they should stay wood...of course.

I've also been pondering how to finish this ladder.  I have a few ideas.

The ladder came from our old play structure.  Scott and Alex built a colossal CASTLE out back, so I snagged the old ladder.  ;)

It was well weathered already, so, I painted it with some DIY chalk paint.  I plan to distress it a bit and add some words down the side.  It will be perfect for hanging our cuddly throws on.  We can't leave the throws down anywhere or Sadie claims them.   See that expression on her face (above)?  I'm positive she's thinking...now why didn't they just toss that super soft throw on the floor for me to lay on???

She's so spoiled.

I got a new subway art poster to put into this big poster frame I have.

 I'm pondering dubbing this room 'The Wine Lounge'.

Do you think I'm giving away that I like wine?

 Just a bit.

Have you all heard about the Grand Opening event coming up at Inspiration Cafe? 

We  will be launching the first post at the NEW CAFE this coming Monday.  It's all about 'What Inspires Us'!

We would love for you to come visit the IC girls and say HI ~ this Monday at Inspiration Cafe. 

 

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