Dumpster Dive Dining Table Gets a New Home

We rescued this beauty from the dumpster at our apartment building. 

 It really wasn't much...

An inexpensive department store table probably passed on to a college student who didn't have much of anything.

It sat in my sister's garage for months.  Out of sight out of mind.  Then a month before Christmas I heard my daughter talking about how she wished they had a real dining room table in their apartment.  All they had was a tiny drop leaf table that wasn't meant for dining.  Wouldn't it be nice if they had a full sized dining table so they could have company over for dinner?

I quickly quizzed them on their preference in stain and paint colors and went to work...in the middle of our town-home living room.  

Well, the sanding I did in my sister's garage.  

We stained the top with a Minwax stain/poly combo product and painted the pedestal in a taupe/gray color. I added a final layer of Maison Blanche Organza Shimmer Coat to Jazz it up a bit.

The finished table..

They already had the two chairs.  

The shimmer coat really makes the pedestal stand out.

The chairs need their own makeover day.  But that's another story.

Who said you can't complete a big furniture makeover in an apartment?  But beware...you might get a little light headed from the fumes... :)

~Happy Project Day~

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How this pair of washed out, homeless, 'down on their luck' nightstands got a second chance at life. A tutorial.

These nightstands have been waiting for a second chance at life.

...and waiting...

...and waiting...

But I started a new job just a few weeks ago and everything changed.  I haven't had any spare time for makeovers or ANYTHING extra really. 

Then something amazing happened this weekend ~ we didn't have ANYWHERE to be so I got to stay up late...

...and sleep in...

...and work on these beauties!

Hurray!

They've come a long way.

But you need to know haw far they've come to appreciate their journey.

They were sad little boxy nightstands left abandoned on a Portland side street when we found them.   They had NO LEGS.  

One of them had a sticker on the back that said 'Pair of oak nightstands $640.00' so apparently they were something special back in the day.  But when we found them they just had a crooked piece of lined notebook paper taped to the front of one aged door reading 'FREE'.  

Seemed like a good challenge to me.

It never ceases to amaze me what a little paint and elbow grease can do to transform old furniture.  For this little duo I went with a Dutch Boy paint & primer in Cathedral Grey.

First I removed the hardware and doors then sanded them down inside and out.  Then I gave them a good wipe down with a damp cloth to remove all dirt and sawdust.  I applied a couple coats of Cathedral Grey with a paint brush, letting them dry completely between coats.



I'd found these wooden legs at Goodwill and bought them when I was planning to make an ottoman but then I didn't need them (you can see how I made that ottoman HERE) so they came in handy for one of the tables.  We just went to our local Builder's Supply store and bought four more.  There were other types of legs but I like the 'retro' look of these to go with the older nightstands.

We also bought the metal pieces that attach the legs to the base of the nightstands...

The metal brackets get screwed to the table and the legs screw into the brackets.  Easy!

They were looking good with the new paint color but they certainly couldn't go around with those bare legs showing.  How inappropriate!

I taped over the brass ends before painting then stuck the legs upside down in a cardboard Nike box to dry.  The same box was used to hold the hardware while being painted.

The shiny white hardware may be my favorite part about this duo.

Then again the way the white glaze brings out the detail on the doors is pretty nice too.

The glazing gave them so much more depth...and the cute little legs gave them the height they needed to work in our space.

And WOW do they work in our space!

Free Nightstands

$1.00 jar of paint from Habitat for Humanity.

$20.00 wooden legs and metal attachments.

Glaze, white paint and white enamel spray from our stock.

That's $21 dollars to beautiful!!!

Have you ever found furniture on the side of the road that was just begging to go home with you?  I would love to hear about it if you did.

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Hanging Out on the Summer Porch ~ A Painted Icebox Story

This old icebox was passed on to us years ago and it's played many roles in our home...

*tv cabinet

*end table

*bedside table

*and most recently it hung out on our back deck for the summer.

But I switched the big bench from the front porch to the back deck and so this icebox and folding chairs ended up here on the front porch.  The big bench is heavy and so it's a stay put kinda guy and these lightweight chairs are easily moved wherever the shade is.  I like having the option of moving my chair to a better spot if I want to!    

But this poor old icebox really has seen better days, don't you think?  The weather from last summer really did a number on the finish.  And although this piece is cute ~ it's clearly a "fake" icebox and so it's not going to win any restoration awards for me.  So I figured I'd have some fun with it and paint it a happy color to liven up the front porch area.

Ace Hardware had their big Grand Opening Celebration last weekend and I got this sample quart of paint for free there.

I was going to go with a cheerful yellow (by popular vote on facebook) but the hubby voted 'NO' on yellow and well, his vote made all the difference since he also has to live with it.  Sorry to all of you yellow voters out there!!!  Quite honestly I was surprised that he picked this color out of the three choices I showed him.  

I thought for sure he'd choose the green or yellow first.

I sanded the old finish off with a sanding sponge before giving it a new coat of paint.  I didn't use a separate primer just two coats of Clark + Kensington Paint + Primer In One in 'Stepping Out'.  :)

Very nice paint with great coverage, btw.

We love our little front porch with our Family Established Porch Sign

And the gorgeous hanging basket we purchased from the High School Baseball Fundraiser.  Best idea for a fundraiser EVER in my opinion.  I love my hanging flower baskets!!!

Just a few details to make this space feel really welcoming and CHEERFUL.

• Icebox Drink Table in a fresh new color
• Some fun floral pillows
• A sweet Dahlia in a vase (fake)
• Some ferns on tree stump end tables (soon to be painted stumps, I think!)
• A soft apple green rug

It didn't take Sadie long to realize there was a nice soft rug here.

I think she approves of the new porch makeover...

...especially the soft place to lounge.

Sadie says it's perfect for chilling on a lazy summer day.

Oh, what color do you think I should paint those stumps?  White or gold or some combination of both?  I can't promise you Scott won't trump the popular vote but I would still love to hear what you think!

Thanks for stopping by today to see what we've been up to.

Enjoy the Summer sunshine and stop to smell the flowers from time to time  :)

I know I will!

Cheers,

Sherry

Sharing With:
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http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://alittleclaireification.com/

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Painted End Table ~ a Makeover ~ 3rd Time's a Charm(er)

Here's our little roadside rescue end table.

It came home with us looking like this:

but it had so much potential...

I thought I would give it some color and try my hand at spray painting.  

So it became this:

And we loved the rich blue.  For a time.

Eventually I wanted to use it in another space and the blue just wouldn't work.

So I gave it a couple coats of white paint,

then added in some Maison Blanche in Cobblestone giving it an entirely new look...

A quick coating of wax with a bit of dark stain mixed in gave it a little bit of aged character:

It's neutral enough now to go in almost any room in my home. 

This is good because if you know me you know I love to move things around...a lot.  :)

For now it finishes off this space nicely.

It definitely needs some oil rubbed bronze on those little knobs for some contrast.  

I'm trying to decide if I want to give it a monogram on the door front.  

The white raised panel seems to be asking for something but I ran out of the Cobblestone color so I couldn't finish it with that even if I'd wanted.  

What do you think?  Gold on the edges of the door panel?  

A Monogrammed Letter for our last name?  Any other suggestions?  

Thanks!

Sharing With:

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http://www.myturnforus.com/2013/03/freedom-fridays-47.html

http://romantichome.blogspot.com

http://thebestblogrecipes.blogspot.com/

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/

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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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