Vintage Enamel Table Refabbed

Pam blogs at House of Hawthornes. There, she shares how she refabbed this nifty little table. It’s a vintage baking table.

The table had been sitting in her sister’s garage for years when Pam got a hold of it. It was filthy, but ironically, the charming metal label on it identified it as a “Sno-White” model. Pam was able to get the table top looking good again with some elbow grease and a good cleanser. She cleaned the paint off the original hardware and labels with steel wool, and switched the tabletop around so that the chipping porcelain would be hidden against her wall. Pam repainted the bottom of the table in a pretty shade of blue-green, and she’s got the perfect baking table for her kitchen!

Get more details on this makeover by visiting House of Hawthornes.

By Kimm | Filed under Furniture, Tables | Tags: baking table, cleaning, enamel, painting, porcelain, refinishing, Sno-White

August 31, 2014August 31, 2014

Grandfather’s Desk for the Next Generation

“This desk used to be my grandfather’s and is going to now be my sister-in-law’s vanity,” says Meg at Oliver & Rust.

After dusting it off, Meg pulled off the old hardware and went to work giving the desk a new finish. She used her favorite brand of milk paint to turn the desk from wood tone to a beautiful black. She lightly distressed the piece and put bone knobs onto the drawers. Doesn’t it look elegant?

Click over to Oliver & Rust to find out about the paint Meg used to refinish this desk.

By Kimm | Filed under Desks, Furniture | Tags: black, desk, distressed, General Finishes Milk Paint Lamp Black, painted, refabbed, refinished, vanity

August 30, 2014August 30, 2014

Tree Stump Table

Julie of Redhead Can Decorate has no shortage of stumps in her wooded yard. Inspired by one of the photos in her West Elm catalog, she decided to turn one of her elm stumps into furniture.

After searching the yard for the perfect stump, Julie’s husband hauled this one up to their driveway. It was right for the job, since the bark had already been stripped. Julie sprayed it down thoroughly with bug spray, then let it dry out in the sun for a week. After brushing away all the dirt, her husband sanded it smooth. Then, Julie coated it with polyurethane. Once dry, they brought it indoors to serve as a stylish side table. It looks so high-end, but it was completely free!

Visit Redhead Can Decorate to get all the details on this stump turned side table. If you want to see the inspiration behind this trendy stump table, click over to Knock Off Decor.

By Kimm | Filed under Tables | Tags: accent table, bug spray, polyurethane, recycled, repurposed, salvaged, sealed, side table, tree stump, upcycled, wood, yard debris

August 30, 2014August 30, 2014

Chalk Painted Entertainment Center Makeover

The entertainment center in Courtney’s home was the right size and shape and was working well for containing media and books. But she had fallen out of love with the dark stained wood. She shares the makeover at Crafts by Courtney.

In evaluating the entertainment center, Courtney decided to replace the bookshelves flanking the television case with new ones. Instead of the backer board that came with the new pieces, she replaced it and the back of the television case with bead board, which she painted aqua. The media cabinet was painted with white chalkpaint, and a basket replaced the broken drawer. She lightly distressed both shelves and media cabinet to give them added character. As a finishing touch, Courtney restyled the shelves with fewer books and more decor. What a fun, fresh look!

Find out more about this entertainment center makeover at Crafts by Courtney.

By Kimm | Filed under Bookshelves, Cabinets | Tags: aqua, blue, bookshelves, chalk paint, entertainment center, media cabinet, mint, painted, refinished, restyled, storage, white

August 29, 2014August 29, 2014

Sprucing Up a Light Switch

Over at This Silly Girl’s Life, Shelly from DIY Mama shared a simple spruce-up for a basic switch plate. Looking for a a quick and easy way to use up some washi tape and add a little color an personality to a room, Shelly decided the basic white light switches in her daughter’s bathroom could use a little makeover.

This project was quick and easy. Shelly removed the switch plate from the wall. Next, she covered the entire plate with strips of the decorative tape. Once the tape was arrange, she used an exacto knife to cut openings as needed on the switch plate, then folded the tape neatly out of the way. The only thing left to do after that was to replace the plate back over the switch. “I love how it adds a bit of fun to my daughter’s bathroom,” Shelly says.

To view a tutorial for this little project, visit This Silly Girl’s Life.

By Kimm | Filed under Wall Decor | Tags: bathroom, decorative tape, electrical, light switch cover, lighting, redo, spruce up, switch, switch plate, washi tape

August 29, 2014August 29, 2014

Wine Cork Letters

Over at Restoration Redoux, Shanna found a large box of wine corks at a garage sale a while back. She’s been using them to craft fun projects ever since. Her latest? These letters made from corks.

For this project, Shanna used the corks she’s found, wooden letters from the craft store, and glue. She recommends arranging all the corks onto the letter before you start gluing, explaining, “You have to do some finagling to get them all to fit together and not have empty spaces.” Once the corks were arranged in a pleasing pattern, then Shanna had her daughter glue them onto the letters. What a fun display for a kitchen or dining area!

Visit Restoration Redoux to find out more about this cool upcycling project.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor, Wall Decor | Tags: cork, dining decor, EAT, kitchen decor, letter, recycled, repurposed, reused, salvaged, upcycled, wall decor, wine cork, wooden letters

August 28, 2014August 28, 2014

Old Storage Becomes New Outdoor Decor

When Kelli from Lolly Jane was a newlywed, her mom bought her this cabinet for much-needed storage in a tiny apartment. On a whim, Kelli painted it with sage green craft paint one night while her husband was working late. Recently, she decided to give it new life as a garden cart.

As you can see in the before picture, the cabinet had chicken wire on the doors. Wanting something a little less revealing for outdoor storage, Kelli replaced the chicken wire with beadboard. She painted the insets on the cabinets white, and the rest of the the cabinet a lovely shade of coral pink. On the sides, she created a herringbone pattern for visual interest. Caster wheels and new hardware finish off this old cabinet into a perfect little garden cart.

Find out more about the materials and techniques used in this makeover, visit Lolly Jane.

By Kimm | Filed under Cabinets, Furniture | Tags: beadboard, cabinet, caster wheels, chalk paint, coral, garden cart, herringbone, outdoor furniture, pattern, pink, redo, refabbed, refinished, repurposed, storage, white

August 28, 2014August 28, 2014

Entryway Etagere

Angelica of Once Again Irene needed the perfect piece of furniture to fit in her small entryway. When this etagere showed up on Freecycle, she new she’d found a match.

To give the otherwise modest piece of furniture a little more visual weight, Angelica painted it a dark, charcoal gray. She added some hooks on the back of the shelves to keep cords from getting tangled, so that she could have an organized charging station. Styled with baskets and a matching mirror on the wall nearby, the etagere now forms the base for an ultra functional “pick and drop” entryway in Angelica’s home.

Go to Once Again Irene to find out more about this redone etagere.

By Kimm | Filed under Uncategorized