Coffee Table Face Lift

For those of you who don't know me, you will learn quickly that I am very close with my parents. In fact, my mom is my best friend! I talk to her just about every day. And I always wish I could find ways to show her how much I appreciate all that she has and continues to do. It finally hit me one day when we were sitting around her basement talking. I noticed how beat up her coffee table was (she has had it since we were all young kids).

I pointed out how beat up it was looking in comparison to the rest of the furniture in the family room and she informed me that she just couldn't part with the table . . . it was one of her favorite furniture purchases. And there we had it . . . something special that I could do for my mom! That Saturday it was sitting on my back patio waiting to be prepped for a fabulous make-over.

I stripped all of the finish off of the top of the table and roughed up the sides. It was kind of sad to be sanding away the names of my siblings and myself that had been pressed into the table by heavy handed young writers during homework sessions! 

I stained it first. Big mistake. The stain wasn't the right color that I had in mind. It was too dark . . . not warm enough to contrast well with the black I would be painting on. So I began to re-strip the table. I also decided it would be best to flip the table upside down and paint the bottom first, then stain at the end. So I painted the base "Silhouette" black with Martha Stewart paint and then flipped over to stain the top. 

While the stain set I used a rough sanding block to rough up a few edges . . . I wanted the warmth of the wood to peek through on the bottom too. I then added a little bit of stain to the roughed up areas. I let it all dry overnight and finished up with 2 coats of polycrylic to protect it! I am quit happy with the transformation . . . I almost didn't want to give it back. 

I am pretty sure she must be loving it as much as me because I heard there will be a dresser arriving at my house for a make-over as well. And I already cannot wait to tackle it! I am so happy to have found a way to show my appreciation for my wonderful mom! 

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Re-finished Chest: From Old to Bold

So the project I was hoping to finish by Saturday morning did not get finished until today but that is okay. We've been dealing with a cold that started with my little one and has now decided to attack me as well. (At least it was an excuse to spend all day today in our lounge pants on the couch . . . I love having a cuddle buddy here with me)!

In any case, I did take the time this morning to finally put the finishing touches on this project so that I could finally share it!

My husband and I are using hand me down furniture in our bedroom, and if you've been following me you know we are living on a dime while I am staying home with our little one. However, I thought perhaps I might be able to create a nice bedroom set for us using what we already have. This whole project cost me about $5.00. The color was done with 1 sample can from home depot and I used just a smidgen of my white paint for the inside of the chest! 

We use the chest to hold our extra blankets and sheets since our house doesn't have a linen closet. So much brighter looking now! I finally love this piece. (Thank you to my wonderful mom for passing it down to me . . . and for all the furniture she continues to pass my way)! 

So I am sure you have figured out that one of my big projects for fall is to re-vamp our bedroom! We had painted in a rush when we bought the house in an attempt to get everything done before the floors were re-finished. It was just too dark and to be honest, the current color feels too much like a doctor's office color to me. I guess because it resembles some of those greenish scrubs you see so much of the time. I am going to try to get our room completely tied together for as cheap as possible. My goal is $80 or less. Stay tuned to see progress . . . don't forget . . . it takes me a while as I usually only get 1-2 hours a day for working on hobby items. 

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