Simple Coffee Table Makeover

Today I've got a cute coffee table makeover to share with you. I love it when projects fall into my lap, and this coffee table is one of them!

A friend of mine had just moved and asked me to paint this coffee table to match her other furniture. She wanted it a glossy black to match her new dining set and TV stand. AND she wanted NO distressing.

Before I go on I must confess that there was a time in my life when, I would go buy a new piece of furniture before thinking about changing what I already have. I would've went to Target or wherever I could find a cheap coffee table to get me by. And I would've thrown this out.

Buutttt…redoing this coffee table was probably a better option in the long run. Why? Well, A) it only cost me about $10 to redo it and b) it has more character now than it would if it was Target bought.

And if you are on a tight budget, or just not in the mood to go spend a few hundred dollars on a new coffee table, this is a great alternative!

If you are wondering how to makeover your coffee table on the cheap…here it is:

I found a $5 gallon of black “oops” paint at Menards. It was a flat black but I knew I was going to put a glossy polycrylic over the top for protection, so….non-issue!

And like I said, I put the polycryclic over the whole thing. I did three layers on the top for added protection.

And that’s it!

Linking to these parties….
Funky Junk Interiors - The Vintage Farmhouse - I Heart Naptime - The Shabby Nest
504 Main - Chic On A Shoestring Decorating - Miss Mustard Seed

Old Storage Trunk Redo

This month has been a crazy busy month around our house. Between work and school, it’s all I can do to fit in “normal” time for myself and with the family. Not to mention, we were supposed to close on our house yesterday and….well….that didn't happen. It’s been one thing after the other!

I was super excited to share photos of our new house with all of you today too. But it looks like we are closing on April 12th now. Sooooo…..we’ll have to continue to wait. I tell you one thing, I hope everything goes smoothly with closing now because I do NOT want to go through this again with another house. I give total props to realtors because I would be in the nut house if I did real estate for a living!

Anyhow, onto the real reason for this post. My old trunk redo! It’s been my mission to find a nice coffee table for our living room.  I found the perfect piece while surfing Craigslist a couple weeks ago.  Turns out it wasn't a coffee table at all….

This trunk wasn’t so pretty from the start. In fact, it took me two weeks of pondering how to bring it back to life before I did anything with it. It was THAT bad.

I’ll spare you the pictures of the inside. But visualize old wallpaper lining and mold…

The outside wasn’t too bad. But you’ll notice that there are parts missing. I immediately knew what to do with that large hole at the top…

I put a door knob on (actually D did, but what's the difference right? lol) and she was good to go. The knob is my favorite part of this trunk now. Isn’t it great?

I was going to distress this into an antiqued look, but after applying the paint and adding the door knob, I really liked how it looked as-is. What do you think?

The side pulls were in good condition and I liked how they brought out a slightly rustic feel, so I left them original.

And there you have it. We have a unique “new” piece to show off in our living room. The best part? I was able to score the trunk on Craigslist for only $15.

So what went into this piece?

Anne Sloan Paint in Pure White

Home Depot Clear Door Knob

Minwax Polycrylic Clear Coat

Linking to these parties….
Funky Junk Interiors - It's Overflowing - Too Much Time On My Hands - Coastal Charm
CRAFT - Mod Vintage Life - Between Naps On The Porch - Alderberry Hill - Lolly Jane
Cutesy Crafts - Elizabeth & Co - Savy Southern Style - Primp - Someday Crafts
Seven Thirty Three - Fluster Buster - The Shabby Creek Cottage - The Crafty Blog Stalker
The Shabby Nest - 504 Main - Miss Mustard Seed - French Country Cottage
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating - My Romantic Home - Whipperberry - I Heart Nap Time
DIY Showoff - Nifty Thrifty Things - Flamingo Toes - Sumo's Sweet Stuff

The Painted Wooden Tool Caddy

Hello to all my blog friends! What a great day here in the Midwest! Thanks to some sunshine and an extra hour of light after work…I can feel spring coming on! Bring it!!!

It must’ve been the extra hour of light, because I was all about getting this little caddy ready for use. Isn’t it adorable?

This little guy can be used for sooo many different things!

Plain….oorrr…

A cute little caddy for perfumes. I especially like how this looks.

Annddd….

A cute little caddy for craft supplies/tools. I used ASCP, so of course I was able to use chalk to write all over it If you like this paint color, I also used it on and end table you can read about here.

This tool caddy also poses as a cute little decorative piece…for wherever in the home.

And the best part? I purchased this wooden tool caddy at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store, for a whopping $.79.  SEVENTY-NINE CENTS PEOPLE!!!

In case you are curious, as always, here is a before….

Not too bad….but waaaay better now.

I love cheap DIY projects that spruce up the home. Once we get moved into our house, this is going in my craft room. YES…I am getting an entire room to devote to my craftiness. I can’t wait to get to organizing it!

Anndddd….In case you are wondering, we close on our house next Friday! I can’t wait!!

Linking to these parties….

The Shabby Creek Cottage - The Crafty Blog Stalker - The Vintage Farmhouse
Simple Home Life - Someday Crafts

Picture Frame Storage - Using Chicken Wire

Today I wanted to share my chicken wire picture frame storage unit – AND some good news I’ve been waiting to share : ) First, I’ll start with the frame…..which is probably what you are here for lol.

Paint, an old ugly frame, and chicken wire were all that I used. And it’s been a mainstay at my front door, holding everything from keys to dog leashes.

When I first picked it up at a thrift store, I wasn’t sure this old frame could be used for anything. But it was cheap and pretty sturdy.

See the cream lining around the center of the frame? FABRIC. I’m not sure why they put fabric on frames like this, but I don’t like it lol.

SOOOOO…..I painted over it. What the heck right? I figured the worst that could happen would be…..I throw it away. But it didn’t turn out too bad.

I gave it two coats of white paint, a light sanding with my hand sander, and a layer of poly.

When we bought our puppy, one of the first things we did was buy chicken wire to line our balcony. We didn’t want the little guy falling two stories and it was an easy fix. I think the whole roll we bought was under $5 and we had a ton of extra wire left for my projects.

And now, we never lose our keys or sunglasses!

No one can tell there had ever been fabric present either. Win Win!!!

AND for the good news. Drum rolls please......

D & I are two weeks away from closing on our first house together! You know what that means right?! There will soon be a "Home Tour" page at the top of my blog!! It is going to need a ton of cosmetic work, and I can't wait to share it with you all :) A DIYer's DREAM lol. 

Have a great weekend everyone!!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Jessica

Linking to these parties:
Too Much Time On My Hands - Its Overflowing - Funky Junk Interiors - Coastal Charm
CRAFT - Someday Crafts - Primp - Savy Southern Style - Seven Thirty Three - The Crafty Blog Stalker

The Black Dresser – Before & After

After sitting practically naked for over a year, this thrift store dresser finally got the makeover it deserved.  I wrote about this dresser here, and mentioned how nervous and undecided I was about redoing it.

Just so you have an idea of what I was dealing with...here’s a before…

 

It wasn't horrible, but not a very current style either. However, everything about this dresser was functional and that's probably why it took so long for me to redo it.

The drawers are huge. I love it. This thing holds sooooo much junk it's unbelievable! Only issue was that my stuff kept falling through that crack at the bottom of the drawer.  Oh and the lining was pretty gross too.

This guy didn't need much prep work. Just some slight drawer repair and a light sanding. You can see the holes in the top and there were cracks in certain areas, but I wanted to keep everything original...so I left them as-is.

I applied two coats of paint (no priming), sanded the edges with my electric hand sander to get the aged look, and then applied a coat of Anne Sloan Clear Wax.

I threw some clear knobs on the top drawers and some grey pulls on the larger drawers.

And here are the inside of the drawers. Totally a last minute idea, and super cute.

I just threw these music sheets in and used Modge Podge to secure them.

   

Sooooo....what do you think? My favorite part are the clear knobs and the music sheet liners....and the fact that it's one of the cooler pieces of furniture I own now :)

And FYI - here’s the lowdown of what went into this piece…

Music sheets – thrift store find

Knobs - Hobby Lobby

Pulls – Menards

Paint – Behr Premium Plus ULTRA

Linking to these parties....
The Shabby Nest - Simple Home Life - Too Much Time On My Hands - It's Overflowing
Funky Junk Interiors - I Heart Nap Time - C.R.A.F.T. - Someday Crafts - Primp
Savy Southern Style - Domestically Speaking - Fluster Buster - The Shabby Creek Cottage
It's So Very Cheri