Kitchen Table Now Coffee Table

Last weekend I found an oak kitchen table on Kijiji for $25.00.  This is it disassembled.  

It even has beautiful rope detail.

My plan was not to use it as a kitchen table, but to transform it into a coffee table.  I already have a round coffee table but it wasn't what I really wanted for my tiny living room.  It served its purpose but I wanted something more substantial.  You can see the old table below...

First thing I needed to do was to remove the screws that attach the table to the base from the pedestal.  

I then measured the height of my seat cushions on the couch and decided to make my coffee table the same height.  Using a hand saw, I cut the pedestal to the appropriate height. Don't judge me...I know that I'm doing a messy job in my livingroom! 

I used masking tape to make the cutting line so I kept it level and straight.  It worked very well!

I replaced the screws at the top of the pedestal making sure to measure and line up the holes at the bottom of the tabletop.

I sanded the table top and stained it using Minwax Dark Walnut stain.  When dry, I lightly sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to remove any roughness.  I then waxed it with Minwax Paste Wax to protect the surface.  The edge of the tabletop together with the legs and pedestal received a coat of primer before I added two coats of Behr paint called Totally Black.  

Here is the finished table...

I love it and am very happy with the results.  And,  it only cost me $25.00 and a few hours of labour!  

Thank you for stopping by.  Have a great week!

Lesa

Rustic Crate Trunk

Today, I decided to do a little project that would be somewhat functional and that would fill a void in one corner of my living room.  It started with two old crates that I've had sitting in the basement.

I went to Home Depot and bought all of this...

First, I painted all the black with the exception of the castor wheels.  Next, I attached the wheels to the bottom of one of the crates.

Then I attached the hinges to the inside of the crates using one of the crates as a lid.  I secured the corner brackets to the top and bottom crate, added the handles to the sides and the latch/lock to the front of the crates.  This is it finished...

Thanks for stopping by...

Lesa

Canvas Gift Bags

Last week, some of the ladies and I participated in a Christmas cookie exchange.  Since there were only seven of us, I decided to make each of them a little canvas bag to deliver my cookies in instead of the usual box or tin.  Here are the finished bags...

As mentioned, I used canvas to sew and line the bags.  They measured approximately 8" square.  I attached canvas handles to the sides to make them look more like small buckets.  For the front, I cut burlap to fit and frayed the edges slightly.  I made a simple tree stencil and, using left over cream colored paint, I applied the tree to each piece of burlap.  I used "heat 'n bond" to attach the burlap to the front of the bags.  No sewing!

 

I cut 1/4" birch slices and drilled a 1/16 inch hole in the top of each slice.  I then inserted a small eye screw.  Pre-drilling prevents the wood from splitting.  I then made another stencil...the number "25" and stenciled it to the wood slice using burnt umber craft paint.  I used jute twine to attach the wood slice to the canvas bag.

This was a fun and simple project and I hope the recipients enjoyed their gift bags and the cookies!  

Chocolate Cherry Thumbprint cookies with white chocolate.

(Yes, I know, I am a terrible photographer.  Honestly, I hate taking pictures and I have zero patience for it.  I try to make things look presentable, but I just don't like to take the time..I simply want to share my projects.  Sorry!)

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and all the best in 2016!  

Lesa

A Faux Fireplace

My husband was kind enough to build me this fireplace last week before he headed back to work for two weeks. 

During his short and busy time at home he managed to build the fireplace and "plank" the wall in our small dining area. 

 I love the planked wall and I am absolutely thrilled with the fireplace.  He has a couple of finishing touches he needs to add to the firplace which includes adding crown moulding to the mantel and to planking where it meets the roof. He simply ran out of time so will finish it when he gets home.

But, in the meantime, I applied a couple of coats of paint from Home Depot called "Clean Canvas" and then decorated for Christmas.  Here are the finished results...

Here is the planked wall...

My entryway...

Livingroom...

Kitchen...

Thank you for stopping by and from my house to yours..

Lesa

Entryway Table and Mirror

I decided to repaint my entryway table and mirror.  I wanted something different and this is how it turned out...

I really had no plans on sharing this project so I didn't take any before pictures or step by step pictures, but if you are interested in knowing how I achieved this look, I will share my process.  

I mixed my own chalk paint using paint left over from previous projects.  I first applied three coats of white to both pieces.  Once completely dry, I applied one coat of Khaki Tan by Decoart to just the mirror and drawers.  Once dry I sanded the paint to reveal the white underneath.  Using a dark Minwax stain, I applied it to the painted surface and quickly removed it with a dry cloth as I didn't want it too dark.  Again, I only did this to the drawers and mirror.  Some areas were darker than I liked so I sanded a bit of the color away and dry brushed white over top just to lighted the area.  I continued in this manner until I was happy with the colors.  I used a clear Minwax paste wax to all surfaces to give the table and mirror a rich buffed sheen.

I was trying to achieve an old world look similar to Restoration Hardware.  Hmmmm...any thoughts???Some days I like it and other days I think I should repaint it.  It's only been a few days so I will live with it a bit longer.

Thank you for stopping by.  Have a great week!

Lesa

       

How I transformed two pieces of Pine.

This project started out as an experiment to see if I could transform a piece of pine to look like an aged piece of driftwood.  What do you think?

The picture below shows you what I started with...two pieces of pine that I used to make simple chalkboards for Christmas decor.

First thing I did was cut away the sides and edges of the wood with a skillsaw.  I just randomly cut away the wood.  I then used a chisel to make deep grooves and gouges in the wood.  Once I roughed up the wood, I sanded the entire piece with 100 grit sandpaper rounding and smoothing out the edges.  I used the back of the wood which had been previously stained with a dark walnut Minwax stain so I removed most of the stain and took it down to bare wood.  I simply used a primer paint mixed with plaster of paris and water and brushed the entire piece of wood with a whitewash.  Once dry, which took minutes, I used the same method but using craft paint by Decoart called Khaki Tan. Again, once dry I sanded it with 180 grit sandpaper exposing some of the bare wood and whitewashed wood.  I then applied espresso Minwax stain making sure to fill the deep grooves and gouges with the dark stain.  The last step was to apply a clear Minwax paste wax, buffing to a smooth, glossy finish.  

I liked the finished wood so much that I decided to hang a piece on each side of this mirror.  

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have a great week!

Lesa