The Little Blue Stenciled Table

Hey guys!!

Whew! 

Are you soooo excited to hear from me? 

I actually do feel like I dropped off the face of the blogging planet.

But hopefully this is the start of getting back into the groove.

I'm so so excited about fall and the weather is just now starting to feel even slightly fall-ish so it's nice around here!

I've got so many fun things to share with you and today I thought I'd start with a way fun piece that I redid over the summer that I just fell. in. love. with. 

I found this sad little table on the side of the road and I knew he could be beautiful again so home he came with me :) 

He sat in the garage for a few weeks until inspiration hit. 

It needed a really really good sanding down so I took my mouse sander to it. 

It also had holes on that back piece where I assume a mirror once was so I used paintable wood putty to fill those in. 

Ooh. Looking rough. 

But definitely a start!

For this guy, I decided it needed something a little extra special.

I had heard all around blogland about DIY chalk paint and just had to give it a try!

I used the recipe from this awesome blog to mix my paint. 

Basically all you need is: 

*Your Paint 

*Plaster of Paris

*Water

It definitely took a little getting used to because it's a bit grainier than regular paint.

But it went on gorgeously smooth.

I found that if it started getting too lumpy, I could just add a tiny bit of water to it and it was good to go again. 

Isn't that blue beautiful? 

Mmm.

It went on beautifully!

I did two coats and had a gorgeous, smooth finish after! 

After painting the table blue, I used glaze to give it a bit more of an antiqued look. 

If you haven't tried glazing yet, don't be scared!!

It's so easy to do and gives your pieces such a unique look. 

Here it is after the glaze: 

Hold onto your seats, ladies & gents.

This table needed just a little bit more awesome to spice it up.

So I used one of my Martha Stewart stencils to add a creamy white strip across the top. 

Check out this gorgeousness: 

I spray-painted the drawer pull in a glossy white and roughed it up just a bit. 

Ready for the amazing after?? 

Isn't it gorgeous? 

Those legs just go on forever :) 

I love the subtle contrast of the creamy white against the light blue!!

I was super sad when this piece sold but it went to someone who loved it just as much as I did so that made it more bearable!

Want a reminder of how far the lovely came?

Check it out: 

I still always stand amazed at the power of paint! 

And to think someone thought this guy had lived out his life. 

Wonder what they would think of it now :) 

What do you think of my little blue table? 

Definitely worth rescuing? 

I've got a cute chair to show you next week that paired up with this guy nicely so just wait! 

Plus, BIG THINGS are happening on this here blog soon so be on the lookout for something....transformational. Hehe. 

I can't wait!!

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Linking to: 

Weekend Wrapup Party @ Tatertots and Jello. Free for All @ Young and Crafty

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed. Simply Creations @ My Simple Home Life. Tickled Pink @ 504 Main. Link up with Me, Liz Marie @ Liz Marie Blog. Happy Hour Link Party @ Craftberry Bush

A Little Twist on an Old End Table

Ah, it's nice to be back to comfy beds, electricity and a cold fridge.

But camping was sure fun :)

I miss the water, sunshine and quiet surroundings.

Little man soaked it all up and it was our first time to take our little aussie, Bentley, with us on a trip.

Our pup is definitely a camping dog.

He loved it!

And it is soooo hard to make yourself return when you know you have a crazy week ahead.

Boo.

But I'm starting the week off right with a bright and colorful before and after.

Those are the best, right??

You might have seen a peek of it when I shared some sneak peeks on Friday.

If you haven't seen the sneaks of my master room makeover, you should def check it out :)

I'm excited!

My friend, Chantelle, recently moved back here with her hubby and she had a ton of furniture she wanted to makeover.

They had a limited budget and needed a way to make do with all their childhood and hand-me-down pieces.

She was thrilled when I told her to truck them over to my garage so we could get to work.

We've already redone several pieces and I thought it was high-time I start getting them up on the blog :)

So this is the first of many!

We started with a, er, well-loved end table she had.

I think most of you would wholeheartedly agree with me that this poor thing needed some serious TLC.

Luckily, we had a lot of that to give :)

In the form of some fabulous aqua paint!!

We gave it two coats of a delicious aqua that Chantelle had picked out.

Then I handed her the glaze and a brush and set her loose.

She was kind of nervous at first that I was entrusting her with what looked like black paint to use on her freshly painted table.

But I guess she trusted me that she wouldn't ruin it and had at it.

Love the effect the glaze gives :) 

We decided it needed an extra punch of something amazing so we tossed ideas back and forth for a while.

We finally decided to add a stenciled 'hers' to the front edge.

Once we find the perfect end table, we'll be doing a matching 'his' for her hubby.

He's thrilled :)

We did the tried and true method of printing out the type we liked,

taping it down with painters tape,

and carefully painting it with some white paint I had on hand.

I'm loving stencils right now!!!

Are you on that bandwagon with me?? 

We went back over the stark white letters with a little glaze too.

To finish it up, we added a cute glassy knob from the Michael's Dollar Spot to the drawer.

Isn't it looking glamorous now?

I love the new knob...totally the romantic look Chantelle was wanting.

I love how the stenciled letters give it a bit more personality than your average piece.

Which is totally necessary in her house.

There's a lot of personality there too :)

I can't wait to show you what else we've been doing with that aqua paint.

But until then,

one more look at the transformation this piece went through...

I can say it over and over but it never ceases to be any less true...

paint is so powerful.

Not only was it wayy cheaper than buying a new piece,

but it totally reflects her personality and makes it a one of a kind :)

Are you liking the aqua makeover?

Have you made over any fun pieces lately?

This week is going to be ca-razy as usual.

I've got a ton of big projects to turn in and present.

And only a few weeks left until Little man's bday.

I've got tons of ideas but need to get something real started :)

Hope you guys have a great Monday!!

Linking to:

Tuesday To Do @ The Blackberry Vine

Trash to Treasure @ Sassy Sites

Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims

Lil Luna Link Party @ Lil LUna

WEdnesday Wowzers @ Oopsey Daisey

Tutorials and Tips @ Home Stories A to Z

Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just a Housewife

Stache Party @ My Little Pumpkin Patch

Tuesday Tutorials @ The Kurtz Corner

Share and Wow Wednesday @ A Turtle's Life For Me

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life

Weekend Wrapup Party @ Tatertots and Jello

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Sundae Scoop @I Heart Naptime

Craftomaniac Monday @ Craftomaniac