The same (well, almost) table!

The month of March has not been a good blogging month for me.  In addition to all my furniture redos, craft projects, family, house, husband....well, you understand...I actually have a full time job.  And, crazy as it sounds, had to focus my attention on it.  I could go into details, but lets just say that extremely draining doesn't cover it.  I've realized this month that the reason I'm so anxiety ridden, anal, controlling...well, again, you understand, is because I spend my days listening to horrible details of horrible crimes and it finally occurred to me that normal people don't really ever have to ever hear this stuff.  What a concept!

So, moving right along, I was able to hunt down and redo a small end table.  When I bought the matching Lane Cedar Chest and side table for my living room, I was quite content with not having matching tables for either side of my couch.  But, if you can believe it, I found a somewhat matching end table on Craigslist.  It is exactly the same except the middle is open instead of being a cabinet.  Also, it looks like the top piece was replaced at one time because the color is a bit different, even after using the same color stain.  I probably paid too much because it was really dirty, really messy, but what were the chances I'd ever find something similar again?  Here's what it looked like when I bought it:

What you can't see is that it was also basically covered in dirt and mud.  But, if you remember, here is the side table I had:

Seriously, look at the legs, EXACT, even down to the pulls. So, I stripped and sanded, stained the top and painted the body and pulls black.

Looks the same except for the opening, huh?  Here's a wide view of the living room.  I still need lamps, these are way too big.  Finding them has become quite the issue.  But, unless I'm gaga, I'm not wasting my money, the room will come together in time. 

Remember to click on the pics to get a better look!

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Primitive and Proper and Miss Mustard Seed



A quick before and after!

Sorry for the time between posts again, but I've been working CRAZY busy hours in my "real life" and any decorating has been put on hold...until this weekend.  It's just a small table, but that still counts, right?

This is really a great, quality piece, but what you can't tell is that the stain had chips all over it and it needed to be fixed up somehow.  I've recently discovered that staining a whole piece of furniture is just NOT my thing.  Too meticulous, too time consuming and I don't have the proper tools.  I do still however, love the stained top look.  So, I sanded down the top and restained it.  I used two coats of ASCP in Old White, then distressed and waxed.  I even used the same knob cause I like it!

Close up:

I'm not too sure I like it in the space.  The couch is a light gray, the floors are light and the walls are light, so it just seems to fade in.  I might repaint in my new fav color ASCP Duck Egg Blue, which actually looks more green to me.  I think it would add a nice pop of color and go well with my new TV stand that is Louis Blue.  But, I'm going to live with it for a while and see.  That's a new concept for me, but I'm trying to do things s-l-o-w-l-y instead of having to get it done NOW!

Here is another view:

You may notice the curtains in the back.  Yes, I had planned on making my own.  No, I didn't make my own!  I stumbled upon these at Target and at $16.99 a panel, there was NO way I could have done it cheaper.  And, I'm well aware that lamp is WAY too big for that small table, but like I said, slowly, one step at a time!!

Also, remember, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger!

Sharing at Primitive and Proper and Miss Mustard Seed

Some more redo's for me!

It's been so nice taking some time to do some things for my house for a change!  When I bought the dresser for my new TV cabinet, I also found a great Lane Cedar Chest and a side table that look like an EXACT match for the chest.  This really wasn't the direction I was planning, but I thought the cedar chest would make a really cool coffee table.  Plus, the more pieces I bought, the more the seller was willing to let me haggle with the price.

The chest and the side table were already painted the same black, which I really liked although they were very dirty and it was obvious there was no kind of protective topcoat at all, they were very dull in color.  The only major change I wanted to make was to strip the tops and restain a dark walnut color.  I just love that look, but you all already know that!

Here are some before shots:

Normally, I would have also filled in drawer pull holes and replaced them with a simple knob or an easier pull.  These are spaced 2 1/2 inches instead of the standard 3.  However, I didn't want to repaint them, I wanted to keep the black.  So, after thinking it over for a while, I decided I kinda like these, so I just sprayed them with my hammered black spray.

Here is the chest with the Citristip slathered all over:

And, look how easily the black paint on top just slid off:

The key to this is letting it sit for a day or so and let it dry completely before doing any sanding.  I did that on both the chest and side table.

I put 3 coats of stain on top and it really made a huge difference.  Not to mention, I cleaned the body of the both pieces, I mean, seriously, you can see how dirty they are.  After cleaning, I put a coat of wax on them to brighten them up and protect from a little monster that runs through my house.  I put the painted pulls back on and 1-2-3 done!

A wider view so you can see them both together:

By the way, dontcha just love, love, love my new couch??  To the right is the matching chair and 1/2 plus the ottoman.  I need new lamps, the ones I have are too big for side tables and I need to hang curtains.  I was planning to make my own curtains even though I've never even attempted anything like that, but I found some this weekend at Target that I just loved.  And, at $16.99 a panel I couldn't resist.  Also, I'm going back and forth about our rug.  This rug probably cost a few thousand bucks, I ended up with it after my mom could no longer use it.  I love it, it's the perfect size, it isn't all shaggy or thick, but I'm afraid the colors don't work.  So, I'm gonna live with it for a while, then decide.

How cool is this chest opened:

Shelf with compartments on top and a huge storage area below.  The two big bonuses are that the lock is still in tact, it needs to be fully pressed down while lifting the top, so again little monsters can't get in it, AND can you notice the original tags are all still there.  Isn't that amazing?  It is stamped made in February, 1961. 

And, once again I suprised my husband!  The look on his face when I told him that this dirty Cedar Chest was going to become our new coffee table was definately one of doubt.  Once in placed, even he talked about how cool it looks.  Score.