VFCstyle.com

Hey remember that post where I told you that I never paid more than ten dollars for a table at an auction, except for the time that I did? Well this is that table – and again, although I don’t have a before photo, you can imagine this being a plain honey-pine side table with details that could either be interpreted as ranch/western… or ship’s wheel/nautical, which is what I chose. Here’s how I turned it into a nautical theme table as a gift for my daughter who loves all things beachy and seaside!

Painted a light baby blue using the Martha Stewart brand of chalk paint in Agave.

Seahorse and oceanic graphics applied using an inkjet transfer method. The quotation reads: “The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. – Jacques Cousteau”

Nautical rope applied around the edge using hot glue.

All ready for an umbrella drink!

I hand-painted a directional “beach” sign to go with this piece that also featured a bit of rope and some shells. Shortly after she received these items, my daughter relocated to Florida for six months to take part in the Disney College Program, where she worked at the Magic Kingdom, visited the beach many times, and even learned to surf. I’m pretty certain she’ll be going back some day!

Like virtually every other crafty person I know, I’m a hoarder when it comes to supplies. And while some of my stash is kept in the basement (where I can effectively live in denial about how much is there that I am not using – ha!) I definitely prefer to have some of my frequently-used items stored upstairs, close at hand. This lets me do a quick repair with the hot glue, or maybe add a silk bloom here or there without having to go dig through bins in the basement. 

What I needed was a way to corral my most often-used items… paint, brushes, glue, silk florals… that was practical as well as pretty.

This little dresser found at The Brass Armadillo antique mall was just I needed to wrangle those items, and at just twelve dollars it was certainly affordable. It just needed a little cheering up!

So out came my Fusion Mineral Paint and a bottle of custom-mixed gray-blue acrylic craft paint, and this is the result:

Originally I planned to number the drawers in that French style I’ve seen so often, but then I thought, why number the drawers and then have to remember what’s behind each number? Just paint the content label right on the drawer fronts.

Anyway the little dresser became a cute little corral for my glue/adhesives, paint, potential painting surfaces, and miscellaneous project elements. It fits neatly in the tiny second bedroom of The Dollhouse, and looks “shabby sweet.”

I’ve never been shy about grabbing something useful off the curb… and neither has Greg. The two of us make a rather unbeatable team at this, and we seem to recognize the value in the same types of things. Case in point: a nice piece of furniture, like this low-slung coffee table that we picked last Fall. Well-made, a handy pull-out drawer, and solid if a bit out-dated.

Perfect for an upcycle project! My vision for this piece was based on its height – it stood only about 14 inches off the floor, on beautiful curvy legs, and had a solid expanse of top. I envisioned it as a piece for a kids’ room, and I thought, “It’ll make a great play surface, but they’re going to write all over it.” And that’s when it hit me!

Yep, I masked off that center section of the top, painted the table base with a light blue hue called “Little Whale” from the Tones for Tots line of Fusion Mineral Paint, and then painted the center section with chalkboard paint. I lightly distressed the blue base, and sealed it with satin-finish poly sealer. It made the perfect activity table, especially if those activities revolved around chalk!