Wednesday, August 3, 2011

From Curbside to Bedside

Well, they're done.  I finished waxing them lastnight and I would've posted them first thing this morning but it was rainy and over-cast which doesn't make for good pictures.

Here's a before picture and you can read about it here:


The sun came out so I brought them outside for a photo shoot.



I love them.


Thanks to the Graphics Fairy for the design and to Korrie from the Red Hen for the inspiration and the encouragement.

Here's how I did it:

Start with two F R E E tables via curbside. 


I'm not into sanding/stripping so I used this stuff called TSP that I bought at Lowe's.  It's a pre-paint surface preparer that de-glosses, degreases, and cleans.  I followed the directions on the bottle.

I then gave it two coats of white gloss Valspar paint.

I printed the picture from The Graphics Fairy and took it to Kinko's and had it blown up.  I tell them the surface size and they do the figuring for me.  All I do is pay for the copy.

Then I scribbled on the back in pencil, cut it down a bit, then I taped it to the top of my table. 


Then I traced the picture using a pencil.  This method is great because when you take the paper off it leaves the image on the table.

Then I used a black Elmer's Paint Pen to go over the outline and color it in.  Sharpie also makes paint pens but their's are oil based whereas Elmer's are acrylic.

After that dried, I used 120 grit sandpaper and shabbied them up.


Then I took Antiquing glaze by Valspar, which I bought at Lowe's, and wiped it on/off using a little water to achieve the look I wanted.



I am pretty excited about how they turned out.  I asked my 6 year old what she thought of my tables and she told me they look old.  That tells me I achieved the look I was going for.



After the glaze dried I applied Min Wax's clear Finishing Paste to protect them.

I am going to use these for night stands in our bedroom.

What are you working on?

Kaye

For now, I'm linking up to the following parties.






 

17 comments:

  1. These came out fantastic! What a great curb find. I have been wanting to do this and was inspired by Korrie too.

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  2. They are just perfect. I love the idea of putting a the postage on them. I saw the post too and I have some french advertising I would like to try out. Now, I just need to find the table by the side of the road.

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  3. Oh I just LOVE a story that begins with "FREE."
    It's my favorite price.

    You did a marvelous job in rescuing these orphans from a fate worse than death and glamour-ing them up to where they can live in style and once again hold their heads up high in society.

    Good job! :-)

    I've got a shed full of tables waiting for me to paint them, but I have been afflicted this summer by a bad case of the Lazies.
    Cass

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  4. they ended up coming out so cute! love the graphic tops!

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  5. These are fabulous! The graphics on the top really make the difference... can't wait to see how they look in your bedroom. :)

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  6. Love them! The price was perfect and the 6 year old is a genius! LOL

    Carol

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  7. These tables turned out amazing!! What a wonderful idea!!
    Blessings~

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  8. Love the graphic you chose. It was perfect for these matching tables. Too cute! Your hard work totally shows! And you can't ever beat free :).

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  9. They are wonderful! Thanks for sharing how you did the tops.

    blessings
    barb

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  10. These are absolutely fabulous!
    I am so happy I stopped by!
    Your blog is great!

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  11. They look great, Kaye! I love the shape of the top. I found a curbside dresser with the same shape and that really was what made me stop for it. The transfer worked great, too!

    Visiting from WUW! : )

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  12. I love the image you used on top! Looks great!

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  13. Awesome job! Love the shabby with the chic in these little tables!

    Visiting from MMS Linky Party today

    ~Suzanne in IL

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  14. I love this idea! Thanks for sharing!
    hugs, Cheryl

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  15. Absolutely positively FABULOUS young lady!! Isn't Korrie's inspiration just the BEST!?

    Deborah...an old gal visiting from
    http://upcyclingmylife.blogspot.com/

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  16. What a great idea,these tables turned out beautiful!!Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Love these, you are so creative!

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