Thrift Store Make Over: Cork Trivet

I love shopping at Goodwill.  I always find something that I can use or re-purpose.  My family is trained – if we pass a Goodwill, I’m going in REAL quick.

I found this wooden tray and it sat in my studio for a LONG time.  Way too long.  In my way long.  So, today, I finally fixed it up.

My studio is in my basement and there is a sliding glass door with steps that lead to the backyard.  This is the best spot for natural light, so my pictures are often taken here.  This guy is on the floor basking in the light.

$1.96 not to bad a price for this tray.  My intent was to make it into a cork trivet for my kitchen table.  The table is wood and I am forever screaming, “don’t put hot things on the table you’re gonna wreck it.”  Eloquent, aren’t I?

Corks from my cork stash.  I wish I could say I drank that wine.  Wine drinking seems so adult and cool.  Wine is a collector’s dream….all those types, labels, colors and bottles.  Spreadsheets could even be made cataloging your collection and I can’t stand the stuff.  Tastes like jet fuel.  Oh and I keep trying it too.  Hoping my “tastes” will change.  47 years later no luck.  So my cork saving team sends me their corks and I use them in all sorts of ways.

Pattern works.  Ready to hot glue.

All glued.

Ready for some hot stuff.  Looks like I could use some new candles.

Furniture Rescue: Big Ass End Tables

My FFF [Favorite Furniture Finder] sells quite a few sets of end tables.  I had my eye on a set listed on Craigslist and when I called, I learned I just missed them.  The  new owner was driving off with them as we spoke.

 As luck would have it, my FFF had another set that I might be interested in, so I swung by the mini storage and snapped these up.

They are big.  26″ square and had details that I knew would look great when painted.  As with all projects on my very long list, they sat in the garage all summer.  But, once I decided to use Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Shutter Gray, I couldn’t wait to get started.

When using milk paint, there isn’t much prep work to do.  I cleaned the tables with a damp cloth, mixed the paint and slathered it on.

Nothing like a Dino photo bomb.

When the paint was dry, I sanded to a smooth finish and lightly distressed the edges and then waxed the entire piece, which creates a strong, bonded finish that feels like butter when you run your hand over it.

It is the smoothest surface I have ever felt.

I cleaned the original hardware and reinstalled it.  Buffed the dried wax surface and lined the drawers with a wallpaper I found at the Goodwill.

I placed them in the family room [for now].

The best part about these end tables is the back is completely finished so they can sit in the middle of the room and the back side of the end tables are just as pretty as the fronts.

Thrift Store Make-Over: Framed Chalkboard

One of my favorite thrift stores, The Treasure Hound, is run by the rescue group, Friends of Homeless Animals [FOHA].  We’ve been  short-term fosters with FOHA since April, 2013 and we love it.  The Treasure Hound is located close to where I live, so it’s easy to stop by and peruse the loot.

I couldn’t resist this round, gold frame found on one trip.  For just a couple of bucks, it was coming home with me.

I decided to make a chalkboard out of it.  Hany, my brother-in-law, cut a circle with my new jigsaw out of some melamine board that Lee had in the garage.

I painted the smooth side of the board with Martha Stewart’s Multi-surface Chalkboard acrylic paint.  I painted on about three coats and when it was dry, primed it by rubbing the flat side of the chalk against the board.  I popped the board into the frame and this project was done.  Now I just need to figure out where to hang it.  The side of the chalk may have scratched the painted surface, so I may need to paint on another coat of paint and prime more gently next time.

I just love the small, round frame  – it’s great for a short and sweet message.