Two Bit {Coffee} Tables

Welcome to my first {blogged about} furniture makeover -- a set of nesting tables that I needed to put to use.
I found these girls at a garage sale at least 15 years ago and I only paid $15 for the pair (I remember it well).  The nesting tables are basically wrought iron bases with a solid piece of wood on top.  At the time, I added a bit of molding to the edges of the wood to accentuate the curves of the base and painted the tops gold with burgundy & evergreen details -- hey, it was stylish at the time!

I actually choose the pattern from a piece of fabric from the room they were going in.  

Fast-forward to 2012, and these tables were in our guest bathroom downstairs underneath a stack of linens.  Ignored.

I had no idea what I wanted to paint on them, other then getting rid of what was on them.

So I took them out to the driveway and gave them a good sanding.

SunShine?!  Is that SunShine?!  We haven't seen the light of day in years!!

After they were cleaned up, I decided to give them a makeover and place them in our game room next to the denim sofa.  There was a trunk there now (also in need of a makeover) and tables would be a welcome change.  We spend more time in the game room in the summer -- not just because school is out, but it is a walk out basement and is rather cool during the hot Texas summers!

I wanted to try my hand at painting or transferring a vintage label and starting searching the web.  I love Americana, old advertising and signs and ran across these Coffee Labels at World Label.  Great Resource! I'll be back for more goodies -- I found them through Cathe Holden at Just Something I Made (Thanks Cathe!).

source ::: World Label

I don't drink coffee, but my hubby does and he can often be found in the early morning drinking his coffee with his laptop on the sofa.   I loved the United Home Grocer and Two-Bit Coffee Labels and knew I wanted to include some color on these tables -- AND, I knew I wanted them to have a distressed finish.

Sooooo I gave the table tops a few H E A V Y  coats of Annie Sloan's Primer Red . . . 

. . . and then a good coat of Annie Sloan's Country Grey . . .

Can you see the texture?  hope so :)

. . . and then printed out my Coffee Labels from World Label and pulled out my handy Tracer Projector.

Since I was attempting to recreate these labels in color, I planned on painting them on.  And the Tracer Projector made it easy to transfer the image -- it basically enlarges any image from any printed source (magazine, book etc.) without having to scan it and print it out on a transparency like you would for an overhead projector.  I picked it up from a craft store with a coupon years ago and it was handy for this.

My hand wasn't shaking, it is the texture of the table top I swear!

Once I transferred the images with pencil, I proceeded to paint.  Yippee -- THE FUN PART!!!

I added a bit of Annie Sloan's Arles (yellow) to the Emperor's Silk to warm up the red a bit.  Not necessary, but I like mixing colors :).

The Two-Bit blue is straight out of the can Annie Sloan's Aubusson Blue.  

I purposely left off the tiny writing on the Two-Bit Coffee Label -- it was getting tooo small for me!

Once I was satisfied with how the labels looked painted.  I gave them a coat of clear wax and let it dry.

Then . . . I distressed the table tops by hand sanding them to pieces!  Yay!  Muscles getting a work out!

I wiped them down and added the table tops back to their respective bases.  Then I waxed them some more!  This time with a combination of clear and dark wax . . . 

Comparing tabletops since I started applying the dark wax to the Two-Bit  top.

. . .  until I was happy with the result.

excuse my {needing a pedicure} tootsies and slipper  :p

Me Likey! 

What do you think?  Hard to call them updated with a Vintage Label painted on them isn't it?

After they were wiped down and dry I placed them in their new home . . . downstairs . . .

The Teddy Bear is for me :)

They will definitely get more attention (and sunshine!) now :)

Coffee is now being served.

I must say -- I LOVE the distressed color combination of the ASCP Country Grey over the Primer Red.  It is exactly what this pair was needing.  

Not a great shot -- but you can see a bit of the texture of the table here.
That is a Texas Ranger Bobblehead in the corner -- eerie!

I'm tickled with the finish.

The wrought iron bases are fantastic, so even if we remove these 'tops' and hang them as signs in the pantry, we will have some great bases to worth with.  

I realize this post was long {sorry}, 

and no worries, I will never be offended if you 'skip to the end'.

Thanks for stopping by!  It always THRILLS Me to read your comments -- Thanks so much!

I am Linking Up with :::

•  Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

•  The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday

•  Stuff and Nonsense's Friday's Unfolded

•  Inspiration Friday at The Picket Fence

•  Liz Marie's Link Up with Me

•  Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

•  Vintage Inspiration at Common Ground

•  ReDoux's What Have You ReDone?

•  My Repurposed Life's Catch as Catch Can

•  Decorating Insanity's Furniture Friday

•  Chic on a Shoestring's Flaunt it Friday  

•  Friday Flair Link Party at Whipperberry

•  Mod Vintage Life's Mod Mix Mondays

•  Brambleberry Cottage's Time Travel Thursday

•  My Turn (for us) Freedom Friday

•  Party Time at 36th Avenue

•  Blissful & Domestic's Friday Linky Party

•  No Minimalist Here's Open House Thursday

•  Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

•  It's Overflowing's It's Overflowing with Creativity

•  From My Front Porch to Yours' Treasure Hunt Thursday

•  My 1929 Charmer's Sundays Best

•  Petite Hermine's Sunday Linky Party

•  Mom on Time Out's Taking Time Out Thursday

•  It's a Hodgepodge Life's Hodgepodge Friday

•  Bloom Designs Link Party

•  What's Cooking, Love's Showcase Your Talent Thursday

•  Sweet Anne Designs' Sweet Sharing Monday

•  Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday

•  Show Me What Ya Got on Not Just a Housewife

•  CedarHill Ranch's Cowgirl Up Party

•  DIY Home Sweet Home's More the Merrier Monday

•  Home Stories A to Z's Tutorials, Tips Linky Party

•  Tatortots & Jello's Weekend Wrap Up Party

•  Making Monday Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T

•  Today's Creative Blog's Get Your Craft On

•  Skip to My Lou's Made by You Monday

•  Homework's Inspiration Board

•  Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday

•  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's Tuesdays Treasures

•  A Stroll through Life's Tabletop Tuesday

•  Claiming our Space's Tout it Tuesday

•  The DIY Dreamer's from Dream to Reality Linky Party

•  Shades of Amber Annie Sloan Link Party

Moody Blues Gets Rubbed 'n Buffed

DISCLAIMER ::: this post has absolutely Nothing To Do with the English rock band, Moody Blues.  So, if you happened upon this site in search of your favorite rockers, I am sorry if I disappointed you -- but I hope you take a moment to take a peek at a few decorating ideas while you are here.

Today's story is about a heavy gal who gets a makeover.  Spoiler Alert . . . here she is . . .

About 8 or 9 years ago I ran across a heavy, dark piece of wall art that was in need of a home.  I paid $15 for it at the time and I thought I could give it a new life and perhaps a makeover.

Fast forward to May 2012 and I am cleaning out the garage and there 'she' sits, covered in dust and feeling more unloved than the day I found her at Goodwill.  I sigh, realizing this is just another project on the list that will be part of my epitaph "She had BIG PLANS".  I cannot promise that my 'habit' of bringing home strays has gotten any better . . . truth be told, it may be worse! 


I proceeded to dust her off, brought her inside, along with my easel and I set her up to see if I could help her.

She was dark, rather moody, and extremely H E A V Y.  Not sure what kind of pressed wood she is created from, but I fear that she has never been hung on the wall due to her weight.

At this point, I just wanted to lighten her color up a bit.  So I pulled out some Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue Chalk paint and gave her a few coats . . .

Annie's chalk paint adhered really well, I went back in and added more paint to all the little nooks & crannies of the 'carved'? 'pressed'? leaves and limbs of the tree -- not sure what kind of tree I was supposed to be looking at, but it didn't matter.

Once the Duck Egg chalk paint was dry, I gave the 'blue' portion a coat of clear wax.

I added a wee, tiny bit of yellow (Arles) and Blue (Aubusson) to a spoonful of clear wax in hopes of adding a bit of depth to the background.

I think it helped, though not completely sure it was necessary in the end :).

While that was drying, I decided to lighten the thick, black 'frame' with some Silver Leaf Rub 'n Buff that I applied with an old toothbrush.

That made a HUGE difference!

I let the whole thing dry overnight and re-accessed the beast girl the next day.

I really liked the metallic finish the Rub 'n Buff provided, so I proceeded to add more.  'Painting' the leaves, limbs and even touching the frame with a bit of gold leaf and amethyst.

Now that I had painted her over, I had flashbacks to Edward Scissorhands when he got an AVON makeover . . .

via

. . . and needless to say, I felt the need to add some depth.  So I gave her a light brown glaze -- again, getting in all the nooks and crannies.

Still not enough depth, so I reached for My FaVoRiTe Rubb 'n Buff . . . Spanish Copper!

Much Better . . .  let's just say, 'when it doubt . . . Rub 'n Buff her out'.

Now that Cinder{Moody}ella is all dressed up . . . she unfortunately has no place to go.  So I did what most of us would do in this situation . . . Put Her On the Mantel!

Here is what was on our Humblenest Living Room Mantel Before . . .

2 Sets of Trilogy Mirrors within a rustic (hobby lobby) open frame & burlap background.
Athena Crackle Vases (love those) on each side.

I took all that down . . . and gave her the spotlight for a while.  All that I have put her through, I think she deserves it.

The Athena Crackle Vases were a bit too color strong for her, so I placed them in a new spot nearby.   I pulled out my Santorini Urn which always seems to remind me of summer -- very beachy!  The turquoise ceramic finial to the far right is from Save on Crafts, a few years back.  I placed the finial on top of a decorative butterfly box from Michael's.

I cannot remember where I picked up this iron bird from, but I use her a lot . . .

. . . and the candleholder I scored from a Miss Mustard Seed Pick on Decor Steals recently (indeed a dangerous email to open on a daily basis!).

I think the Moody Girl is happy with the Blues, and though she may still be H E A V Y she definitely looks better being lighter!

Not sure if I'll keep her or not, but I had fun giving her a makeover just the same.  If Mr V can promise he can hang her above our bed without fear of her falling on us, then she will have a spot in our Master Bedroom Suite re-do. . . hopefully I will get that off my 'to do list' this year!

I'm Linking Up!

•  My entry into {nifty thrifty sunday} is sponsored by Appliances Online and their Fridges.

•  Homemaker on a Dime, Creative Blog Hop

•  DiY Project Parade at DiY Showoff
•  I Heart Naptime's Sundae Scoop
•  Stylish Once Again, ReStyled Sundays
•  Making the World Cuter Monday's
•  Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
•  Creative Me at the Southern Institute
•  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill
•  Meet me Monday at You are Talking Too Much
•  Show it Off at Get Out of My Head {Please}
•  Debbie Doo's Newbie Party
•  Our Delightful Home's Show Me What You Got Party
•  Southern Hospitality's Thrifty Treasures
•  Made By You Monday's at Skip to my Lou
•  Today's Creative Blog -- Make Something Creative
•  Ask Anna's Weekend Warrior Party
•  Kammy's Korner Trash to Treasure Tuesdays
•  Sugar Bee Crafts' Take a Look Tuesday
•  One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons
•  Cowgirl Up at Cedar Hill Ranch
•  Creatively Living:  Tell it to Me Tuesdays
•  Shabby Creek Cottage's Transformation Thursday
•  Beneath my Heart's Best DIY Projects of May
•  Thrifty Decor Chick's Before & After Party
•  Home Stores AtoZ Summer Mantel Party
•  Shades of Amber Chalk Paint Party

Butterflies & Bombshells

Whether you are setting up a Mother's Day luncheon with your friends, including your favorite mothers of course, or you are having a small family gathering -- just adding a few simple touches can make it special.  

Take this beautiful Mother's Day inspired table.

Created from our wonderful Willow House staff.  This particularly table was showcased at our 2010 national meeting.

One of the 'oooos and aaahhhhs' of the table, of course, is the Avalon Accent Trees with reindeer moss and  butterflies.

Here is a little 'behind the scenes action' to show how they did it . . . 

Source ::: Plate & Pattern (Willow House corporate blog) --  Start by adding a styrofoam cone to the center of each tree. For the large cone, she added moss from the bottom opening, but since our cones were the same size and the Avalon Accent Trees aren't, the smaller tree was a little tighter fit. For that tree, she had more luck putting the moss in from the outside-in. For your pieces, just experiment to see which method works best. 

Ready for her close up . . . the Avalon Accent Tree goes mossy!

Add a few craft store butterflies and you have a stunning centerpiece for your buffet or garden table!

Vary the height of your trees with urns, hurricanes and pedestals of different heights acting as the base.  These centerpiece 'trees' have also been used as a door bucket here, and a centerpiece at my family's summer BBQ here.  

Here is where the butterfly theme meets the bombshell . . . 

Have FUN with you family photographs!
•  Use an earlier picture of mom and either scan it, crop it and print it large or take it to your local copy center to help you.
•  Cut out mom's portrait in the shape of a butterfly.  It doesn't have to be perfect!
•  Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the top corner of one of the butterfly's wings and thread a ribbon through.
•  Use plenty of ribbon for an elegant bow and tie it onto the ribbon plate.
•  How sweet is this?     

My mom (though she may of acted a bit embarrassed at the time) would of loved this!  

This is perfect for ANY ladies spring / summer luncheon -- so keep this idea in mind!  

The Gramercy Ribbon Plate is topped with accent plates.  One in a trellis pattern (which mimics the tablecloth) and our Verde Berry Bowl (currently on vacation -- ask me for inventory status).

Each berry bowl contains a sweet package for the guest.  Wouldn't this make any one of us feel special?

Yes, I think it would indeed.  Love the purple accents combined with the green and cream color palette.

Ice tea (are you from the South?  Why yes, it IS Sweet Tea, how did you know?), served in a Ruffled Glass Pitcher, with sugar cube and lemon slices ready for guests to help themselves.

So many beautiful details . . . 

. . . including the Vases filled with flowers, and the flatware wrapped within the napkin and tucked into the glass tumbler.

Though it never hurts . . . 

. . . to serve a jaw-dropping dessert!  Purple flowers top a gorgeous creme cake wrapped with a chiffon ribbon and proudly display on a ruffled glass cake pedestal.  YuMMy!  

Of course you can take the theme of any gathering to any length of extremes -- it all depends on how much time you have to prepare for it, AND what your definition of ExTreme is ;).

The folks over at the National Watermelon Promotion Board continue to impress me with the ingenious ways they encourage us to enjoy melons, if you haven't checked out their carving ideas lately, you should!

Source ::: National Watermelon Promotion Board

How about these adorable pretzel butterflies?  They are the perfect combination of a little salty & sweet and look very simple to make too.  To top your cupcakes with pretzel-winged butterflies . . . note the
• bodies are piped dots of blue buttercream
• heads are candy-coated-chocolate
• with licorice antennae

Yes, YOU can do this!! Source ::: Martha Stewart Kid's (adults like them too ;)

Most craft stores sell silk butterflies, or those made from feathers, look in the floral department near the foam and glass gems.  Often times these butterflies include a wire stem, making them easy to pop into an arrangement or attach to the stem of a glass.

To make this gorgeous floral arrangement, see the source ::: Southern Living Magazine

You could even add a Nest of Sweets to each place setting.  Don't limit the use of nests in your decor to just Easter.

Source ::: Southern Living Magazine

 Wire silk butterflies to the stems of glassware.  Each guest could be a different colored butterfly, making it easy to keep track of his or her glass.

Source ::: Southern Living Magazine

To continue to carry the butterfly theme, don't forget the backs of your chairs. Create this look in two steps. First loop ribbon over each chair back, and tie it in a knot.  Then for the bow, make two loops with a length of ribbon, and secure by tying with the tails from the first knot. Insert a silk butterfly.

Source ::: Southern Living Magazine

I hope this post encourages you to have Fun with you entertaining and not to be afraid to take any theme to a bit of an extreme!

Take Care and Happy Mother's Day to All the MoMs out there! ♥

Linking up with :::
•  Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursdays