Thrifty Treasures: My Thriftstore Side Table

Hi, friends!

This week, I’ve got a thrifty treasure to share with all of you too.  You might remember an Ethan Allen table I picked up at the last I Love Thrifting day back in July?  I found this piece at a local thriftstore for $45 and knew that I could use it in my new den.  With a makeover, of course.  I had plans to paint the table and decided that I wanted to leave the top in its current dark stain and paint the bottom part a pretty turquoisey blue, Provence by Annie Sloan chalk paint.  In fact, I had gotten a sample pot of this paint at the Haven Conference and was dying to try it out

She’s a pretty thing, but definitely needed a sprucing up to make her work for my new house.

I was thrilled when I opened the drawer and saw this distinctive stamp.  I used to work for Ethan Allen back in 2003.  It was a fun place, but retail wasn’t for me.

I taped up the drawers with my Frogtape.  It’s got Paintblock, which blocks paint from getting underneath, so you can get those nice crisp lines.

Frogtape comes in handy for all sorts of projects and I’ll be showing you more of those along the way too.

I taped the underside of the top, since I didn’t want paint on that part.  This works great for masking off furniture or anything that you don’t want painted.  I’ve used it a lot in my bathrooms around the vanities, tub and baseboards.

My sample pot of Provence.  Isn’t it gorgeous?

After one coat.  I really liked how the paint left part of the brown wood showing through and after 2 coats, it was perfect.

One coat on the drawers.  It even has small holes which gives it a real vintage feel.

Here’s a tip for you!  Did you know when you are painting with latex paint and don’t feel like washing out your brushes, that you can wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge?  I do it all the time when I know I’ll be back the next day.  Washing brushes is not my fave thing to do, so anything that will keep me from having to do it twice is great with  me.  I think just wrapping them in plastic does it, but to be safe I put mine in the fridge.  Nice timesaver!

After painting 2 coats

Two coats of paint later, I added some wax, clear and a little dark and it was done.  I didn’t cover the table in all the crevices, but let some of the brown show through and I love how it turned out.  It shows off the detail on all those little turns and I barely had to add any dark wax to it at all.

After both coats were completely dry, I got out my Annie Sloan clear wax and brushed it all over the sides and drawers, being sure to rub it into the surface of the paint.

Brush and then go back with a rag and rub it all in.  It doesn’t take a whole lot to cover.

Rub it all in well with a rag.

I added a little bit of the Dark wax on top of the clear and immediately rubbed it back off, leaving only a bit of antiquing behind.  I already had a good amount of distressing from not painting every crevice of this table and it was looking just the way I wanted it too.

The next day, after the wax was dry, I went back and buffed it softly with a t-shirt rag and that gives it a nice luster, just buffing the wax.

My taped lines came out great.

And now I have a table I can really be proud of, for only $45.  It will sit proudly in my new den!

I have the hardest time trying to get the color just right on my camera sometimes, but the above pics are mostly true.

Here, you can see how leaving some of the crevices unpainted, I got just the vintage look I was after.

Isn’t it cute??  I love it now in its new blue hue.

{Note:  I’m part of the Frogtape Blogsquad for the next few months and I’ll be sharing projects that I do with Frogtape. I’ve been compensated for my time to use Frogtape, but have not been told what to post or how to use my tape.}

And I didn’t forget about you either!  Here are a few highlights from last week’s party.  Just want to remind you, that Thrifty Treasures party will be coming to a close again at the end of September.  I don’t keep this party going all year long, since I need a break and the Holidays will be just around the corner, so we’ll all have plenty more things to talk about. 

A Goodwill score white platter by Cherished Treasures will really come in handy for the holidays.

Fab Rehab Creations painted this bamboo table in glossy white and gave it a new lease on life.  Don’t you just love the power of paint??

How cute is this John Deere mailbox?  Adorable!  Top This, Top That rehabbed this cute John Deere tractor into a one of a kind mailbox.

This yardsale ceramic artichoke from Revisionary Life will be a fun piece to decorate with.

Town and Country Living made this beautiful Fall tablescape, using flea market gourds and a really organic slice of wood she found at a yardsale.  I love this!

Don’t forget this week starts the Fall link parties with all my buddies, Layla, Kate, and Sarah.  I’ll be back around on Thursday to share some of my fun Fall outdoor ideas (and pssst, there’s a great giveaway that day too, so you don’t want to miss that!).

So, here’s your chance to share your finds for the week!  I’m foregoing all the rules I normally post, but I think most of you know them by now.

Please only post thrifty 2nd hand treasures!