Thrift store flip

There is nothing I love more than spending my lunch hour or my Saturdays running around to all my local thrift stores looking for little gems....like this piece below. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted it! All this dresser needed was a little TLC.

I brought it home and started my job. First thing, new knobs from World Market...Hobby Lobby has a really good selection too.

Next I added a hand cut burlap table runner to the top and draped some red berry garland (found at Old Time Pottery) along the burlap runner. Also, I added an old window to rest against the wall. See below for the finished project!

Sofa table...How-to!

Recently, we got a new sectional couch, but we thought it was a little too pushed up against the wall plus we eliminated our coffee table with an ottoman, so I wanted to start looking for a sofa table to go between the wall and the sofa. However, I didn't want to buy a LONNNNNGGGGG table because I would never reuse it if we got a new couch or moved. SO, we decided to build our own sofa table. So cheap/easy and looks awesome!

List of materials from Home Depot:

1. Piece of white pine (1"x8"x10'...You can cut it to any length or buy any length).

2. Minwax Wood Finish Dark Walnut stain

3. Paint Brush

4. Sand paper 

5. Hand sander (optional...but so helpful!)

6. Polyurethane gloss (optional)

7. 3 L-brackets (Could change depending on the width of the wood) 

8. Short and long screws for the L-brackets

Okay, so the first thing we did was sand the top surface of the wood. We used a hand sander which is optional, but I highly recommend. Sand the entire top side of the wood, AND sand a small area of the underside where you can test the strength of the stain before you apply to the entire top side.

 

After sanding, lightly wipe down the wood to remove any dust. Next, flip the wood over to the underside where you sanded a small section and apply a layer of the stain. We let it sit for a few minutes and then wiped off with a rag, which was the shade that we wanted. If you want a darker shade, let it sit longer before wiping off. 

Now flip the wood over to the top side and apply stain to the entire surface. This should be a fairly quick process. Do not spend too much time, you really are just trying to cover the surface. After letting sit a few minutes, wipe with a dry cloth over all the surfaces. Let the entire surface dry for a few hours. Next, we added a layer of polyurethane gloss to the surface so it had a light clear coat. Again, like the stain you will be lightly covering the surface. Let the gloss sit until it is completely dry.

Next we brought the stained wood into the living room and measured where we would want our L-brackets to go to support the wood. 

We used 3 brackets because of the length of the wood, and spaced them evenly. Use the long screws to screw the L-brackets into the wall, and use the short screws to screw the top of the L-brackets to the wood. AND YOU ARE DONE!! Add a little decor and a lamp and you have a nice table to be used as "another" coffee table!

Easy/cheap decorating tip...metalic mason jar!

Turn your extra mason jars around the house into a statement piece, book stopper, vase, etc. All you need is metallic spray paint (I chose gold) and a mason jar with a lid.

Be sure the lid is on tight. Shake up the spray paint before spraying and hold the can a foot away from the jar. Lightly cover the entire surface. After the surface has dried, apply another coat and you are DONE! Use this mason jar as a book stop or a pop of shine for a shelf!

Burlap garland.. How-to!

My husband wanted to put the TV on the mantle, but I thought it just made the mantle look so drab. In this post I will show you how to make garland burlap which took my mantle from blah to southern and homey! 

Here are the materials you will need (found at Michael's craft store):

• Burlap ribbon 4-6 inches wide (Mine was around 4 inches wide). 30 yards total
• String 
• Bobby pin 

Start by tying the string in a knot around the bobby pin. Cut the string about 4 feet long. Tie the opposite end of the string in the bottom right corner of the burlap ribbon. Begin to weave the string through the burlap, in and out in a zig zag pattern up the ribbon. The wider the pattern the bigger the puckers, and visa versa. 

About every 2 feet, tighten the string so that the ribbon bunches. Continue until you have reached the length desired for the garland. When finished, loop the string through the burlap ribbon and tie a knot. 

And you are done! I draped mine across my mantle, but this would look awesome draped over a doorway, the back of your buffet or a table runner!