Ikea End Table Re-Vamp
There are thousands of ideas for spicing up the $8 ikea end tables. Here is my newest ikea revamp.
I decoupaged maps from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City All over this plain white Lack table from Ikea. It is a more modern look than I usually go for but it was a super fun project. This would be great in a kids room as a craft table. You could decoupage flowers or Disney princesses or Legos to the table. It is also great as a modern conversation piece in a living room or entry way. Travel maps are a good choice as they lend themselves well to travel stories.
For now, this table is acting as a catch-all next to the front door. It is a little low to be perfect for dropping mail and purses but I’m working on a way to give it physical and visual height.
To decoupage a table, use a decopauge glue such as ModgePodge and apply a couple of coats of acrylic sealer over the top to give it a nice hard surface. There are plenty of good decopauge tutorials online so I won’t get into the details but I will say that for a piece like a table, a good sealant is key.
I’d love to see pictures of your decopauge projects. Embed images or links in the comments.
Sarah
Estate Sale Finds 03/26/2011
First estate sale of the season for me! It was a George sale. I hardly bother going to the other ones. I will when they start to get rolling but I pay so much more for the stuff. I try to go to those other guys on the second day of the sale. They are usually more willing to deal. Anyways, today was just George. I spent just $6 which is good for me. I usually spend $10! I know it is just so much money for as much stuff as I get. George is the best.
I got a couple cute pieces of milkglass (my favorite and perfect for weddings!), some cute juice glasses that will be great tealight holders. There were 4 but I broke one on the way home 🙁 That will teach me not to wrap stuff up well. I need to get into a better habbit about that. I have plans to make fabric bags to just throw this stuff in as I am gathering it at sales but it just hasn’t happened. I’m headed to the fabric store today. I may see what fleece remnants they have.
I also got one piece of cute amber depression glass. Another cute tea light and the sweetest little milkglass bud vase. Stefan got a Stein to add to his collection. It is even stamped West Germany so we know it is Iron Curtain era. He also got some peg board hooks which I pickup whenever I can. We will have a real workroom with lots of pegboard someday!
The real find though was this cool tray. It will be a great magnetic board! I’ll make some sweet art-deco magnets and hopefully get that in the etsy shop this week! I’ve been picking up those Better Homes and Gardens books. I have a couple Handymans and a couple Decorating ones. The images are so retro and cute. I haven’t come up with the perfect use for them but I’m open to sugesstions! Leave me good comments!
It’s off to the fabric store for me. I’ll try to get another before and after post up today.
Sarah
Quickie Project – DIY Wall Calendar
My house has been in sore need of a calendar. I have so many things I want to do and I needed something to keep it all strait. I kept thinking of one of those whiteboard calendars but I am in super budget mode and it didn’t seem worth buying. I whipped up this quick calendar and I think it is much more functional not to mention much cuter than those white board ones.
I just printed out calendar pages and Month names and machine stitched them onto a piece of cute fabric. Easy to update and recyclable once I’m done. I even stiched a couple of notepads of scratch paper for things like groceries and to-dos. You could get fancy and make cute labels for those but I’m going to let mine take on purposes of their own.
Finally – The Living Room updates
Let me first sound off about the importance of pillows. Good pillows add personality and fun to any boring old room. These are my boyfriend’s couches. They are oversized, brown and though not hideous are definitely the kind of couches a boy would pick-out. I’m not complaining. They are comfy and were a great price. The one main issue I had was the hideous pillows that came with the couch. They are HUGE and super duper ugly. Not much I can do about the size besides completely replacing them but the uglyness, that I can do something about. I can’t believe it took me this long but I have replaced the ugly pillows with something more fun. One pair is natural fabric with a strip of the curtain pattern and one pair is a pretty pink color. The apartment is still a bit of a bachelor pad and we are building Custom Safe Rooms Texas so I didn’t go crazy with the pinks but those look even better.
Stay tuned to see the curtains and the ottoman slip-cover!
Sarah
