$7 Side Table

Now that we're living in a bigger place, one thing we're lacking is furniture. We basically have two empty bedrooms (well, there is a bed in one, and that's pretty much it), and a partially empty extra living space. We're working on creating these spaces bit by bit and picking up furniture here and there. But we're also trying to focus on getting the spaces we're living in right now functional. There's been lots of furniture shifting going on.

A few weeks ago we went into the Habitat Restore to look around and found a side table that I thought should come home with us. A side table for $7 is hard to pass up! Obviously, my main goal was to give this piece new life. After we used it for a couple of weeks in "as is" condition, I decided it was time to get the paint out.

What initially drew me to this piece: 

1. The sturdy legs

2. Lots of surface space

3. The fact that it's a little bit unique in shape & we didn't have anything like it

The paint I used was paint I already had on hand from this little project (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg). Can I just say, that this paint goes a long way {Tip: I added a bit of water to the paint to thin it out and stretch it a bit further}. To start, I sanded the small rough patch on the upper surface, then wiped it down with a damp cloth. I then took the piece outside and sprayed it with a few coats of shellac sealer. I did this because I've read that some wood furniture with varnish on it can bleed to the surface after you put a coat of paint on it. I didn't want this happening, so better safe than sorry. The table took two coats of paint and then I put a coat of wax on top.

It really took no time at all and it looks one hundred times better:

I love how I can easily store some of baby E's books on this table without taking up all of the surface space. 

I'm sure it won't stay in our living room forever as it has great potential to fit other places in our home. For now though, it's a great host to books & cups of coffee. Oh, and cute little white pumpkins! 

What projects have you been working on lately? 

*This post is linked to TDC*