A $4.25 Goodwill Table...Proudly Displayed by My Bedside

I'm super excited about this project...mostly because I made it for me and in only two days.  Look at this beauty:

This is what I paid $4.25 for at Goodwill's 50% off Independence Day sale (in other words, the BEFORE):

The piece itself had very little wrong with it other than the fact that it was severely outdated!  Structurally, it had great bones and only needed a few small nails replaced to keep the back attached.  To make it mine, I grabbed some yellow paint that I had picked up from the "oops table" and added a plaster of paris and water mixture that would give it same texture as chalk paint (chalk, not chalkboard).

Then a bit of sanding all over to smooth out the paint and distress the nightstand, a coat of wax and a "new" handle (really it's an old handle that I picked up at Habitat for Humanity, and is more my style).

 
And, I could't forget the kitties!  So, I whipped up a pillow that would fit the space puuuurrrfectly!  I couldn't resist and I make no apologies for being so corny!

The finishing touches include a hugely over-sized bunch of garden fresh daisies in a gorgeous thrifted pitcher, some of my favorite books and a homemade soy candle embellished with a piece of broken jewelry.

Now if that's not thrifted, I don't know what is.  Have you refinished a thrift store find lately?



Linking up here:

The Creative HomeAcre Blog Hop
Start at Home:  Paint Party!!
Katherine's Korner:  Thursday Favorite Things

Fast Fix Friday: Cool Chalkboard Drawing that Anyone Can Do!

So you love the look of chalkboard paint but not sure your artistic skills are up to the challenge of decorating with it?  Have I got the fast and easy fix for you!  Now I know not all chalkboard is meant to be beautifully decorated, it's mostly meant to be functional.  But when you have a piece of "junk" that you're not sure what else do with, turning it into easy art may just be the thing.

Today I'm using the front of an old drawer that I picked up at my local reStore for a buck, they will hang as isle markers in my parent's pet shop.  Once you've sanded, primed and painted your piece, go online and search out pictures and clip art that you love, you can even experiment with fancy fonts. Please be sure that you aren't infringing on any copyright laws. You can use a basic word processing program to resize your graphics to whatever size you need.  I'm using a couple of sheets of paper to get them to the right size for my "canvas."

Turn the page over and cover the design area with chalk.  It doesn't have to be a thick layer, just use the side of your chalk.

Now place the paper, chalk side down, on your chalkboard in the location you wish to drawn.  With pencil, pen or stylus, trace over the drawing.

When you lift the paper you'll have the perfect template to work from.  Just go back over the tracing and color it in to your liking.

Now go...go cover the world with chalkboard paint!