Upcycled Coffee Bar

What do you do when you see an old microwave stand out in the neighbor’s garbage?  Well, if you’re me, you have your husband go get it, so you can re-purpose it as something else. 

I wasn't sure what I was going to use the old microwave stand for right way, but eventually an idea came to me.  I decided to use it in our guestroom as a coffee and snack bar.

To do this, I cleaned it up and refinished it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (old white paint and clear wax) that I had from a previous project. I like ASCP because 1) no sanding is required and 2) it is a great paint to use for distressed pieces of furniture.

I applied two coats of ASCP with my ASCP brush, one coat of ASCP wax with an old rag, and then I sanded the edges to make it look a little distressed.

I finished the piece with new glass knobs and decoupaged the doors with scrapbook paper and Mod Podge.

Lastly, I had to give my upcycled piece of furniture some purpose by making it a coffee bar for our guests.  I bought a place mat for a few dollars at Old Time Pottery and put it underneath a small coffee pot and coffee mug stand from my first apartment.  Then I went to Goodwill on the first Saturday of the month when everything is half off and purchased a set of coffee mugs for $.50 each. Inside the doors, I store extra sheets for the guestroom bed.  On the shelf, I keep snacks, coffee, teas, and bottled water in a tray I purchased from Home Goods. 

My husband likes to tease me about this project.  He reminds me that we don’t run a bed and breakfast.  But I do like having coffee and teas for guests in their own room when they come to visit.....and by guests, I mean family who come to visit once or twice of year and my mom who comes to visit me every few months.  My mom looks forward to the chocolates and biscotti in her room when she comes to visit, so I think that this little coffee bar is a nice hospitable touch in the guestroom.  

What can I say, I just want my house to feel like home when they walk into my house.  Any little project that helps make that happen is a successful project in my eyes.

Going Yellow - Mod Podge Table Redo

 

If you’ve been reading the blog this week, you’re aware of my “Going Yellow” series.  This week I’ve been sharing how I updated my living room  by using yellow accents for less than $100.

 

 

Today I’m sharing an easy redo where this table…..

 

 

 

…was updated to this table.

 

 

The original post , “Decoupaged $5 Goodwill Table”, was about how using paper and Mod Podge on furniture can be a creative an inexpensive way to update thrift store furniture.  For this update, all I did was cover the old paper with new yellow paper using the same method that I shared in the original post.

 

 

I love the black, yellow and grey combination of this space now. 

 

I have one last yellow project to share with you tomorrow, so stay tuned.

 

Upcycled Night Stands

I have another thrifty guestroom project to share with you today……..

Last summer, I paid $4 a piece for these tables.    When we finally got around to fixing up the guestroom, I decided to use the garage sale tables as night stands for the room, but they needed a little fixing up before I used them in that space.

To do this, I painted the tables with some sample antique white Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint that I got for free with one of my paint purchases.

To add interest to the tables, I simply decoupaged the tops of each one with some scrapbook paper that I had in my craft closet.

And that's pretty much it:)  Another $10 project completed…..

.....and I really like the look and simplicity of my “new” night stands:)

DIY Coasters (for less than $.35 each)

My husband is a coaster freak.  Even if a glass doesn’t have condensation on it, he will still insist that a coaster be used.  And when we have family over, he subtly puts coasters near everyone’s drinks, so our guest will know that we use coasters in our house.  In my husband’s eyes a coaster is a practical home item, but in my eyes coasters are not always pretty home items…..and that’s where this project comes in. 

I think that most things in my home should be somewhat appealing to the eye, and there is just nothing attractive about the set of coasters that my husband used in his bachelor pad.  They’re not ugly – they’re just plain, boring-looking coasters, and because we only have six of these boring-looking coasters, we are always carrying coasters around the house and forgetting where we put them.

Since the coasters are always out and always being used, I felt the need to address this problem.  Awhile ago, I saw someone use $.16 tiles from Lowe’s to make beautiful, practical coasters, and I thought…..Problem Solved!  I'm not sure who originally thought of this idea, but whoever thought of it is a genious. 

The first thing I did for this project was to go to Lowe’s and buy several 4x4 tiles.  The great thing about this project is that each individual tile is only $.16 a piece, making each coaster less than $.35 when finished!!!   Because Mod Podge and hot glue are two of my crafting staples, this project cost me less than $8, and I made 24 coasters with that $8. 

After I bought my tiles, I began selecting pieces of scrapbook paper to go with each set of coasters, and then I cut the paper to fit each piece of tile.  One piece of paper will be enough for several coasters.  FIY: One sheet of paper is $.59 at local craft stores, but I usually stock up when it goes on sale 6 for $1.

Once the paper is cut, decoupage the paper to the tile using Mod Podge.  To do this, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the tile, and firmly press the paper to the tile.  Then, coat the tile and paper with a second layer of  Mod Podge.

Once all of the tiles have dried, hot glue cut pieces felt to the bottom of the tiles.  I cut the felt the same way I cut the paper.  One sheet will make the bottoms of eight coasters. 

I used12x18 firm felt that I purchased from my local craft store for $.79 a piece.   Make sure that it is firm  felt if cutting it with a paper trimmer.  If using scissors, it doesn’t matter what kind of felt is used.  Adhesive felt is also sufficient for this step, but it is more expensive per sheet. 

At the end of this project, I had made 5 sets of coasters: 6 for the living room, 4 for our bedroom, 4 for the guest room, 5 for the dining room/sitting room and 5 for the loft, giving me a total of 24 coasters.  Now my coaster dillema is solved, and the best part  is that it took less than a  ten dollar bill to pay for this entire projectJ

Whether you’re in need of coasters for your own home, or wanting to give them as a gift to someone else, the above method is a cost-effective way to personalize a practical item for anyone’s home.

Decoupage Tray

I have one last decoupage project to share with you this month.  I decoupaged this tray  awhile back but haven’t posted about it until now.  As all decoupage projects tend to be, this is a really easy project that can be customized to someone’s personal taste.

 

First, I bought a wooden tray.  Most all craft stores have them for around $5.  I got lucky and found one at Goodwill for $2.   Secondly, I painted my tray.  Then, using two pieces of scrap book paper, I began decoupaging the top of the tray.  To do this, I applied a layer of Mod Podge to the bottom of the paper and glued it to the tray, then I applied a layer of Mod Podge to the top of the paper and let it dry.

 

I liked the simple look of the black and white polka dots, but the beauty of using scrapbook paper is the variety that craft stores offer.  Keep in mind that any kind of paper works for decoupage projects.  You don’t need to limit yourself to only using scrapbook paper.

All in all, this project cost me less than $5. This tray gets used on a daily basis, so we certainly got our $5 worth out of it;)

Decoupaged $5 Goodwill Table

I’ve shown you a lot of decoupage projects lately, so I thought I’d show you another one that I did years ago.  When I got my first apartment, my entire apartment was furnished from thrift stores.  Here’s how I turned an ugly side table into a usable piece for that apartment.

First, I bought a random $5 table from Goodwill that met the size requirements I was looking for.  Then, I painted the table black.  Once the table was dry, I applied a layer of Mod Podge to the top of the table and quickly placed scrapbook paper on top of the wet glue.  I used four pieces of scrapbook paper that looked like pages from a dictionary and left a few inches of painted black edge along the top of the table.  Lastly, I applied a second layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper, and then let it dry. 

After supplies, this table was less than $10.   I still use this table in our house now, so I’d say I got my ten bucks worthJ