Table from BBQ Grill and Speaker Stand

I have two really cute vintage swiveling bar stools and decide they would look lovely in an empty corner in the living room. And they did. But something seemed to be missing and I thought a tall table would be the finishing touch. I started looking around for items I had around the house that could be used.

I found an old speaker stand and round grate from a BBQ Grill.  Perfect! I covered a small wood block with a scrap of fabric using a staple gun. I centered the grate over the side of the block with the staples. The speaker stand had a hole in each corner. I turned it upside down on top of the grate and attached it to the wood block with screws. To keep the grate more stable, I used clips used to attach speaker wire to the baseboard. I positioned them so that the clip fit over the wire grate and nailed them to the wooden block.

When it was flipped over, I had a small height-adjustable table! It completed the corner perfectly.

Re-purposed Items Make a Coffee Table

When I got my new (used) couch and love seat, my coffee table looked puny! I was thinking a large square table would be perfect and scoured high and low through used furniture stores, flea markets and Craigslist looking for the perfect one. I never found it! One day I was sitting on the couch and my eye traveled to the unused three panel room divider screen. The wheels of creativity starting turning. I laid the screen down in front of the furniture and realized two panels made a table that was the perfect size.

I took the panels apart and sawed off the legs so the table would be rectangular. I measured the panels and the overall size the table would be once assembled. I had vintage tapered legs salvaged from an old table. I took a trip to the home improvement store. I bought the brackets to fasten the legs to the table. The guy at the store helped me select the chip board I needed to turn my panels into a table. He advised me that the chip board was stronger and cheaper than plywood. I gave him the measurements and he cut the chipboard for me. Assembly was so much quicker when the cuts are already made!

On the bottom side of each panel, I placed one of the smaller rectangles into the the recessed area of the panel under the matchstick material to keep them from dipping down. Then I placed the large rectangle that was cut to the length and width of the finished piece over the panels. I screwed it all together with wood screws.  I attached the brackets and legs. Then I painted the bottom and sides of the chipboard a nice rich brown so it would look more finished.

Once the paint was dry, I flipped it over. I had a perfectly sized table for my space! I put two coats of polyurethane over the top of the matchstick material to make it shed water. I'm so proud of the finished product!

Vintage Light Fixture Repurposed

I found this vintage bathroom light fixture at a yard sale for $1. Most would think it fairly ugly but I found that it would fit into my new quirky design style using repurposed items. I thought it would look great in the living room hanging above a framed magazine ad that I really like. I took the bracket off that connects the fixture to the electric box when the fixture is used traditionally. I disconnected and taped off the electrical outlet built into the fixture.

Using the remains of the kit is used to hang the vintage light over the dining table, I rewired the fixture so I could plug it into an outlet. (See previous blog entry.) I had plenty of lamp wire with a plug and the on/off switch left from the kit so it was perfect! By notching the lightweight metal base of the fixture, I was able to run the cord through so it would mount flush with the wall. I put two low wattage bulbs in. I love to turn it on when I'm watching a movie - it gives me must enough light to see my way around without creating glare on the tv screen.

Bike Parking

I have two vintage Schwinn bicycles - one from 1969 and the other from 1976. Currently, I have no garage or shed for storage for them so they have been incorporated into my home decor. Yep, two bikes park in my living room! The other day, I was looking at them and thought I need a way to really make them more like I intend for them to be decorative pieces. The perfect solution - art!

I realized I had a long, narrow picture frame that I'd picked up for less than a dollar at a yard sale. It had a  cardboard backing so I took it out and started working. If it had not had this backing, I would have cut one to fit from a box. I have alphabet cookie cutters that were the perfect size to use as a pattern for the sign. I spaced them out on the cardboard and traced around them. I intentionally varied the spacing and didn't try to  keep them on a straight line. I wanted the appearance that the sign was hand painted.

I painted the letters with white acrylic paint. Again, I did not strive for perfection. So much less stressful this way! After the acrylic paint had dried, I watered down some brown latex paint I had on hand. Using a paper towel, I daubed the watery paint over the entire piece. I used a clean towel to take off some of the paint to ensure a variation of color. After it dried, I decided another coat would be good, so I repeated the process. Once it was completely dry, I slipped it back in the frame and hung it behind the bikes. It's perfect!

Mom's Telephone Chair

I've had my mom's telephone stand for some time. When I lived in the antique house it was perfect. We also had corded phones back then! When I moved to a more modern house, the chair when to the attic. Then it was stored in a shed and an unfinished basement. In other words, it didn't look very pretty anymore! I was way too ashamed to take a before picture.

I've been decorating my current house in an eclectic style. And wow, my creativity in working in overdrive! I brought the telephone chair down from the attic and cleaned it up. I gave it a coat of nice, dark brown paint. The table part has separated where two boards had been joined. Although the gap didn't bother me entirely, I knew it could look better.

As my daughter was growing up, we enjoyed jigsaw puzzles. We worked on them together but I must admit, she did the most! I had a small puzzle of a collection of postage stamps that I had picked up at a garage sale for a quarter. I invited my daughter and grandson over and we had a delightful afternoon together assembling the puzzle. Once it was together, we glued it to a piece of poster board. After allowing it to dry thoroughly, I cut it to the size of the table top. It wasn't wide enough to cover the entire top so I centered it and glued it in place. A couple of coats of clear polyurethane will protect it from spills.

I covered the seat area with a nice soft butter yellow fabric and the transformation is complete. I can't wait for Mom to visit and see her once again beautiful telephone chair!

Vintage/Retro Unite

What's the difference between vintage and retro? I'm not really sure how the experts define the words but this is my personal interpretation. I consider vintage to be older but not antique. It would come from the 1950 - 70 time period. On the other hand, retro is something that has been made recently in the vintage style. These are the definitions I will use while writing this entry.

I have a very small dining space in my home. I was lucky enough to acquire a vintage table that is the perfect size for the space. It has a pale pink top with random think black lines running through it. The walls throughout the house are a nice happy green color. This table really fits not at all! But I love it and its time to make it work. I already owned some retro chairs that work well with the table. As you can see in the before and after picture below, the seats are a stark white.

I selected a fabric to recover the chairs that had a vintage feel as well as the colors in the room. I left the original black back piece. I found the fabric on clearance at our local Hobby Lobby store and purchased one yard. I highly recommend measuring the seat bottoms before heading out to the store to make sure enough fabric is purchased. For five dollars, a bunch of staples and about an hour of time my chairs have a whole new look! And the dining area looks pulled together.

I am so pleased with the end result! My small house is becoming a home. My eclectic decorating style allows me to explore my creative, artsy style. My projects certainly are great conversation starters for my guests.