Retooled table

I just discovered a new site called The CSI Project: create...show...inspire. Every week they feature a challenge to get your creative juices flowing. This week's challenge is Yard Sale Makeovers, so naturally I felt like I had to post a makeover of my own!



This is a boring old end table that I bought at a flea market and transformed into the colorful table you see here. I had always wanted to create a table that incorporated a game board. Amazingly, the vintage Chinese checkers board that I had was a perfect fit on the top of the table! I decided not to attach the board permanently to the table, because I wanted to have the option of flipping it over and enjoying both sides of the board. I did have a piece of glass cut to fit the inside of the wooden frame so that the board would be protected.



And can I just tell you how much I love the way the finish turned out? It looks a lot like milk paint, even though I used regular acrylic housepaint. I put on a base coat of yellow followed by a coat of red, with a little bit of sanding to grunge it up. I think the magic happened when I rubbed some brown and black shoepolish over the whole thing to give it that aged look. Vintage perfection!

I don't have any before photos of the table, but trust me when I say that the table was pretty blah. A previous owner had stripped it completely, and it had obviously been sitting around naked for awhile at the flea market (never a proper thing to do) and had turned a dull gray as the wood cracked and dried out.

If you're thinking that you've got a great yard sale transformation to share, be stop by The CSI Project website before noon on Thursday to learn how YOU can join in the fun!