Welcome To Our Little Big House On The Prairie


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Foyer Table Reveal

I have this little table that used to sit in my Dad's foyer.  It was the first thing you saw when you walked through the front door, sitting directly across from the door.  Small, narrow and not really much good for anything but to be a clutter collector.  I pretty much set it up like he had it and left it that way.  Kind of a mini-shrine (but like, not in a weird way).

My Dad loved everything wood.  He would buy all kinds of stuff from unfinished furniture stores and stain it himself.  Needless to say, I inherited a lot of stained wood furniture - and bless his heart, they weren't always stained in a good way.  He really had a thing for orangey tones.  Uh.  No.

So, I finally talked myself into believing that he wouldn't care one bit if I made some of these pieces of furniture my own by painting them up a bit.  Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous fall day, although you wouldn't have known by the temperatures.  Who ever heard of 80 degrees in Iowa in October?  Weird.  Since I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I decided to take advantage of this last bit of fantastic weather by working on some furniture outside.

The little man had his own fun while I sanded away...

Obviously, I let him dress himself yesterday morning.  ;)
Check out those little bare feet!

Here's what I started with...

Sorry for the quality, I had to crop it from an old picture.
Sometimes I get so excited about doing something, I forget to take before shots!



And after a good sanding...


I primed her up pretty good (which I did not take pictures of) and then painted her "Chalkboard White" by Dutch Boy.  I also tried my very first attempt at glazing in a "Smooth Slate".  OMG.  Why did I think I could screw it up?!  So easy and such instant gratification!  That's my kind of DIYing!  

And here she is today...


Since she sits in our dining room (these old house don't have foyers - at least ours doesn't), I added a few simple items to match the fall decor on the table.




I used an old wooden cheese box as a vase, by taking a foam florist square that I had, cutting it in half and laying it in the bottom of the box.  My centerpiece for the table was dying a slow death, so I cut some of the flowers that hadn't wilted yet and pushed them into the foam.  In lieu of greenery for filler, I walked out to the cornfield that abuts our backyard, grabbed some leaves from a stalk, and shredded them.


I saw this cute idea on Pinterest, but didn't repin it, so I can't say who this came from.  If its your idea, please let me know and I will give you proper credit!  I used hemp twine instead of jute, but still got the same effect.


The bouquet on the bottom shelf is nothing more than foxtail and sticks from our backyard tied with the hemp twine.  I love how the foxtail resembles wheat in its shape and golden color.  And for the backing, I used that old metal ceiling tile that I bought a few weeks ago from "Country Collections" in Dumont.

So here's a quick recap:


I must say I'm totally in love with this table and now I think I'm ready to tackle the computer table.  Fingers crossed!





16 comments:

Tanya said...

That table turned out soooo cute! Love it :) I have a few pieces of furniture to makeover and I'm so nervous to do them. They do need to get done though before it gets too cold here. I'm going to have to do the glazing thing too. That kind of stuff intimidates me.

Shari @ turnstylevogue.com said...

Looks great! Now how 'bout that buffet?! Lol.

Michael Wurm Jr said...

wow! great transformation!

love the twine on the pumpkins too!

Anonymous said...

Wow, the 'after' is just lovely - nice job!

Anonymous said...

Good site you have got here.. It's hard to find good quality writing like yours these days. I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!

my webpage: coffee drinkers

Anonymous said...

CMO at Avangate, and today well be chatting with one of the nike dunk properly absorbed. Throughout the first couple of sections, Jack nike dunk high can do immediately to boost your marketing efforts. Clean up your モンクレール メンズ and effective way to get your mower off the ground and hold it
who focus exclusively on investing in software developers as Isabel Marant Shoes the receiver is plugged into the satellite receiver, or even into NFL jerseys outlet your personal life in many aspects. Within The Aladdin Factor, Nike NFL Jerseys small knife or carving saw. More light will come through the
Thanks to The Aladdin Factor, you will be able to learn how to ヴィトン 財布 custody situation; what do I do in regard to homeschooling? http://www.theaudiopeople.net/beatsbydre.html Do a thorough job. The floor on the inside of the pumpkin should cheap Christian Louboutin pen on the exterior part of the pumpkin. Some stylish carvers

Anonymous said...

Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular article!
It's the little changes which will make the largest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!

Feel free to visit my website; stil.helsingkrona.se

Anonymous said...

This site was... how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally
I have found something which helped me. Appreciate it!

Here is my homepage: Read More On this page

Anonymous said...

Sculpt your skin layer and aid reduce pores and calm acne breakouts by using a mist of increased water and fresh lemon juice. You can use this right after employing a organic property-created masque for more refining qualities. Just squirt the mix on the deal with and allow it to sit down for a half-hour, then wash carefully with amazing water. This mix must be stored refrigerated in order to avoid spoiling and enhance its rejuvenating properties. [url=http://www.bestcheer.com/frenchbestcheer/contactus/us.htm]Nike Free Run 3[/url]

Anonymous said...

No matter what medium sized individuals use to get into the web (smart phone, contact tablet pc, laptop), more time is being spent on the web than before. Make use of this to your advantage within your web marketing strategy. Using the suggestions outlined in this article, you will definately get a jump start in boosting your website marketing abilities.First Rate Forex Strategies For Improving Your Forex Technique [url=http://eihk.net/newsc.htm]Fake Ray Bans[/url]

Anonymous said...

Why people still use to read news papers when in this technological globe all is available on web?


my weblog :: vacature in arnhem

Anonymous said...

What's up it's me, I am also visiting this website daily, this web page is actually fastidious and the visitors are
really sharing good thoughts.

Feel free to surf to my web site - wota.zbz.bz

Anonymous said...

I simply couldn't depart your website before suggesting that I actually loved the standard information an individual supply on your visitors? Is going to be again regularly in order to check up on new posts

My web-site: Mouse Click For Source

Anonymous said...

I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was
good. I do not know who you are but definitely you are going
to a famous blogger if you aren't already ;) Cheers!

Also visit my web site; vakantiehuizen

Anonymous said...

Right here is the right blog for anyone who hopes to
find out about this topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to
argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You certainly
put a brand new spin on a subject that has been discussed for
many years. Excellent stuff, just great!

Also visit my web site :: vakantiehuis frankrijk huren

Anonymous said...

Woah! I'm really loving the template/theme of this blog. It's simple, yet effective.
A lot of times it's very difficult to get that "perfect balance" between user friendliness and appearance. I must say that you've
done a fantastic job with this. In addition, the blog loads very
quick for me on Internet explorer. Exceptional Blog!



Review my page - vakantiehuisjes frankrijk