A Diamond in the Stuff

Salvaged Door Entry Table

Courtney Carmean — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 14:00:37 +0000

Our family is gearing up for a big move this spring. We’re headed to Albuquerque for a year. In preparation for listing our home for sale and moving, I am working on some stash busting projects! As some of you know, I like to sell many of my creations in local handmade shows (if anyone knows of good ones in the Albuquerque area, shoot me the info!), so I’ve been working on what I have lying around so that I can hopefully get the projects done and sold! I had a stack of old doors in my garage, I decided to pull one out and transform it.

It’s no secret I love salvaged goodies like windows, doors, and architectural accents. I’ve been wanting to make an entry table out of an old door for sometime now. I finally got the motivation and just happened to have everything I needed to get it done!

Supplies I used:

-Old door

-2 spindles for legs

-Salvaged wood for table top

-1×4 for table apron

-a little paint

-clear coat

I cleaned up the door, scrubbed and sanded. Then I added a clear coat to protect it and to seal in any possible lead paint.

Once that was done, it was time to build the table part. We built a simple box out of the 1×4’s, added the wood spindles to two of the corners, and then added the salvage wood top. To attach everything, we used a nail gun (which I highly recommend if you’re going to be doing a fair amount of DIY projects).

I painted the apron and the legs white with chalk paint. I clear coated the whole thing (table top, legs, and all) with polycrylic. Then we attached the table to the door. We drilled through the apron and the door, using bolts to attach them both.

Overall it was a pretty simple project, I should of done it sooner!

The little table makes it perfect for an entryway or a hall table! It provides the perfect spot to toss your keys, purse, and (if you’re like me) every single thing your child has ever picked up. Ever. I could see a cute little mirror added to the top part of the door, or maybe some hooks!?

The bottom part of the entry table is the perfect spot for a cute basket or bin. I’m a bit obsessed with baskets and bins, I have one in almost every room. It’s a great place to store extra blankets and other unsightly items. A little organizational tip I use: hide some of those ugly but necessary items at the bottom of a cute basket with a pretty throw blanket on top! You will have the items easily accessible but not in plain sight.

My Salvaged Door Entry Table sold after it’s debut appearance at a show I did. It’s not hard to see why, she’s a beaut! Isn’t she? I’ve got another door and I’m thinking another table is in order!!!

Thank y’all for visiting today!!!

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Here is another fun project made some some salvaged shutters……

DIY Salvaged Wood Toolbox

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000

One of the biggest reasons that I started blogging and crafting was upcycling. I get such satisfaction turning discarded items into new functional and beautiful items. Sometimes I acquire items that I KNOW I will find the perfect purpose for, at some point. There are times it takes me awhile to figure out exactly what I will do with the items I have found.

For instance, lets say you used part of a crib to make a bench and there were left over pieces. What would you do with them? Well if you were me you would let them sit in your garage for a year and a half getting cobwebby!

I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of these beautiful spindles, but I didn’t know what I would do with the less desirable crib pieces. Then one day it hit me. I decided to use the spindles and some old fence wood and turn them into a DIY Salvaged Wood Toolbox.

The first thing I did was, very sweetly ask my hubby to plane down some of the wood and cut it to the sizes that I needed. The wood pieces measure:

2 x 18in long for the side pieces

1 x 16in for the bottom piece

2 x 10in for the end pieces

1 x 16in for the handle.

We put the box together using screws, which we learned wasn’t the best idea. The screws made the old wood split just a bit here and there. We made some more of these and ended up breaking out the big ole scary nail gun. It worked SO much better!!!

I decided to use the same steel wool and vinegar technique as I did on my Little Farm Table. Can I just tell you how much I LOVE this application! No chemicals and beautiful dark wood results! I decided to paint the spindle handle Heirloom White and gave it some good distressing.

Using some small nails I attached the spindle handle to the wood box.

Look at all that rustic goodness!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen old wood toolboxes and drooled over them. Now I’m drooling over my very own!!!

Doesn’t that vinegar stain do an amazing job? You still see all the flaws and character in the old wood, but that dark color is fabulous!!!

I think I found the PERFECT use for those disguarded spindles!! Can’t wait to make more of these for my booth!!!

I filled the wood toolbox with three little plants. Doesn’t it all look so perfect???

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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While your here, why don’t you pop over and check out the party?

Time to Shine is happening now and there are some amazing things already linked up!!!

Junk Drink Stand

Courtney Carmean — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

I just love when all the pieces to a puzzle come together. After months of searching, I finally found a metal bucket for a project I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I showed off the holy grail bucket yesterday during Thrifty Thursday.

The story all started with this broken stool that I shared in a Thrifty Thursday almost a year ago. My hubby and I found the stool on a curb for trash. I of course HAD to go check it out. It was broken and basically useless as a stool but I KNEW I could do something with it. It took awhile, but I finally knew that I wanted to turn this broken stool into a functional Junk Drink Stand.

It was all pretty simple. I popped off the two remaining pieces of the stool’s seat so I could have a more even surface to work with. Then all it took was some Gorilla Glue to attach the bucket to the top of the stool.

The stool gives the bucket some height so that you don’t have to squat down to pick your beverage. The bucket is big enough to hold a variety of beverages; whether it’s a bunch of capri suns for the kids, a pile of sodas for a party, or a few bottles of wine for ladies night. The added feature of the handle on the bucket makes for easy transportation.

I love the junky look of this Junk Drink Stand. Even better than the junky look is turning unusable objects into functional ones. This stool would of otherwise been sitting in the dump somewhere, now it is full of personality and function. Any big junk fans out there?

My husband thought it should be called a country cooler. I told him I’d think about it. ; )

I thought it would be fun to use some red, white, and blue beverages to try out my bucket. With Memorial day and the 4th of July not far off I’m getting in the mood for some patriotic fun!!!

I’m really debating about this one……keep or sell, keep or sell???

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

Farmhouse Buffet Table

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:01:00 +0000

The best part about showing you all my thrifty finds is when I get to show you how they look after a transformation. This buffet table started out pretty plain but the bones were good! It is a really nice piece and I just liked the way it looked.

It took some to to commit to a plan. At first I was just going to paint the whole thing, but I wanted something more. I decided to strip down the top of the buffet table and stain it. Now, I have never stripped a piece of furniture before…..ever. I’ve also never stained a piece of furniture before…..ever. It was pretty easy, I made it a lot scarier in my head!

I painted the body an off white and gave the piece some distressing. I hit all the edges and other random places, knocking the paint off here and there.

After I painted the lower part of the table, I stained the top. I used a dark walnut stain; I wanted it to look old and worn. The finish isn’t uniform and perfect (the wood had some minor water spots that I didn’t get all the out) and I love it that way.

The drawer pulls badly needing replacing, I thought about painting the old ones but I really wanted to give the piece a whole different look. I found these Martha Stewart drawer pulls at Home Depot and instantly fell in love with them! The holes didn’t match up, but the new hardware covered the holes from the old hardware. No hole filling, how awesome is that?

It turned out just how I hoped! It looks like it’s been sitting in a farmhouse for years, well used and loved! As much as I would LOVE to keep this piece, we just don’t have room for it. So I must find a new home for it.

Linking up to these great link parties!