Thrifty Treasures

I am joining the party at Today’s Thrifty Treasures hosted by the gracious and lovely Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. Enjoy looking around and be sure to stop at Rhoda's to see what treasures the other participants have to share.

Enjoy Your Visit! ~Cathy~

I love a good treasure hunt! Even though I am an Interior Designer, it does not mean I am not on the look out for a good quality bargain. People often comment my home looks high end, but I am not a Rockefeller descendant and I often roll up my sleeves and add the most vital ingredients. which are elbow grease and creativity! Some of my favorite places are consignment shops and thrift stores, because you never know what you will uncover.
Friday, I was running errands and stopped in at my favorite thrift store and immediately spotted this table and thought what a neat piece. I was drawn to it's graceful lines and interesting base. On closer inspection, I was thrilled when I discovered it was not just an ordinary table but a tilt top table! I was not intending to buy anything, but that cinched the deal. Since it was Friday all the furniture in the store was 50% off if you took it with you. Luckily, I drove my Jeep, so paid a whopping sum total of $15.00 and whisked my new treasure home.

I have been pondering many different ways of finishing it, and all the neat things I could do to it. On the top of my list is decoupage or stenciling. I am open to suggestions and would love to hear your thoughts. Whatever direction I go I am confident the transformation will be fun and absolutely fabulous!

Definition from encyclopedia Britannica

Tilt - top table, the top of which is hinged to a central pedestal in such a way that it can be turned from a horizontal to a vertical position and, thereby, when not in use, take up less space. Originally the idea was applied mainly to occasional (e.g., light, movable) tables of the kind used for tea and similar occasions.

Definition from encyclopedia Britannica

Decoupage art also spelled Découpage
(French: “cutting out”), the art of cutting and pasting cutouts to simulate painting on a wood, metal, or glass surface. There are many variations in technique, but the four basic steps of decoupage generally are cutting out the pictures, arranging them to depict a scene or tell a story, pasting them on a surface, and applying several (sometimes up to 12) thin coats of varnish or lacquer to the pictures.

I have several rooms that this table would fit nicely into. An option is my home office, which is nautical style. You can view photos of it here, in a post called Amsterdam Blue. I was thinking perhaps using a mariner's compass design or something with sea shells.

Definition from encyclopedia Britannica

stenciling art
in the visual arts, a technique for reproducing designs by passing ink or paint over holes cut in cardboard or metal onto the surface to be decorated. Stencils were known in China as early as the 8th century, and Eskimo in Baffin Island were making prints from stencils cut in sealskins before their contact with Western civilization. In the 20th century stencils are used for such diverse purposes as making mimeographs and fine paintings.

Old World Styling, is a favorite of mine and a similar antique gold finish like the one shown above would definitely fit into my home.

This piece could definately become shabby chic. I think using a stenciled monogram would be a nice option and make a striking design statement. I could tuck it in nicely in my sitting room where I often curl up and enjoy my latest read.

I am crazy in love with monograms and have written two quick and easy project tutorials you can view below, so you can make one for yourself.

Monogram Picture Project & Dimensional Monogram Picture

Check back to see the reveal of what I end up doing with this piece! I will be taking lots of good photos and showing step by step instructions how I transform it.