End Table Makeovers

I've been working on some side tables in my living room to get them looking more updated.

The rectangular one I bought at the thrift store for about $5 and the hexagon one I picked up off the curb from someone who was giving it away.  They definitely weren't what I wanted, but free and/or cheap and functional is what I needed at the time.

Both had glass tops.  The Hexagon was missing the glass on the bottom too.

Nothing too fancy or noteworthy about either of these tables.

First I pulled off both tables tops.  Each of them were just screwed into the base from the bottom.

Then I used 1 x 4 and 1 x 6 scraps to form the top.

I like the different grain and knots in the pine.

On this you can see how I attached the individual pieces underneath with a little scrap piece.

The bases were painted separately.

All I really did was clean them up a bit and sand some of the flat parts to remove a little of the finish before painting.  I use a paint and primer mix and have good luck with that.

After sanding the tops I stained them and sealed them with a clear matte finish.

My local Home Depot was out of the piece and size wood that I want for the bottom of this table.

I will eventually cut, paint and attach that. 

Since it attaches from the bottom I can do it later and it won't mess things up.

I am also debating on doing a little distressing on the painted bases.

For now I am going to leave it and see what I think.

Next up a revamp of my coffee table.

Details:

• 1 x 4 and 1 x 6 pieces cut to size.
• 60 degree angles cut on table saw. I used the old hexagon top to trace out the size and then lined it up on the table saw to cut.  It was cut while the support pieces underneath were attached.
• Minwax Stains Wood Finish in Jacobean and Pickled Oak mixed to a 1:1 ratio.  I probably could have got a different stain to achieve this color but I already had a large can of Jacobean and didn't want to waste it so I bought a small Pickled Oak to mix it with.
• Rustoleum 2X Primer and Paint in Heirloom White.  I used 2 cans for each table.

Samuel's T-shirt Quilt Top

Our nephew Samuel, in Nebraska, just graduated from Hastings High School this past May

(as well as received his Eagle Scout Award). 

Post graduation he gathered up the t-shirts he felt he could part with and sent them to me so I could put together this t-shirt quilt.

He is a tall guy (goes without saying for our family)--about 6'3"

and so I had to make sure this quilt was long enough to cover his frame.

That was a trick as he didn't have as many shirts as his sister did.

His older sister is the blondie middle one of this trio of cousins. 

I had to be a bit more creative in how I put his quilt all together.

The finished top.

I am really loving the gray/black keyboard look.

A little close-up of some of the t-shirt piecing I did for the borders.

Now to pick out the back, binding and send it off to the quilter.


Details:

• Front and back (where possible) of about 7 t-shirts plus a sleeve logo.  He had an EXACT duplicate of the white shirt front and back so I only cut the paw print off the second shirt and placed it in the quilt.
• For this quilt I pieced much more of the solid color portion of the t-shirts to add to it, including the sashing. I might have even pulled some solids from other t-shirt quilt extras I had.
• Post about his sister's t-shirt quilt. You can see how different they ended up being even though they attended the same high school and both ran cross country.
• Finished quilt top dimensions: 69 x 89 inches