$5 Fabulousness

Good Morning! I'm taking some time in the midst of a leap day snow blizzard here in Eagle Creek to share my latest project with you. I was fortunate enough a few weeks ago to acquire a couple little tables for next to nothing while out on the town with my baby daughter. I drove quite a distance to get them,  in fact the lady couldn't believe I'd come so far for a $5 table.

Most of the time when I'm looking through Craig's List or an estate sale and I see something that interests me I have an almost instant vision of what I'm going to do with it. Maybe that's weird...I don't know. By the way, currently as you may have already noticed I do most of my painting on my kitchen island, hence the cupboards in the background. This time of year the lighting in the workshop is horrible without the big door open and well...it's just way too cold!

This little table came to me painted bright white and baby blue painted like clouds. It had beautiful carving on the legs that was hidden under all that paint. I sanded it smooth, gave it two coats of primer and then two coats of ivory. I found the center and divided the table into 3" stripes with painters tape. I grabbed a fabulous can of oops gold paint that I have been dying to use and filled in the stripes. Once it was dry I removed the tape and lightly sanded the whole thing to get a smooth surface.

After I had such success using the heat transfer tool on my last project, I was excited to try it on painted wood as the instructions said I could do. I found a wreath graphic that suited the shape of the table and had it blown up to match the dimension of the table. Here's where things became a hot mess...literally. I first tried a sample board and it worked beautifully. I taped down my transfer and went to town. Now I'm not sure how hot this little tool gets, but I do know if you don't keep it moving it will burn your paper.

I tried to "peek" along the way as I had done with the fabric transfer I did before and it was so hot it peeled the paint off with the paper! I was so frustrated I had to walk away. I stewed over it as I tried to sleep that night and decided I was going to try it again. This time I was going to let the image cool before I tried to remove the transfer. So as crazy as it seems, I sanded the top again, repainted it as before and applied another .40 copy to the top. This time I was successful! It is faded in some spots, but I think that adds to the charm of the whole thing. I sanded all the edges, antiqued them and finished it with clear wax. Actually, I liked it so much I almost kept it for myself.

Once again, I have managed to demonstrate what NOT to do for all you ladies out there. This little tool is a great thing with endless possibilities, but keep it moving... or have the fire department on speed-dial!

Linking up with these lovely ladies: