bedside table transformation.

this little side table belongs to my husband. it was purchased for his first college apartment just a few years ago. it is one of the pieces of furniture he brought into the marriage. it's been sitting in the corner of the spare bedroom, or man cave as Drew so affectionately refers to it, neglected for the past year.

truth be told, I'd never really looked twice at the thing. it wasn't ugly so it passed my inspection. but last weekend, I looked at it with fresh eyes and saw the potential. it's tiny. it probably wouldn't be tall enough to actually be a bedside table for our bed, as ours is on risers. but it's the perfect height to be a sidetable by the couch. and I can just picture it as a bedside table in a little boy's room someday.

I'm a fan of chalkboard paint. who isn't these days? I've done a few projects with it... painting over framed thrift store artwork, boards, and even cardboard to make chalkboards. I had never considered painting furniture with it, though. but something got into me last weekend and I decided to give it a try.

once again, I have no documentation of the process. but once again, it was fairly simple. I used Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint. I removed the drawer pulls, did a light sanding, and applied 2-3 coats of paint. I let it dry overnight. and the next morning, I "seasoned" it with chalk. I lightly rubbed chalk over the entire surface and then used a felt cloth to wipe it down. I was so happy with how it looked!

I also wanted to update the hardware on it. I think this is the thing I was most excited about. since I'm into gold these days, I decided to head in that direction for the drawer pulls. I've always loved the look of card catalogs, and even though this is clearly not a card catalog, I wanted it to have that feel. so I looked online for some pulls similar to that and found some at Home Depot. the most difficult part of this project was waiting for the drawer pulls to be delivered. I checked the order tracking obsessively. multiple times a day, every day, for a week. it felt like Christmas the day they arrived!

it could be an unconventional canvas to be drawn on [so it'd be perfect in a kid's room!], but I'd prefer it to not be used as a chalkboard. I just liked the slate gray appearance the chalkboard paint gave it. I'm so happy with the finished product and I hope you love it, too!

chalkboard paint: Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint | drawer pulls: Home Depot [online]

will you set the table?

one of my favorite things to do is set the table. rarely do we sit at our table--this is something we're working on. nevertheless, I love creating tablescapes for different seasons, events, and sometimes, for no reason at all.

since we're newlyweds, we observe most holidays with our families in their homes. that said, we won't be hosting anyone for Easter lunch. but even so, I wanted to create a light, springy tablescape. I found some pretty cloth napkins at HomeGoods when I was visiting my sister [the go-getter] and I thought they'd be perfect for the occasion!

these days, I'm a little bit obsessed with gold and spray painting things gold. I'm sure this is a phase, but lately, I just can't stop. usually it's some of my dollar store finds... faux pears, phone cases, miniature animals [giraffes, elephants, lions, & alligators, to be exact]. but for my spring tablescape, I thought it would be fun to spray paint some [faux] eggs. because who doesn't like golden eggs? I purchased them from Walmart, but they also have them at Michael's. I spray painted six little eggs, but I ended up only using four because I only had four place settings of the dishes I wanted to use. after I painted them and they dried, I set my table. I liked it, but the eggs needed something. they didn't look right just rolling around on those pretty floral napkins.

 THRONES. that's what they needed. so I googled egg cups to see where I could find some. as I googled this, I assumed there was a more technical term than "egg cup," but that's what they're really called! so, there's that. I found some cute scalloped ones online at Pier 1 for just $1.50 a pop. so naturally, I made plans to stop by and pick them up first thing in the morning. [I hardly slept that night because I was that eggcited about the egg cups.] then I had an idea to stick some moss in the egg cups to make them look like nests [?] because I thought that would look springy... I guess? I don't know, but I like the way my eggs look on their nest thrones.

so there you have it. my Easter tablescape. it's nothing fancy, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I hope you leave inspired, whether it's to set your table [it's great therapy, I promise] or to spray paint something gold [also great therapy] or to enjoy the table someone else has set.

and remember the reason we're celebrating, He is risen!

"He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen." 

--Matthew 28:6

dishes: TJ Maxx | napkins: Ralph Lauren via HomeGoods | scalloped egg cups: Pier 1 | flatware: Oneida Louisiana