Every once in a while I am either gifted a "throwaway" or I find a "throwaway" that I feel still has life left in it! This little whimsical carnival table is one of those items.
Matt found this simple and primitive little accent table in his office dumpster. It is ironic that he brought it home to me as he is usually moaning about the amount of furniture we have stored.
I think his heart has finally softened to my obsession over "saving all the pieces".....only took him a decade! He's a slow learner! LOL!
Anyway.....I knew I could do whatever I wanted with this little piece. It was less than perfect....so I decided to keep it that way....and just take it up a fun notch or two!
I cleaned well with Dixie Belle's White Lightning!
I then primed it in BOSS white to prevent any bleed through that might occur....as I knew I'd be using either black and white checks or black and white harlequin.....and whites often allow wood tannins to bleed. BOSS prevents this. Read more
I decided to go with harlequin on the top surface....but to keep it less than perfect and very playful....I chose a random offset angle vs. the standard well planned and measured version. Learn the tricks to EASILY paint your own harlequin pattern with my Stripes & Harlequin painting tutorial.
I knew this piece would likely never be noticed online which meant I could do whatever I wanted and not worry about criticism. I am human......I do think about what others will think....sometimes! LOL!
I then painted the body of the table in Mermaid Tail.
I used Redesign with Prima's metallic decor waxes in Eternal and Metallique Wax in Indian Pink to accent the tops and bottoms of each long and lanky leg. The sheer and colorful metallic sheen over the Mermaid Tail teal color....creates a finish very similar to carnival glass.
I have never used this finish on a large piece....but I think it would be stunning on a buffet in a dining room!
After looking at the simple little table for a bit longer....I decided it needed stripes! Classic black and white stripes! So I painted the skirt around the top surface in Fluff as well as the center cross support bar on the bottom.
I then taped off for stripes....and used Caviar to bring it home!
I sanded the piece with a heavy hand to age it....and keep it from trying to appear "fancy"! I wanted a well-traveled....playful....carnival look. I sealed the piece with Easy Peasy Spray Wax.....and that's it!
I honestly didn't think anyone would appreciate this little piece....but as soon as my mother saw it....she claimed it!
Bye bye little table....I can't think of a better home for you!
Love the harlequin pattern as much as I do?? Check out ALL my favorite harlequin pieces HERE.
See you next week!
XOXO,
Tracey
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