Tag: side table

Thrift Store Finds

Thrift store finds: Ballard End Tables

Jessica Smith

If you follow me on Facebook you saw a couple of weeks ago that I got an AMAZING deal on two Ballard Design end tables at a local thrift store. I’m talking ah-may-zing.

I paid $9.99 per table which retail for $199.00! At least brand new ones do. These had a 2011 sticker on them, so they aren’t brand spanking new, but still fabulous.

Holy smokes was I excited when I realized (actually, my thrift store buddy showed me the Ballard sticker) what I had found.

The tables were in really good shape, minus some gum stuck to the bottom and 12 or so missing screws. After scrubbing the heck out of the tables and replacing all of the screws, I decided that I was definitely keeping these tables for myself and not doing anything (yet) to refinish or alter them.

End Table

They don’t match perfectly with the couch, and I’m really liking the different styles paired together.

End Table

I also love the shelf on the bottom. I’ve got our scrapbooks proudly displayed on one and all of my BHG magazines on the other.

End Tables

Truthfully, I am just grateful to have finally found tables for this room and at such a steal. I’ve been looking for some time and am really happy with these babies.

Also, don’t judge my lack of shades — it’s a work in progress 🙂 And I’ve been dying to get these lamps out of my craft room for more than a year now.

Now I need to tackle that blank wall above the couch. I can’t decide between a huge mirror to reflect the light from our bay window or a gallery wall of photos. What would you do?

Furniture

Refinished side table

Jessica Smith

Don’t you just love when you turn something you hate into something you love? That’s exactly what happened with this project. I semi-inherited this side/end table, taking purely for its usefulness, not its looks.

I’ve had it for a few years now and finally came to the point where I had to refinish it or donate it. So I gave refinishing it a try.

First I used furniture refinisher to remove some of the existing stain.

It didn’t work like I imagined it would (pretty certain it was user error), so I still had to sand a little bit. Then it was time to stain. I picked out a black stain with polyurethane already in it. A few coats later, and my table was good and black!


It was still missing something though, so I pulled out a stamp I had and painted it silver with a small green accent flower in the middle. I stamped it on each of the corners to give the table that extra something it needed.

Now I think the table is quite charming! It looks pretty good next to our sofa, too.

 

I’m sure we’ll eventually get a matching coffee table and side tables, but until then, this little piece will do just fine!