An Easy Way to Add Gold Accents to Furniture
A few weeks back, I showed you a bunch of projects I was working on for my upcoming wedding (in three freaking days, people! What am I even doing here??) and one of them was this cute, little table I found at my local ReStore. I kind of really hate refinishing furniture (even though I’m amazing at it), but I guess I didn’t think 73 wedding projects was enough, so… 74 it is. Keep reading to see how it turned out, and for an easy way to add gold accents to furniture (if you’re into that sort of thing)…
This little side table was only fifteen bucks. I paid more than that for the crappy aisle runner that will become garbage the day after my wedding. (Which would be in four days, if you’re counting. And I am… Seriously. What am I doing here?)
I figured I might as well grab it for wedding décor and maybe find a spot for it in the house afterwards, or placement in a loving home (after it lives in the garage for the next three years with the other orphan furniture (and pendant lights), patiently waiting to find their forever homes.)
I took a lot of photos of this process, but I may not have the time to entertain you through this whole post like I normally do. (Have I mentioned my wedding is in three days? I might have.) So, I’m going to move quickly. Maybe I’ll say something funny at the end. We’ll see…
So, first, I started by scuffing up the factory finish a little bit with some 220 grit sandpaper.
After I was finished, I wiped it down with a tack cloth to get all of the dust off. Next, I used Dixie Belle chalk paint in the color “Caviar” to paint it black.
This table has a cute little slide out tray thingy. It was a pain to paint it, but it’s adorable, no? Anyway, that was the first coat.
And this is the second coat. I didn’t take photos of the painting process. You don’t come to my crappy blog to learn how to paint things. I’m sure of it.
Actually, if you want to learn how to paint furniture, check out my mom’s fake friend, Christy, over at her blog. I don’t know her personally, but my mom… doesn’t know her personally either. She just talks about her like she does.
(“You should see this chair Christy made!” “Christy is so creative!” “I bet Christy would call me more often if she was my daughter…”)
Anyway, Christy loves to refinish furniture with chalk paint and she recommends sanding between coats, so that’s what I did.
OK, now the fun part. I wanted to figure out an easy way to add gold accents to furniture. What could be easier than a paint pen? This is the one I picked up from Michael’s.
I just drew gold lines following the lines of the furniture. I didn’t stress trying to make them perfect. Perhaps because this table only cost me fifteen dollars. Or maybe because I’ve already maxed out my stress level on my other 73 wedding projects. Whatever the case, I think the “imperfection” looks a little bit cute. It’s our imperfections that make us unique, right?
Wait. That’s the crap people are always telling us so we don’t think we’re ugly. But… unique and ugly are not mutually exclusive. I’m so confused now…
Anyway, speaking of ugly… This table looks like crap. Good thing I bought this finishing wax, by Jolie, to… well, finish it. I rubbed it on with a soft cloth and it brought my little table back from the dead.
Cute, right? I know you don’t know what the theme of my wedding is (yet), but this little table will fit in perfectly. Once I write my wedding blog post, I’ll put a link right here so you can see what I did with it. (If it’s pink, it’s a link…)
In the meantime, here’s a picture of my table outside in front of a flowery bush (that might or might not be an Azalea, but wtf do I know? I’m not a gardener…) because, apparently, it’s not enough to take a picture of a little table in its natural habitat. Pinterest people want to see stuff either in nature or in front of reclaimed wood walls. This is the best I could do. Please ignore the un-mowed lawn.
And there you have it. A super cute, little, black side table with added gold accents.
This concludes today’s blog post. So, what have we learned?
- ReStore is a great place to find cute furniture.
- Chalk paint looks like crap after you sand it.
- Christy is my mom’s favorite fake child.
- It’s easy to add gold accents to furniture with a cheap gold pen.
- I’m freaking funny, even when I’m too busy to try to be.
Now, please excuse me while I get back to freaking out about my wedding…
(Did I mention I’m getting married in three days? I feel like I did…)
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24 Comments
bella
I was leery of this paint job until you waxed it. ha. Looks amazing. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!! Can’t wait to see that wedding post.
My Crappy House
You and me both! It looked so bad after sanding. That wax worked wonders. I can’t wait to get my pictures back from the wedding so I can write my wedding post!
Sue
LOVE the table!!! Great job! HAPPY WEDDING!!! Can’t wait to hear about it & you’d better post pictures or I’m never reading your blog again! ha! Seriously, enjoy the anticipation & enjoy the day! It’s all about YOU!!!
Veronica
Congratulations on the upcoming wedding and the shelf!
My Crappy House
Thank you!
My Crappy House
Haha thank you. I’m definitely going to post pictures, so it’s a good thing we don’t have to worry about you leaving me
Barbara H.
Great job. Enjoy the wedding! Breathe….
Katherine Davies
I thought you were getting married today, the 28th. So I was all set to be thinking of you today. But three days from the 27th is the 30th, so I guess I’d better be thinking of you on that day instead. But don’t answer me, because your wedding is in two days! Or is it one? I have no idea, but I hope it’s the wedding of your dreams. My best wishes to you both.
Cute table!
My Crappy House
Yes, we got married on the 30th. It flew right by. Thank you for your thoughts
My Crappy House
Thank you! It’s done. I made it
Debrea Redman
I love this little table!
Now go get married and say hello to Ann and Charlie Falcone for me.
My Crappy House
Haha will do!
Mar
Best wishes to you on your upcoming wedding! ❤️
Love how your table turned out. I enjoy your very witty writing style by the way!
Enjoy your very special day! All the best to you both.
My Crappy House
Thank you!
Margaret A. Johnson
Table is super cute!!!!
Hope I get to see you before I return to AZ in September.
Enjoy your wedding!!!!
My Crappy House
Yes, let’s make plans!
Marilyn
What a cute little table, I hope you are going to put something totally precious on it! That WAX looked like good stuff, I’m going to have to remember that! I do have to close by giving you a little bit of my old advise….please remember, in the mist of the day, to ENJOY yourself because it goes by so quickly. I wish I could be there with you and John.♡♡♡
My Crappy House
You were right. It did go by quickly. So much I forgot to do, too! But we’re married, so I guess that’s the important part. You were missed
Andrea
Pretty! Instead of keeping it in your garage you could sell it on Facebook Marketplace like the Furniture Flipping Teacher on YouTube does. (Don’t tell your mom about the Furniture Flipping Teacher though. She will love her more than Christy.)
My Crappy House
I always intend to sell things on marketplace, but then I just forget or put it off and then, five years later, the things are still hanging out in my garage. No one procrastinates better than I do. I’m sure of it.
Joan
Nicely done! And, since (I hope) you won’t be reading comments until it’s all over: Congratulations!!! Hope the wedding went smoothly and you were able to relax and enjoy your special day! Can’t wait to see the blog post about it! And, back to the stuff taking up space in your garage: don’t forget you can donate that stuff TO the ReStore. I know when I’ve donated in the past, I’ve gotten a 10% off coupon for a purchase in the store, so you keep a nice little cycle of dropping off and taking away!
My Crappy House
Thank you! It’s over. It went mostly smoothly – I will definitely tell you all about it once I get some pictures back. You’re right – I could donate some stuff back to ReStore. Except those damned pendants. I can’t get rid of them! No one will take them as a donation because they’re hard wired…
Em
Wow, the wax of miracles! You had me worried for a minute there. Not worried like “why is she posting three days befor her wedding” worried, just “does she have time to pull off one more diy with 73 other projects in the wedding hopper” worried. But OF COURSE a you pulled it off, you’re clever YOU! (Soon to be Mrs. Clever You.) Great job! (Making me rethink not adding gold to a recent table I painted bc yours looks so great.)
Looking GREATLY forward to the wedding post. SO happy for you!
My Crappy House
Right? That wax totally saved the table. Too bad there’s no equivalent in life – I’d love some “life wax” to smooth over the crappy spots… But the wedding was not crappy. It was great. Lots to tell you all about when I get my pictures back… (The ones I remembered to ask my photographer to take. I forgot to get pictures of my family and bridal party. Who does that?? I need some life wax…)