Turn around a table that may be on its last legs (pun intended) with these DIY ideas.

We all know that there is no need to replace most less than perfect furniture. So, what if your furniture is just a little worn? Or if you come across a really great table at an estate sale, but it needs a little love? We know you are on board with making due, repurposing, upcycling, and doing-it-yourself, but sometimes that is a little easier said than done.

Read on for some easy DIY ideas for dealing with a kitchen, coffee, or end table that just needs a little TLC.

DIY Ideas for Reviving a Lackluster Tab

1.Chalkboard Paint – For those with budding artists (or anyone young at heart) in the home, consider painting a wooden table with chalkboard paint. Turn a functional piece of furniture into a work of art with a couple of coats of chalkboard paint.

2. Stencils – By the same token, non-chalkboard paint can be used on a wooden table that has seen some action. Rather than just painting the whole table, use stencils to create artful designs to cover the worst of the damage. Have a table covered with water rings? Hide them with paint and some thoughtfully arranged stencil painting.

3. Decoupage – Not that into the painted look? Create a completely customized tabletop by decoupaging it. You can use repurpose everything from wrapping paper, greeting cards, newspaper, magazines, and more. If you plan on using the table on which to serve drinks or food, you will want to cover it with cut-to-size glass to protect your handiwork. Decoupaging can work on a variety of surfaces, like wood, laminate, or plastic.

4. Wallpaper – If you have any of those particleboard or laminate tables (you know the kind that you can get at IKEA), one clever idea is to cover the tabletop with wallpaper or shelf paper. This works best with a tabletop with square, as opposed to rounded, edges. Use a fauxbois print for extra DIY points.

5. Milk Paint – Like the idea of repurposing a table, but not of using paints containing VOCs or of utilizing wood stripping chemicals? Consider milk paint. Milk paints are water-based paints made from milk proteins, lime, and added pigments. Milk paint has been around for thousands of years and is a much safer and greener choice for painting–especially for furniture on which you plan to eat.

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The post 5 Surprisingly Simple DIY ideas for Bringing a Table Back to Life appeared first on EcoSalon.

Yikes, it’s already time to get out the holiday décor. Question is, are you going to buy this year or DIY?

Turns out, Halloween is one of the most popular holidays to celebrate and decorate, second only to Christmas. Basically, it’s a good excuse to party and eat seasonally designated M&Ms. Store bought Halloween décor can get pretty pricey so why not set the mood with some DIY candles and save some dough.

You can buy some at Olive and Cocoa, $74.00 for two or……

…you can make your own for the price of the candle and some supplies you probably already have.

Supplies

• Candles –  5″ and 10″ tall pillars that are off white
• Tissue Paper – white, used for wrapping presents
• Spray Glue
• Printer
• Hair Dryer
• Spooky Clip Art

Step 1. Pick out some Halloween graphics and size them to fit your candles on your computer.

Step 2. Lightly spray glue the tissue paper to some printer paper and trim it out. The goal is to get the graphics printed onto tissue paper. I tried taping the tissue on the paper but my printer just spit it out all crumpled. If you have a rubber stamp image you would like to use, you can just stamp directly onto the tissue and skip the printer.

Step 3. Print out your graphics onto your tissue/printer paper.

Step 4.  Peel the tissue from the paper and trim it out as closely as possible to the images. FYI, I tried trimming before removing the tissue from the paper and the tissue tore very easily.

Step 5. Since the tissue is already a bit tacky, stick your image onto the candle. Turn your hairdryer on hot and hold it close to the image. It takes a few minutes for the candle wax to heat and when it does, your image will melt into the candle. You can just smooth the edges down. My candle never got hot enough with the hairdryer to burn my fingers.

You can see how the edges have disappeared and the image melts into the candle. Have patience!

I found my antique images online at the Graphics Fairy. You can look in old books for spooky images or make your own custom graphics using words. Next, I’m going to try using an old photo of my family with zombie eyes.

Set the candles in a bowl with dried black beans for a creepy effect and you’re done.

Happy Halloween!

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