The Little Green Gossip Table

This little guy is either called a "gossip table" or "telephone table" depending on who you talk to. They are popular retro pieces in the upcycling world.

Now, my parents have one in the kitchen but my dad bluntly said, "You aren't touching it." My response, "Okaaay, and why do you say it that way?" Come to find out, that telephone table was the first piece of furniture my Grandma and Grandpa Reed bought together as a married couple! So there are some pieces you just don't touch for sentimental reasons. (Don't worry dad, I won't touch your hutch either!) 

So how did I get my hands on this one? I have been frequenting Vintage Seasons downtown Buhler and have became friends with the owner. We were talking and she said she would help me out by keeping an eye out at auctions, stores, and garage sales for a telephone table! Less than a week later... this is what showed up for me:

Game Plan:
Sand down the top to get rid of pencil drawings, paint it green, and reupholster the cushion! Easy enough right? Mmhmm.

 

Prepping List:
Gossip table with cushion removed
Bonding Primer
Paint Brush
Paint for the inside of the gossip table
Paint for the rest of gossip table
Fabric
Staple Gun

The first step I always do is use Bonding Primer. This "paint" is such a time saver! No matter the type of wood, stain, or finish it will adhere to what is already there. Once it dries it seems to just grab ahold of the paint where you want it!

 

 After priming the ENTIRE piece it is time to do the inside black, or cracked pepper, with two coats! Normal people would probably use tape to keep the paint from going over the little edge. Me, I don't do well with tape or stencils so I do it by hand. The secret to it is the little wet paper towel you see over the back. If I do get it over where I want it I immediately swipe it away.

More proof I am backwards is how I like to turn the piece over to do the bottom and undersides of boards first. In the "X" that makes the backrest of the chair, I used a smaller brush. Oh, and toothpicks where the paint gathers in the little corners... which drives me CRAZY! This coat of green gets two coats or whatever it takes to get it covered. 

Turned it over and did two coats while it was right side up! Once again with the little brush and toothpicks. 

Time to reupholster the cushion. Isn't the old vinyl one just lovely? It's even more gnarly in person. Surprisingly it was very easy with no need to measure, because it was just a square! What a relief. So I just laid the fabric I had chosen (after contemplating in their isles for an hour) over the old vinyl piece and cut it to size. I don't have pictures of the how we stapled it down underneath, but there is a method to the madness that dad taught me along the way. Fold it over, staple, fold it again, staple again, open it up, make a triangle, staple it down. Makes sense, riiiiight? I will see what I can do about getting those steps in a tutorial sometime, sorry. 

Here is a close up view of the completed Little Green Gossip Table! 

And here he is in all his glory in the natural light the next morning!

I did this project all in one day, and loved every minute of it.
Can't wait to put it in my kitchen, or dining room... TBD. 

Until next time, 

Audra

three.six.five. projects

 The Old:
This blog was previously the Three.Six.Five Happiness Project, modeled after Gretchen Rubin's bestselling book. I posted every single day little things that made me happy. For those of you who followed that, I guess I got burned out on it mid-way through the year. However it did teach me some things about myself that I always knew, but kind of forgot...

The New:
So this blog is officially renamed Three.Six.Five. Projects. What did I learn from the first time around? The things that make me the most happy are reading and crafting. I already have a reading blog... so doing one for my big love this summer,  CRAFTING, just makes sense! 

The Fuel:
If you are here, you probably already know the journey my family and I have been facing in the last six months. Nothing about losing my brother is easy, and time doesn't do squat so don't let anyone tell you differently. It's all in how you cope, which brings me here. I also know that Eli still wants me to find happiness in what makes the most happy. After all, he was the one who always told me "Audra, screw what everyone else thinks! Do what makes you happy." So that's what I'm going to do. Before I was definitely more of a bookworm, but now I just can't seem to focus in and shut everything else off to read for long periods of time. Crafting is the only thing that I have found that can do that with now! I am able to throw myself into these projects and enjoy them, while letting them work as a great stress relievers too. Win, win.

The Layout:
So how is this all going to work? Basically I will be walking the reader step-by-step through my creative processes... scary thought, I know! This will NOT be a daily blog... instead there will be posts when projects are finished so there will be a variance in time posted. For those people who aren't blog savvy, I also will have a Pinterest board called three.six.five. projects (<-- click link) that you can go to and then click on the picture that takes you to each project! Fortunately for you, there will be some comic relief here and there, seeing as this summer is my first time doing furniture upcycling and I'm learning the hard way in some instances. It will take me a little bit to get used to taking pictures for every step, so please be patient with me! I also plan on posting past projects, so there will be some that lack an abundance of pictures to go with directions. Here are some of the projects you may see on here in the days to come:

The (Possible) Buyers:
I have had people joke around with me about starting a boutique... would I love to do that? Of course! But unfortunately that is just not possible at this stage in the game. Teaching will obviously be my first priority for a long time. Crafting is just the hobby I love on the side. That being said, most of the projects that will be posted are ones that I will be doing for my own new house - coming soon - at the end of July! However, I do love doing projects for my friends. So if you are interested in having me do some projects for you please don't be afraid to ask and we can see what we can work out! I was contacted tonight by the local vintage store owner asking if I would want to put some pieces in her store. (How cool is that!) I will do some thinking on that, so it may be something to look out for in the future! 

Hope you decide to stick around and join me for this crafty ride! My first real post will appear tomorrow. See ya then!

~ Audra