Mid-Century Tulip Table Makeover

This vintage tulip table makeover has taken me since 2010 to accomplish.  That's when I scored a tulip table base at a yard sale for $5.00.  I know that at least a few of my wonderful readers have been with me since the beginning - did you ever think I'd finally get around to giving this tulip table a makeover?  No, me neither... 

I really love tulip tables, but in the townhouse we already had a really gorgeous mid-century teak table in the kitchen and another one in the dining room.  My Mom ended up stealing the base from me, but because the apple didn't fall far from the tree, she didn't do anything with it for many years either.

Poor little unloved table.

In the process of tackling her budget-friendly kitchen makeover, Mom jettisoned the table that was in there.  My parents live in a small, post-war home with no dining room and a small eat in kitchen, which drove my Mom nuts because when there were people sitting at the rather large, square table, she couldn't open the stove, the fridge, or even leave the kitchen very easily.  Finally following my advice, she moved the dining room table to the living room.  Eventually a bedroom on the main floor (which is currently occupied) will become the official dining room - we already bought an insanely gorgeous brushed gold light fixture in preparation.  Even though Mom wanted the kitchen 100% table-free, I thought that a smaller table and smaller scale chairs would afford us a nice spot to have a cup of tea when I visit, without using as much floor space and disrupting the flow, so I rooted around in her garage until I found the old tulip table base and forcibly made her use it in the kitchen.

First I gave it a new look - and found a new top!

Painting the Tulip Table Base:

To revive the metal base (the existing white finish was scratched and chipped and just really worn), I scrubbed it clean, gave it a light sand, removed any dust with a tack cloth and then applied many light coats of Rust-Oleum's Universal Metallic in Pure Gold - the same paint I used for the typewriter table makeover awhile back.  (This table is most definitely a knock-off tulip table - vintage, but still not a real Saarinen - so I didn't feel guilty about re-painting it.)

I LOVE the tulip base now because Mom's kitchen cabinet hardware is brushed gold (thanks to our little DIY) and so are the hairpin legs on the new pink dog bowl stand we made.  More importantly, Mom's thrilled - the chipped old base made her sad. 

Finding a Replacement Tulip Table Top:

Finding a replacement tulip table top was trickier.  We could have made something from scratch (walnut!) but Mom's not 100% committed to the table being there so, instead of spending the time and money, I just ordered a cheap pine table top online.  I didn't love the profile, though:

I wanted the profile to look more like this.  Not to worry!  When Hubs and I went to my father-in-law's for some wood chopping, I lugged along the table top and my father-in-law routed the edge with a 45-degree chamfer router bit.

It was a bit tricky to do, because my father-in-law said it's easier to just cut the edge with that angle in the first place, as opposed to shaving off a small amount after the fact, but he managed to change the profile:

Looking for an Inexpensive Tulip Table Replacement Top?

This kind of round top can be bought in a lot of home improvement stores for really cheap and you could just use it as-is.  But if you want to change the profile, this doesn't take very long so a woodworker in your area might do it for a small fee.  As well, if the local high school or college has a woodworking class, a Starbucks gift card might be all you need to get an edge routed.  You might also want to check out some shops on Etsy that make and sell this kind of wood top and see if they can route the edge during manufacturing.  There are other options as well: this table top on Amazon is more money, but it already has a more delicate profile.  This solid reclaimed wood top is kind of neat too.  If you're not a mid-century purist, it's fairly easy to track down an affordable solution.  

Painting the Tulip Table Top:

With the edge routed, I gave the table top a light sand before applying light coats of Rust-Oleum Gloss White spray paint.  My Mom loathes pine (and it doesn't take stain well anyway) so I opted for paint instead of stain.  I also wanted to add some lightness into the kitchen because although we kept the counters white, the white cabinets were painted light grey and her once white vinyl floor was replaced with a darker, busier patterned floor - which you can spy in these photos.  A white table top was was a welcome addition.

To pair with the table, I loaned her (who am I kidding?  I'm never getting those back) my teak dining chairs from the townhouse kitchen.  Remember how I lovingly upholstered them in black and white houndstooth?  I laughed at the person who would have to remove all 1,000,001 staples.  That person was me.  But it was worth it because the new fabric - a gorgeous, luminous gold tweed ($5.00 on clearance from Fabricland - this is similar) is the perfect fit for Mom's style because she has pops of this hue elsewhere in the house, so the whole place is starting to look really pulled together. 

And so, after a little budget-friendly makeover, here is what that poor little abandoned tulip table looks like now:

Such a change!



My Mom's kitchen is DONE - did I mention that?!?  I'm so excited to share the reveal because it looks so refreshed, with a cute vintage appeal, for so little money.  We chose everything together and you'll be amazed to learn there is not. one. stitch of turquoise.  Yep, I can do that!

I just need to photograph the finished room and then I'll break it down into posts focusing on a few of the bigger projects (like refinishing the cabinets and repairing/painting the counters) - but expect a FULL TOUR with before and after photos very soon!

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Turquoise DIY No Carve Pumpkins with Black and White Rhinestone Sparkles

I have to admit that Halloween is not really my jam.  I don't love orange and black as a color combo, cheap Halloween costumes have a weird smell that makes me nauseous, and, as a child-free woman, an evening when children are invited to scream at my door and demand my candy is, quite frankly, more terrifying than A Nightmare on Elm Street...

This year, though, my mission is to really embrace Fall and when I spotted a bag of miniature pumpkins at the grocery store, I decided that maybe a little no carve pumpkin decorating might help me feel more festive.

It worked!

I am no longer the Scrooge of Halloween - look at my adorable DIY turquoise rhinestone pumpkins:

Of course I painted them turquoise first - that's literally how you can get me to do anything.

Supplies:

• Mini pumpkins (real or fake!)
• Acrylic or craft paints
• Small paint brushes
• Stick on rhinestones

A package of dollar store stick-on gems (here's a similar pack on Amazon) in spoooookkkkyy black and silver added a little bit of sparkle - although I think these pumpkins look adorable in every state:  plain, turquoise, be-sparkled.  They're mini pumpkins!  Yeah, I can get on board with this.     

I also made this little "evening sky" pumpkin with a deep blue paint and a smattering of silver stick-on rhinestones:

Because these rhinestones actually come in strips, I also whipped up this pale blue mini pumpkin with black and white stripes:

Once I started bedazzling my pumpkins, it was difficult to stop.  I actually really got into the spirit of things and almost bedazzled the gourds I bought for dinner (I sneak them into a chili recipe).

As I was making these, I kept thinking they would be such a great craft to make with kids because, although they're super easy and don't require any artistic talent, applying those teeny tiny rhinestones did challenge my fine motor skills!  I think you could keep a medium-sized child (too big to eat the rhinestones) busy with this for quite some time. 



See the transformation in me?  Look at me thinking about the children!  Maybe this year I won't eat the best Halloween candy and leave them with the dredges.     

For more modern and colorful Halloween and Fall decor ideas, check out my new Pinterest board dedicated to Fall holidays!

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Easy DIY Dog Bowl Stand on Hairpin Legs

Szuka, our 100 pound Komondor, spends quite a bit of time at my parents' place and I feel guilty about admitting this, but she's been eating and drinking out of plastic food containers there for years.  They were purchased new for storing her food, so they're food safe, but they slide around on the floor and as a result she makes a huge mess.  When method challenged me to tackle any messy DIY project I wanted, I knew just what I wanted to make!  I decided that with my Mom's budget-friendly pink, gold & grey kitchen makeover nearly complete (photos soon!), it was high time I made my Szuka-Sweetie a raised dog bowl stand to use there.

I don't know who is more jazzed: my Mom or Szuka!  Want to make your own DIY dog bowl stand?  It's deceptively easy, although you'll need a few tools.  (Some lumber yards, however, will make cuts like this for you for a small fee, as long as you provide the exact measurements).  

Supplies:

• Four Hairpin Legs (or other furniture legs designed for foot stools/side tables**)
• Spray Paint (I used Krylon Metallic Gold and Rust-Oleum Gloss Candy Pink)
• 2 Stainless Steel Dog Food Bowls (choose ones with a wide lip)
• Plywood (1/2" - 5/8" is sufficient, but thicker would work too - any thinner will be too flimsy)
• Edge Banding
• Edge Band Trimmer (optional)
• 220 Grit Sandpaper
• Drill with 1/2" Spade Bit
• Jigsaw
• Table Saw or Skill Saw + Straight Edge 

**We already chatted with our vet as to whether a raised bowl stand was a healthy choice for Szuka when we made her turquoise dog bowl stand for home.  I recommend chatting with your pup's vet about whether this is the right choice and, if so, what height would be ideal. 

As luck would have it, I stumbled across this odd little handmade table at the thrift store for $13 and I scooped it up right away because it had hairpin legs that were just perfect:

I removed the legs, which seem handmade, and gave them a blast of gold spray paint to match my Mom's DIY brushed brass hardware:

Then Hubby and I decided on the size of plywood top we would create.  I wanted to cut it a bit wider but my parents have the tiniest kitchen, so we chose more practical dimensions - basically as narrow as possible.  We laid out the bowls and legs and played around with placement until it seemed right and then we marked the length, width and placement of the hairpin legs with pencil.  We cut out the circles before cutting the plywood rectangle shape.

To make the circle cut outs for the bowls, we traced the outside and then measured the lip, which we drew as well:
 

With everything measured (twice!) and traced, it was time to start cutting.  Using a drill and a 1/2" spade bit (large enough to make a hole that the jigsaw blade could fit through), we drilled a hole in each circle:

Then, using those holes as a starting point, we used a jigsaw to carefully cut out the two inner circles we measured earlier, double checking to make sure the bowls fit properly (just in case!):

With the circles cut out, we used a circular saw (we don't have a table saw) to cut out the rectangular shape.  It was easier to cut the circles when the plywood was still a huge sheet, but you can switch these steps if you prefer.

With the plywood piece completely cut out, we applied edge banding - which is really easy and gives basic plywood a much more finished look.

With pre-glued edge banding, it's as simple as applying heat with an iron and then using an edge band trimmer - or a sharp knife - to trim the excess edges.

Then I gave the whole top a quick sand with 220 grit sandpaper before giving it a a few thin coats of cheery pale pink primer and spray paint in one.  Spraying, as opposed to brushing, on the paint let the grain shine through, which is a look Mom liked.  (Szuka is likely ambivalent).

When the paint was dry, we simply screwed on the hairpin legs and DONE!



This is such a simple project, but it will make everyone's life a little happier!  Szuka's thinking: this is strange...it's not turquoise.

Unfortunately, even with the cute new bowl stand, sometimes Szuka is still a little bit of a messy eater.  Just a little, and it's sort of on purpose.  Her type of dog food was recently discontinued so we started mixing in new stuff to make the transition easier on her tummy.  Turns out she likes the new stuff a lot better, so she's picked up this weird, kibble sorting habit: even when there's only one type of kibble in the bowl, half of it is carefully placed on the floor.

To clean up the greasy residue left by her food, Mom and I use method all-purpose spray cleaner - we've both purchased method products for years (my current favorite is the daily granite cleaner, which I use regularly on my new quartzite counters to keep them gleaming). 

We both love that method can boast NO animal testing and NO animal bi-products, which any animal lover can appreciate.  The method line is people-friendly too, with biodegradable products, plus recycled and recyclable materials.  As an added bonus, it's non-toxic - so we feel comfortable using it to spot clean around where Szuka eats.  Sorry, sorts.

Now to finish the rest of that kitchen...

This post and DIY project were sponsored by method but, as always, all thoughts, opinions, and liberal use of turquoise backdrops are my own.  

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