February Flowers

I found this GREAT little table at our local goodwill store for $2.99. I took a picture of it before with my old 35mm camera. Then sweet hubby bought me a little digital camera to make this blogging thing work easier. SO, I didn't develop the film of the before shots - I'll just describe it for you.

It was white, but it looked like a priming coat with lots and lots of brush stokes in all directions. It was very dusty inside, and there was a little red toy snake in the corner which I originally thought it was a bit of ric rac (the snake has nothing to do with anything, except that I thought it was funny how your experiences shape your perceptions - me, always seeing fabric pieces, even when it's plastic!!)he he There was also a spot for a drawer, but no drawer with it. I snagged it - less than $3.00 and solid wood - can't pass that up.

After sanding and painting white, it still looked so plain. I had decided it would be perfect in the bathroom, to hold books and magazines. So, what to decorate with - maybe decoupage? or fabric? (I'm famous in my family for covering something in fabric if it's not great to look at). Then I spied these for inspiration. Pretty little embroideried linen towels made many years ago by my dear m-i-l.
I remembered a little foam stamp that I have in the shape of a rose. Along with paint in my stash, I could decorate this without spending any additional money. After getting the roses on, however, they looked so linear. I have a very hard time doing anything totally random! So I added the lines in beige to look like a lattice connecting the roses. I tried this two ways on scrap paper. The first way I taped off lines to paint with blue tape. (I have used this method before to paint a lattice on a larger flat surface.) Second way, I just free handed little lines the width of my brush. I liked the way the second method looked for this project. More whimsical, and since the little roses are pretty whimsical themselves, it seemed like a better match.

So there you are, little stand for $2.99 to brighten up the bathroom. Flowers in February, not in the garden, but still garden-like. And my quick fix for the missing drawer? A piece of cardboard cut to fit and spray painted white. I have lots of cardboard around here from left over moving boxes that I saved for just such a purpose!! :-) While this would not be the best solution for a kids room, it is plenty sturdy enough for the wear and tear of two adults. (Looking at these pictures, I think I really need to paint the walls - they are so builder white - but this is a rental house, and I'm not sure yet if I should (or want to) tackle that. It is main reason, though, that I'm desperate to add color. )

The last three pictures are of the little shelf on the wall above the stand and the wall above the toilet. Thanks for visiting and sharing in the fun of my project!