Bippity Boppity Boo: A Cinderella Story Part 2

Oops, I did it again! A flick of my wand and my living room is transformed once again for the changing seasons. (Catch up on the first magical transformation from last spring here.) Pillows, blankets, and pumpkins aside, the biggest change is the coffee table makeover I did over the weekend.

BEFORE: Nate and I bought this table on Craigslist three years ago for a mere $45. I loved it then. I hate it now. The overall size and shape - especially with the lower shelf (not shown here) - is perfect for our needs, but the finish was too red and it just didn't go with all of the white and espresso wood throughout the rest of our apartment. So, I called up my gal Bailey to borrow her electric sander (which I am now convinced I need to invest in), ran to Home Depot for some white paint, and got to work.

STEP 1: Using an electric sander and very course paper, I went over the entire table 2, 3, 4 times to eliminate the varnish, the stain, then whatever leftover marks remained. This was definitely the most difficult part mainly because it took so long. I was sanding for at least an hour, and the table isn't that big.

STEP 2: Clean off the excess dust, then sand the table once again with a very fine sanding paper to smooth out the wood. Once again, clean off all the dust, and look at that beautiful wood!

STEP 3: Using a water-based white paint, I painted a small strip of wood. Immediately after applying a coat to a small section, I took a dry rag and rubbed the paint into the wood, exposing the wood grain and lightening the overall color. Here you can see a section that had just been painted, and the section next to it that I had already rubbed in.

STEP 4: Eventually, I went over the entire table with two coats. With each coat, I used the dry cloth to rub the paint into the wood grain. Seeing the wood gives it more of a rustic feel, which is the look I wanted.

Very Halloween, no? I'll have to switch out the blacks and oranges for emerald greens and sparkles come Christmas time, but I love this for fall! As for the white coffee table, I am in loooove. It's so much more me than the icky red stain it had before. Thoughts?

*couch, pillows, faux fur throw, and paper flowers all West Elm

Also, be sure to visit La Dolce Vita today where I am taking part in the 10 Things I Cannot Live Without series! Can you guess what any of them are before looking?