Maria’s DIY table, frames, vase & votives redo

Side table, vase, votives & picture frames, photo

Our new guest nester, Maria Romvari, transformed this corner of her house for her Hungarian blog A Hoover-gáton is túl, and she’s sharing her tutorial with us! Maria used ordinary thrift store items — side table, vase, and mismatched frames — totaling $10.67 to create this stunning vignette. Another $17.75 spent on paint, primer, and a brush bring the total to less than $30. Add some of her own photos and candle holders, and she was ready to start the transformation.

Maria loves the clean, fresh look of white (a girl after my own heart!), but her husband wasn’t keen on the idea (he said white reminds him of hospitals), so he suggested staining the tabletop. It all came together beautifully, don’t you think?

Table, frames, and vase, before photo

Below is what Maria’s little corner looked like before. Unfortunately, that’s what some of the corners in our homes look like, especially right after a move. Am I right? Is there a corner in your house that needs sprucing up?

Corner with plastic drawers and duffle bag, before photo

Thanks, Maria! You can find her own post here.

Side table how-to

SUPPLIES & TOOLS
  • latex paint (Maria used Olympic Dogwood Blossom [D20-1])

  • primer

  • wood stain (Maria used gunstock colored stain)

  • satin polyurethane

  • newspaper or drop cloth

  • fine sandpaper

  • paintbrush

  • screwdriver

  • mineral spirits (needed to clean polyurethane off paint brush)

INSTRUCTIONS
Dissassemble the table, photo

1. Disassemble the table. Lightly sand the base and legs.

Paint the primer on the base, photo

2. Cover your work surface, then apply two coats of primer to the base and legs. Maria’s husband shared this tip that made painting the legs easier: Hammer a nail into the bottom of each leg so you can hold and spin the legs without touching the fresh paint. Great idea! Let the primer dry, then apply one to two coats of paint. Let dry between coats. When finished, let dry overnight.

Sand the tabletop, photo

3. Sand the tabletop smooth. Again, protect your work surface, then apply two to three coats of stain. Let dry and lightly sand between coats.

Apply polyurethane to the tabletop, photo

4. Apply two to three coats of polyurethane. Let dry and lightly sand between coats. Let dry overnight, then reassemble the table.

Picture frames how-to

SUPPLIES
  • latex paint (Maria used Olympic Dogwood Blossom [D20-1])

  • primer

  • newspaper of drop cloth

INSTRUCTIONS
Painting a picture frame on newspaper, photo

1. Disassemble the picture frames. Protect your work surface, then apply two coats of primer. Let dry after each coat. Apply one to two coats of paint. Let dry between coats.

Picture frames on the wall, photo

2. Reassemble the frames, add mats and art or photos as desired. Don’t forget to clean the glass! Hang them on the wall.

Vase how-to

SUPPLIES
  • cylindrical vase

  • spray paint (Maria used a vanilla white shade from Michaels)

  • masking tape

  • newspaper or drop cloth

INSTRUCTIONS
Masking tape around a vase, photo

1. Slice masking tape into various widths (or purchase tape in various widths) and tape around the vase in your desired pattern. Protect your work surface with newspaper, then spray with spray paint. Let dry.

Finished striped vase, photo

2. Remove the masking tape. Fill it with flowers, wheat stalks, greenery, or nothing at all.

Votive holders how-to

SUPPLIES
  • glass votive holders

  • frosted glass spray paint

  • newspaper or drop cloth

  • votives/tealights

INSTRUCTIONS
Glass votive holders, before photo

1. Clean and dry your glass candle holders. Cover your work surface with newspaper, then spray with frosted spray paint. Let dry.

Frosted glass votive holders, after photo

2. Drop in your tealights, and light them up.

Crafty Nest Maria's corner redo Pinterest image, photo

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Made this project? Email your photo(s) to monica (at) craftynest (dot) com, and I’ll share your version here!