DIY Life

Have you ever gone to a thrift store or a garage sale and seen the ugliest piece of furniture, but just knew in your heart that it could be transformed into something beautiful? Me too... sigh. Lucky for us, you and I are great DIYers that can turn yuck into fab.

Marianne Kirby picked up a plain side table at a yard sale for $5, and purchased about 1600 buttons on eBay. While waiting for the buttons to arrive, she got busy sanding and painting the little table. When she received the buttons, she applied a basic tacky glue to the tabletop, then situated the buttons in a way that pleased her eye. She let the glue dry overnight.

After the glue had fully dried, Marianne mixed and applied resin to the tabletop, allowing each layer to set before applying another, until she reached her desired amount (at least enough thickness to cover the buttons smoothly). Then, she allowed the tabletop to cure for 72 hours... and yuck turned into fab!

Since green is my favorite color, I absolutely love Marianne's new and improved side table. Of course, you can use any color buttons you wish, and arrange the buttons in a way that pleases your own eye. Just be sure to let the table top completely cure before using it.

Having no room in your house for a Christmas tree doesn't mean you have to go without this year. My house is so tiny that my living room doesn't have the space for my big 6 foot tree. It isn't only the lack of space, it is also the fact that my two cats and my two year old think that the tree ornaments are for more that just passive decoration.

Ansley of Bleu Arts shows us how to make a felt table top Christmas tree. The Christmas tree can be decorated differently year after year. All you need to make the felt tree is some Styrofoam cones, felt fabric, straight pins, pinking shears, white glue, a craft knife, a cardboard tube, a marker, some ribbon and other decorations. The instructions and pictures are super easy to follow.

If you decide to make the felt table top Christmas tree this year, you won't have to lug out your monstrous tree and spend hours decorating it, not to mention having to find a place to put it. You also won't have to spend a lot of money on a real tree that will happen to shed all it's needles before the New Year is upon us. The felt Christmas tree is a cheap and easy alternative for those who don't have the space for a large tree. Have fun decorating!

[via:Craft]