Meet Union Jacques!

Soooo, once again I am forgoing my "Thrifty Treasures Monday" post... not because I didn't find anything last week, but because I'm DYING to show you my latest redo! I actually finished three projects this week (hooray for me!), but this is my absolute favorite-est project to date! (And it does qualify as thrifty, because besides the $2 price of the table, everything else was free!)

What do you get when a sweet, delicate French side table marries a very masculine British emblem? Why, the Union Jacques, of course! :)

BEFORE

I picked this little table up at a garage sale over a year ago for like $2.  It was originally a grubby brown with a gray "distressed-ish" finish, complete with flaking veneer. I chipped off the loose veneer and repainted it in a pale green (leftover from Princess E's room... I told you I liked green!) Much better, but it still seemed like it was missing something-- the final, elusive "something" that would transform it from "plain" to "pizzazz-iful!"! (yes, I know that's not a word...) After searching for that "something" for months and months (and falling in love with all the Union Jacks popping up everywhere), I came to the conclusion that my little Frenchy table needed a touch of Britannia (because you know, everything's better in a British accent!)

Source: etsy.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

But, unfortunately, my house isn't really a "primary color" scheme, so it was hard for me to envision the true red-white-and-blue Union Jack feeling at home there. So when I saw the stylistic interpretation of the colors of the Union Jack on this dresser, I knew the search for inspiration was complete... my little table had at last met its intended finish.

I very loosely followed Seaside Shelter's instructions on how to paint the Union Jack (if you want a real tutorial, check out her blog!).  I taped off the emblem on the top of the table and brushed it in with my contrasting color, a light taupe. (Really, the only measuring I did was to find the center of each side... then I eyeballed the placement of the rest of the lines) :) I had originally intended to do a simple white-on-green basic outline, but at the last minute, I found that leftover can of taupe and knew it would be perfect! When I peeled off the tape, though, I thought the plain taupe and green looked too stark, so I added a "glazed effect" by dry brushing lightly over the entire table, letting it dry a bit, then wiping some off with a wet rag. (Literally improvising as I went!) It still didn't have enough "pop" for me, however... sooooo I taped back over and VERY lightly dry-brushed a thin cream outline along each of the bars. (Unfortunately I let myself get too engrossed in the process-- and was unsure of how it would turn out-- and was moving too fast to take pictures! Tell me you've never done that during a makeover!) :)

When I peeled the last piece of tape off, I was in LOVE!

SERIOUSLY, like head over heels in love!

Like, really, I have never adored a piece of furniture before, like I love this one! (not to slight my aqua console table or anything...) I absolutely adore the combination of the sweet turned legs with the masculine top... and the way the "glazing" really brings out their detailing.

And with the neutral color scheme, it fits into my living room perfectly!

AFTER!

British, feminine, and classy... Maybe I should rename him/her "Princess Kate"? :)

Source: dailymail.co.uk via Kathryn on Pinterest

What do you think? ;-)

Parties I link to:

Sunday:

• Southern Hospitality Blog: Thrifty Treasures

Monday:

• Jam's Corner: Marvelous Mondays Link Party

Tuesday:

• Adventures Of a DIY Mom: Terrific Tuesdays
• Mercy Ink Blog: All Things Heart & Home Link-up
• My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia: Tuesday's Treasures
• Uncommon: Uncommonly Yours Link Party
• The Winthrop Chronicles: Share It Link Party 

Wednesday:

• Embracing Change: Creative Inspirations Link Party
• Hooking Up w/ House of Hepworths
• Vintage Gwen: Show & Share

Thursday:

• My Repurposed Life: Catch As Catch Can



The Shabby Creek Cottage: Transformation Thursday
Two Yellow Birds Decor: Thursday's Temptation

Friday:

• Chic on a Shoestring Decorating: Flaunt It Friday
• Decorating Insanity: Furniture Friday
• Five Days, Five Ways: Feature Friday Free-for-All
• Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday
• Two Sasters: TGIF Party

Saturday:

• It's Overflowing: Overflowing with Creativity Party