Hey Friends! Are y’all over this winter season yet? Goodness me, it’s been as cold as a frosted frog around here and this Texas girl ain’t used to it! I’m hoping if I transition the house from winter decor to spring then the weather will oblige. Who’s with me? Who else wants to tell Punxsutawney Phil to stuff it? I can hear the me, me, me’s from here. Woo hoo! Let’s all do it! Let’s begin with a pinterest challenge and a super easy early spring console table!
A Pinterest Challenge And A Super Easy Early Spring Console Table
If you’ve hopped over from Everyday Edits, welcome! I’m glad you’re here. I love that we can all hop around, find inspiration and new accounts to follow! 🙂
Our inspiration photo comes from Amanda at Sincerely Marie Home and her spring decorated table vignette. I think it’s sophisticated, interesting to look at and springy so I’m going to recreate it in my own style because that’s what a Pinterest Challenge is all about. And because I love restyling my home. Okay, maybe the restyling/rearranging thing is more like an obsession but it’s so fun!
Sincerely Marie Home
What I notice in Marie’s photo is this:
Black Console Table
Plants, Birds and a Candle
Large Books/Coffee Table Books
White platters
Mantel in background
And various things I don’t have around like a bust, a plant mister and way more books.
Instead of just copying Amanda or going out and purchasing new things, I shopped my home and came up with what fits my style and my budget. I have to say, I love how it turned out. It’s similar, simple and didn’t cost a dime.
Winner winner, chicken dinner!
It all starts with a black table. Back in the early 90’s my mom and dad needed to replace their sidelights and front door because of wood rot. One of the sidelights was still in great condition so I asked for it, painted it black (see I even loved black, white and taupe way back then), added legs and boom, I have an almost 8 foot long sofa table. We’ve been using the table up in the game room so I brought it down stairs to the living room and put it behind the chairs. It’s a little chipped in some places but that just adds to the charm.
I need more birds.
I had plenty of white platters but unlike Amanda’s that has a large plant and two birds, I am using a smaller plant and one really cute chubby bird. I’m kinda surprised that as much as I like birds I only have one in my goodie closet. Next was the coffee table books. Instead of laying them flat on the table, I stood them up and as a book end used a vintage spring looking iron piece I found a few years ago.
I don’t have any more coffee table books so on the other end I used magazines instead. I have plenty of those. Do you pinch down the corners on a page you want to save? After the season is over, I tear that page out and put it in a file and recycle the magazine. Sometimes they go to a neighbor first. My friends and I share subscriptions with each other to save money. On the stands around here, they are asking $18.00 for one magazine. If I subscribed to all the magazines I want to read, the amount of money might tally up to a new car. Just kidding. Or am I?
So we have a Magazine Swap Meet!
Don’t feel you have to use a sofa/console table behind a sofa. Having this one behind the chairs helps a lot with conversation. I always felt the chairs were far away and not conducive for coziness but now it’s perfect in there. Not that any of us in this family have a problem with being loud enough. It’s really for when we have friends over. 😉
Next up in this Pinterest Challenge is my friend Amber at Follow the Yellow Brick Home. I love her style and all of her treasures! Don’t forget to visit all of the links below. You’ll find a new idea in each one. 😉 Last year about this time was a Spring Mantel Pinterest Challenge. Click here if you’d like to see those!
Love it, Cindy!!! I love the story of your sofa table!!! My sofa table has a similar history: found back in 1989 at the thriftshop I worked at on Camp Pendleton, it was an ugly, flecked yellowish 1940’s coffee table that I took down to Solana Beach and had it remade into a sofa table. I love the wood and its put together only with glue and dowels, which the man who rebuilt it with new legs told me! So, I probably killed a mid-century modern Danish piece, but I love it much better this way. I have several birds around here in ceramic or cement, too.
Good stuff and so simple to put together! Thanks for the breakdown and I like the big boxwood ball you have, too.
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
Author
I love that we will always have a fond memory of something we use and enjoy. I’m not so sure I have many with an item just taken from a shelf and paid for from some retail store. Unless it’s with a friend at an antique store in Keller! 😉 We need to get together again soon. And next time I need a bird I’ll come knocking on your door. Happy Tuesday!
Cindy,
Your table looks great. Thanks for organizing this.
Author
My pleasure Rachel! Thank you. 🙂
HI cindy, So much to unpack in your post. I love those chairs and ottoman.
Love the magazines (I struggled to find any cocktail books).
And, the magazine subscription with your friends. Yes I recently saw a magazine for the same amount.
Crazy! great job! laura
Author
I get a lot of comments on the checked chairs. They came from Pier One. So sad they closed that store. And I swear, big books for the coffee table is what I’m going to look for when I go into stores or to a garage sale. I know there are some fabulous books out there. I just never think to buy them. Mine were (all 3 of them) were gifts. Hope you enjoy your day.
Cold as a frosted frog. That is a much nicer sentence than mine used to describe extreme cold. LOL
I LOVE that your table used to be a sidelight. A challenge I had this month was to decide which set of birds to use. I could open up an aviary. Thank you so much for hosting!
Author
Or you could have a garage sale and I come get some birds from you?! 🙂
CIndy, first, yes, we are so over cold and snow. Can’t wait for spring. This challenge came at the right time. Helped us to not think about the cold and turn to spring. I love that you repurposed a sidelight into a sofa table. Great idea. I’m so impressed. Sofa tables are so helpful in a room setting. Thanks for hosting.
Author
Wow, you’re impressed?! Thanks! I remember wishing I could have used both side lights. I struggle toting it around because it’s really heavy and so long. But it’s a keeper.
Love your console table and that cute chubby bird. You did a great job with your take on the inspiration pic. I love the idea of swapping magazines with friends. That is a great idea. Thanks for hosting and inviting me to join in.
Author
Thank you Marty. I love the magazine swap. It’s like the Book Mobile has stopped at my front door. Did y’all have one of those during the summer? So fun!
Love how you brought your own spin to this challenge! The neutrals and greenery, and that black table as a base! Oh and the touches of blue in the room too!
Author
Some days decorating is harder than others and this was one of those weeks. I think the cold and gloomy clouds didn’t help but your sweet comment makes my day. Thanks so much.
Cindy, I love your long sofa table and the fact that it came from your parents’ house! The way you styled it looks so “spring-y” and fresh!
I am having so much fun looking at everyone’s lovely versions of the inspiratiobn photo!
Niky @ The House on Silverado
Author
Thank you Niky. I’m excited about making the transition to spring around here – inside and out! I’m soooooo ready!
This is so pretty and fresh for spring. I absolutely love those chairs!
Author
Thank you Christy. I got them from Pier One. Wish they were still open. I loved getting dishes and placemats there. Happy Tuesday!
I never knew how cold a frosted frog was until reading your blog post today Cindy! Loved how you styled your table and the story about your table. Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of this extraordinary group of women.
Author
Thank you Kim, glad you liked it. I’m looking forward to springifyin’ my home. Heard of that before? LOL!
I love your console table and the way you decorated it. It’s lovely to make something out of old objects to cherish. I like the idea of sharing magazines but, I have decided I would rather have books. Thanks and after that mess we had, snow for 5 days and freezing temperatures for 12 I love the sun and thought of spring.
Author
I love and need more books Marlene. Hope to find some on my next outing. Fingers crossed Spring is coming soon!
I’m laughing over here, again! Nothing like stuffing a groundhog to make animal-rights-activists… Okay, I’ll stop there. 😉 Love your table, and the story of how it came to be! I think I only have two little birds, but I love them, too!
Author
Nope, I couldn’t care less if PETA emailed me. I had someone unsubscribe because she thought I talked “so terribly” about my dogs. If she would’ve read the entire post, she would have seen I love and spoil them rotten. Oh well. 😉
I didn’t realize your console table was made from a window! That’s brilliant and it’s perfect behind the chairs. Your accessories are spot on for hurrying spring along and your mantel decor looks pretty fab too! Pinning of course!
Author
Thanks so much Michelle. I added the large black metal piece on the mantel after Christmas and love it so much that I’m having a hard time wanting to take it down for brighter happier springy things. Putting the white stems in the basket helps. Who knows what I’ll do next. 🙂
I love the bench you use for your coffee table! I have one almost identical at the foot of my bed and after 20 years, I want something else, but I want to keep my bench. I don’t have a coffee table but now I can keep my bench and have a coffee table too! Win Win!! Your room is lovely!
Author
I’ve never wanted a traditional coffee table. When I walked by a consignment store window and saw the garden bench, I walked in and bought it on the spot. The lady thought I was crazy to use it as a coffee table. She told me that I should put a piece of glass over the top. I just smiled and said “maybe’. I have loved using it as our coffee table for 15 years (without any glass) and plan to have it forever. I switch out the trays/baskets/wooden boxes all the time. There are times I think I should get something new but have never found anything I like better. Thanks so much Cecilia. You’ve made me love it all over again! 😉
I love that your sofa table was made from upcycled side lights. That was a brilliant idea!! The table looks great behind your chairs and you’ve styled it beautifully for early spring. Swapping magazines is a great idea. My mom and I do that and we both look forward to getting magazines from each other. After Mama reads my magazines, she passes them on to her sisters. Thank you for organizing this challenge. I’m a day late visiting and I’m really looking forward to drinking coffee and enjoying all of the posts this morning.
Author
I totally understand Paula. Life comes first. It makes me smile when I read you calling your mom, Mama. When my youngest calls me that my heart melts. My oldest (boy) calls me Cindy. Long story that makes perfect sense when you know Will. Anyway, glad you could visit and thank you for the sweet comment.
Your table is perfect behind the chairs! I love how you styled it with things you already had, and the fact that it’s upcycled is awesome. Thanks so much for hosting the tour!!
Author
My pleasure Angie and thank you. I’m glad I brought it downstairs. We really never saw it up in the game room. Happy Hump Day!
What a clever idea with that sidelight, Cindy! I never would’ve guessed it had a prior life with a completely different purpose. It’s great when you can shop your home and discover new ways to style what you already have. I’ve realized I need to do more of that. Hey, I restyled my home big time during that crazy freeze we had, but that wasn’t nearly as fun as doing a Pinterest Challenge! I hated to miss the challenge this time, but I’m loving all the inspiration.
Author
Thank you and we missed you too Crissy. I know restyling was so much fun and I bet it looks fantabulous. I love doing it in the spring when I can open the doors and windows and let the breeze (and dust) blow. It’s coming! Looking forward to seeing the changes you made. 🙂
Your table is so cool! I love that it’s an old window and it’s so long! And you found the perfect place for it, too. But I’m still trying to grasp the fact that you only have one bird? I don’t believe it; you’ve got to have some more hiding somewhere:) A magazine swap is a great idea; I have expensive stacks of them all over my house! And I find I only look at the pictures and scan:( Wish I lived closer to you and could be in with your share group! Thanks for coordinating! Happy Spring!
Author
Thank you Lora. Instead of you living close to me, I want to live close to you! You find the best stuff. And I’m telling you I have only one bird. It’s crazy, I know. I did find a little silver chick tucked in with the bunnies but I’m saving that for Easter.
This last year I subscribed to an online magazine. Quite beautiful but so not the same. I like turning the pages. Nothing will replace a good print. Same with books. All my people read stuff online. I want the real deal.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your week and cheers to warmer weather!
I love your little bird! But you only have one? Girl come to my house. Birds abound! Also, I never thought of using a sofa table like this but it is perfect there! Plus, it’s a perfect place for a reading lamp. I also love that it’s an old window….
Author
Yep, only one bird. But it’s the size of two. 😉 I actually love having that table behind the chairs. It’s been there a couple of weeks now and I don’t plan on moving it anytime soon. Thank you Tammy!
I love your blog but it’s frustrating that every time I try to bring it up this big subscribe box pops up and I try to close it and it won’t close unless I put in my info but I am already subscribed. I am not sure if it is just not working for me or what is happening. Just thought I would mention it in case it was something that not supposed to be happening.
Author
First, thank you so much for being a subscriber and telling me you love the blog. That makes my day! As for the subscription pop up, I’m very sorry that is happening. That is so annoying and not being able to close that window can make a person want to pull out their hair so I understand.
Are you saying the “close” button isn’t working when it pops up or that if you click anywhere outside of the pop up it isn’t closing for you?
Either way, I have talked to the tech guy and he has made some adjustments so I’m hoping it’s resolved. One thing he made mention of was that if your machine or cell phone is set to delete the “cookies” each time you close your browser, it will pop up again and there’s nothing we can do about it. It depends on how you’ve set up your machine. He also said if you’ve used a new browser, it will also pop up.
Since you’re a subscriber though, he has just now set it up so as to never pop up again unless the whole cookie thing happens again. I hope that helps. Unfortunately technology goes wrong and sadly it’s at the most inopportune times.
Thanks again Joy for subscribing and letting me know about the pop up. I really appreciate it!
What an amazing upcyle for a console table! Of course I love the way you styled it for this challenge. The chubby bird is too cute and I love all the pops of green mixed in with your neutrals.
Great idea on the magazine swap too!
Thank you so much for hosting another beautiful challenge!
Author
Thank you Amber. I like the pops of green too. Perfect to go all the way through March. Ha – if I only thought that far ahead. 😉
So fun! I love how you did this. Any chance you have a source for your candle holder? Everything looks great!
Author
Thank you Leigh. I appreciate that. I’m sorry I got that candle holder a couple of years ago and I honestly don’t even remember where. I did find some super cute galvanized candle holders at Hobby Lobby though. Link below. Maybe you could add chicken wire to the tops of one? It would look similar but yours would look better and completely unique! 🙂
https://www.hobbylobby.com/Home-Decor-Frames/Candles-Fragrance/Candle-Holders/Scalloped-Galvanized-Metal-Candle-Holder/p/80911157
You’re so thoughtful to answer and send me that great link! I love it! Thank you!
Author
My pleasure. Hope you find one you like. 🙂
Author
This just popped up on my notifications. Thought you might like it. It’s a “flash steal” and they don’t usually last very long. It’s bigger but similar to mine and cute. Here’s the link.
https://www.decorsteals.com/industrial-caged-candle-goblet-15583.html?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3-2-21%20Flash%20(all%20groups)%20(1)&utm_content=&spMailingID=33114762&spUserID=Mjk5NDkzMDYxMDY5S0&spJobID=1903073808&spReportId=MTkwMzA3MzgwOAS2
I am so in love with the vision you had for this table all those years ago! How special that it was the sidelight in your parent’s home. I love that you painted it black and turned it into a table! I love how you styled it for this challenge and love how you decorated the wall as well!!
Author
Thank you so much Kristin. You made me smile. I’m thinking it’ll be fun to have around and style this year. Happy Sunday!
This space makes me want to snuggle up and relax! It’s so pretty Cindy. I love that it’s made from windows too. That is super creative and unique. You’re always thinking of beautiful ways to give old things new life. I just love it all. Hugs and happy spring, CoCo
Author
I was telling someone the other day that I finally am starting to like this room. It’s where we spend a lot of time and the main room people see when they come over (well that’s been a year) but I’ve never thought it felt cozy or a place to relax. So you saying that makes my month – thank you! Our homes are always a work in progress but goodness me, should it take 10 years to feel cozy in your own home? Ayi yi yi!
Love your story and how you made the challenge work in your space.
But love your chubby bird especially. I have a colored chubby bird that I picked up on clearance and never could make it work.
I now have chubby sitting in a small stack of vintage soup plates mixed in with a grouping of plant stands. Looks perfect!
Author
Aww, thank you Paulette. I bet your chubby bird looks adorable sitting pretty on vintage plates! Happy Spring!