Someday I Might Be Like Martha Stewart....

Hi my name is Jessica and I am addicted to Pinterest.  Is there a support group for that?  It seems like there should be, we can meet at my house and do crafts while we discuss our addiction.  A side effect of this addiction is that I have started to look around my house and see it as an endless parade of possible projects.  If you know me that probably has you ready to come over here with popcorn to watch because you know there will be some craziness involved in figuring out how to accomplish any kind of craft. 

Since up until now I have only been brave enough to try Pinterest ideas that can be applied to my classroom I decided to try my hand at restyling a piece of furniture.  Enter unsuspecting side table.

After I moved into my new place a few months ago a very sweet friend of mine helped me out by giving me this side table (a side table that I'm hoping she does not mind that I have now used as my learning experience so hopefully it isn't too bad for my first shot).  Yes, I did paint it inside and yes I do know that was probably not the best option but when you live in an apartment sometimes you gotta do whatcha gotta do. :)

Well, here is the adventurous part.  This side table is laminate with a shiny finish so I should have used a primer.  Guess what.  . I used something different! My Grandma'am was in town and she told me a trick she uses that she learned somewhere on the Internet.  I bought some paint and she mixed in baking soda.  Yes, that's all, baking soda!!! At this point I wish I could say I was a believer but I was less than cooperative thinking that this is the craziest thing I had ever heard.  I mean baking soda? I even went as far as to buy the primer because I thought I had to have misunderstood her. Well, she apparently knows how to research because it worked.    
 

 

This is only part way through the process but the paint was sticking! I was in complete shock.  It took about 2 coats but the baking soda not only makes it stick to the wood it also makes the paint super thick!  After it dried and I examined it to make sure all the wood parts were covered I just went over it with a decent amount of clear coat (that's a really important step otherwise the paint can peel off down the road).  I know it may not be as amazing as a lot of the stuff on Pinterest but I have to say I am rather pleased with how it turned out.