My French Country DIY Coffe Table

I recently attended a large Shabby-Chic flea market hosted by The Funky Junk Sisters. It was held at the local fairgrounds and was loaded with lovely vintage treasures from fabulous artwork, glassware, and wonderful re-purposed furniture. I was on the hunt for some old cast iron bathtub claw feet for my very own crafty project!

My Mother had scored this awesome rusty military trunk for me at auction.

I've always loved the idea of reusing these trunks as a coffee table!

Here's how I put my spin on the concept:

I masked off the handles to preserve the weathered leather. Then lightly sanded the entire piece with a sanding block and wiped free of dust before priming.

ALWAYS prime before painting.
Trust me, I used to skip this step thinking it was unnecessary.
Priming really makes a world of difference. It helps your paint color to go one more smoothly and evenly, and also helps your paint to last.
I prefer Rustoleum brand spray paint for metal pieces such as this.
A paint gun is on my birthday wish list........HUBBY, hint hint.

After two coats of primer, I then painted my trunk
with "Victorian White" Rustoleum spray paint in a satin finish.

No shabby-chic project would be complete without a little roughing up!
I took my sanding block and went to town with it. Sanding away on any areas that had hardware. I love how it makes the metal stand out and make a statement.

I was unsuccessful with  finding the claw feet at the market. So my friend and I later went to a lovely antique store where the owner helped me find something I wasn't even looking for.........curtain tie backs!
These lovely vintage brass pieces were in pristine condition with a beautiful patina. The botanical leaf-like design spoke to me and offered a French Country feel.
$24 for the set of four, I couldn't pass it up!
Hubby bent them for me with a rubber mallet to the shape I preferred.



I have a bit of an obsession with birds,
so I had to add this pretty vintage parrot vase to my table display
which I filled with cut branches from our yard.





The lovely white filigree tray was a Goodwill score at only $3.99.
I also love hunting the thrift stores for fun books.
Who doesn't need a little Victorian etiquette in their lives?